MATH 71 SUMMER 2012 INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA Instructor: Alina Birca Email/Phone: abirca@mtsac.edu ; 909-594-5611 ext 5364 Website: www.timetodare.com or http://elearn.mtsac.edu/abirca/ Office: Building 61 Room 1658 Text: web-based tutorial system ALEKS (with or without ebook)- see page 4 for details Section #101739 TWTh 1:20 6:00 pm 61-2414 Course Objectives Intermediate Algebra is a second semester study of basic methods in algebra with an emphasis on modeling and problem solving. A common thread through this course is the idea that any problem in basic algebra can be addressed through the use of: (1) relations between expressions using operations on numbers and variables; (2) tabulated data; (3) visual displays (graphs). Some of the course objectives are: - the ability to model problems or phenomena by algebraic expressions and equations; - the ability to consider a problem using algebraic, numerical, graphical, and verbal methods; - the ability to write an algebraic expression from a verbal description, to recognize trends in a table of data, and to extract and interpret information from the graph of a function. - the ability to apply mathematical techniques to study and understand new situations; - a thorough understanding of functions (linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic). - a thorough understanding of sequences and the binomial theorem. - the ability to recognize the behavior and characteristic properties of parabolas, circles, ellipses, and hyperbolas. - the ability to apply studied principles and skills to new situations in addition to situations that mirror those on the homework and those shown in class. Methods of Instruction This course will combine lecture, teamwork, online work, and class discussion. Students will be required to do homework, group problems, quizzes and examinations. Attendance and Participation Understanding math requires more than just reading a textbook. Listening and participating in the class activities are as important as solving problems. College policy requires that you attend every class meeting. Moreover, I do notice when you do not show up. If your grade is on a borderline, those with regular attendance are more likely to be on the higher side of the line. In addition, you miss the material from that day and that day s quiz. Do not be late to class. The homework is due at the beginning of the class. You might also miss the quiz if you are late. NOTE: You the student are responsible for dropping the course should you decide not to continue in it. If you stop attending and doing the work and you fail to drop, you will receive a failing grade in this course. If you miss class, are late more than 15 minutes, or leave early during the add period, you will be dropped and someone on the wait list will be added. If you are absent three times or more, you may be dropped from class. Being late or leaving early counts as half a day. Prerequisites There is an official prerequisite for this course (Math 51 Beginning Algebra), and I expect that you demonstrate beginning algebra skills (properties of real numbers, polynomials, exponents, absolute value, factoring, evaluating algebraic expressions, linear and quadratic equations). It is your responsibility to know the prerequisite material when you register for this class. Study time & Extra help You are expected to study two hours outside class for every hour in class - that is at least 20 hours a week. If you have trouble completing assignments or understanding the mathematics, get help as soon as you need it. Free tutorial services are available in MARC. MARC will open on Wednesday, June 27, and is open Monday through Thursday 9am to 7 pm.
Late Work Be prepared with all assignments on the day they are due. As a rule, I do not accept late written work nor are there any make up tests or quizzes. Academic Honesty Plagiarism or cheating will not be tolerated. There will be a zero on the assignment and risk failing the course. Calculators A graphing calculator is NOT REQUIRED for this class! All of the problems I will assign this semester will be done using paper, pencil, ruler and a scientific calculator. If you have a phone or pager, please turn it to vibrate and sit close to the door in case you need to use it in an emergency. Thank you. Organization, Grading and Requirements You will need a 3-hole binder with 3 separators, labeled as follows: LECTURES HOMEWORK TESTS & QUIZZES LECTURES Pay attention in class to what I say and do, and make careful notes. In particular, note the problems I work on the board, and copy the complete solutions as well as the theory presented in each section. Work as neatly as you can. Write your symbols clearly, and make sure the exercises are clearly separated from each other. Do not hesitate to ask questions in class. It is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. There are always other students with the same question who are too shy to ask. HOMEWORK Before you start on homework assignments, rework the problems I worked in class as well as all examples from the textbook and MyMathLab. This will reinforce what you have learned. Make sure you check your previous work against the solutions posted on my website. Print out the solutions from my website for your reference. Keep all quizzes and tests that are returned to you in your binder. Use them when you study for future tests and for the final exam. Assignments in the course are divided into four areas and are worth a total of 1000 points. Those earning 900 points or more will be awarded an A, 800 to 899 points a B, 700 to 799 points a C, 600 to 699 points a D and less than 599 points an F. Homework (written and online) 13% The written homework is due at the beginning of the class. In general, this homework is due every Thursday. Read carefully all the directions from the homework handout. Late homework will not be accepted for any reason. Sloppy homework will not be graded. You are encouraged to discuss assignments with your classmates; however, you are required to write up your work independently. Copied homework will not be tolerated and identical, or nearly identical, assignments will share a single homework score. There will be 6 written homework, worth a total of 6% of your grade. The online homework is due as specified in your ALEKS calendar. In general, the online homework is due every Tuesday. You have three attempts to do every online homework. If you do one homework more than once ( up to three times), the best score will be selected. There will be 5 online homework, worth a total of 7% of your grade. ALEKS Pie 10% This is part of the learning process, where you build up the skills you need. The ALEKS pie objectives are due every Saturday. Completing the pie objectives is worth a total of 8% of your grade. Due dates are listed in the ALEKS calendar. Tests 51% points Three tests will be given over the major areas addressed in the course. Each test is worth 17% of your grade. For an exercise to be complete there needs to be a detailed solution to the problem. Do not just write down an answer. No proof, no credit given! Comprehensive final 26% points The final is a 2 ½ hour exam and it is held on Thursday, August 2 nd. The final is a cumulative exam. You may use the final exam percent score to replace your lowest test score. You must take the final to pass this class.
