Course Description

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Prerequisite

MCS 118

Text

Calculus I with Precalculus, 2nd Edition, by Larson, Hostetler and Edwards

Calculators

You should have a graphing calculator available for use in class and on exams. If you are buying a new one, we encourage the use of Texas Instruments calculators, in particular the TI83/84 Plus, TI83/84 Plus Silver Edition, or the TI89 (though the use of some of its features may be restricted, so that I will want you to use another calculator on quizzes and tests). If you have the standard version of any of these calculators there is no need to purchase a new calculator. If you have another brand of calculator please see me before purchasing a new one as you may be able to continue using it.

Course Webpages and Moodle

We will maintain two web resources that you should check regularly:

• The course webpages are available at http://homepages.gac.edu/~karl/courses/mcs119/12s/. These pages will contain this course description, contact information, and the class and homework assignment schedules.
• The course Moodle page is available through the Gustavus Moodle Server at https://moodle.gac.edu/. This will contain your grades, the prep problems, and various announcements.

Course Objectives

By taking this class you should:

• improve your problem solving skills
• be able to model "real world" problems with mathematics
• interpret a mathematical solution to a real world problem
• understand (rather than memorize) how to use algebra and calculus
• improve your algebra skills, and your understanding of fractions, functions and inverse functions
• understand the basics of calculus, using algebraic functions

Classes

Classes will be used for discussions, problem solving, lectures, and other fun activities. You should prepare for classes by doing the reading beforehand, thinking about the problems in the text, doing the prep problems, and formulating questions of your own. You should also participate as much as possible in class. Class meetings are not intended to be a complete encapsulation of the course material. You will be responsible for learning some of the material on your own.

Two comments:

• Attendance, both physical and mental, is required. We reserve the right to lower your grade if you habitually miss class or fail to participate in class.
• Texting is not permitted in class. If you receive an urgent phone call, please just leave the class quietly and deal with the call.

Absences from class

Should you need to miss a class for any reason, you are still responsible for the material covered in that class. This means that you will need to make sure that you understand the reading for that day, that you should ask another student for the notes from that day, and make sure that you understand what was covered. If there is an assignment due that day, you should be sure to have someone hand it in. You do not need to explain why you missed a class unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

Homework

You will need to read a section or two of the book and do problems for each day that we have class. The homework page lists the assignments and their due dates. You should only hand in the required homework. Our graders will grade some of the required ones.

Homework problems are designed to help you learn the material we cover in class and in the reading. You should read the material and attempt the problems before coming to class. You should finish the problems after class. Approximately twice a week, you will hand in your solutions to the required homework that is due. These should be neatly written on standard sized paper, and with all of the pages stapled together. The sections and problem numbers should be clearly labeled. My grader will only grade a few sample problems.

On the day that study problems are due, you will be asked to place your work in the red homework folder. After class, I place the folder outside my office door for the grader. Any homework that is not in this folder when the grader gets it is considered late. Late homework will be accepted as long as I get it before my grader hands back the graded assignments. (Alternatively, you can put it in the blue folder for late homework.) In that case, the homework will be graded but you will lose 30% of the points on that assignment.

Prep problems

Prep problems are generally very simple problems to encourage you to read the text before coming to class. Sometimes they are review and other times simple questions about the reading in the given section. There are generally two prep problems for each section. Prep problems are always done using Moodle and you will need to play close attention to the Moodle page and the course schedule to keep up with these assignments. Prep problems should be completed before coming to class as we have set up Moodle to "close" the quiz during class and thus you will not be able to complete them after class. Here are a few pointers on approaching these problems:

• Read the text then complete the prep problems.
• You can do them multiple times, so if you get one wrong you can try again. Each time you submit a wrong answer 0.1 points is subtracted from your score.
• We drop the lowest 3 scores. There are no "make-ups".
• Because these are only worth 5% of your course grade, you should probably limit the amount of time you spend on them to no more than 10 minutes

Quizzes and Exams

We will have four in-class quizzes during the semester, as well as two evening exams and a final exam. These quizzes and exams will make up the majority of your semester grade. In particular, be sure not to underestimate the importance of quizzes. If you do poorly on quizzes, you will do poorly in the course.

Course grade

I will provide you with a grade on each assignment and quiz, in addition to the mid-term and final grades, so that you may keep track of your performance. As a guideline, the components will contribute in the following proportion to the final grade:

Prep problems	5%
Homework	15%
Quizzes	20% (5% each)
Evening exams	40% (20% each)
Final Exam	20%

Note: As noted above, we reserve the right to lower your course grade if you habitually miss class or don't participate.

Academic Integrity

You are expected to to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty, to uphold the Gustavus Honor Code and to abide by the Academic Honesty Policy. A copy of the honor code can be found in the Academic Bulletin and a copy of the academic honesty policy can be found in the Academic Polices section of the Gustavus Guide.

On homework, you should make a real effort to solve each problem by yourself, although you can and should discuss problems and their solutions with your classmates after you've made this effort. You should give credit to any people or texts that helped you find solutions. On tests, you are expected to work completely by yourself

You will be expected to sign the honor pledge on every quiz and exam.

A first violation of the honor code will result in a grade of 0 on the assignment in question. Any further violations will result in a grade of F for the course. In all cases, I notify the office of the Provost.

Disability Services

Gustavus Adolphus College is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its programs. If you have a documented disability (or you think you may have a disability of any nature) and, as a result, need reasonable academic accommodation to participate in class, take tests or benefit from the College's services, then you should speak with the Disability Services Coordinator, for a confidential discussion of your needs and appropriate plans. Course requirements cannot be waived, but reasonable accommodations may be provided based on disability documentation and course outcomes. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively; therefore, to maximize your academic success at Gustavus, please contact Disability Services as early as possible. Disability Services is located in the Advising and Counseling Center.

Disability Services Coordinator Laurie Bickett (6286) can provide further information.

Help for Students Whose First Language is not English

Support for English Language Learners (ELL) and Multilingual students is available via the College's ELL Support staff person, Andrew Grace (7395). He can meet individually with students to consult about academic tasks and to help students seek other means of support. The ELL Support person can also consult with faculty members who have ELL and multilingual students enrolled in their classes. The College's ELL staff person can provide students with a letter to a professor that explains and supports academic accommodations (e.g. additional time on tests, additional revisions for papers). Professors make decisions based on those recommendations at their own discretion. In addition, ELL and multilingual students can seek help from peer tutors in the Writing Center.