Time and Place (Lectures): click here

Instructors: click here
If you contact your instructor by e-mail, be sure to place "MA109 Help" in the subject box. An e-mail without this subject heading may be deleted by spam filters.

Textbook: College Algebra (4th edition), by J. Stewart, L. Redlin and S. Watson. We use a customized version of the original book, which is specifically published for the University of Kentucky and can be purchased at any UK bookstore.

Lecture Notes: MA 109 Lecture Notes, by A. Corso. These notes (also called activity sheets) have been written as a complement/guide to the textbook in order to assist you throughout the course. They can be purchased at any UK bookstore.

These notes are designed to be handy to consult both while learning the material and while reviewing for the midterms. By using these notes in class, you should spend little time taking notes while devoting more time to understanding the material explained during the lectures. In addition, we also strongly encourage you to bring to class a notebook for notes, as the space provided in the activity sheets might not always be large enough for your needs.

It is almost needless to say (yet we stress it!) that the notes are by no means designed as a substitute for attending class! In fact, you might find the notes hard to use if you have not been to class, since they have been crafted to promote interaction between the instructor and the students during class.

Goals: In this course we will cover the great majority of the topics from Chapters 1 through 6 of the text by Stewart, Redlin and Watson. The sections in the text correspond to activities in Lecture Notes Companion for MA 109. The activities we plan to cover can be found in the Course Schedule link to the left. The learning goals for each activity are listed at the top of the activity in the Lecture Notes Companion for MA 109.

Your main goal is to learn the material well enough so that you can use the tools of College Algebra in an applied context, such as Business or the Social Sciences. It is also essential that you learn well the techniques discussed in this course if you plan on taking (and want to succeed in) the subsequent course, MA123 (Elementary Calculus and its Applications).

It is virtually impossible to learn Mathematics by only listening to an instructor. To understand what this means, consider the impossibility of learning to play basketball by listening to someone describe how to play it. You will not learn the material in this course by listening to the lectures, and thinking to yourself - "Yes, I understand that." You must work the problems and make mistakes before you will begin to learn. The instructor's task is that of an assistant to help you learn as much of the material as you desire. In this course it will not be sufficient to memorize an algorithm for doing specific types of problems. You will be expected to understand the material well enough so that you are able to do problems similar to, but not identical to, the ones we work in class and the ones you are assigned for homework.

Grading: The course grade will be based on three midterm exams, a final exam, a homework score, and an instructor score. Each midterm is worth 90 points, the cummulative final is worth 90 points, homework is worth 90 points, and the instructor score is worth 50 points. In other words, each midterm is worth 18% of your final grade, the final exam is worth 18% of your final grade, homework is worth 18% of your final grade, and the instructor score is worth 10% of your final grade. Your instructor will provide you with more information about the instructor score. Thus you can earn a total of 500 points for the course. Your final grade for the course will be based on the total points you have earned as follows:

A: 450-500
B: 400-449
C: 350-399
D: 300-349
E: 0-299

Exams: As we already mentioned, each exam is worth 90 points. You must bring a photo ID to each exam. You may use a graphing calculator during the exams, but NO calculator with a Computer Algebra System (CAS) or a QWERTY keyboard is permitted. Absolutely no cell phone use during an exam is allowed. Cell phones must be turned completely off during exams. The final exam will be comprehensive. Dates for the exams are as follows:

Information about exam locations and make-up exams can be found in the Exam Locations link to the left.

If you have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations, please see your instructor as soon as possible during scheduled office hours. In order to receive accommodations in this course, you must provide your instructor with a Letter of Accommodation from the Disability Resource Center (Room 2, Alumni Gym, 257-2754, email address jkarnes at email.uky.edu) for coordination of campus disability services available to students with disabilities.

Time Conflicts: If you have a time conflict with the regularly scheduled exam, you may be permited to take an alternate exam. Information about alternate exams may be found here.

Homework: We have selected homework problems from our text to help guide you through the relevant material contained in each section that will be covered in the course. This is the complete list of assigned problems. You are responsible for knowing how to work all the problems in this list.

In general, you will not turn in the solutions to these problems. Instead, we have an online homework system. You will submit answers to the problems on the online homework system. The system will grade the problems and record the grades. The problems from the online system are very similar to the great majority of the problems suggested in the above list.

