Elementary Calculus at the University of Kentucky
Fall 2026
This course is an introduction to differential and integral calculus, with applications to business and the biological and physical sciences. We cover differentiation of rational, radical, and exponential/logarithmic functions, integration as area, and using the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus to integrate certain elementary functions. We cover applications to increasing and decreasing functions, concavity, optimization, marginal cost, and others.
This website contains nearly all the information you will need this semester, including the course calendar, contact information for your instructor, an optional textbook for the course, policies for absences and grades, and more.
This course will emphasize computational and modeling aspects of mathematics. The course will also require you to effectively communicate your solutions. This means that by the end of the semester you should be able to: setup application or word problems, explain the result of a computation, interpret formulas or processes, and clearly communicate your solution process, in addition to getting the "right" answer.
Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:
Additionally, this course satisfies UK Core Quantitative Reasoning—Quantitative Foundations. Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:
| Core area SLOs | Assignment and how it fulfills Core area SLO |
|---|---|
| Explain information presented in mathematical forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words). | On Exam 2, students will explain the meaning of a calculation in the context of the problem. |
| Convert relevant information into various mathematical forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words). | On Exam 2, students will use information in a word problem to set up and solve an inequality or equation. |
| Make and evaluate important assumptions in estimation, modeling and data analysis. | On Exam 2, students will consider the accuracy of a local approximation method. |
| Express quantitative evidence in support of the argument or purpose of the work. | On Exam 2, students will use derivatives to determine an extreme value (maximum or minimum value). |
Students will improve throughout the semester with regard to the following mathematical practices:
Course policy regarding supportive discourse: Students are not allowed to make negative comments about themselves or their mathematical ability, at any time, for any reason. Here are example statements that are banned, along with acceptable replacement phrases.
The course calendar contains all due dates and a tentative schedule of what will be covered each lecture/recitation (calendar is subject to change). The calendar also includes important dates for the semester.
| Last Name | Mathskeller Hours (CB 211) | Office Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Bagley | Tuesday 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Thursday 1:00pm – 3:00pm (POT 906) or by appointment |
| Habib | Monday 4:00pm – 5:00pm | Friday 11:30am – 1:30pm (POT 702) |
| Kertesz | Friday 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Monday 12:00pm – 1:00pm (POT 802) Tuesday 3:30pm – 4:30pm or by appointment |
| Koutroulakis | Monday 9:00am – 10:00am | Tuesday 2:00pm – 3:00pm (POT 722) Thursday 2:00pm – 3:00pm or by appointment |
| Mobley | Monday 10:00am – 11:00am | Monday 11:00am – 12:00pm (POT 902) Wednesday 1:00pm – 2:00pm or by appointment |
| Muniz | Friday 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Tuesday 12:00pm – 1:00pm (POT 806) Thursday 11:00am – 12:00pm |
| Odionyenma | Friday 4:00pm – 5:00pm | Monday 9:00am – 10:00am (POT 906) Wednesday 4:00pm – 5:00pm |
| Rivera | Friday 10:00am – 11:00am | Tuesday 2:00pm – 3:00pm (POT 906) Thursday 9:00am – 10:00am or by appointment |
| Ruckersfeldt | Tuesday 12:00pm – 1:00pm | Monday 2:30pm – 3:30pm (POT 718) Thursday 2:00pm – 3:00pm or by appointment |
| Tripathi | Monday 3:00pm – 4:00pm | Monday 10:30am – 11:30am (POT 802) Wednesday 10:30am – 11:30am |
The textbook is written as a series of guided notes that you may use in addition to the notes from class. Each chapter includes a blank set of notes, a complete set of notes, and videos for each worked out example (there are no videos for Chapter 1, however).
You may use a calculator on homework and Amplify activities in recitation, as well as during lecture. However, calculators are not allowed on exams, skills checks, and exit questions. A multiplication table will be provided with exams.
Excused absences are granted according to AR-ASA 5.2.5.2 and 5.2.5.2.1, which defines the following as acceptable reasons for excused absences: significant illness; serious illness of or death of a family member; University-related trips; military obligations; major religious holidays; interviews for full-time job opportunities after graduation; and other circumstances your instructor finds to be "reasonable cause for nonattendance". When provided, documentation should indicate which day(s) the student is excused.
The procedure for handling an excused absence varies based on whether the absence is from lecture, recitation, or an exam.
In case of an excused absence from lecture, submit the Excused Absence Form via your Canvas homepage within one week following the period of the excused absence. Students with excused absences can make up the points by meeting with their instructor to discuss the notes from class. Students will earn 10 points for meeting with their instructor and will have an opportunity to earn up to 3 additional points by answering questions related to the content from class that day (these questions may not be the same as those from class). Students should try to complete this as soon as possible, but no later than Wednesday, December 9th. All absences not supported with documentation will be unexcused and result in the student receiving a 0 for lecture participation that day.
