: Intermediate Algebra in Context Summer Quarter 2015 Instructor: Lauri Lindberg Office Hours@ tutoring: Tutoring Center (CAS-504) 8am -8:50 am, Mon - Thurs STEM Center (RAI-338) Noon 1 pm, Mon & Wed email: LLindberg@pierce.ctc.edu Course Description: This course integrates numeracy, proportional reasoning, algebraic skills, and functional reasoning. Students will represent quantitative relationships in multiple ways in order to solve problems from a variety of authentic contexts. Linear and exponential functions, along with logarithms and radicals, will be studied and applied. Modeling and interpreting quantitative data is emphasized. Course Content: A. Numeracy B. Proportional Reasoning C. Algebraic Skills and Reasoning D. Functional Reasoning E. Realistic applications from relevant themes including finance, health and medicine, citizenship, and the physical world. Classroom Environment: The nature of this course is such that student s quantitative, algebraic, and critical thinking skills and knowledge will be enhanced through the mathematic content of the lessons, the collaborative interaction among the students, as well as the interaction between the students and the instructor. These lessons require us to work mostly in small groups but at times we will work individually, discuss together as the whole class, or participate in a short lecture. Text There is no required textbook for this course. Instead, there is a packet of lessons developed by Quantway and adapted by the Pierce College Math Department. This packet of student materials is available in the bookstore and online in the WAMAP program for this class. You will need to be prepared for each class with a printed copy of the day s lesson(s). Calculator A scientific calculator is needed for this course. The calculator on your phone is NOT an acceptable substitute during a test. Assessment Your grade for the class is assessed in the following categories according to the given percentages: Student Engagement 15% Homework 15% Module Tests (4) 50% Comprehensive Final 20%
Page 2 Homework: The homework is online at www.wamap.org. Ask the instructor for the course ID and enrollment key. Your homework assignments consist of two types. One type is OCE, which stands for Outside Class Experience. These assignments are to practice skills, complete the learning, and reinforce the material in the lesson. You will have about two days after the end of the lesson to complete these assignments. The other type is PNL, which stands for Preparing for the Next Lesson. These assignments have concepts to recall and practice to be ready for the next lesson. PNL assignments are available from the first day of the module but due by the start of class on the day of the lesson. Check in WAMAP for the specific due date for each assignment. When doing each problem you will get three chances. You receive full credit for a correct answer on the first or second response. The third and final attempt has a 25% penalty for a correct answer. Student Engagement: The student engagement grade will be generated by the students participation in the class including attendance, quizzes, in-class and on-line contributions. Attendance: Attendance is vital to success in the class. You need to come to every class, be on time, and stay for the whole class to fully participate in the learning. Your group depends on your contributions. Summary information will only be available on the board during class. You miss a great deal of opportunities to learn if you do not attend class regularly and on time. Attendance will be taken daily, sometimes more than once. Quizzes: Expect quizzes at the start of a lesson. The questions should be similar to topics and questions in the PNL for that lesson. The quizzes will be short (two or three questions) and completed in about 5 minutes. There are NO make-ups for quizzes. In-Class and Online Contributions: In-class contributions include oral participation in class discussions, asking or answering questions brought up in the discussions, and presentation of solutions to the whole class. In-class written participation includes writing solutions on the white boards and notes turned from group activities. Online contributions will consist of posting to the forum for the class in WAMAP. You can ask a question in the forum or reply to another student s question. Please note that to simply write How do you do question 3? is not considered showing engagement with the course material. Rather, you should include in your post what you think the problem is asking and what you have tried so far. Module Tests: This course is arranged into four modules. You will have a test at the completion of each module. Each test has two parts: an Essential Skills part and a Conceptual part. The Essential Skills is done without using a calculator. The Conceptual part is similar to the questions in the lessons and in the OCE s. You will need to be here on test days because tests CANNOT be made up. The only exception to this is by PRIOR arrangement. The four scheduled test days are listed on the calendar in WAMAP. Comprehensive Final The final test will have questions from lessons from each of the modules in the class. It will take place as listed on the calendar in WAMAP. There is no make-up for a missed final test.
