MATH 1030, COLLEGE ALGEBRA SYLLABUS Section 03 COURSE TITLE: College Algebra CREDIT: 3 credit hours SEMESTER: Fall 2013 TEXT: College Algebra and Trigonometry by Blitzer, 4th edition SOFTWARE: MyMathLab COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a course in Algebra. The course is computer-assisted, which means students will use the computer (along with the instructor) to complete the course. Topics include linear, quadratic, and rational equations and inequalities, the algebra of functions (including polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions), the graphs of some of these functions, and systems of equations. INSTRUCTOR: Emily Ross Office: 345 ESH Phone: (314)516.6432 E-mail: ross@arch.cs.umsl.edu OFFICE HOURS: Mon/Wed 9:15am 10:45am or by appointment PREREQUISITES: You must have a score of 22 or higher on the ACT Math sub-test; or a grade of C or better in a two or four year college intermediate algebra course; or a score of 22 or higher on the UMSL Math Placement Test, obtained at most one year prior to enrollment in this course. If a record of your prerequisites is not in the UMSL computer system, you will be asked to provide verification by the end of the first week of classes; otherwise you will be administratively dropped from course. E-MAIL REQUIREMENT: All correspondence will be made through the e-mail address that you register with in MyMathLab or your student e-mail. Make sure to check your e-mail frequently. If you use your UMSL email address, please be aware that your mailbox is limited in size. If your mailbox is full, you will not receive the instructor s e-mails containing important course information. Please check your mailbox capacity and empty it when it is full.
MyMathLab (http://www.mymathlab.com): This is a computer-assisted course. Students will use the computer to do homework, get help, and prepare for the tests. The first day of class you will register using the access code that accompanies your textbook and the Course ID ross97211. You must register using the same name that is listed on MyGateway and please do not reverse your first and last name. Please use an e-mail address that you check frequently as most communication from the instructor will be via e-mail. Weekly reading assignments, pencasts of weekly lectures, extra practice problems and solutions, solutions to quizzes and tests, and a copy of the syllabus are among the material that will be posted in the Course Documents folder on this site. To ensure that you have the correct copies, please print or view your assignments from the machines on campus. You should save the document to the computer before printing. HELP: (1) MyMathLab (2) Online lectures (3) MTLC (50 JCPenney) -- You can do your homework and get help from the TA s and other instructors during the following times: 8 a.m. 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. (4) Your instructor s regular campus office hours (listed above). (5) Email your instructor with any questions. This can be done using the Ask your Instructor button on MyMathLab or sending a message to your instructor (6) Free tutoring is available in the Math Academic Center in 222 SSB in the daytime, evenings and weekends. Visit (http://www.cs.umsl.edu/lab/mathlab.html) for more details. (7) Online tutoring in many subjects is now available through NetTutor. In your courses on MyGateway, click on Tools and select NetTutor to log in STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE ATTENDANCE: This class meets three times a week. Tuesday lectures are in room 206 Clark Hall. We meet in the MTLC (50 JCPenney) on Thursdays and Fridays. Attendance will be recorded daily. Announcements of any changes in the syllabus, test dates, or assignments will be made in class. The lectures and labs are mandatory for everyone prior to the first exam. The last two lectures for the semester are also mandatory even if you meet the below conditions. Two points per missing lecture and/or lab will be taken off your next quiz grade unless you are excused or you meet all of the following conditions: You have an 80% or better in your last exam You have an 80% or better in your exam average. You have an 80% or better course average You have an 80% or better quiz average You have an 80% or better homework average You are encouraged not to miss a lecture even if you qualify to miss. Some of the problems are done in easier methods than CourseCompass. Coming to a class meeting late or leaving early without a proper and prior excuse will be counted as not attending that meeting at all. Once you are in the classroom, please turn off all your pagers or cell phones. Working on your laptop is not allowed during the lectures. Use of cell phones is forbidden during the labs and lectures.
HOMEWORK: Working homework problems is the best preparation for quizzes and tests. You will use MyMathLab to do your homework. The problems are similar to the problems presented during lecture. Each problem can be completed as many times as needed. Simply click on the Similar Exercise button and redo the problem until you have a perfect score. You may practice the problems as many times as you need to in order to master the knowledge and skills to do well on the tests and quizzes. The score from the last attempt is kept as the grade for that section. Use the GRADEBOOK if you want to review a problem once you have completed it. The immediate feedback and guided solutions are great help. You can ask questions from your instructor, teaching assistants, or other students. It is recommended that you print the completed homework so that you can refer to them in class and use them to study for the quizzes and exams. The homework grade will be calculated by taking the average of all the homework assignments. You are expected to spend at least two hours outside of class for each hour of class time. Late homework is not allowed. The homework should be done gradually and not on the due date. Make sure to redo the problems on your own once after getting help. Some students complain that they can do the homework but fail the quizzes. In the majority of those cases, the grade on the test and quizzes will drastically increase if you redo a problem after getting help. You need to have a notebook with the homework problems you are doing prior to keying your answer in the computer. This will help you with preparations for quiz and test reviews. At the time of each hourly exam, the notebook is checked and 20% is subtracted from your final homework grade if you don t maintain this notebook. You can print the homework assignment and show your work in the provided space. You may keep these notes in a binder instead and then show your work there instead of in a notebook. In case you have done the problem correctly but the computer counted it wrong, click on the Ask My Instructor button. Write down that you have the problem correct in the body of the message. Your grade will be changed if it is verified that you have the correct answer and only after the due date for the homework assignment. You can also print the message showing your answer and the correct answer and show it to your instructor. EXTRA PRACTICE: Extra practice problems and their solutions are posted weekly and also before each test. These worksheets are a summary of the material that you will learn and are a very good review prior to taking the quizzes and tests. Completing the worksheets is optional. QUIZZES: There is a quiz over the material from the homework assignment each week. There are 15 quizzes including the syllabus quiz. No make-up is given for the quizzes and your lowest grade for the semester will be dropped. The quizzes are all online and with the exception of the three take home quizzes have to be taken in the lab at a designated time. You have to show your work for the quizzes. Paper will be provided for the online quizzes. Problems without supportive work will be counted wrong and your online grade will be readjusted. Solutions for the quizzes will be posted and the quiz (if online) will be available for you to review by the Wednesday morning following the quiz. Papers for the quizzes will be handed showing your readjusted grade (in case supportive work is not shown) out in class during the Thursday labs. You are expected to print the solutions, print the online quiz, and add your work from the quiz.
TEST REVIEWS: Before each test you must complete the Test Review assignment on MyMathLab. Your grade for this review will count as a homework grade and you MUST have it completed with a grade of 70% or better PRIOR to the scheduled test time. PLEASE NOTE that the CourseCompass system will NOT allow you access to the test until this prerequisite is met and you will NOT be allowed to take the test at a different time. The test review is posted one week prior to the test. NOTE: The review is a long assignment and you should start working on it as soon as possible. TESTS: Four tests will be given during the dates noted on the calendar. The tests are very similar to the homework, worksheets, and quizzes. The test dates on the syllabus are approximate and subject to change. You have to show your work for the exams whether they are on paper or online. Paper will be provided for the online exams. Problems without supportive work will be counted wrong and your online grade will be readjusted. Solutions for the tests will be posted and the test (if online) will be available for you to review by the Wednesday morning following the test. Papers for the quizzes will be handed showing your readjusted grade (in case supportive work is not shown) out in class during the Thursday labs. You are expected to print the solutions, print the online test, and add your work from the test. A make-up test may be given only in a case of verifiable emergency and only if you contact your instructor prior to the test; proper documentation is required (for example, illness requires a doctor s note). The test should be made up immediately after returning to school. Students who play sports for UMSL and have to miss a quiz /test due to a scheduled game need to talk to their instructor and plan the time to make up the missed work prior to their scheduled game. Any makeup test will be longer and more difficult than the test given in class. The makeup exam often will not be the same format as the regular test. NO CALCULATORS ALLOWED FOR QUIZZES AND EXAMS! The reason for this is that we have found that the use of such devices tends to exacerbate student weaknesses, particularly regarding basic skills. For that reason, you might consider not using one on your homework unless it s an absolute must. FINAL EXAM: The mandatory FINAL EXAM will be comprehensive and worth 200 points. The final exam will be given on Wednesday, December 11, 12:15 3:15pm. The final exam is not online and will be graded manually. The final exam is not multiple-choice format. Your course grade can t be more than one letter grade higher than your final exam grade, i.e. the best grade you can get will be a D if you fail the final exam. There will be practice exam questions provided prior to the final exam. WITHDRAWAL: You need to follow the proper procedure for dropping the course. A grade of F will be assigned to a student whose name is still on the final class roster and has not dropped the course officially. This grade will not be changed retroactively. Delayed grades can be given only for a situation where a student has completed all the work, with a grade of C- or above, and has to miss the final exam because of an emergency. Delayed grades have to be approved by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
ALL PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES MUST BE TURNED OFF IN THE CLASSROOM! COURSE GRADE: Your course grade will be based on: Homework Quizzes Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Final Exam Total The grade scale is as follows: 720 800 A 640 719 B 560 639 C 480 559 D Below 480 F 100 Points 100 Points 100 points 100 Points 100 Points 100 Points 200 Points 800 Points ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: When one takes credit for another s work or uses unauthorized devices (such as calculators) in the course, when they are expressly forbidden, it is cheating. This may occur during in class exams/quizzes or take-home exams/quizzes in this course. The code of student conduct is in the UM-St. Louis Student Handbook. According to the University s Collected Rules and Regulations (Chapter 200: Student Conduct), the term Cheating includes but is not limited to: (i) use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; (ii) dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; (iii) acquisition or possession without permission of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the University faculty or staff; or (iv) knowingly providing any unauthorized assistance to another student on quizzes, tests, or examinations. When cheating is determined, a zero grade will be given on the specific exam/quiz and the student(s) who is/are involved in the cheating will be reported to the Department of Mathematics and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. Having a formula sheet, a calculator, a cell phone during the test is cheating. Fake notes from the hospital and doctors and unverifiable excuses count as academic dishonesty.
Course Calendar The following calendar includes the sections covered in the weekly lectures, weekly quizzes, and the scheduled tests. The due dates for the worksheets and the review sheets along with the date of the quizzes and tests are shown. You will be informed of any changes to this calendar during the lecture and the labs. The official due date for the homework and the take home quizzes are at 5 p.m. of the indicated dates. Test Reviews must be completed before your class time on the scheduled test day. Tuesday Thursday Friday August 20 August 22 August 23 Lecture 1 Section: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 Quiz 1 Sections 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 August 27 August 29 August 30 Lecture 2 Sections: 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 Quiz 2 Sections 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 Syllabus Quiz Due September 3 September 5 September 6 Lecture 3 Sections: 1.7, 2.1, 2.2 Quiz 3 Sections 1.7, 2.1, 2.2 September 10 September 12 September 13 Lecture 4: Sections 2.3, 2.4 Review for test 1 due Test 1 Chapter 1, 2.1, 2.2 Review for Test 1. September 17 September 19 September 20 Lecture 5 Section: 2.5, 2.6, 2.8 Work for Quiz 4 Due Quiz 5 Sections 2.5, 2.6, 2.8 Quiz 4 Due Sections 2.3 and 2.4 September 24 September 26 September 27 Lecture 6 Sections: 3.1, 3.2 Quiz 6 Sections 3.1, 3.2 October 1 October 3 October 4 Lecture 7 Quiz 7 Sections: 3.3, 3.4 Sections 3.3, 3.4
October 8 October 10 October 11 Lecture 8 Section 3.5, 3.6 Review for Test 2. Review for test 2 due October 15 October 17 October 18 Lecture 9 Sections 3.7, 4.1, 4.2 Quiz 8 Due Section 3.5, 3.6 October 22 October 24 Lecture 10 Sections: 4.3, 4.4 October 29 October 31 Lecture 11 Section 8.1 Review for Test 3 Work for Quiz 8 Due Quiz 9 Test 2 Sections 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.8, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, Sections 3.7, 4.1, 4.2 October 25 Quiz 10 Sections 4.3, 4.4 November 1 Review for test 3 due November 5 November 7 November 8 Lecture 12 Sections 8.2, 8.4 Quiz 11 Due Section 8. 1 Work for Quiz 11 Due Quiz 12 Test 3 Sections 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 Section 8.2, 8.4 November 12 November 14 November 15 Lecture 13 Sections: 9.1, 9.2, 9.5 Quiz 13 Section 9.1, 9.2, 9.5 November 19 November 21 November 22 Lecture 14 Sections: 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.5 Quiz 14 Sections 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.5 November 23 - December 1 Fall Break December 3 December 5 December 6 Review for Test 4 Review for test 4 due Test 4 Chapters 8, 9, and 11 FINAL Exam Wednesday Dec 11 th 12:15 p.m. -3:15p.m. Location will be announced during the last week of classes.
SCHEDULE AT THE START OF THE SEMESTER Purchasing Your Textbook and Software: You can purchase the textbook and student access code, bundled together, from the campus bookstore. You also have the choice of purchasing the access code by itself, from the bookstore or directly from the publisher (www.mymathlab.com), as the book is available online with the purchase of an access code. However, you are encouraged to buy the textbook as using the online text can be tedious and time consuming. Our book is custom made for UMSL and is a lot less expensive than purchasing a used text on the internet. If you have already purchased the book elsewhere, you will still need to purchase an access code, either from the bookstore or directly from the publisher (www.mymathlab.com). Please note that used access codes do NOT work. However, if you are retaking the course after having taken it at UMSL, using the SAME edition of the book, you do not need to buy a new access code. Registering on MyMathLab: Please register at www.mymathlab.com as soon as possible. In addition to entering the student access code (described above) you will need to enter your instructor s course ID, found in the syllabus. Register using YOUR NAME, as it appears in MyGateway. Provide an email address that you check often, as much of the correspondence for this course will be done via email. The zip code for UMSL is 63121. Syllabus Quiz and three other not proctored quizzes: Once you are registered on MyMathLab, you will be able to the take Syllabus Quiz on your own. After reading the syllabus carefully, log into MyMathLab and click on this course. Then click the Quizzes and Tests tab on the left. Select Syllabus Quiz. In addition to the Syllabus Quiz, quizzes 4, 8 and 11 will also be taken on your own. Each one of these quizzes will open after the test and will remain open until the following Tuesday at 5 p.m. We advise you to take these not-proctored quizzes using the campus computer. The software TestGen that is used for the quizzes is different from the one that the students use to complete homework on MyMathLab. TestGen does not work on some personal computers. You will need to install the TestGen Plug-In and may need to change the settings on your computer if you decide to take the quiz from your personal computer. You will need to check to ensure that your home computer meets the technology requirement: Go to http://www.mymathlab.com/system.html and select Blitzer: Algebra & Trigonometry, 4e from the dropdown menu. You will need to install the TestGen Plug-In and may need to change the settings on your computer. Remember that you have to use the campus computers in a timely manner since TestGen does not work on some personal computers.
TUESDAY LECTURES Bring a copy of the lecture outline and your questions with you to class. Attendance is taken at the start, the end, or at both times during the lecture. You are expected to be ON TIME and remain for the entire lecture. For the penalties regarding missed lectures, refer to the syllabus. Please turn your cell phone OFF during class. Laptops are NOT allowed during lectures. THURSDAY LABS Each lab is 75 minutes long. You are expected to be ON TIME and remain for the entire lab period unless you have already successfully completed the homework for the week. Attendance will be taken at the start, the end, or both times during the labs. For penalties regarding missing labs refer to the syllabus. FRIDAY LABS On every Friday you will have either a quiz or a test, as shown on the course calendar. By Friday s lab, you should have ALL of your homework completed. The homework is the best preparation for quizzes and attempting the quiz without having completed the homework is NOT recommended. Again, the homework is due prior to taking the quiz on Friday and, therefore, extensions will NOT be given if you encounter technical difficulties after Friday s lab. The lecture outlines and review problems for the upcoming week are posted on CourseCompass on Friday. Please print the lecture outline and begin working on the homework as soon as possible. RULES FOR IN-CLASS QUIZZES AND TESTS: o NO calculators are allowed! o Do NOT hit the backspace key while you are working on MyMathLab. o When you are done, raise your hand to have an instructor or TA present when you submit. o You must SHOW ALL OF YOUR WORK when taking quizzes and tests. If a specific method is asked for, you must use that method to solve the problem. POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR SCORE if you do not show the appropriate work for a problem, even if your answer is correct. ALL answers require sufficient supportive work.
WEEKENDS Read the assigned sections for the following week in the textbook and write down any questions you may have. Then attempt the problems on the lecture outline by referring to the similar problems in the textbook. This will prepare you for a productive lecture. Start the homework for the upcoming week. Use the Help Me Solve This button if you have difficulty with a problem. You can also view the corresponding pencast lecture and then attempt the homework. Late homework is not allowed so you must budget your time wisely. Do not wait until the last minute to start the homework! TO TAKE AN ONLINE TEST OR A PROCTORED ONLINE QUIZ 1. Take the appropriate papers from the exam monitor (your teacher or a TA). 2. Login to the computer and then go to CourseCompass. Click on Take a Test and enter the password and then you can start. 3. Do not hit the backspace key while you are working on CourseCompass. 4. Raise your hand for a test monitor to be present when you submit your test. 5. Turn in your paper to the test monitor. SOME GENERAL RULES FOR TESTS AND QUIZZES NO CALCULATORS ALLOWED FOR EXAMS AND ALL THE PROCTORED QUIZZES! The reason for this is that we have found that the use of such devices tends to exacerbate student weaknesses, particularly regarding basic skills. For that reason, you might consider not using one on your homework unless it s an absolute must. You may use a calculator for take-home quizzes. However, we encourage you not to do so, as these quiz problems may also appear on exams. Since calculators cannot be used on exams you will need to be able to complete all quiz problems without a calculator. YOU HAVE TO SHOW YOUR WORK FOR THE EXAMS AND ALL THE QUIZZES! Paper will be provided prior to taking the quizzes and tests and should be turned in when you are done. You have to show your work in a readable and logical manner. Points will be taken away for problems with correct answers but no supportive work. This rule also applies to the three quizzes that are not proctored. Do not hit the backspace button during online QUIZZES or EXAMS! Hitting the backspace button during the online tests and quizzes will end your work without saving anything. We have to rely on your written work for a grade.
FEEDBACK FROM THE QUIZZES AND EXAMS The best feedback is going over the problems that you have done incorrectly. Please collect the following items for each quiz/test: 1. Pick up your paper for the quiz/test during the following Tuesday lecture. 2. From your COURSECOMPASS GRADEBOOK, review and print your quiz/test. Mark the problems that you did incorrectly. 3. Print the solutions for the quiz/test. The solutions are generic so they are the same problems with different numbers. 4. Attempt the problems that you have done incorrectly and ask questions in the lab if you can t figure it out. You are expected to print the quiz/test solutions and print the online quizzes, and add your work from the quizzes and use it to study for the exams. 5. Reviewing the quizzes prior to the tests is a great way to improve your test grade.