Math 35 Section 43135 Lecture: MTWTH 3:20 PM - 4:30 PM Room: MTSC 105 Spring 2018 Instructor: Kathy Nabours Office: MTSC 133 Email: kathy.nabours@rcc.edu Phone: (951) 222-8207 Website: http://websites.rcc.edu/nabours Campus Office Hours: MWF 11:30 AM 12:30 PM TTH 2:00 PM 3:00 PM (and also by appointment if needed) Welcome to Intermediate Algebra! We have many weeks of math exploration ahead of us, but first there are several pieces of information that I d like to share with you to help you toward successful completion of this course. Please read this syllabus carefully and keep it for your reference. It is a very useful resource and it includes schedule information in order to help you plan your semester. Required for course: MyMathLab account at www.mymathlab.com and The New Science of Learning by Terry Doyle and Todd Zakrajsek (2013) Your MyMathLab account will give you access to the textbook, homework assignments, study plan, video lectures, and other such resources for the course. You will be able to know your grade at all times, as your homework problems are graded as you do them. You may submit your homework problems as many times as you need to in order to get the best score you can before the due date. The MyMathLab account can either be purchased by buying an access code at the bookstore for $123.20 or you can purchase it at the website www.mymathlab.com for $103.95 once you enter the website. If you cannot purchase the code right away, there is a 14 day trial period that is free and you can convert your account within a specified time by paying on-line. Please follow the instructions on the site to do this. Either way, you will need to input the following courseid when prompted: nabours22905 If there is ever trouble logging in to MyMathLab, you may try the alternate (back door) site: https://www.mathxl.com/login_mml.htm. For any other technical difficulties, click on the Support link within MML if you experience technical difficulties. I cannot assist with the technical issues, unfortunately, so please contact Technical Support who will be able to help you! Telephone Support is also available M Th 5a 5p; Friday 5a 5p; and Sunday 2p 9p. Technical assistance 1.800.677.6337. Common problems include the ability to accept cookies and using the wrong browser. Chrome and Firefox are the recommended browsers. Internet Explorer is NOT recommended.
The New Science of Learning can be purchased at the bookstore for $19.95 new or $14.95 used. You might also be able to purchase it on-line at places like amazon.com for around the same price. It is also available to rent from the bookstore for $9.40 used or $13.55 new. A digital copy is also available $16.00 through the bookstore. We will incorporate this book throughout the course in order to empower you with information about learning that will help you in all of your courses, but especially in this very challenging math course. We will have exam questions on the content of this book. This course was designed using these neuroscience principles! Prerequisite: Successful completion (C or higher) of Math 52 (Elementary Algebra) or qualifying score on the placement exam. It is assumed that students entering this course can perform arithmetic operations on real numbers as well as polynomial, rational and basic radical expressions, evaluate algebraic expressions, solve equations (linear, quadratic, rational, and basic radical equations), graph lines and linear inequalities, factor polynomials, solve basic word problems, and use the symbols and vocabulary of algebra to communicate mathematical ideas. We do not have time in this course to cover topics from prerequisite courses in detail, so please make sure you have the prerequisite skills before moving forward with this course in order to be successful. We have recorded lecture videos to assist you with understanding the prerequisite concepts. Many of the beginning sections will be flipped since they are review and there is a lot of review material to cover to make sure every student is ready for the course. Spend the time necessary to build a good foundation and good homework habits. This is the key to learning. This means you may need to do some extra work to catch up and get ready or you may need the prior course if you have not already taken and passed it. If you need help with this, please see me in office hours. I am devoting the first three weeks and the first exam primarily to review, so let s use this time wisely! Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to: 1. Simplify algebraic expressions using correct mathematical symbols and language. 2. Identify and apply appropriate methods to solve rational, radical, exponential, and logarithmic equations. When appropriate, identify extraneous solutions. 3. Solve applications that require writing and solving equations. Communicate solution in the context of the problem. 4. Graph linear and basic non-linear functions. Course Objective: The course is designed to prepare students for the study of higher level mathematics. In addition, the many mathematical tools that you will learn in this course can be applied in the business world and in scientific fields such as biology and engineering. We will
explore some of these applications through examples and homework problems. I will always strive to help you make connections between mathematics and your interests, so please let me know what interests you! I welcome questions and I enjoy researching such connections with you. Connections will help you learn mathematics and retain it! I will sometimes post interesting videos about these connections in MyMathLab for you. I welcome student input and I hope you will be excited to explore and share as well! Course Resources: The following course resources are included in your MyMathLab course: Text Lecture Videos Syllabus Schedule of material Rubric for grading New Science of Learning questions (pool for each exam) Homework assignments (with immediate feedback and infinite attempts) Help Me Solve This, View an Example, and Ask My Instructor (for most questions, not all designed to be used intermittently, not continuously). Exam reviews Inside of MyMathLab, you will find video lectures that you can pause and rewind if you need to see something again. These lecture videos are available for almost every section. They are clearly labeled under Text and Lecture Videos by chapter and section, although you will notice each video begins with a lesson number rather than a section number (this is because the text was not completed when we recorded these videos, but the material is exactly the same). Read the text prior to class and watch the video lectures if you need more clarification or if you miss a class and need instruction prior to an assignment. These videos will also be used for some of the sections which will be flipped (you will watch the video outside of class and do the assignment for some of the sections). In addition, we will have several worksheets in class that will help you master the material. The more practice you have, the stronger your neural pathways will become, and the better you will learn and remember the material for your next course and beyond! In addition, there are features in the homework such as View an Example and Help Me Solve It that can guide you through the steps for many of the problems. These are very useful tools when used correctly, but be advised that using them for every problem means that you are not learning how to do the problems on your own (which is crucial for the exams and for learning). Also, please keep in mind that MyMathLab may use different methods than we use in class for some types of problems and this can be a source of confusion for some
students. There are often many different methods to approach a math problem. The methods we use in class and in the videos are chosen to minimize any confusion by being consistent with methods we use for future material and they are often the simplest method to understand. However, other methods will be presented and discussed in class for some topics so that students get a wider view of mathematics as well as their options for solving problems. The exam reviews can be found under the Quizzes and Tests button in MyMathLab. The reviews should be completed without the use of any aids, such as apps, notes or tutors. You should use the review to practice for the exam and this means you should do it under exam conditions for accurate results. It should be used as a tool for self-assessment (to tell you what you know and what topics you need to study further). You should review each attempt in the grade book and get some more practice prior to another attempt. Class Participation and Quizzes: Students will have the opportunity to practice concepts during class. We will often engage in class participation problems, worksheets, and very short quizzes in order to help you self-assess and practice recalling information and techniques. This part of the course will account for 5% of your grade. You have to be in attendance to obtain these points on any given day. They cannot be made up at a later time. Quizzes may or may not be announced in advance. Quizzes will be based on homework type problems as well as questions from The New Science of Learning. Assignments: There is a homework assignment for each section we will cover in MyMathLab. Assignments are due daily in order to help students distribute their practice and put the material into long term memory, so please manage your time accordingly. Remember, this course was designed with neuroscience principles of learning! The last 5-10 problems in each assignment are distributed practice problems from prior sections. Please make sure that you do these problems, even if you do not finish the problems for that day s section. Distributed practice is crucial to putting the skills into long term memory. You may work the homework problems as many times as you need to in order to get 100% before the due date. (If you work a problem 3 times and are unable to get a correct answer, you can get a new problem to work out). Once the due date passes, you will still be able to work on the homework, but there is a 10% penalty per day that you are late (only on the problems that you did late). There are no extensions on the assignments, so please keep up. It is the best way to learn. Our data shows that students who are prepared for this course and do all of the homework pass the course at a 90% rate! Please take advantage of the power of distributed practice! You will also learn why this is the case when you read Chapter 6 of The New Science of Learning. An important note about practice: When you practice, using an aid such as an app or tutor will actually impede learning and give you a false sense of security about your knowledge. You must practice recall in order to learn. That means that you must practice remembering the processes. This is what creates strong neural pathways and these neural pathways are what you need to access the information during an exam and in future courses. Please do not rely on apps or tutors while doing your assignments.
Exams: There will be six exams given throughout the semester (in addition to a comprehensive final exam at the end of the term). Each exam will constitute 10% of your grade. Each of the six exams is free response and requires complete responses (show ALL work for full credit). A rubric has been provided for you in MyMathLab so that you know how the problems will be graded. The final exam will be cumulative and will take place in the class. No make-up exams will be given. Only basic scientific calculators will be allowed on the exams. No graphing calculators allowed. Phones must be put away and silenced. Anyone caught using their phone during an exam will receive a 0 and will be reported to the Dean. Cheating is a very serious offense, and at the very least you will receive an F for that exam and possible expulsion from the college. The final exam will take place in MTSC 105 on Tuesday, June 5 th, 2018 from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. The final exam is a requirement of the course. A no show on the final exam is an automatic failing grade. During any exam, if you need to use the restroom you must leave your phone in the classroom. Please use the restroom prior to the exam to minimize distractions. Please be on time for exams. Arriving late is very distracting to other students. Students arriving late may not be admitted to the exam if this becomes a problem. Be a few minutes early to prevent this situation. Note: The exam reviews should be completed without the use of any aids, such as apps, notes or tutors. You should use the review to practice for the exam and this means you should do it under exam conditions for accurate results. It should be used as a tool for self-assessment (to tell you what you know and what topics you need to study further). You should review each attempt in the grade book and get some more practice prior to another attempt. Your grade will be based on the following: Class Participation / Quizzes 5% Assignments 10% Exams 60% Final Exam 25% Grading Scale: A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79% D 60-69% F 0-59% Attendance: Please only take this class if you are seriously committed. Please make this decision before the drop date. Habits are extremely important to succeed (especially distributed practice, which we often do in class and in homework). This class requires a commitment (of about 15 hours per week) and dedication. It is extremely important that you attend every class session. Leaving early or arriving late is disrespectful and disruptive. Any student with two consecutive absences or a total of three absences may be dropped from the course. Arriving late or leaving early may count as an absence. Missing an exam may also cause a student to be dropped from the course. Any student with any absences in the first two weeks of the course is subject to being dropped from the course. You must be signed up for MyMathLab within the first two weeks of the course with a permanent account or you may be dropped from the course. Your success is dependent on your participation and attendance in class as well as your practice outside of class!
A note about common courtesy: Please turn cell phones off or put them on vibrate while in class. If you must take a call, please step outside to do this. (During a test, all cell phones must be off. If there is a special circumstance, please speak with me prior to the exam). No texting or social media is allowed in class. You can only learn when you are paying attention. As you will learn from reading The New Science of Learning, multi-tasking makes you less efficient and you often miss the details you need when you are on your phone instead of engaging your brain in class. Your attention is critical to your success! Instructor Assistance: Please feel free to come in for help during my office hours. You may also call me and talk to me over the phone during my office hours or leave a message. If you have any special needs I should be aware of, please discuss these with me so I can help, or talk with someone in the Disability Resource Center Office at (951) 222-8060. If you have any questions about the course, please ask me. That is why I am here. I look forward to helping you succeed in learning as well as helping to build your interest in the subject of mathematics. Other Important Dates Last day to add: 2/23/2018 Last day to drop without a W on WebAdvisor: 2/25/2018 Last day to drop for a refund: 2/23/2018 Last day to drop with a W : 5/11/2018