Tentative Class Schedule DATE TOPICS ASSIGNMENTS DUE Tuesday June 26 Chapter 1 Review Sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 Wednesday June 27 2.7, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 Thursday June 28 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 Written homework 1 Saturday June 30 ALEKS objectives Tuesday July 3 5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 ALEKS homework Wednesday July 4 Holiday campus closed Thursday July 5 Test #1 Written homework 2 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 Saturday July 7 ALEKS objectives Tuesday July 10 6.5, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 ALEKS homework Wednesday July 11 7.5, 7.6, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5 Thursday July 12 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 9.1 Written homework 3 Saturday July 14 ALEKS objectives Tuesday July 17 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 ALEKS homework Wednesday July 18 Test #2 9.4, 9.5 Thursday July 19 9.5, 9.6, 9.7, 10.1 Written homework 4 Saturday July 21 ALEKS objectives Tuesday July 24 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5 ALEKS homework Wednesday July 25 10.6, 11.1, 11.2 Thursday July 26 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6 Written homework 5 Saturday July 28 ALEKS objectives Tuesday July 31 Test #3 ALEKS homework 12.1 Wednesday August 1 12.4 Thursday August 2 Final exam Written homework 6 ALEKS objectives
For this Math 71 course we will be using a web-based tutorial system called ALEKS. The address is www.aleks.com We will use this system for skill-building, homework, and to keep track of your grades. There are two parts to ALEKS. One is a homework part ( appears as online homework in the syllabus). The other is a learning part where you build up the skills you need for Algebra (appears as pie objectives in the syllabus). Together, they contribute 17% to your overall grade for the course. Other than that, this course is like all other Math 71 courses at Mt.SAC. We will be following the same outline and covering the same material. Most of your grade 83% - will be determined by written homework and tests, given in class, using paper and pencil, in the same manner as with every course I teach. To use ALEKS, you will have to purchase an access code online for the summer intersession. HOW TO START ON ALEKS: 1. Go to the ALEKS website. http://www.aleks.com 2. Click on the link for "SIGN UP NOW" to the left of the page, under the space for Registered Users (This is the only time you will click on that button.) 3. On the page that follows, enter the Course Code in the spaces to the left of the window. Do not use the button on the right-hand side. The code for this course is LXELX-KUFVQ. 4. Enter other information as prompted. 5. In the course of registration, you will be prompted for you individual Access Code. Click on the link that says purchase an access code online. Choose between the following two options: OR - ALEKS 360 Higher-Ed 1-semester (18 weeks) (US $80.00)- this will give you access to the ALEKS program AND the ebook ( recommended, but not mandatory) - ALEKS Higher-Ed short (6 weeks) (US $32.00) this will give you access to the ALEKS program, with NO access to the ebook. If later you decide you would like to have the ebook as well, you can upgrade (for a slightly higher price). As a note, the textbook associated with this course (Messersmith: Intermediate Algebra 1 st Edition, ) is available in our tutorial center, MARC. 6. Record you Login Name and Password, provided by the system. (You can change you Password now or later if you wish.) 7. Begin using ALEKS by taking the Student Tutorial and an initial Assessment. You will subsequently use you Login Name and Password to enter you account. It is important to get started with this right away. Using ALEKS on any computer requires a simple JAVA plug-in that you can easily download, so it will check for that first. The first time you log on to ALEKS, you will be asked to go through a simple tutorial on how to use it. The next thing is a 25-30 question assessment test. This test does not affect your grade, but it is important because it determines where you will begin working on building up your skills. Take it seriously, but do not stress if you do not know something. You need to have paper and pencil. Simple calculators without graphic or symbolic functions may be used for Algebra. The ALEKS assessment is adaptive and variable in length. Some students will have very short assessments, whereas others will have assessments that are longer. Consistency of effort and concentration are the factors most likely to influence the length of an assessment. After the test you will see your skills profile on a pie chart, and you can then click on certain topics to work on. There are deadlines for making progress on your pie chart (usually every Saturday). The first one of these is June 30. All of these will be listed on a calendar you will see in ALEKS.
Financial aid - in case you do not have the money to purchase the code right away, you have a two-week grace period Your Course Code is: LXELX-KUFVQ Your Financial Aid Access Code is: 056B2-107ED-943D2-DF65A The Financial Aid Access Code does not add an additional two weeks to your account. NOTE: This code gives you temporary access to ALEKS for a two-week period. Once the code expires, you will be locked out of your ALEKS account until you purchase a regular Student Access Code. It is highly recommended that you purchase the Student Access Code BEFORE the two weeks expire to prevent interruptions with your ALEKS account. 1. To log into ALEKS using the Financial Aid Access Code, go to: http://www.aleks.com. 2. Click on the "SIGN UP NOW!" link located under the login box on the left of the page. 3. Enter your Course Code in the box labeled "Using ALEKS with a Class?" and click on "Continue." 4. Verify that you are registering for the correct course and click on "Continue." Enter the 20-character Financial Aid Access Code. 5. Continue with the registration process until your account has been set up successfully. 6. After you complete your account set up you will be logged into ALEKS and can immediately begin working in the course. 7.You can extend your ALEKS account at any time by clicking on "extend your account" and entering a purchased Student Access Code. If your temporary access expires before you purchase a Student Access Code, simply log in to ALEKS and you will be directed on how to extend your current account. You will then be able to continue your course where you left off before the temporary access expired. You do NOT need to create a new ALEKS account to continue your course. Note: ALEKS technical support: 714-619-7090