Fall 2009
Course: MATH 109C
Instructor: Stephen Reyes
Office: MTL 124E --- Ph#: 626-2069
Office Hours: TTh 10-11am, W 1-2 & by appointment
Tutoring Hour: TBA
Email: sreyes@math.arizona.edu
My Webpage: http://math.arizona.edu/~sreyes
Welcome to Math 109C. This syllabus contains the policies and guidelines specific to this section. You are expected to
read, understand, and follow these policies. Please retain a copy of this document for your reference.
Text(s): (1) WileyPLUS for Explorations in College Algebra, Fourth Edition, by Kime and Clark, and (2) Math 109C Course
Notes
WileyPLUS: This semester we will be making use of an online resource known as WileyPLUS. This online resource
contains an electronic copy of your textbook, an online computerized grading system for homework assignments (more
about this will come later in this document) and other preparatory assignments, as well as a host of other resources.
You will be required to use WileyPLUS for this course and you have two ways of obtaining access:
1. Purchase a binder-ready text from the bookstore, which comes with the licensing for WileyPLUS. This will set
you back at a cost of $109.50, and once you open the binder-ready text you cannot return it for a refund.
2. Purchase WileyPLUS directly through the website. This will only set you back at a cost of $56.95, and contains
an electronic version of your text. If you are comfortable using an electronic text, you are encouraged to select
this option.
Regardless of which option you choose, you still need to purchase the MATH 109C Course Notes (see the texts listed
above). This will cost $18.00.
Attendance: It is important that you attend class every day as this class meets only three times per week. Attendance
will be taken regularly in this course. If you have three or more absences during the course of the semester you may be
administratively dropped from the course. Additionally, excessive tardiness may also be used as part of an absence (i.e.
1 tardy = ½ absence). If you miss a class or anticipate missing one, you are responsible for finding out what you missed:
course announcements, adjustments made to the syllabus or homework assignments, exam dates, etc. Contact a
classmate and check the class webpage regularly. FAIR WARNING: you are responsible for your own attendance and
the grade in which it results.
Preparation: There is a certain amount of outside preparation that you should be devoting to this class. As a general
rule, for each class meeting you should devote at least 2 hours to outside studying. This may include but is not limited
to: allowing enough time to read the appropriate section(s) of your textbook before it is covered in class (a copy of the
syllabus has been made available to you), looking at homework assignments and problems at least one day before they
are due, reviewing class notes daily, meeting with your instructor during office hours to clarify your understanding of
course material whenever you don’t understanding something (not just the day before an exam), and/or seeking outside
help through tutoring or your instructor. You are ultimately responsible for your own learning of course material.
Electronic Devices & Cell Phones: Only the graphing calculators allowed by this course (see general course policies) can
be used during class. Electronic devices such as cell phones, ipods, and so forth MUST BE TURNED OFF during class
meetings. Cell phones CANNOT be used as calculators during any exam or quiz. Students who are found using a cell
phone during an exam or quiz are in violation of the student code of academic integrity, and therefore subject to
disciplinary action by the university. It is your responsibility to have a working graphing calculator with you at all times,
as none will be provided for you. Calculator swapping during exams and/or quizzes will NOT be permitted.
Office Hours: Please take note of the office hours listed at the top of this page and on the course webpage. Office
hours are designated times where you have the opportunity to drop-in without an appointment to talk to your
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instructor about your questions regarding the class in a timely manner. You are strongly encouraged to attend office
hours. If you are unable to attend any of these hours, we can schedule an appointment at a mutually convenient time.
Simply send me an email or let me know just before the start or end of class that you’d like to set up an appointment.
Once an appointment is set be sure to send me an email to confirm the appointment.
Tutoring Hour: The university offers a free drop-in tutoring service called The Think Tank to students. It is located in
the Nugent building. Drop-in tutoring is available: M-Th 1pm to 9pm, F 1pm-5pm, and Sun 5pm to 9pm. There are also
several other services that The Think Tank offers to students. For more information, you can go to their website:
www.studentaffairs.arizona.edu/thinktank or you can call (520) 626-0530. During the semester, I will be helping out at
The Think Tank one hour each week. The exact day and time of this will be announced later in the semester.
Email: You are expected to have an active email account for this class. Email may be used to distribute any pertinent
course information such as adjustments to the course syllabus, updates to homework assignments and/or exams, and so
forth. Email communication with your instructor is always strongly encouraged, especially if you have questions
regarding the course.
When sending me email, please be sure to include the following info:
(1) Your first and last name
(2) Your course and section number (e.g. MATH 109 Section# or time class meets)
(3) And what you’d like to discuss.
Please do NOT email me to inquire about your grade in the course. University and departmental policies regarding
student privacy prohibit instructors from discussing grades over insecure forms of communication like email, telephone,
etc. If you want to discuss your grade in the course you can do so during one of my office hours or by appointment.
In-class: It is imperative that you come to this class ready to participate in your own learning. Depending on the topic(s)
we’re discussing, class lessons will vary between some lecture where you will be asked to answer questions posed
during class and small group work where you will work with your fellow classmates to work through problems and
investigate new topics. Whatever the activity, it is important that you take an active part in the activity to maximize
your understanding of the material. On occasion, these activities may require you to work outside of class to investigate
a topic further for later discussion during class. Such work may be collected and/or presented during class or treated
like a homework assignment. Reading the newspaper, listening to your i-pod, text messaging with your cell phone, or
engaging in behavior or activities that divert your attention or the attention of other members of the class from learning
course material may result in a reduction in your grade and/or removal from the course.
Homework/Quiz Policy: Homework is an essential part of this course: you learn mathematics by doing it. The
homework in this course is intended to provide you with hands-on experience with course material as well as feedback
on how well you’re grasping this material. Make sure you understand how to do ALL homework problems as well as
relate those problems back to the key ideas we’re studying. You should always go back and revisit those problems you
didn’t understand immediately after you’ve handed-in an assignment while it is still fresh in your mind. Don’t wait until
it’s time to study for your exam to get your questions answered. All learning starts with having the ability to know that
you don’t understand something and resolving to understand it. As a consequence, you should NOT treat homework as
some mere chore that you have to get out of the way or as some token exchange for a higher grade. Doing homework is
only the starting point on the path to understanding not the end.
Homework will consist of some team-based and/or individual assignments. Homework will be submitted in two formats
throughout the semester: (1) online to a computer grading program called WileyPLUS and (2) paper-and-pencil
assignments. Paper-and-pencil assignments may include: textbook problems, problems from the course notes, in-class
quizzes, as well as instructor created problems. A listing of all homework assignments will be posted on my webpage.
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I will be grading your pencil-and-paper homework assignments to see if you understand course material. While this
might not be something your previous math instructors did, it is really my only chance to give you feedback as to the
kinds of things I will be expecting on your exams.
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Paper-and-pencil homework assignments are to be handed in AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS on the day it is due;
otherwise it is considered late and will NOT be graded for credit. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you’re unable to turn-in a
completed homework assignment, please make arrangements ahead of time to have a reliable friend in your class
hand-in your homework for you on the day it is due.
Unless stated otherwise, homework assignments done electronically on WileyPLUS are to be completed BEFORE
11:00pm on the day it is due; otherwise it is considered late and will receive a score of zero. The availability of
various problem sets will be announced in class, through email, and/or through the class webpage. You are
ultimately responsible, however, for checking WileyPLUS regularly for the availability of problem sets and their due
dates.
At the end of the semester several of your lowest/missing homework assignments will be dropped. This should take
care of any illnesses, athletic events, religious observances, family events, oversleeping, “forgot my homework” or
computer issues. Because of this, late homework will NOT be accepted. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Homework that is handed-in is to be done on regular (white) 8½ ” x 11” notebook paper. NO FRINGES OR LOOSE
SPIRAL BINDING. Multiple pages MUST be STAPLED together. Crazy corner origami is NOT a staple. The following
information should appear in the top right corner of each homework: name, due date, Math 109-sec# (or time class
meets), and assignment.
