Reccording- MA110 Sept 3, 2025

Instructor and Course Orientation

• Instructor: Dr. Schwartz (you can call me Professor Schwartz or Doctor Schwartz; I have a PhD). I am not a high school teacher; please don’t call me Mister Schwartz on campus. Address on campus: Professor Schwartz or Doctor Schwartz.
• Contact: Email me at pSchwartz@Stephens.edu (the z in my last name has been chopped off). I try to reply as quickly as possible; if I’m driving I may not respond immediately.
• Office: North Building (Building 24 on campus map). Not Gateway North. The North Building is on the north side of campus, up the hill past the athletic field and near dorms. I’m usually in the north part of campus between my office and the academic buildings.
• Office hours: Mondays 3:00–4:00 PM, Tuesdays 11:00 AM–Noon. If these times don’t work, email to schedule a time that works for both of us.
• Course context: MA 111 runs for half a semester. At the end in October, I assign a grade for this course and you proceed to MA 111 (Calculus I for Business and Liberal Arts).
• Final/exam scheduling and registrar issues (context): I won’t give a traditional 3-hour final for this course. The final will be a home/independent project due at the same time as the registrar’s final. Registrar scheduling can be imperfect and may place you in two exams at the same time in other courses; we won’t have that conflict for MA 111.
• Campus planning note: For accreditation, you must have math credits; lectures are recorded to help you keep up if you can’t attend.

Course Structure, Schedule, and Format

• Class format: Lectures on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Recitation on Thursdays.
• Lectures will be recorded and available on Canvas after each class (via Zoom). If you’re late or can’t attend, you can still follow along with the recordings.
• Recitations: TA-led sessions on Thursdays; attendance counts toward a portion of your grade; there is a 5% weight for recitation.
• The first week and ongoing: Expect two to three weeks’ notice about exam topics and a set of practice problems for exam preparation.
• Practice exams: The class before each exam will include a practice exam in class to mimic the actual exam.
• Exams: Two in-course exams (Exam 1 and Exam 2) during the term; details below under Grading.
• Final assessment: No MA 110 material on the MA 111 final; a home project will be used instead of a 3-hour final.
• Textbooks: Not required. The course provides enough online resources and direct links/instructions to the exercises we’ll use.

Lectures: Content Delivery and Expectations

• Lectures are delivered live and recorded; you can access the recordings on Canvas.
• Delivery method: In-class explanations, concept demonstrations, and worked examples (using a tablet/stylus connected to the computer).
• Attendance policy for lectures: No formal attendance tracking in lectures. You are adults and responsible for your own learning. I’m paid to teach, not to police attendance. If you choose not to attend, your grade will reflect your preparation and performance.
• Preparation and responsibility: Two-to-three weeks’ advance notice on topics and practice problems will be provided to help you prepare; you should complete these to perform well on exams.

Grading Structure and Weighting

• Recitation: 5% of your final grade. Attendance is tracked by the TA; three absences are automatically dropped from the attendance record (see below). If you miss more than three, you’ll start losing points.
• Recitation attendance policy details:
  • 3 absences are automatically excused (no need to email).
  • Attendance scores: 0 for absence, 1 for presence; the system drops the three lowest scores.
  • Because recitation is only 5% of the grade, missing all recitations would yield 0% of that 5% (i.e., your final grade would be up to 95 instead of 100 if you did perfectly elsewhere).
• Homework: 30% of the final grade. You must do and submit homework to move the grade needle; skipping everything would cap you at 70.
• Quizzes: 15% of the final grade. Weekly quizzes on Canvas; due Sundays at 11:59 PM. Each quiz is two multiple-choice questions based on that week’s material; you have multiple attempts (usually 2–3).
• Exams: 25% each (Exam 1 and Exam 2). Final grade is the sum of these components:
  • $G = 0.05 imes RecitationFinal + 0.30 imes HomeworkFinal + 0.15 imes QuizzesFinal + 0.25 imes Exam1Final + 0.25 imes Exam2Final$
  • Exams are designed to be manageable with preparation; exams typically feature 10–15 multiple-choice questions and can be completed in about 50 minutes in class.
• Overall grade expectations: With sufficient effort, most students earn A’s or B’s; historically very few receive an F (roughly 1–2 F’s in large cohorts).

