📖 Syllabus
Table of contents
Draft syllabus
This is a minimal working syllabus for the first offering of MATH 124. Additional policy details will be added before the term begins.
Overview
MATH 124: Vectors, Matrices, and Applications is an introduction to linear algebra built around vectors, matrices, geometry, computation, and applications in science and engineering.
Course Staff
The instructors are Kartik Prasanna and Suraj Rampure. See the Staff page for contact information.
Lectures
Lectures meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30–4:00 PM in G127 Angell Hall.
Attendance is required. Lectures will be recorded and posted for review and for occasions when students cannot attend, but recordings do not replace regular participation in lecture.
Course Websites
- Course website: math-124.github.io — schedule, syllabus, and course materials.
- Course notes: notes.math124.org — the primary written resource for the course.
- PrairieLearn: us.prairielearn.com — practice quizzes and other online activities.
- Canvas: canvas.it.umich.edu — announcements and course administration.
- Gradescope: gradescope.com — assignment submission, feedback, and grades.
Course Components
Lectures and Course Notes
There are 28 lectures throughout the term. Attendance is required, and you must attend at least 24 lectures to receive full attendance credit. Lectures will be recorded, but the recordings are intended for review and occasional absences rather than as a replacement for attending class.
Expect lectures to be engaging, with substantial time spent working on activities and discussing approaches. The course notes contain the main written explanations and examples for the course and should be used alongside lecture. The notes do not carry a separate grade.
Labs
Labs meet on Wednesdays and are run by a GSI (graduate student TA) and an IA (undergraduate student TA). During the first half of lab, you will work on a lab-specific worksheet that reviews content from the previous few lectures. During the second half, you will get a head start on the homework due the following week.
Labs are primarily completion-based and contribute 10% of the course grade. Your lowest two lab scores will be dropped.
Homework
Weekly homework develops the ideas from lecture and lab in greater depth. Homework may include written mathematics and computational applications. Homeworks are normally due on Mondays; Homework 1 is due on Tuesday because of Labor Day. Homework contributes 20% of the course grade, and your lowest two homework scores will be dropped.
Quizzes
There are five quizzes, Quiz 0 through Quiz 4. The lowest two quiz scores will be dropped, so the best three quizzes determine the 12% quiz component of the course grade.
Quizzes are administered on a computer in the Electronic Testing Facility (ETF) on North Campus. They emphasize calculational-style questions and are completed individually.
Each quiz has a one-week Monday–Friday testing window. Reservations open one week before the testing window begins. For example, Quiz 2 must be taken between Monday, October 12 and Friday, October 16, and reservations open Monday, October 5.
Each quiz will have a practice quiz on PrairieLearn. You may take the practice quiz as many times as you would like.
Exams
The course has two in-person, on-paper midterms and one cumulative final exam.
| Exam | Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Midterm 1 | Monday, October 5 | 15% |
| Midterm 2 | Monday, November 16 | 15% |
| Final Exam | Friday, December 18 | 20% |
The two midterms are not cumulative. Exam times, locations, and detailed policies will be announced later.
Course Improvement
MATH 124 is a new course. As a result, we will administer more surveys than you might normally receive in a course so that we can learn from your experience and improve future offerings. These surveys collectively contribute 3% of the course grade. Each survey will tell you how much of this 3% it is worth.
Grades
| Component | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture attendance | 5% | 4 drops; attend 24 of 28 lectures for full credit |
| Labs | 10% | 2 drops |
| Homework | 20% | 2 drops |
| Quizzes | 12% | 2 drops; best 3 of 5 quizzes count |
| Midterm 1 | 15% | Non-cumulative |
| Midterm 2 | 15% | Non-cumulative |
| Final Exam | 20% | Cumulative |
| Course improvement | 3% | Each survey will state its value |
| Total | 100% |
Accessibility and Student Support
We want all students to be able to participate fully in MATH 124. If you encounter an accessibility problem in the website, notes, videos, assignments, or other course materials, please contact the course staff. Students seeking disability-related accommodations should work with Services for Students with Disabilities and contact the instructors as early as possible.
Additional policies covering collaboration, late work, accommodations, academic integrity, regrades, and communication will be added before the term begins.
Disclaimer
This syllabus is a draft. Course details may change as the pilot offering is developed; substantive changes will be announced clearly to students.