For adjunct faculty
Welcome, fellow MAT-144 instructor.
This site is a teaching companion for MAT-144 College Mathematics — built from years of running this course, refined over a few cohorts, kept open and free for any adjunct who wants to use it. If you're picking up MAT-144 for the first time, or coming back to it after a gap, this page tells you what to expect and offers a packet of materials to make your first cohort smooth.
Request the teaching packet01Course at a glance
Seven topics, seven weeks.
MAT-144 is structured as seven one-week topics. Each topic has the same scaffolding — readings, two discussion questions, ALEKS homework, an ALEKS review, and participation points — with three of the seven weeks adding a Major Assignment. Total course points typically land around 925, but the per-topic weights stay consistent so students always know where they stand.
02What students experience
The same shape, every topic.
Each topic page on this site follows a consistent pattern, so by week three a student knows where to find every kind of resource. The visual language and layouts are the same across all seven topics; what changes is the math.
Six lessons per topic
Each topic breaks into six short lessons with a hook, big-idea card, worked example, three try-it problems, and a quick-check quiz.
See an example →Editorial DQ format
Each DQ page combines the Excel template, a Scribe walkthrough, six concept cards, and a common-slips block. Focused on the math and the spreadsheet skill.
See an example →ALEKS-aligned reviews
Six review questions per topic, each authored to match the actual ALEKS prompt with two or three randomized example versions. Walkthrough plus alt-error feedback.
See an example →Per-topic study aids
Every topic has a cheat sheet (formulas, vocabulary, common slips) and an auto-aggregated glossary pulling from each lesson's vocab list. Linked from the topic overview.
See an example →Visualizers + calculators
Tools like the Compound Interest Lab and Retirement Planner let students drag sliders and watch curves react. The Financial Formulas Calculator solves any of the seven ALEKS formulas for any variable.
See an example →Onboarding for students
Five intro pages walk students through the site, the course rhythm, ALEKS, Excel basics, and how DQs work. Point students at this in your week-one welcome.
See the tour →03Best practices
Five things I wish I'd known.
Drawn from running this course over multiple cohorts. Not exhaustive — every adjunct adds their own — but these are the patterns that show up every term.
Reply to DQs early in the week.
If your first instructor reply lands Wednesday or Thursday, students see engagement and post stronger initial responses. Replies on Sunday after the deadline have far less effect on quality. Block 30 minutes Wednesday night every week of every cohort.
The rate-as-percent vs. rate-as-decimal trap.
The single most common mistake on Topics 3 and 4 is using r = 5 instead of r = 0.05 in a formula. Watch for off-by-100x answers in the DQ Excel sheets. The Topic 3 cheat sheet calls this out, but mention it explicitly in your Topic 3 welcome post too.
Block 4 hours per cohort for MA grading.
MA1 and MA3 are 100 points each; MA2 is 175 with an APA write-up and LopesWrite check. Plan to spend 15–20 minutes per submission, especially on MA2 where the writing rubric carries weight. Don't try to grade them in scattered 20-minute windows.
Lean on the cheat sheets.
When a student emails confused, the cheat sheet for that topic usually has the answer in the first 30 seconds. Bookmark the seven cheat-sheet URLs and paste the relevant one before you write a long reply. Most students don't know the cheat sheets exist until you point at them once.
Start the review push at the end of T6.
The Topic 7 final is cumulative, weighted toward the heavy MA topics (T2/T4/T6). Post a "what to review for the final" message at the end of Topic 6, not the start of Topic 7 — gives students a full week of runway. Point them at the per-topic cheat sheets and the Financial Formulas Calculator.
04What's in the teaching packet
Everything you need to teach this course.
A zip with the templates, rubrics, and instructor materials I've assembled. Free to use, modify, or fork. Not affiliated with GCU's official adjunct materials — this is a peer resource.
- ✓ 12 DQ Excel templates — T1–T6, two per topic, each with self-checking color codes and randomized inputs off student name.
- ✓ 3 Major Assignment workbooks — MA1 (T2), MA2 (T4 with APA write-up template), MA3 (T6).
- ✓ DQ instruction docs — written prompts students see for each DQ, including the written-only DQs (T3 DQ2, MA2 preview).
- ✓ Grading rubrics — for the three MAs and for general DQ scoring, plus a quick reference for what counts as "substantive" replies.
- ✓ Suggested feedback language — copy-paste blocks for the most common DQ misconceptions across all seven topics.
- ✓ Sample syllabus — a markdown skeleton matching GCU's course outline, ready to drop your name and contact info into.
- ✓ Discussion extras & participation posts — a small library of supplemental discussion prompts and weekly engagement posts to seed participation when DQ threads run thin.
- ✓ Welcome announcement template — a week-one message you can adapt to your section, with links into this site's Getting Started tour.
Request the packet
Send a quick email and I'll get you set up.
Drop a note with the cohort start date and any background you want to share. I'll send the zip within a couple of business days. The packet is free, no strings — and if you'd rather chat over a video call before your first cohort, just say the word.
Email Clay for the packet