Quantitative Literacy

MAT 143 104

Quantitative Literacy

Fall 2015

Instructor / Grady Lee Wilsonwithers
Contact Information /
Office: 1334 Oak Grove Center
Office Hours
Skills Needed / An open mind and the ability to think critically
Good work ethic (See the job through to completion)
Flexibility
Willingness to develop mathematical thinking
Understanding of Word and Excel
Class Meeting Times and Location / M/W 10:00 AM – 11:50 AM
MWC 352
Last day to withdraw without penalty / Oct 16th, 2015
Web Sites / We will visit a variety of web sites this semester, you will need basic internet search capability skills
Access Codes / none
Materials Required / Using and understanding mathematics: a quantitative reasoning approach, Jeffery Bennett, University of Colorado at Boulder, William Briggs, University of Colorado at Denver, 6E.
Any calculator that will allow you to do complex calculations.
We will utilize laptop computers in class from time to time. You may use your personal computer or one will be available in the classroom
Flash Drive to store work
Software Required / Excel and Word (This is available in the Learning Center)

Course Description This course is designed to engage students in complex and realistic situations involving the mathematical phenomena of quantity, change and relationship, and uncertainty through project- and activity-based assessment. Emphasis is placed on authentic contexts which will introduce the concepts of numeracy, proportional reasoning, dimensional analysis, rates of growth, personal finance, consumer statistics, practical probabilities, and mathematics for citizenship. Upon completion, students should be able to utilize quantitative information as consumers and to make personal, professional, and civic decisions by decoding, interpreting, using, and communicating quantitative information found in modern media and encountered in everyday life. This course has been approved for transfer under the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement as a general education course in Mathematics (Quantitative).

Prerequisites: DMA 010 and DMA 020 and DMA 030 and DMA 040 and DMA 050 and DRE 098

Co-requisites: none

Learning Outcomes

Competencies
·Student Learning Outcomes
·1. Judge the reasonableness of results using estimation, logical processes, and a proper understanding of quantity
·2. Utilize proportional reasoning to solve contextual problems and make conversions involving various units of measurement
·3. Identify, interpret, and compare linear and exponential rates of growth to make predictions and informed decisions based on data and graphs
·4. Differentiate between simple and compound interest and analyze the long-term effects of saving, investing, and borrowing
·5. Describe, analyze, and interpret statistical information such as graphs, tables, and summarized data to draw appropriate conclusions when presented with actual statistical studies
·6. Determine probabilities and expected values and use them to assess risk and make informed decisions
·7. Analyze civic and/or societal issues and critique decisions using relevant mathematics

Information Literacy at Forsyth Tech - Information Literacy means being able to acc critical information, knowing how to research the right amount and right quality of information that fits the task, being able to evaluate and analyze that information appropriately to solve a problem, and having the ability to communicate that information to others. These are the skills that are necessary for continued success in life, continued learning, career success and the ability to adapt in a changing world. Forsyth Tech feels these skills are of vital importance for students in this Information Age. To emphasize this, the slogan Information Literacy: Because We C.A.R.E. is being used for its QEP campaign. The C.A.R.E. acronym stands for the essential skills (Communicate, Access, Research, and Evaluate) that are beneficial to students.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory and is incorporated into your grade. Students who miss 5 hours of instruction or lab time can be dropped from the course by the instructor.

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used sparingly. Grades will be posted there and important course documents.

Final Exam: There will be a cumulative final.

The Forsyth Technical Community College Course and Academic Catalog states the following: "If these courses are prerequisites to required program courses,Students must receive a grade of C or better in each assigned class in order to progress to the next level."

Grading and Evaluation Methods

Test 1 12%

Test 2 12%

Test 3 12%

Test 4 12%

Labs/Homework 30%

Classwork/Participation 10%

Final Exam 20%

Total 100%

Class participation: This portion of your grade is earned by participating positively in class. In order to earn a good class participation grade you must be on time, actively participate in class, and not disrupt the class.

Labs/Homework: This portion of your grade is earned by completing all work assigned in a timely manner. Work will be assigned as in and out of class as Labs. Assigned work is your responsibility. Questions about assigned work can be addressed in class and via email. All work is to be completed as assigned.

Labs will take many different forms and will carry different weight. Some labs will take the form of a report.

Tests: There will be no makeup tests. If you miss a test without notification, 85% of your final exam grade will replace the zero for the first missed test. If you plan to miss a test I must be notified in advance and if possible, you will take the test in advance. A second missed test without notification will receive a grade of Zero (0) and will not be adjusted by the final exam grade.

Final Exam: There will be a cumulative final exam during your regular class period on Tuesday, May 5, 2015.

Withdrawal:

“A withdrawal W is the grade given to students who officially withdraw from a course up to the 50 percent point of the course. A withdrawal passing/withdrawal failing is the grade given to students who officially withdraw from a class at any time after the 50 percent point of the course.

Forsyth Tech Grading Scale

A / 94-100 / W / Withdraw before midterm
Does not affect GPA
B / 86-93 / WP / Withdraw after midterm, passing the course
Does not affect GPA
C / 78-85 / WF / Withdraw after midterm, not passing the course
Calculated in GPA as an F
D / 70-77 / Students who are concerned about their grade should contact their instructor to determine their best options. If you intend to withdraw, please submit a drop form to the Records Office.
F / 69 â

Using the total number of points earned on all of the assignments from the criteria given above, the final grade for the course will be determined by dividing the total of all points earned during the semester by the total number of points that could have been earned.