The online homework system, WebClass, is found at the link https://www.mathclass.org. On your first visit to the homework site click "Login to WHS." It is VERY IMPORTANT that you click Login to WHS. Clicking on anything else may cause problems. You can login to the online homework system using your UK Active Directory user name and password. This is the same user name and password that you use to access other systems including myuk.uky.edu and exchange.uky.edu. Thus, if your user name is skova01, you will enter ad\skova01 (MAKE SURE YOU USE \, not /) as the user name and then the password for your Active Directory account. Note that mathclass.org will require you to include the prefix ad\ while other sites on campus may not. The first time that you login you will need to complete the registration form that will appear. You will only need to complete it one time. For more detailed instructions about WHS, read the following document.

Instructor Score:

Students are expected to attend each lecture, to be active in class discussion and activities, and to complete the assignments given by your instructor: This amounts to 10% of your grade (or 50 points). If you have a university excused absence, (see 5.2.4.2 in Section IV of Student Rights and Responsibilities), you need to inform your instructor as soon as possible. It is almost always possible to inform your instructor of a university excused absence prior to the class period that you will miss. You must inform your instructor of your excused absence prior to class unless an emergency prevents you from doing so. You must bring documentation to your instructor for all university excused absences. If a student has excused absences in excess of one-fifth of the class contact hours, the instructor may require the student to petition for a "W" or, in rare cases, to take an "I" for the course. Students in this situation should see their instructor as soon as possible to discuss their options.

If you are late to class, if you leave class early, if you are disruptive, if you are sleeping, reading the newspaper, working on other homework, or for any other reason are not actively engaged in activities related to math class, you will not receive credit for participating in class that day.

The university, college and department has a commitment to respect the dignity of all and to value differences among members of our academic community. There exists the role of discussion and debate in academic discovery and the right of all to respectfully disagree from time-to-time. Students clearly have the right to take reasoned exception and to voice opinions contrary to those offered by the instructor and/or other students (S.R. 6.1.2). Equally, a faculty member has the right -- and the responsibility -- to ensure that all academic discourse occurs in a context characterized by respect and civility. Obviously, the accepted level of civility would not include attacks of a personal nature or statements denigrating another on the basis of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, age, national/regional origin or other such irrelevant factors. Students who are not respectful, not civil, or disruptive in any way may be asked to leave the class. Your instructor will provide you with more information about your attendance score.

Academic Honesty: All assignments, projects, and exercises completed by students for this class should be the product of the personal efforts of the individual(s) whose name(s) appear on the corresponding assignment. Cheating or plagiarism is a serious offense and it will not be tolerated. It will be thoroughly investigated, and it might lead to failure in the course or even to expulsion from the university. See Student Rights and Responsibilities in the University Senate Rules (Sections 6.3.1 and 6.3.2) for information on cheating, plagiarism, and penalties. A summary of recent changes to rules on cheating can be found at the Academic Ombud website. It's not worth it, so don't do it.

Services in The Mathskeller and The Study: The Mathskeller is located in CB 065 in the basement of the classroom building. Many instructors from the Department of Mathematics will hold office hours in the Mathskeller. In addition, limited drop-in tutoring is available. The Mathskeller is open from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday (except academic holidays) during the semester. Additional information is available at www.mathskeller.org.

Academic Enhancement, located in The Study (in the Kirwan-Blanding Dorm Complex -- more precisely, on the third floor of the Commons) offers a variety of services to undergraduate students. Free, drop-in peer tutoring is available for MA 108R, 109, 123, and 113, in addition to other subjects such as chemistry, physics, biology, organic chemistry, anthropology, sociology, political science, history, statistics, Spanish, French, Italian, and more! Peer Tutors are experienced undergraduate UK students who have successfully completed these courses.

Academic Enhancement also offers free individual academic consultations. Schedule a free appointment with a learning specialist for strategies on how to become a more effective student. For more information on all the services available in The Study and for a complete tutoring schedule, visit www.uky.edu/UGS/Study. or call 257-1356.

Personal Safety Reminder for Evening Sessions: Please be mindful of your personal safety in traveling to or from class after dark. It is recommended that students enrolled in evening sections do not walk to or from class alone. Anyone desiring an escort may arrange for one through the UK Campus Escort Program, SAFECATS. For information call 323-FREE or 323-3733. Students are also encouraged to choose the "Cat's Path" routes when traversing campus at night. These are sidewalks clearly marked with a blue and white paw print logo and are routes frequently used and accessible to major campus destinations. Though these paths are not designed to replace personal safety efforts, such as traveling in groups and remaining alert, there is increased police presence on these pathways.