Each problem should be neatly written, with all intermediate steps included and the problem number clearly
marked. Answers should be clearly indicated (boxed, circled, highlighted, etc.). Written explanations should be
included whenever appropriate. If necessary, answers should include units. Graphs should be neat and have scaling
and axes clearly labeled. If you use a calculator to obtain a graph, you MUST include the viewing window that was
used to obtain it. An answer obtained by guessing and checking on your calculator will NOT receive full credit. Here
are some tips for being successful with paper-and-pencil homework:
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Use an easy to read format: Organize your work in a logical way. Do NOT crowd your work; leave some
room for corrections and comments.
Write as if the reader does not already know what you want to say: Assume that the reader is a classmate
who does not understand the problem or how to solve it. This will encourage you to strive for completeness
and clarity in your answers. Remember the reader can only see what you wrote, not what you meant to say.
Copy the problem and write complete sentences.
Focus on process rather than product: In this class, the process by which you solve problems is just as
important as the final product (getting the answers). You will be asked not only to "solve problems" (plug
and chug style), but also to give explanations of your reasoning and interpretations of your solutions.
Use proper mathematical notation: Mathematics is a language. Understanding that language starts with
understanding the notation we use to communicate ideas. The mathematical notation we use represent the
agreed-upon conventions by which we communicate in writing. Avoid the misuse of symbols, especially the
equal sign. The equal sign in mathematics states that the expressions on both sides of the equation
represent the same thing. The equal sign does NOT mean “becomes”, “is assigned to”, or “ the next step is”.
Most homework questions are to be handled during office hours, email and/or the tutoring room. When time
allows, I will DISCUSS solutions to one or two homework problems or similar types of problems one class period
before an assignment is due. I typically will NOT discuss HW problems during class on the day an assignment is due.
Discussing problems does NOT mean I will do problems for you. Typically, I will talk you through what you’ll need to
do in a problem so you’ll at least be working in the right direction. Class time does not equate to homework time.
Class time is devoted to the explanation of the current topic we’re discussing and the solution of problems involved
with this topic. This course has a very fixed time frame meeting only three times per week and we only have so
much time to cover all the topics this course requires. Please budget your time accordingly.
Each paper-and-pencil homework assignment will be scaled to be worth 10 points: 2 points will be allotted for
proper formatting of the assignment (fringes removed, pages stapled, name(s), section number, assignment #
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appears at the top, problems and their answers neatly spaced and written, etc). The remaining 8 points will be used
to grade selected problems from the assignment, usually 3-5 problems depending on the assignment. These
problems will be graded for correctly showing and explaining all work involved and arriving at the correct answer.
Correct answers not supported by work will NOT receive credit. Just because a problem is not graded does not
mean it isn’t important to your learning the material. Unfortunately, I cannot grade all the problems in an
assignment. There’s only one of me and so many of you.
In cases where WileyPLUS is used, each assignment will be scaled to be worth 10 points.
You may also be given quizzes in-class. Such quizzes will be counted as part of your hw/quiz score and may be
announced or unannounced and may cover any current or prior material in the course. There will be no make-ups
for missed quizzes. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Your total homework/quiz score will be calculated according to the formula below:
% Score
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 % Score 
  50  
  50
your hw/quiz score  
 Paper - Pencil HW 
 WileyPlus 
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Questions regarding the grading of any assignment must be addressed no later than one week after being
returned. In addition, I reserve the right to re-grade any and all parts of an assignment in dispute.
Group Assignments: As group work will be a regular part of in-class activities as well as in some instances paper-andpencil homework, you will be collaborating in teams of approximately 3 students to work on three real-world
mathematical problems. These problems will come from the set of course notes you are required to purchase and will
require you to write a typed analysis which articulates the problem and clearly states how you solved it. The group
analyses are summarized below:
GRP Analysis 1 10 points
GRP Analysis 2 20 points
GRP Analysis 3 20 points
Half of the points for each group assignment will be allocated for mathematical correctness, while the other half is
allocated for the ability to communicate the problem at hand and how you solved it. Due dates and more information
about these group assignments will be made available later in the semester.
In-Class Exams: There will be a total of three in-class exams. All in-class exams are written and graded by me with each
exam being worth 100 points. In-class exams will cover the material being discussed up to the time it is given and are
scheduled according to the table given below. These dates are tentative, and thus may change. The exact date of each
exam will be announced well in advance.
