Faculty Name: Terry Scholle MAT105 College Algebra Fall 2017 Office Hours: Wednesday, 1 pm to 2 pm in GH103 E-mail Address: tscholle@ycp.edu Web Site: http://faculty.ycp.edu/~tscholle/mat105 CATALOG DESCRIPTION: The course is designed to prepare students in algebraic skills. Topics include equations in one and two variables, inequalities, systems of equations, quadratic equations, polynomial functions, exponents and logarithms. TEXTBOOK: Algebra for College Students by Lial, Hornsby, and McGinnis. Eighth edition by Pearson Publishing Company, 2016. WEB SITE: Students will find supplemental material, a copy of this syllabus, class schedule, and other relative material. COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. Provide students with a solid algebraic background for whatever specific applications they will encounter in other coursework or careers 2. Develop and practice college-level algebra-related technical skills and problemsolving methods 3. Insure that minimum college-level algebra standards have been met TECHNIQUES USED TO OBTAIN OBJECTIVES: The textbook for this course is designed to make mathematics accessible through its non-technical approach to topics, via the use of easy to read sections, use of real world examples, and fun problems. The supplemental material found on the web site is also designed to help students learn and become comfortable with math. Students are expected to take an active role in the class: reading the text, practicing the assigned homework, participating in group activities and turning in assignments on time. When students are working in groups, the instructor will facilitate students' progress through the activities. NOTE: Please check your YCP email on a regular basis. Any communication regarding possible class cancellations, changes to class schedule, etc. will be emailed to you at your YCP address only. Page 1 of 9
CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is mandatory. Attendance will be taken each class. Absences not covered by a note from a physician or the office of student affairs are limited to one. Unexcused absences beyond three can adversely affect your final grade. There may be pop quizzes given at any time. If you miss any classes you will fall significantly behind. In class activities cannot be made up and assignments will not be accepted late without penalty. Quizzes cannot be made up. If you choose not to attend class, you must accept the consequences. You are responsible for all material covered in class each day, even if you are not present. Plagiarism, or copying answers from other people or books, is a serious offense and will result in no credit for the work. While the class is in session, remain in your seat. Walking around the room during the lecture is distracting to the other students and it is disrespectful to them and to me. Use the rest room before or after class. "The responsibility for initiating action to make up work missed and to present reasons for absences rests solely with the students. Notes excusing students for absences, or from course work associated with absences, are NOT provided by administrative offices of the college. The Office of Student Affairs however, will notify faculty members, as a courtesy to students, of an extended absence, (e.g. hospitalization), if such information has been provided to this office." (York College of Pennsylvania Faculty Manual, September, 2001 C2.3) PROPER FORMAT FOR TESTS: I REQUIRE you be mathematically precise. Your solutions must be clear, well organized and instructive. You must clearly write each step working toward a solution. Each step must contain the proper equals sign, limit, integral with limits (if it is a definite integral), etc. To develop the proper style of problem solving, follow the examples in the textbook or the style I use in class examples. This will get you started in the right direction. By proceeding through a solution in a logical step-by-step way, your grasp of the material will become stronger and it will allow you to more easily identify errors. A well-written solution is much easier to grade and I can give partial credit if the answer is incorrect. All tests are closed book and closed notes. The only things you will need for the tests are a pencil, eraser, and your calculator. All other computing devices (cell phones, Cray Computers, laptops, etc.) are forbidden. If I see a cell phone out during a test, you will earn a zero for the test. Once the test has begun, you may NOT get up and leave the room unless you are prepared to turn in your test. Page 2 of 9
MAKE-UP TEST POLICY: In lieu of make-up tests for this course, your lowest test grade will be dropped. If you are involved in another supported YCP activity (sports, etc.), and you know you will not be in class for the test, contact me prior to the test so arrangements can be made. I will give you the exam prior to the original test date. If you do not contact me and you are absent for the test, you will earn a zero for the test. WRITING STANDARDS: Students enrolled in this course are expected to use literate and effective English in their speech and in their writing. All papers submitted must be well written; grades on written work (including tests) will be based on expression as well as content. Students may be required to rewrite papers marred by errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, or organization. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: "York College s mission statement stipulates that strict adherence to principles of academic honesty is expected of all students. Therefore, academic dishonesty will not be tolerated at York College. Academic dishonesty refers to actions such as, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabricating research, falsifying academic documents, etc., and includes all situations where students make use of the work of others and claim such work as their own. When a faculty member believes a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member must promptly notify the student in writing and obtain confirmation of notification from the student. The faculty member then has ten business days from that written notification to the student to report the incident to the Associate Provost of Academic Services and the Department Chair. Documentation related to instances of academic dishonesty will be kept on file in the student s permanent record. The faculty member has full discretion to determine a suitable penalty for the student, up to a course grade of "0". This discretion is limited to the course in which the dishonesty took place. Students may not withdraw from a course in which they have been accused of academic dishonesty, unless and until the accusation is withdrawn by the faculty member or is overturned by the Student Welfare Committee or the Associate Provost of Academic Services. Students who believe they have been unjustly charged or sanctioned must discuss the situation with the faculty member and have 10 business days thereafter to submit an appeal to Student Welfare Committee through the Associate Provost of Academic Services. If an appeal is filed, the Student Welfare Committee will then conduct a hearing to review the charge and/or sanction. In the case of an egregious first offense, the faculty member may request that the Student Welfare Committee conduct a hearing and determine a sanction, which may involve academic probation, suspension or dismissal from the College. Page 3 of 9
If the Associate Provost of Academic Services determines that the academic dishonesty is the student s second offense, the Associate Provost will provide written notification to the student, the faculty member, and the Department Chair. The Student Welfare Committee will automatically conduct a hearing to review the charge and decide on an appropriate sanction, which will involve academic probation, suspension or dismissal from the College. Students who believe the Student Welfare Committee has unjustly sanctioned them may submit a written appeal to the Associate Provost of Academic Services within 72 hours of receiving notification of the Student Welfare Committee s sanction." EVALUATIVE PROCESS: The student has a fundamental responsibility in the evaluation of both this course and the instructor. This responsibility includes but is not limited to completion of a "Teaching and Course Observation" form and the right to submit positive or negative comments to the department chair. GRADING POLICY: Your grade will be based on four of the five tests given during the semester, a comprehensive final plus all other work associated with this class (e.g., assignments, homework, quizzes, etc.). Your final grade is simply your total accumulated points divided by the total possible points. The final test will NOT be used as the dropped test. Tests are 85% of your final grade and homework is 15%. Final grades will be computed according to the following scale: Percentage Number Comment 90-100 4 Excellent 86-89.9 3.5 Very Good 80-85.9 3 Good 76-79.9 2.5 Above Average 70-75.9 2 Average 60-69.9 1 Below Average < 59 0 Failure Page 4 of 9
Here is an explanation of the grade levels as approved by the York College Community: 4 (Excellent): This grade denotes accomplishment that is truly distinctive and decidedly outstanding. It represents a high degree of attainment and is a grade that demands evidence of originality, independent work, an open and discriminating mind, and completeness and accuracy of knowledge, as well as an effective use of the knowledge. 3.5 (Very Good): This grade denotes mastery of the subject matter. It represents very good achievement in many aspects of the work, such as initiative, serious and determined industry, the ability to organize work, and the ability to comprehend and retain subject matter and to apply it to new problems and contexts. 3 (Good): This grade denotes considerable understanding of the subject matter. It represents a strong grasp and clear understanding of the subject matter and the ability to comprehend and retain course content. 2.5 (Above Average): This grade denotes above average understanding of the subject matter. It represents a good grasp of the subject matter and the ability to comprehend and retain course content. 2 (Average): This grade denotes average understanding of the subject matter. It represents the grade that may be expected of a student of normal ability who gives the work a reasonable amount of time and effort. 1 (Below Average): This grade denotes below average understanding of the subject matter. It represents work that falls below the acceptable standard. 0 (Failure): This grade denotes inadequate understanding of the subject matter. It signifies an absence of meaningful engagement with the subject matter and that the student is not capable of doing or understanding the work or has made little or no effort to do so. To comply with Federal financial aid regulations, the instructor must report the last date that the student attended. W (Withdrawal): Students are permitted to withdraw from courses without penalty up to the ninth Friday of the fall or spring semester. Corresponding deadlines are set for all other semesters (e.g., summer sessions). Page 5 of 9
