South Plains College Math 0315.151 Online Beginning Algebra Summer I 2010 Instructor: Office Hours: WebCT Web Site: Jacqueline Fowler Office: RC 268 E 806-716-4640 jfowler@southplainscollege.edu There are no office hours during the summer. I will not be on campus at all, so you will need to email me if you need anything. http://spc.blackboard.com The first time you log in to WebCT you may be asked to change your password. PLEASE WRITE DOWN THE NEW PASSWORD. Course Description: This is a preparatory class for Intermediate Algebra. This course is conducted online which means you will access course information and respond to me and/or other students through the use of the internet. WebCT will be used to deliver and manage this course. All homework, quizzes, and tests for this course are conducted online. Course Topics: In order to successfully complete this course, you will need to master 70% of the following topics. 1. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide real numbers. (1.3, 1.4, 1.5) Add, subtract, multiply, and divide polynomials. (5.1, 5.3, 5.5) 2. Use the order of operations to simplify an expression. (1.6) 3. Simplify algebraic expressions. (1.7) 4. Solve linear equations and linear inequalities. (2.1, 2.2, 2.3) 5. Translate and solve word problems. (2.5, 2.6, 2.7) 6. Graph equations in two variables by the intercept method and the slope intercept method. (3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4) 7. Identify and use exponent rules. (5.2, 5.4) 8. Factor polynomials. (6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5) 9. Solve quadratic equations by factoring. (6.6) Technical Support WebCT: Jessica Tucker: 806-716-2180 or email to: webct@southplainscollege.edu Support hours are M F 8:00 am 4:00 pm. Course Compass or MyMathLab: http://portal.mypearson.com/cclogin.jsp At the top of the screen, click on support. Page 1
Text and Materials Required Materials: MyMathLab Student Access Kit: This kit is free with the purchase of a new textbook at the SPC bookstore on either campus. You may also purchase online at www.coursecompass.com in which you will need a credit card and the Instructor s Course ID which can be found with MyMathLab instructions. Optional Materials: Textbook: Elementary and Intermediate Algebra by Sullivan, Struve, and Mazarella. The textbook is available in multimedia e-form as a part of MyMathLab. If you prefer to own a hard copy, you must purchase a textbook and the MyMathLab Student Access Kit both. If you purchase a new textbook, the student access kit is free. Supplies: You may use any scientific calculator. Software: The following plug-ins are required for this course: Math XL Player Windows Media Player Real Player Adobe Acrobat Reader Quick Time Player Links for the above plug-ins as well as other information concerning computer requirements, browser requirements, and monitor resolution, are found in the Installation Wizard in MyMathLab. You should carefully work through this Installation Wizard as soon as you register and log into MyMathLab. You must also enable JavaScript in your browser to be able to utilize all of the functionality available in WebCT. If you are not sure how to enable JavaScript, please see the instructions at the following SPC Online web site: http://www.southplainscollege.edu/online/students/studentguide/browser.html Students with Special Needs: Students with disabilities, including but not limited to physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities, who wish to request accommodations in this class should notify the Special Services Office early in the semester so that the appropriate arrangements may be made. In accordance with federal law, a student requesting accommodations must provide acceptable documentation of his/her disability to the Special Services Coordinator. For more information, call or visit the Special Services Office in the Student Services building, 894-9611 ext. 2529 or the Counseling Center at extension 2366. Skills Prerequisite skills: In order to participate in this online course, you need the following basic skills: 1. typing skills 2. time management skills 3. know basic functionality of a computer and how to do basic troubleshooting 4. know how to connect to the internet 5. know how to compose, reply to, and forward email messages 6. know how to attach and open documents in an email message 7. know how to print pdf (Adobe Acrobat) documents 8. know how to open and play media files Page 2
Class Policies. Logging into your course: Under no circumstances are you allowed to give your User ID and/or passwords to anyone (for either WebCT or MyMathLab). If someone other than you logs into this course, I will withdraw you from the course immediately regardless of the reason. You are not allowed to take this class with a spouse, family member, or someone living in the same household as you, or you will both be dropped from this class immediately. Attendance Policy: Because this is an online developmental course, you must access the course on a regular basis. Attendance is monitored through completion of assignments. It is imperative that you stay current with assignments in order to remain compliant. If you miss three quizzes or one test, you will be administratively withdrawn from this course. Just logging into the course does not keep you compliant. You must be turning in work. You will notice on the calendar there is not a lesson assigned every day. You really should not take several days off every week. It is much better to practice on a daily basis. Academic Integrity: It is the aim of the faculty of South Plains College to foster a spirit of complete honesty and a high standard of integrity. Please refer to the SPC General Catalog policy under Academic Integrity and Student Conduct regarding consequences for cheating and plagiarism. This is an online environment. Do not post any pictures or data that others may find offensive. The tests in this class are not proctored. You are expected to work alone on all tests. You may use your notes for assistance, but you are not allowed to get help from another person. If you get help from another person on any test, you will be dropped from this class immediately. Computer Issues: If your personal computer becomes disabled, there are computer labs on the Levelland, Reese, and ATC campuses which you may use to access this