MA 180
Introductory College Mathematics
Spring 2009 Syllabus
Instructor: Eric McGregor
Office: Science Center 388
Email: mcgregre @ clarkson.edu
Office Hours
Monday:
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Tuesday:
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Wednesday:
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Thursday:
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Friday:
9:00 am – 10:00 am
or by appointment.
Course Description
As outlined in the College Catalog, this course will cover “ basic algebra and functions, differences,
and introduction to discrete calculus, rates of growth, introduce the derivative. “
Attendance
Prompt attendance at all lecture and all discussion sessions is required and expected. Students must
send an email (in advance when possible) to the instructor explaining an (impending) absence. In the case of an
emergency, the student should email the instructor as soon as possible.
In the case of an excused absence, it is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor to make
arrangements to complete missed work. Unexcused absences will result in a grade of zero for missed
assignments, quizzes, and exams.
Required Resources
 College Algebra; Stewart, Redlin, Watson, Tan; 2008, Cengage Learning
 WebAssign Subscription (Class Key: clarkson 4292 6885)
 Graphing calculator (with its manual)
Lecture
Lecture meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:00 am to 8:50 am in SC348.
Unannounced quizzes may be given at the beginning of lecture. Students are encouraged to review their
notes from the previous lecture before attending class.
Discussion
Discussions meet on Tuesday and Thursdays from 8:00 am to 8:50 am in SC 348. Students need to
bring their text book, calculator and the manual for their calculator to the discussion sessions.
In general, during the discussion session, the instructor will review past homework assignments,
challenge students with new problems to solve, and work with students on current homework assignments and
projects. Students are encouraged to ask questions.
Hourly exams will be given during recitation. When an hourly exam is not given, a quiz may be given
to test the student's knowledge of the material presented during previous lectures.
Homework
No matter how talented a lecturer may be or how bright a student is, mathematics can only be mastered
by practicing.
A Web Assign homework assignment will be assigned for each lecture. After each lecture, the
assignment for that lecture will be immediately available. The assignment will be due at midnight prior to the
next lecture (plan accordingly).
Students must input their answers online for credit towards their homework grade. Students are allowed
unlimited attempts to enter their answers online (up to the deadline).
Students are encouraged to complete the assignment on the day it is given. This allows the student to
recall the information that was recently presented in lecture and provides the student adequate time to get help
from the instructor during office hours.
Projects
Projects will be given throughout the semester to test how well the student can apply what was learned
from the lectures. Generally, projects will be due one week after they are assigned. Projects should be
submitted typed in a well thought out and professional manner and in accordance to the project specifications.
Examinations
There will be three midterm exams and a comprehensive final exam. These exams will be given during
the discussion sessions. Midterm exams will be held on the following dates:
Exam 1: Tuesday, February 10
Exam 2: Thursday, March 12
Exam 3: Thursday, April 16
Grading
Course grades will be calculated based on the following percentages:
Percentage
Quizzes
10%
Projects
10%
Homework
15%
Examination I
15%
Examination II
15%
Examination III
15%
Final Examination
20%
Total
100%
Letter grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
A:
B+:
B:
C+:
C:
D+:
D:
F:
90-100%
85-89%
80-84%
75-79%
70-74%
65-69%
60-64%
<60%