MATH 181 - Syllabus at a Glance
📋 Course Information & Contacts
- Lecture: Monday + Wednesday 1:00pm–2:15pm HOS 384
- Discussion: Fridays (Check MyUNLV for your schedule)
- Instructor: Dr. Tony Ferrar (Anthony.Ferrar@unlv.edu)
- Office: TBE-A214
- Office Hours: Mondays 11:00am–12:00pm, Wednesdays 10:00am–11:00am (drop-in)
📊 Grading & Assessments
| Category | Weight | Primary Deliverables |
|---|---|---|
| Exams | 60% | Midterm Exam 1 (15%), Midterm Exam 2 (15%), Final Exam (30%) |
| Homework & Skill Practice | 20% | Knewton Alta adaptive assignments (due Wed/Fri, 7-day flex) |
| Tech Comm & Quality Control | 15% | Bi-weekly Redline Audits & 1-Page Technical Memos |
| Active Engagement | 5% | Active group problem-solving during 75-minute class sessions |
Grade Scale
- A: 90–100% | B+: 87–89% | B: 80–86% | C+: 77–79% | C: 70–76% | D: 60–69% | F: < 60%
⚡ Built-In Flexibility & Safety Nets
- 7-Day Rolling Grace Period: Get 100% full credit up to 7 days late on homework, provided you log a non-zero score before the original deadline.
- 4-Hour Effort Rule: Earn 100% credit on any homework assignment by either reaching 70% mastery OR investing 4 active hours.
- Retroactive Midterm Replacement: Your Final Exam score replaces your lowest Midterm score at the end of the term if you complete all midterm corrections and maintain a global homework attempt rate.
- Review Center "Buy Back": Log 8 hours in the Test Review Center to replace up to 2 zero-score homework sets per unit with 100%.
📅 16-Week Theme Schedule
- Week 1: Functions and Introduction to Limits
- Week 2: Algebraic Techniques for Limits and Asymptotes
- Week 3: Continuity and Special Limits
- Week 4: Rates of Change and Basic Differentiation Rules
- Week 5: Chain Rule and Advanced Differentiation Techniques
- Week 6: Midterm 1 Review and Related Rates
- Week 7: L'Hôpital's Rule and Critical Points / Extrema
- Week 8: Constrained Optimization of Geometry (Areas and Volumes)
- Week 9: Optimization of Motion (Distance/Time) and Curve Sketching
- Week 10: Numerical Methods and Vectors in 2D & 3D
- Week 11: Vector Operations, Applications, and Midterm 2 Review
- Week 12: Catch-Up / Holiday Recess
- Week 13: Antiderivatives and the Substitution Rule
- Week 14: Definite Integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
- Week 15: Comprehensive Final Exam Review
- Week 16: Final Exam