Semester/Year: Fall 2018 CASPER COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS Math 930-02 Elementary Algebra Lecture Hours: 4 Lab Hours: 0 Credit Hours: 4 Class Time: 10:00-10:50 Days: MTThF Room: PS 209 Instructor s Name: Teresa Stricklin Instructor's Office: PS 342 Office Phone: 307-268-2615 Email: tstricklin@caspercollege.edu Office Hours: Mon & Thurs 2:00-3:00 Wed 10:00-11:00 Fri 8:00-10:00 & 11:00-12:00 No appointment is necessary for posted office hours. If you need to schedule an alternate time to meet with me, simple send me detailed information about what day/time works best for you. Course Description: (Casper College Catalog) The study of rational expressions; the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of the same; also includes the study of solutions and properties of rational, quadratic, exponential and logarithmic equations; in addition, students will study the applications of the same. Statement of Prerequisites: (must meet at least ONE of the following) ACT composite Math score of 21-22 Appropriate Tailwinds score determined by Claudia Stewart (math placement coordinator) C or better in Math 920 Goal: Students will be proficient, confident, and flexible in the advanced algebra skills necessary to successfully complete the next college level math course required for the degree being sought. Those students who pass Math 930 with a C or better, will be eligible to take Math 1100, Math 1400 or Math 1450. Course Objectives/Outcomes: Students who successfully complete this course will be able to: 1. Simplify, add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational expressions 2. Solve rational equations and applications 3. Simplify rational exponent expressions and solve radical equations 4. Solve quadratic equations and applications and graph quadratic functions 5. Use function notation and find inverse functions 6. Convert between exponential and logarithmic notation Page 1 of 5
Methodology: This class is taught using the text Algebra Foundations by Elayn Martin-Gay along with the computer software system, MyMathLab. Attendance and classroom participation is imperative as we will be modeling mathematics using various tools and learning styles. Students will be required to complete both electronic homework assignments on MyMathLab as well as additional written assignments. Exams will be given at the conclusions of each unit to measure independent knowledge of the content. Evaluative Criteria: Your grade in this course will be weighted using the following categories: 50% Summative Assessments (Exams) Students will be required to complete 5 unit exams and 1 cumulative final exam. All 6 exams will be weighted equally at 100%. Students will NOT be allowed to retake unit exams. Exams MUST be taken on the scheduled date unless arrangements have been made PRIOR to the exam date. Exams will be rescheduled only for excused absences (ones with a documented reason, i.e. doctor s appt., etc.). Please notify student services if you have an emergency. 30% Formative Assessments This category will be made up of the following items: Paper and Pencil (written) work: Students will be required to complete supplemental written assignments for each unit. These written assignments will provide practice problems for each concept without the use of instant online help. Students will be asked to show their work and clearly communicate their reasoning. Individual feedback per written assignment will be provided. Exam Corrections: Following each exam, students will be required to complete corrections for each incorrect problem. For each exam correction, the correct process along with the correct solution and identification of the type of mistake will be required. Students will have one full week to complete exam corrections and are encouraged to seek help. Exam corrections will be scored on both accuracy and clarity. Orphan answers will receive zero credit! 20% Online Practice Problems (MyMathLab) Students will be required to complete online quizzes and pre-tests using the MyMathLab software that correlates with the textbook. Students have an unlimited number of attempts on each quiz. However, in order to access any quiz for a 3 rd attempt, the student must score an 80% or better on the homework assignments for that section. The due date for all quizzes and pre-tests will be Sunday night at 11:59pm following that week s class discussions. These assignments will NOT be accepted late for credit so plan accordingly! Point Scale: Points will be totaled and students will be assigned letter grades based upon the percentage of the total points they earned in the course. A = 100 90% B = 89 80% C = 79 70% D = 69 60% F 60% Page 2 of 5