EXAM 1 Week of September 14, 2009
EXAM 2 Week of October 12, 2009
EXAM 3 Week of November 23, 2009
Questions regarding the grading of any in-class exam must be addressed no later than one week after being returned.
In addition, I reserve the right to re-grade any and all parts of an exam in dispute.
Final Exam: There is a cumulative final exam given at the end of the semester. This exam is a department written exam
and is worth 150 points. The final exam is scheduled on Monday, December 14, 2009 from 8:00am to 10:00am. The
room location will be announced later in the semester.
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Grades: Your semester course grade will be determined by your performance in the following categories as summarized
in the table below:
Category
Points
Grading Scale
Paper-Pencil
50
HW/Quizzes
Total Points Grade
WileyPLUS
50
Group Work Assignments
50
540-600
A
EXAM 1
100
480-539
B
EXAM 2
100
420-479
C
EXAM 3
100
360-419
D
Final Exam
150
0-359
E
Total Points
600
There is NO curving and/or dropping of exams AND there is NO extra credit in this course.
Academic Integrity: Students are responsible to inform themselves of University policies regarding the Code of
Academic Integrity. Students found to be in violation of the Code are subject to penalties ranging from a loss of
credit for work involved to a grade of E in the course, and risk possible suspension or probation. The Code of Academic
Integrity will be enforced in all areas of the course, including, but not limited to, tests and quizzes. For more information
about the Code of Academic Integrity policies and procedures, including information about your rights and
responsibilities as a student, see http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/codeofacademicintegrity.
Classroom Conduct: Students at The University of Arizona are expected to conform to the standards of conduct
established in the Student Code of Conduct. Prohibited conduct includes:
1. All forms of student academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and
plagiarism.
2. Interfering with University or University-sponsored activities, including but not limited to classroom related activities,
studying, teaching, research, intellectual or creative endeavor, administration, service or the provision of
communication, computing or emergency services.
3. Endangering, threatening, or causing physical harm to any member of the University community or to oneself or
causing reasonable apprehension of such harm.
4. Engaging in harassment or unlawful discriminatory activities on the basis of age, ethnicity, gender, handicapping
condition, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or violating University rules governing
harassment or discrimination.
Students found to be in violation of the Code are subject to disciplinary action. For more information about the Student
Code of Conduct, including a complete list of prohibited conduct, see the following website:
http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/policiesandcodes/studentcodeofconduct
Students should turn off all electronic devices during class unless the device is deemed necessary for the class by the
instructor. This includes, but is not limited to cell phones, mp3 players, PDAs, and computers.
Course Resources: A few resources that will be helpful to you in this course are shown below:
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Campus Tutoring: (www.studentaffairs.arizona.edu/thinktank)
The Algebra Home Page: (http://math.arizona.edu/~algebra/ )
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My Webpage: (http://math.arizona.edu/~sreyes) – This webpage is maintained for your benefit and contains
information regarding exam dates, homework assignments, adjustments to the syllabus, review materials, etc.
You are expected to visit this page regularly.
Computing Resources: Information about using computers on campus, setting up a UA email account, and
computer support can be found at http://www.oscr.arizona.edu. A list and map of open access computing
facilities on campus can be found at http://www.oscr.arizona.edu/maps.
Students with Disabilities: If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet
with your instructor to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that formal,
disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with Disability Resources
(621-3268; drc.arizona.edu), and notify your instructor of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations by Friday
September 4, 2009. You will then be able to work with your instructor to plan how best to coordinate your
accommodations.
Withdrawal: A student may withdraw from the course with a deletion from record through Friday September 18,
2009, using Student Link. A student may withdraw with a grade of "W" through Friday October 16, 2009, using a change
of schedule form with your instructor’s signature.
Fill-out the information below and hand-deliver it to my office by this Thursday. Completion and hand-delivery of this
portion to my office will count for one homework assignment.
----------------------------------------------------FOLD AND DETACH------------------------------------------------------By signing my name below, I have read and understood the policies and procedures set forth in this document for MATH
109C.
Student Name (Print Legibly):________________________________________________ Section #:_______
Student Signature:________________________________________________ Date:____________________
If you have questions about the contents of this document or about the course in general, please feel free to write your
questions in the space below. I will do my best to answer any questions you might have.
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