Grading Scale: The scale below shows how letter grades, percentages, and decimal grades are related. A grade of 2.0 is 75% in this class. 94-100 % 3.9-4.0 A 90-93 3.5-3.8 A 87-89 3.2-3.4 B+ 84-86 2.9-3.1 B 80-83 2.5-2.8 B 77-79 2.2-2.4 C+ 74-76 1.9-2.1 C 70-73 1.5-1.8 C 67-69 1.2-1.4 D+ 65-66 1.0-1.1 D Below 65 % 0.0 F Page 3 Passing Grade: You must earn a grade of 2.0 or better (75% or better) to register in the next math course if this course is the prerequisite. You must earn a grade of 1.0 or better to "pass" (as in "not fail") the course and receive the credits. Math classes that have as the prerequisite include Math& 107 Math in Society, Math& 131 Math for Elementary Education 1, Math& 146 Introduction to Statistics, and Math 98 Intermediate Algebra for Precalculus. Which class you take next depends on your educational and vocational goals. Discuss this with your advisor. Academic Dishonesty: If you use another person's ideas, words, music, artwork, computations, models, etc., in such a manner as to imply that the thing used was your own; or if you use notes, texts or memory aids during tests when such use was not expressly authorized; or if you steal or knowingly use test master copies to gain information prior to an examination date; or knowingly allow another person to use your work as if it were that other person's work; or otherwise act in such a manner as to gain for yourself or another an unfair advantage over other students, you may face disciplinary actions as stated in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy/Code of Conduct. Emergency Procedures for Classrooms: Call 911 and then Campus Safety in response to an imminent threat to persons or property. In the event of an evacuation (intermittent horns & strobes), gather all personal belongings and leave the building using the nearest available safe exit. Be prepared to be outside for one hour and stay a minimum of 200 feet from any building or structure. So long as it is safe to do so students are expected to stay on campus and return to class after evacuations that last less then 15 minutes. Do not attempt to reenter the building until instructed by an Evacuation Director (identified by orange vests) or by three horn blasts or bell rings. Please notify the nearest Campus Safety Officer or Evacuation Director of any one left in the building or in need of assistance. The phone number for Fort Steilacoom Campus Safety is (253) 964-6751.
Page 4 Access and Disability Services: Your experience in this class is important to me, and it is the policy and practice of Pierce College to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you experience barriers based on disability, please seek a meeting with the Access and Disability Services (ADS) manager to discuss and address them. If you have already established accommodations with the ADS manager, please bring your approved accommodations (green sheet) to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course. ADS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you and the ADS manager, and I am available to help facilitate them in this class. If you have not yet established services through ADS, but have a temporary or permanent disability that requires accommodations (this can include but not be limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are encouraged to contact ADS at 253-964-6526 (Fort Steilacoom) or 253-840-8335 (Puyallup). Group Norms: As a class, we often work in group situations. To foster the best environment for learning, our behaviors should follow the guidelines below: - Respect each other s ideas. - Everyone contributes. - Be supportive. - Ask questions. - Don t be afraid to try answers. (They might be right!) - Struggling is good! (It means we re learning.) Strategies for Success: Attend class. Keep up with the homework. Ask questions. Help one another. Attend SI (Supplemental Instruction) sessions and/or office hours (if available). See the instructor during office hours. Visit the Tutoring Center (CAS-504). Sign up for appointment tutoring. This course will be challenging. It won t be perfect. It will get better. We will all learn a lot. It will be worth it. --- Amy Getz Lead developer of Quantway program
Page 5 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays June 29 Surveys Intro 1.1.1 June 30 1.1.2 July 1 1.1.3 1.1.4 July 2 1.1.5 July 6 1.2.1 July 7 1.2.2 July 8 1.2.3 July 9 1.2.4 July 13 Module 1 Test July 14 2.1.1 2.1.2 July 15 2.1.3 July 16 2.1.4 2.2.1 July 20 2.2.2 July 21 July 22 Module 2 Test July 23 3.1.1 July 27 3.2.1 July 28 3.2.2 3.2.3 July 29 3.2.4 July 30 3.2.5 August 3 3.2.6 L.D.T.W. August 4 Module 3 Test August 5 4.1.0 4.1.1 August 6 4.1.2 4.1.3 August 10 4.1.4 August 11 4.1.5 August 12 4.1.6 August 13 4.1.7 August 17 August 18 Module 4 Test August 19 August 20 Final Test