Late Work/Makeup Work/Extra Credit

Homework, labs, classwork, and participation: No late or makeup work will be accepted. Typically your lowest lab grade will be dropped.

Tests: If you are going to need to miss an exam, it is your responsibility to work out an alternative BEFORE THE EXAM. If you miss an exam then 85% of your final exam grade will be substituted in for your missing exam.

Some Extra Credit will be given. It will be announced in class and in Blackboard.

Academic Integrity

Forsyth Tech is committed to academic excellence through honesty and integrity. To protect all students from the results of dishonest conduct, the College has adopted policies to address these issues. It is the responsibility of each student to become familiar with and to understand all academic policies and the consequences for failure to adhere to these policies. Please read and follow all policies listed in the College Catalog or in the Student Code of Conduct. (See page 44-49 of the 2012-2013 Student Academic Planner, or go to http://www.forsythtech.edu/catalog/1213/page/student-code-of-conduct .

Violations, including plagiarism, may result in grades of zero or removal from or failure of the course. For a thorough explanation of plagiarism, please see http://www.plagiarism.org . Remember, you are responsible for your own work. If you share files with another student for any reason, you will be held equally responsible for duplication of work in whole or in part.

Campus Resources

The Learning Center, located in the Ardmore Building on the main campus, provides tutoring services, computers for student use, and the library. Tutoring may be done one-on-one or in small group sessions, and is available for nearly all courses. For more information and current hours, contact The Learning Center at 336-734-7480 or at http://www.forsythtech.edu/services-for-students/student-support/library.

The Business Information Technology Lab (Room 246, Hauser Hall, Main Campus) is available for computer-related courses which require specific software.

Extended College Closing

Should the College be closed for an extended period, you will receive instructions on how to continue with your coursework through your Forsyth Tech student e-mail account (through Techlink.)

Pagers and Cell Phones

Please turn off all pagers and cell phones during the class hour. If you have an emergency situation, please alert your instructor. Leaving the classroom to answer phone calls or pages is distracting to the other students. The instructor reserves the right to refuse to readmit students who repeatedly leave the classroom.

Rule 15, Student Code of Conduct: Forsyth Tech considers the use of cell phones to be disruptive to the classroom setting. Therefore, students are to turn off all cell phones while attending class or participating in class-related activities (i.e., labs, clinicals, etc.) The use of other electronic devices (such as laptops, netbooks, PDAs, recording devices, etc.) for learning purposes is permitted provided they do not disrupt the learning environment or create an academic integrity issue. The instructor may at his/her discretion prohibit the use of any electronic device. Students who do not comply will be considered in violation of the Student Code of Conduct, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.

Requesting Accommodations for Disabilities

Forsyth Tech is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. If you would like to request accommodations for a hearing, chronic health, physical, vision, mobility, psychological, or learning disability which impacts your performance in an educational setting, you must register with the Disabilities Services Office (DSO).

We are located in the Student Success Center Room 164 of the Allman Center. You can make an appointment by e-mailing us at or by calling us at (336) 734-7155. You will be required to provide current *official documentation of your disability. The Disability Services Office will work with you to determine your accommodations.

If you would like to find out more information about Disability Services, the Forsyth Tech Disability Services Office Student Guide is located at www.forsythtech.edu/disabilityservices web address. This publication is available in alternative formats upon request.

It is important that you register early with the Disabilities Services Office (DSO) as the office needs adequate time to arrange the reasonable accommodations. With proper documentation, most accommodations can be completed within a minimum of (5) business days. Listed below are the deadline dates for requesting accommodations. Any further registration for accommodations will only occur for special circumstances.

Returning students who received accommodations previous fall semester their deadline to return accommodations to Disability Services Office is September 9, 2015.

Any student who did not receive accommodations previous fall semester their deadline to self-disclose and request accommodations is October 19, 2015.

* Official Documentation refers to 1) A doctor’s clear statement of the disability including the DSM-IV TR diagnosis and/or 2) Psychological Evaluation completed by a Licensed Psychologist. Please keep in mind scheduling an appointment with your provider may take up to 2-4 weeks. Please contact the Disability Services Office for an appointment to obtain guidelines needed for your documentation.

Course Information and Policies

If you miss in excess of 5 hours of class/lab time, you must provide convincing rationale as to why you are allowed to continue studies in this course. The instructor is a firm believer in learning from one another and maximizing opportunities to work with classmates. In order to do this, you must be present in class.

TechLink

All Forsyth Tech students are assigned a campus e-mail address. This is the address that your instructor will use to send you individual messages. If you send your instructor an e-mail from Blackboard, the reply will be sent to your student e-mail address. Please be sure that you can open your TechLink e-mail account. If you haven’t used TechLink before, please go to http://www.forsythtech.edu/techlink . Your student e-mail address is:

Campus Resources

The Business Information Technology Lab (Room 246, Hauser Hall, Main Campus) is available for computer-related courses which require specific software.

Extended College Closing

Should the College be closed for an extended period, you will receive instructions on how to continue with your coursework through your Forsyth Tech student e-mail account (through Techlink.)

Pagers and Cell Phones