Required Materials: Internet access- the online software program works most efficiently with Google Chrome or Firefox. A personal account to MyMathLab (MML) including your own username and password. The course ID for this class is stricklin20439. Students must purchase this access code to be active until the end of the semester (Dec. 14 th ). A 14-day free trial is available if needed. Graphing calculator (TI-84, TI-84+, or NSpire) these will be used in class every day! Students may rent these from the Math Learning Center for the semester. Cell phones and electronic devices that have internet capabilities will NOT be allowed during exams. Grit! Class Policies: Electronics: As a general respect for others, your cell phone and electronic distractions need to be silenced and hidden during class time. Your full participation and engagement is required. Should your cell phone or other electronic device become a distraction, I will simply ask you to step out into the hallway and take care of the issue independently. Attendance, Preparedness & Participation: a. Daily attendance is crucial for your personal success. However, just being in class does not guarantee a passing grade. Students will be asked to participate in classroom discussions regularly which greatly enhances understanding. If you must miss a class due to college-activities or illness, it is your responsibility to keep up with the material as well as assignment due dates. Speak with a classmate regarding notes and/or stop by during my office hours if additional help is needed. b. Late assignments will receive ZERO credit. c. Class time will be primarily devoted to small group problem solving tasks and whole group discussions. If you have individual questions regarding written assignments or MML assignments, please do not hesitate to stop by during office hours or send me questions via email. Last Day to Withdraw: Nov 8, 2018 (NO exceptions!) Student Rights and Responsibilities: Please refer to the Casper College Student Conduct and Judicial Code for information concerning your rights and responsibilities as a Casper College Student. Chain of Command: If you have any problems with this class, you should first contact the instructor to attempt to solve the problem. If you are not satisfied with the solution offered by the instructor, you should then take the matter through the appropriate chain of command starting with the Department Chair/Program Director (Debra Swedberg), the Dean (Jerry Hawkes), and lastly the Vice President (TBD) for Academic Affairs. Academic Code Violations: (Cheating and Plagiarism) Casper College demands academic honesty. Academic code violations focus on academic dishonesty, which includes but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, buying, selling, or stealing exams; substituting for another person, collusion when collaboration is not approved; knowingly furnishing false information; and copyright violations. Violations of the college's academic code can result in a range of negative consequences from failing a graded assignment to expulsion from the college. See the Student Code of Conduct for more information on this topic. Page 3 of 5
Official Means of Communication: Casper College faculty and staff will employ the student's assigned Casper College email account as a primary method of communication. Students are responsible to check their account regularly. This is also, where you will find course evaluation links during course evaluation periods. ADA Accommodations Policy: If you need academic accommodations because of a disability, please inform me as soon as possible. See me privately after class, or during my office hours. To request academic accommodations, students must first consult with the college s Disability Services Counselor located in the Gateway Building, Room 344, (307) 268-2557, bheuer@caspercollege.edu. The Disability Services Counselor is responsible for reviewing documentation provided by students requesting accommodations, determining eligibility for accommodations, and helping students request and use appropriate accommodations. Harassment and discrimination: Casper College seeks to provide an environment that is free of bias, discrimination and harassment. If you have been the victim of sexual harassment/gender or sex discrimination/sexual misconduct/assault, we encourage you to report this. If you report this to an employee, she or he must notify our college's Title IX Coordinator, Linda Toohey, Associate Vice President for Student Services, 125 College Drive, GW 412, Casper, WY 82601; (307) 268-2667; linda.toohey@caspercollege.edu about the basic facts of the incident. Employee concerns should be directed to the Human Resources Director. For more information about your options, please go to: caspercollege.edu/nondiscrimination Page 4 of 5
Course Content Schedule/Timeline *This schedule is tentative and subject to change. Refer to announcements in MyMathLab for updates! 14.1~Rational expressions & functions 14.2~Multiplying and Dividing Rational Expressions 14.3 & 14.4~Adding and Subtracting Rational Expressions 14.5~Solving Rational equations including applications 14.6~Simplifying Complex Fractions Exam #1: Chapter 14 15.1~Review of Linear Functions 15.2~Function Notation & Nonlinear Functions 19.1~The Algebra of Functions including Composite Functions 16.1~Compound Inequalities 16.2~Absolute Value Equations Exam #2: Sections 15.1,15.2,19.1,16.1,16.2 17.1~Radical and Radical Functions 17.2~Rational Exponents 17.3~Simplifying Radical Expressions 17.4~Operations with Radical Functions 17.5~Rationalizing Denominators & Numerators 17.6~Solving Radical Equations 17.7~Complex Numbers Exam #3: Chapter 17 18.5~Transformation of Parent Functions 18.6~Standard form to Vertex Form using Completing the Square 18.6~Vertex Formula 18.1~Solving equations using CTS 18.2~Solving equations using Quadratic Formula 18.3~Solving equations using multiple methods Exam #4: Chapter 18 19.2~Inverse Functions 19.3& 19.4~Exponential Growth and Decay 19.5~Logarithmic Functions 19.6~Properties of Logarithms Exam #5: Chapter 19 Cumulative Final Exam Page 5 of 5