The goal of the course is to either satisfy the University of Pittsburgh's minimal mathematics requirement or to prepare you for success in subsequent courses involving mathematical quantitative reasoning. Math 0031 along with Math 0200, PreCalculus, are the prerequisite for Math 220, Scientific Calculus. Alone, Math 0031 is the prerequisite for Math 0120, Business Calculus.
The text for this course is College Algebra 5th edition with MyMathLab. Authors are Beecher, Penna, and Bittinger. This course covers chapters 1-6. All students who register for this course are automatically enrolled in the RedShelf Inclusive Access program and will be charged on their Pitt student bill unless they opt out before the end of the add/drop period. This program provides students with discounted access to the digital version of the textbook. If you already have a copy of the textbook or would prefer to purchase it from a different source (for example, you may be able to find a used copy at a lower cost), then you should opt out of Inclusive Access. You will be able to opt out by clicking on the "RedShelf Inclusive Access" link in your course on Canvas. More detailed instructions for opting out can be found here. If you do not opt out of Inclusive Access, then you will be able to access the digital textbook.
MyMathLab is a computer tutor that accompanies the text. It will be your homework grade for the course. You can log on to www.mymathlab.com. If you bought a used book, you will need to purchase a registration code at https://register.pearsoncmg.com/reg/buy/coursebuy.jsp. Your instructor will give you a Course ID for their section of MyMathLab.
Once a week you will meet with your UTA (Undergraduate Teaching Assistant) in a classroom to go over problems related to the material covered the previous week.
You will be provided a list of practice problems from the textbook. You are expected to solve these problems, although they will not be collected and graded. Exam and quiz problems will often be modeled on these problems. Only MyMathLab will be graded as homework.
Your course grade will be determined as follows:
Some sections may deviate slightly from this recipe. Any deviations will be announced by your instructor at the beginning of the term.
Suggested grading scale:
90-100% : At least an A-
80-89%: At least a B-
70-79%: At least a C-
60-69%: At least a D-
Specific cutoffs for letter grades, +, and - will be determined by your instructor, but the above grade ranges are standard for a typical math 0031 course.
All day sections will take a final exam at a day and time to be scheduled by the registrar. Calculators will not be permitted on the final exam.
Evening sections will meet through final exam week, and the final exam will be given during the last one or two scheduled class periods.
See the class schedule for the dates of the two midterm exams. The date, time, and room of the final exam will be announced by your instructor and in PeopleSoft.
Missed quizzes and exams cannot be made up unless missed due to a conflict with an official university sponsored even, and your instructor has been notified in advance. Verifiable doctor's excuse will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Consideration may be given in the even of an extreme emergency. However, contact your instructor immediately.
In addition to the textbook, you will need at least a scientific calculator. Any calculator with logarithms, exponentials, and trigonometric functions will do. Programmability is desireable but not essential. A graphing caluluator, such as the TI83 or TI86, is better still.
The Math Assistance Center offers free tutoring by appointment, including same-day appointments for those who need immediate assistance. Appointments can be made within Pathways. The MAC offers assistance with all courses in the math department in the range 0010-0413, 1180, and 1270. Please see the MAC’s website MAC for instructions on how appointments are made as well as an outline of what you can expect.
Your instructor will announce her/his office hours.
If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 140 William Pitt Union (412) 648-7890, drsrecep@pitt.edu, (412) 228-5347 for P3 ASL users, as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
All students are expected to adhere to the standards of academic honesty. Cheating, plagiarism, and other acts of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any student suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity:
https://www.as.pitt.edu/faculty/policies-and-procedures/academic-integrity-code
will be required to participate in the procedural process as initiated by the instructor, as outline in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. A minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz, exam or paper will be imposed.
You should note that only those resources explicitly authorized by the instructor can be used to complete assignments. Assessments are designed so that you learn by doing them. Copying homework or exam answers from outside sources and other such violations of the academic integrity code will not solidify your learning. Passing a course without adequate mastery of the material can set you up for limited success in subsequent courses. Also. it is a violation of the academic integrity code to share any question from an assignment or an exam in any form. The instructor may choose to post a solution set after the assessment but remember that assessments written by the instructor are copyrighted materials and you are not permitted to distribute them in any way. If you inadvertently have access to a shared exam or homework question, then you are obligated to inform the instructor. Remember, academic integrity is not about what you can get away with. It is about personal accountability, honor, ethics, respect, trust, and fairness.
Additional sanctions may be imposed, depending on the severity of the infraction. If there is any doubt about the originality of a student's submission for an assessment, they may be asked to explain their work during a one-on-one meeting with their instructor. If the student's explanations are unsatisfactory, they may receive a zero score for the assessment, or the instructor may choose to administer an alternative assessment in a different format.
Please note, in particular, that Pitt has a data sharing arrangement with Chegg.com that enables us to identify instances in which Chegg.com has been used to cheat on assessments. Consequences of being caught in this academic integrity violation have included zero scores on assessments and F grades for the course.
Amid this pandemic, it is extremely important that you abide by public health regulations and University of Pittsburgh health standards and guidelines. While in class, at a minimum this means that you must wear a face covering and comply with physical distancing requirements; other requirements may be added by the University during the semester. These rules have been developed to protect the health and safety of all community members. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in you not being permitted to attend class in person and could result in a Student Conduct violation. For the most up-to-date information and guidance, please visit coronavirus.pitt.edu and check your Pitt email for updates before each class.
The University of Pittsburgh does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation based on disability, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, familial status, sex, age, sexual orientation, veteran status or gender identity or other factors as stated in the University's Title IX policy. The University is committed to taking prompt action to end a hostile environment that interferes with the University's mission. For more information about policies, procedures, and practices, see: https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/civil-rights-title-ix- compliance/policies-procedures-and-practices.
Some of the materials in this course may be protected by copyright. United States copyright law, 17 USC section 101, et seq., in addition to University policy and procedures, prohibit unauthorized duplication or retransmission of course materials. See the Library of Congress Copyright Office and the University Copyright Policy.
(www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/09/09-10-01.html)
Each student is issued a University e-mail address (username@pitt.edu) upon admittance. This e-mail address may be used by the University for official communication with students. Students are expected to read e-mail sent to this account on a regular basis. Failure to read and react to University communications in a timely manner does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications. The University provides an e-mail forwarding service that allows students to read their e-mail via other service providers (e.g., Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo). Students that choose to forward their e-mail from their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk. If e-mail is lost because of forwarding, it does not absolve the student from responding to official communications sent to their University e-mail address.