course. You may also find a public computer to do your work. Please remember that it is your responsibility to have a back up plan in place in case your computer goes down. Do not wait until it is a crisis situation. You should have a back up plan in place NOW. Computer problems, difficulties, mechanical failures, internet service provider issues, etc. do not constitute excuses for late submission of work. and quiz deadlines will NOT be altered if you have computer problems. If the SPC server is down, you may access MyMathLab directly at www.coursecompass.com. Netiquette: NO PROFANITY under any circumstances. Respect and courtesy is required at all times. Violation of Netiquette will result in serious consequences. Even though there is no face to face meeting between us, I still expect formal/polite classroom decorum, as do your classmates. Students who decide rudely to take issue and hurl insults, embarrass, intimidate, or coerce other students or me will be dropped from this course immediately. Confrontational behavior will not be tolerated. Withdrawal: If you are administratively withdrawn from this class, you will receive an F or X at my discretion. If you wish to withdraw from the course for any reason, you must contact the admissions office. Please send me an email telling me you are withdrawing and why. If you drop this class, a W does not become effective until you complete the required steps with the admission s office. Until I receive official notification of your withdrawal, you are still on my class roll and are subject to being dropped with an F or X if you take too long to have the drop officially processed. Communication: All email must be sent through WebCT. I will check emails once a day Monday Friday. If you email me after 4:00 pm on Friday, you will not hear from me until Monday, so please do not wait until it is an emergency to contact me. Page 3
Assignments and Grades All assignments are completed with a math software program called MyMathLab (MML). Please be aware of deadlines on each assignment, because once the deadline has passed, you will no longer have access to that assignment. You may turn in your work early if you wish. Deadlines will NOT be changed for any reason. If you miss two deadlines, you will be administratively dropped from this course. Homework: There are homework assignments in MML for you to use as practice exercises. These assignments will NOT be included in your average. They are for practice only. Take advantage of these lessons to practice working the problems and entering answers in MML before you take a quiz. Quizzes: Before taking a quiz, you should go through the tutorial and practice the homework in order to understand how to enter your answers on a quiz. You will have 90 minutes to take a quiz unless you log in less than 90 minutes before the deadline. For example, if the deadline is midnight, and you log in at 11:30 pm, then you only have 30 minutes to complete the quiz instead of one hour. You will be allowed two attempts on each quiz. The computer will include the highest grade of the two attempts in your average. Pay careful attention to the deadlines for quizzes, because once the deadline has passed, you will not have access to that quiz and you will forfeit your two attempts receiving a zero for that quiz. The two lowest quiz grades will be dropped. If you miss three quizzes, you will be dropped from the class immediately. s: You will have 3 hours to take a test unless you log in less than 3 hours before the deadline. For example, if the deadline is set for midnight, and you log in to take your test at 11 pm, then you will only have one hour to take the test. You will only be allowed one attempt on every test. BEWARE: Once you open the test, you cannot get out of the test and come back to it. You will be locked out of the test. Make sure you have 3 hours of time set aside before you start the test. Some students try to click out of the test to use homework and other resources in MML to help them with the test. MML will be locked once the test is open. That means if you click to get out of the test, then you cannot get back into the test, and if the deadline passes while you are locked out, you will get a zero. You will be allowed only one restart for the entire semester if you get locked out of a test. Due dates are final and non-negotiable. You should practice homework several times, and really pay attention on quizzes so you do not have issues with the way you are entering your answers on a test. Any extra spaces, or commas in the wrong spot, will cause the computer to count the answer wrong, so be careful. If you realize that you have a conflict on the day that a test is due, rearrange your schedule so that you are ready to take your test early. It is not a good idea to wait until the last day to take your test you should always complete assignments at least a day in advance to avoid any problems. Since there is no final exam, if you miss ONE test for ANY reason, you will be dropped from the course. Extra Credit: Extra Credit is given in WebCT. For each question answered correctly, one point will be added to each quiz first and the remaining points added to your test grade with a maximum of 5 points added to each. Grading Scale: (Quiz Avg + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5) / 6 Course grade: A 90 100 B 80 89 C 70-79 D 60 69 F 59 and below At the end of the semester, you will need to log into campus connect to see your final grade in the course. Page 4
Math 0315.151 Summer I 2010 Outline and due dates You should work smart and work ahead so you do not ever get into a situation that prevents you from completing the work on time. Do not wait until the final day to get the work done. That s when all kinds of computer problems occur. You should print this calendar to use as a reference. Week Assignment 1 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 Quiz 1.7, 1.8 Quiz Tuesday, June 8 TEST 1 - Chapter 1 2 2.1, 2.2 Quiz 2.3, 2.8 Quiz 2.5, 2.6 Quiz 2.6, 2.7 Quiz Saturday, June 12 TEST 2 - Chapter 2 3 3.1, 3.2 Quiz 3.3, 3.4 Quiz Friday, June 18 TEST 3 - Chapter 3 4 5.1, 5.2 Quiz 5.3, 5.5 Quiz 5.4 Quiz Thursday, June 24 TEST 4 - Chapter 5 5 6.1, 6.2 Quiz 6.3, 6.4 Quiz 6.5, 6.6 Quiz Wednesday, June 30 TEST 5 - Chapter 6 Since there is no final exam, if you miss ONE test, you will be dropped from this course. Page 5