In case of an excused absence from recitation, contact your TA within one week following the period of the excused absence. Students are allowed up to 1 excused absence without documentation provided the reason for missing class adheres to the excused absence policy; all other absences not supported with documentation will be unexcused and result in the student receiving a 0 on any skills check, Amplify activity, and exit question completed in class that day. Students should try to complete their work as soon as possible, but no later than Wednesday, December 9th.
All exam dates and times are listed in the course calendar and on the course website. In case of an excused absence from an exam, submit the appropriate Alternate Exam Form within one week following the period of the excused absence. Documentation is required to reschedule an exam. Any unexcused absence from an exam will result in the student receiving a 0 on the exam.
It is the student's responsibility to resolve scheduling conflicts with common hour exams, and this must be done at least ONE WEEK prior to an exam when possible. If you fail to inform your instructor of exam conflicts in timely manner, a 10 point penalty may be assessed on your exam score and you may be required to take the exam at one of the already scheduled alternate exam times.
There are two alternate exam dates scheduled for each midterm exam:
Students who are unable to make up an exam within a week following the latter alternate exam date will have an opportunity to make up their exam during one of the reading days at the end of the semester.
There are no online exams. All exams are taken in person.
Unless you have a documented excuse, no final exams will be given before Wednesday, December 16th, at 6pm.
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 a Letter of Accommodation via the DRC Portal. The letter must be submitted at least 7 business days prior to the date you wish to use your accommodations.
Any work submitted for a grade must be your own. Academic dishonesty, in any form, will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, copying a classmate's work, allowing a classmate to copy your work, having someone else turn in an assignment for you, checking in for lecture participation for someone other than yourself, modifying an exam after it has been handed back in an attempt to deceive the instructor into believing the assignment was graded incorrectly, or using a cell phone during an exam. A student found guilty of academic dishonesty will receive an automatic 0 on the assignment, and in some cases the offense may lead to an E for the course, academic probation, or even expulsion. See AR-ASA 6.3.2 for more information regarding academic integrity. You may also use the following links for a thorough description of plagiarism and cheating.
Students are expected to actively participate during both recitation and lecture. Students are also expected not to distract others. If you are disrupting class, you may be asked to leave.
College-level mathematics can be very difficult, and many of your classmates will be having a hard time adjusting both to the University and to the demands of the class. You are expected to treat your classmates with respect. It is reasonable to disagree, but you should express your disagreement respectfully. Personal attacks or statements denigrating another on the basis of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender or gender expression, age, national/regional origin or other such irrelevant factors are considered a severe disruption. Harassment will not be tolerated.
In accordance with federal law, UK is committed to providing a safe learning, living, and working environment for all members of the University community. The University maintains a comprehensive program which protects all members from discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct. For complete information about UK’s prohibition on discrimination and harassment on aspects such as race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, and sexual orientation, see AR 6:1. In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex in academics, employment, and all of its programs and activities. Sexual misconduct is a form of sexual harassment in which one act is severe enough to create a hostile environment based on sex and is prohibited between members of the University community and shall not be tolerated. For more details, see AR 6:2. Complaints regarding violations of University policies on discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct are handled by the Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity (Institutional Equity), which is located in 13 Main Building and can be reached by phone at (859) 257-8927. You can also visit Institutional Equity’s website.
Faculty members are obligated to forward any report made by a student related to discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct to the Office of Institutional Equity. Students can confidentially report alleged incidences through the Violence Intervention and Prevention Center, Counseling Center, or University Student Health Service .
Reports of discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct may be made via the Institutional Equity’s website.
If you experience technical issues with Canvas, visit https://www.uky.edu/canvas for assistance or call customer service at (859) 218-4357. If you experience technical issues with WeBWorK or Amplify, contact your instructor. If you experience technical issues with iClicker, contact iClicker support or UK ITS.
For any written solutions to problems in this course, students are expected to submit work that is legible and clear. Students should show all their work in an organized manner, using complete sentences (when necessary) to explain their solutions and justify their computations.
Mathematics is not a spectator sport. To understand what this means, consider how well you might learn to play soccer by merely watching Lionel Messi, or learn to sing by only listening to Adele. Similarly, you will not comprehend the material in this course by simply watching and listening to others explain it. In order to succeed, you must actively engage during both recitation and lecture. You should also use the homework as a chance to deepen your learning of the course content. The instructor's role is that of a coach or guide who will help you learn as much of the material as you desire. This being said, form good study skills from the start!
You may access your course grades through the Canvas system, logging in with your linkblue ID and password. Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
| Activity | Percentage of Grade |
|---|---|
| 3 Midterm Exams | 60% (20% each) |
| Final Exam (cumulative) | 10% |
| Recitation | 10% (up to 13% possible) |
| Lecture Participation | 10% (up to 13% possible) |
| Skills Check | 10% |
| Total | 100% (up to 106% possible) |
| Minimum Overall Percentage | Final Grade |
|---|---|
| 90% | A |
| 80% | B |
| 70% | C |
| 60% | D |
| 0% | E |
THE GRADING SCALE IS STRICT.