Homework Details and Submissions

• Submission platform: Gradescope. Submit PDFs of your work whenever required.
• How to submit:
  • Open the assignment in the Week 2 module and follow the link to Gradescope.
  • Activate via the email link sent yesterday (Gradescope activation email).
  • Upload your solutions as a PDF (images or screenshots of your work are acceptable, converted to PDF).
• Problem set structure:
  • Some problems require only the correct option (e.g., 10 from 1.1 is simple multiple-choice).
  • Other problems require showing your work (e.g., 31 from 1.2); you must show all steps to receive credit.
• Problem set organization:
  • The first homework assignment includes three primary problems to turn in; other problems are available as extra practice.
  • Odd-numbered problems often have provided answers in the back of the book; use these to check your process and results.
  • There are many more problems in the “extra practice problems” section for additional preparation.
• Practice problems and exam preparation:
  • I will select some of the practice problems and adjust numbers to create exam-style MC questions.
  • Doing the listed practice problems is the best, low-stress way to prepare for the exam.
• Schedule and deadlines:
  • Homework assignments are due roughly every other week.
  • Deadlines are Sundays at 11:59 PM (e.g., first due date: Sunday, September 21).
  • It’s advisable to submit well before the deadline rather than waiting until the last minute.
• Lowest score drop policy:
  • The lowest homework score is automatically dropped (i.e., you can miss one assignment without penalty).

Quizzes and Exam Preparation

• Quizzes: Weekly, due Sundays; two-question MC quizzes with multiple attempts (usually 2–3 attempts).
• Exam preparation: Two-to-three weeks’ notice for exam topics and practice problems; the class before the exam includes a practice exam.
• Exam logistics:
  • Two in-term exams (Exam 1 around 9/22; Exam 2 around 10/20).
  • Calculators are allowed on exams; no phones and no notes.
  • The exam format is designed to be solvable with proper preparation and practice problems.

Recitation Details and Attendance

• Recitation sections: Identified in Canvas as MA 111 with sections RA, RB, RC, RD, RE, RF, RG.
• What happens in recitation:
  • TAs will lead problem-solving sessions and work through assigned problems.
  • No need to submit anything for grading in recitation; attendance is the key factor for the 5% recitation grade.
• Absence policy:
  • Three absences are automatically excused (no action required).
  • If you miss more than three, you begin losing points.
  • The policy is designed to accommodate illness, accidents, and life events.
• Recitation grading details:
  • Recitation scores are based on attendance; the presence/absence is tracked by the TA.
  • The “drop the lowest three” rule applies to attendance scores, effectively smoothing out occasional absences.

Course Resources and Accessibility

• Materials: No required textbook; online exercises provide the necessary material.
• Access to exercises: Direct links to exercises will be provided in the course modules; these may be used for practice and for exam preparation.
• Accessibility and flexibility: Recorded lectures and online resources help accommodate different schedules and learning styles.

Practical Implications and Advice

• Responsibility and independence: You are adults; responsibility for attendance, preparation, and timely submission rests with you. Non-attendance will not be punished beyond impacting your grade, but isn’t excused by default.
• Quality of preparation: Regular attendance (recitation) and consistent practice with the provided problems will substantially improve your performance on exams.
• Real-world relevance: The course structure emphasizes continuous practice, scheduled feedback, and the practical use of problem-solving skills, which align with real-world expectations in business-oriented math contexts.
• Ethical and practical considerations: The instructor emphasizes fairness in grading, transparency about policies, and the importance of meeting deadlines and using available resources to maximize learning.

Quick Reference: Key Dates and Policies (summary)

• Course duration: Half-semester course; MA 111; ends in October with a grade assignment.
• Exam schedule: Exam 1 on or around Monday, 9/22; Exam 2 on or around Monday, 10/20.
• Final exam policy: No MA 110 material on the final; final is a home project due at the registrar’s allotted final time.
• Grading weights: Recitation 5%, Homework 30%, Quizzes 15%, Exam 1 25%, Exam 2 25%.
• Homework due: Sundays at 11:59 PM