I (Incomplete): The student may request permission from the instructor to receive an incomplete prior to the final test and must present extraordinary reasons for the petition. The Instructor should indicate on the Attendance/Final Grade Record the required work the student must do to complete the course. Any grades of I not removed within two calendar months after the end of the semester will automatically be changed to 0 in the Records Office. Grades of incomplete should only be provided to students who have completed a substantial portion of all course requirements. P (Pass): This grade denotes passing in special Pass/Fail courses. F (Fail): This grade denotes failure in special Pass/Fail courses. AU (Audit): This grade indicates that a student is registered for a course but receives no credit. POLICY CONCERNING PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY DEVICES: While York College recognizes students need for educational and emergency related technological devices such as laptops, PDA s, cellular phones, etc., using them unethically or recreationally during class time is never appropriate. The college recognizes and supports faculty members authority to regulate in their classrooms student use of all electronic devices. CELL PHONE POLICY: Cell phone - NOT ALLOWED during exams, lectures or problem solving activities. Once a class begins, all cell phones are to be put away and turned off. COMMUNICATION STANDARDS: York College recognizes the importance of effective communication in all disciplines and careers. Therefore, students are expected to competently analyze, synthesize, organize, and articulate course material in papers, examinations and presentations. In addition, students should know and use communication skills current to their field of study, recognize the need for revision as part of their writing process, and employ standard conventions of English usage in both writing and speaking. Students may be asked to further revise assignments that do not demonstrate effective use of these communication skills. HOMEWORK: The homework for this course will be completed through MyMathLab (MML). Its purpose is to provide students with extra learning resources, an out-of-class opportunity to hone skills learned during lecture, and instant feedback. MML contains Video Presentations for each section of your textbook. If you are absent or ever feel that you need a review of a section, go to Chapter Contents, Page 6 of 9
select the chapter and section that you would like to watch, and then select Watch the Video Presentation. It is the student s responsibility to complete all MML assignments by the given deadlines. There are no time extensions. It is your responsibility to finish the MML homework by the deadline. REMINDER: This syllabus and the class schedule are for student and instructional planning only. It is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. It will be followed as closely as possible, but will only serve as a guideline. SPECIAL NEEDS: Any student having a need for special accommodations is encouraged to make their needs known to me during the first class of the semester. HELP VIA EMAIL: Limit the topics of your email to questions about the material, the course, and technical problems with the site only. Also limit the number of emails that you send to me per day. For example, do not send me an email for each question you have about the homework. Group the questions together in one email CONCLUSION: It is my sincere desire that you will succeed in this course. I hope you will have questions, comments and suggestions! If you find yourself getting lost and/or behind please come see me for help before it is too late. Page 7 of 9
Class Date Sections Covered Topics 1 29-Sep 2 31-Aug R.3 Order of Operations 1.1 Linear Equations in One Variable 1.2 Formulas and Percent 1.3 Applications of Linear Equations 2.2 The Slope of a Line 3 5-Sep 2.1 Linear Equations in Two Variables 2.3 Writing Equations of Lines 2.5 Introduction to Relations and Functions 4 7-Sep 2.6 Function Notation and Linear Functions 3.1 Systems of Linear Equations (Elimination method) 5 12-Sep Exam #1 Material from Chapters R.3, 1 2, 3.1 4.1 Integer Exponents 6 14-Sep 4.2 Adding and Subtracting Polynomials 4.4 Multiplying Polynomials 7 19-Sep 4.3 Combination and Composition of Functions Polynomial Functions Graphs - Transformations 5.1 Greatest Common Factors and Factoring by Grouping 8 21-Sep 5.2 Factoring Trinomials 5.3 Special Factoring 9 26-Sep 5.4 Mixed Factoring 5.5 Solving Equations by Factoring 10 28-Sep Exam #2 Material from Chapters 4-5 11 3-Oct 12 5-Oct 6.1 Rational Expressions & Functions; Multiplying & Dividing 6.4 Equations with Rational Expressions 7.1 Radical Expressions 7.3 Simplifying Radical Expressions Page 8 of 9
13 10-Oct 7.6 Solving Equations with Radicals 7.7 Imaginary Numbers 14 12-Oct Exam #3 Material from Chapters 6-7 17-Oct Fall Break No Class 15 19-Oct 16 24-Oct 8.1 The Square Root Property 8.2 The Quadratic Formula 8.3 Equations Quadratic in Form 8.4 Formulas (Solving Literal Equations) 9.2 Graphs of Quadratic Functions (Vertex form) 17 26-Oct 9.3 More about Parabolas (Standard form and Applications) 18 31-Oct 10.2 Exponential Functions 10.3 Logarithmic Functions 19 2-Nov 10.4 Properties of Logarithms 20 7-Nov 10.6 Exponential and Logarithmic Equations 21 9-Nov Exam #4 Material from Chapters 8 10 13.1 Sequences and Series 22 14-Nov 13.2 Arithmetic Sequences 13.3 Geometric Sequences Sampling 23 16-Nov Extra Hypothesis Testing 24 21-Nov Extra ANOVA Confidence Intervals 23-Nov 25 28-Nov Graded Classwork Thanksgiving Vacation 13.1-13.3, Sampling, Hypothesis Testing, Conf Intervals, ANOVA 26 30-Nov Review Review for Exam #5 27 5-Dec Exam #5 Chapter 13, extra 28 7-Dec Extra 29 12-Dec Review 30 TBA FINAL EXAM Final Exam Review Page 9 of 9