Will there be any extra credit opportunities? There are two opportunities to earn extra credit, one occurring during recitation and one occurring during lecture. Students can earn extra credit on exit questions (at the end of recitation) and lecture participation (during lecture). Students can also replace their lowest midterm exam score with the average of their lowest score and their Final Exam score.
Will final grades be rounded up? No.
Midterm grades will be posted in myUK by the deadline established in the Academic Calendar.
MA 123 has common hour exams, including the final exam.
You must bring a photo ID to each exam (on your cell phone is fine). Each exam is scored out of 100 points and consists of 16 multiple choice (5 points each) and 2 free response questions (10 points each). The Final Exam, Exam 4, is cumulative. Students are required to leave all belongings at the front/side of the room, except for their writing utensils. In particular, students are not allowed to have a calculator, their phone, or any other communication device on them during exams. Failure to store belongings at the front/side of the room may result in a score of 0.
Exams will be graded and returned via Gradescope. Once an exam is returned, you have one week to dispute your score. No grade changes will be made afterwards. You should go back over an exam once it is returned and redo problems you got wrong. Due to the cumulative nature of this course, it is worth your time to learn from your errors promptly. The Final Exam accounts for 10% of your overall grade, and you can replace your lowest midterm exam score with the average of your lowest score and your Final Exam score.
Midterm exams from previous semesters can be found here.
| Fall 2023 | Exam 1 Answers | Exam 2 Answers | Exam 3 Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2024 | Exam 1 Answers | Exam 2 Answers | Exam 3 Answers |
| Fall 2024 | Exam 1 Answers | Exam 2 Answers | Exam 3 Answers |
| Spring 2025 | Exam 1 Answers | Exam 2 Answers | Exam 3 Answers |
| Fall 2025 | Exam 1 Answers | Exam 2 Answers | Exam 3 Answers |
| Spring 2026 | Exam 1 Answers | Exam 2 Answers | Exam 3 Answers |
Caution: The exact content of the exams may vary from semester to semester. Some new material may be added and some previous material may be removed. Exam content for your particular semester will be drawn from the recitation and lecture materials, and web homework (WeBWorK).
Homework is submitted via WeBWorK, our online homework system. You can access WeBWorK via the Assignments tab in your Canvas course. We strongly recommend using Chrome or Firefox as the web browser.
Once you submit your answer to a problem and see the green "correct" notification, you are done with that problem. You do not need to submit the entire assignment at once. WeBWorK will sync your grade with Canvas as you complete each problem. You have unlimited attempts for each problem up until the close date of an assignment.
The document Entering Answers in WeBWorK provides more information about how to enter mathematics to answer questions in WeBWorK. Please contact your instructor or teaching assistant if you have difficulty logging in.
Piazza is a group discussion board that you can use to ask/answer homework questions. Piazza has useful features like a math tool and the ability to post screen shots. You can find a link to Piazza in your Canvas course on the side tool bar. You should read the posting guidelines which are pinned to the top of the discussion history. Following the guidelines will allow the instructors and your fellow students to better assist you, and will make information easier to find for everyone. This resource is free to use.
Unless you have an excused absence (see excused absence policy above), you must attend your recitation section to receive credit. There will be time at the beginning of recitation to ask homework questions, after which students will complete a skills check assignment. Each skills check is scored out of 10 points and will cover content from the previous Monday through Friday for Tuesday sections, and previous Wednesday through Monday for Thursday sections. Students will then explore new content via Amplify Classroom activities. Points will be earned by completing the activities in class. Students should bring an iPad/tablet or laptop with them to recitation. Before leaving, students will complete an exit question to check whether they have gained the skills from recitation to be prepared for lecture. Each activity is scored out of 10 points, and students can earn up to 3 extra points by successfully answering the exit question.
Skills checks are graded as follows:
Exit questions are graded as follows:
We will use iClicker to track participation in lecture; this app is free to use. Instructions for creating an account and joining the class can be found on your Canvas homepage. Each day of lecture is scored out of 10 points, and students are able to earn up to 13 points each day. Students will earn 10 points for answering all but at most one question, and may earn up to 3 additional points for answering questions correctly. Unless you have an excused absence (see excused absence policy above), you must attend lecture in person to receive participation credit. Your 4 lowest scores will be dropped.
Information related to emergency reporting and action can be found under Classroom Emergency Preparedness and Response Information here.
The University of Kentucky has resources to enhance your well-being and mental health. Visit https://studentsuccess.uky.edu/well-being to see a list of services. Most are covered by student fees though you should consult with each website. These services may include:
For further information, please see: