MTH 127
College Algebra – Expanded
Spring 2008
Wahama High School, Room 111
Weekdays 9:45 – 11:20 (2nd Block)
Be Present and on time; be prepared; be respectful to self and others.
Instructor: / Mrs. Melissa BledsoeContact Information: / Phone: (304) 675 – 4571 *CALL ONLY BETWEEN 2:00 AND 9:00PM*
E-mail: – This is the best way to contact me.
Office: / Since personal office spaces are unassigned, I will use a vacant office located in the main office or I will be in the MOVC library when not working at home.
Office Hours: / By appointment only.
Course Title: College Algebra - Expanded
Class Information:
MTH 127, College Algebra – Expanded, CRN 5135, Section 217, Wahama High School room 111, 4 credit hours
Prerequisites:
ACT Math 19 or SAT Math 460 or MAT 097 or Placement Exam 100 or MTH 100
Required Texts:
Bittinger, Beecher, Ellenbogen, Penna. “College Algebra: Graphs & Models”, 3rd Edition, Boston, MA. ISBN: 0–32 1–29263–4
Bittinger, Beecher, Ellenbogen, Penna. “Graphing Calculator Manual”, 3rd Edition, Boston, MA.
ISBN: 0–32 1–28809–2
Required Materials:
Graphing calculator, notebook, pencils, and your thinking cap are required.
Hall Passes:
I will require all students to carry an appropriate hall pass each time they exit our classroom. You will not be permitted to leave class if no such pass is available at the time of request unless called out by someone with proper authority.
Computer Requirements:
It is mandatory that you establish an active e-mail contact for delivery of information and announcements. This is the manner in which I will frequently contact the class, sending documents you will need and/or to make any outside-of-class announcements. You may also be required to use computers for some applications of material in this class. Please note that MOVC computers do not have drives for compact disks or floppy disks; you may need a portable USB memory drive if you plan to do computer work there.
Technology:
A graphing calculator may be required for some parts of this course. I have and will refer to a TI-83; you may use any other comparable graphing calculator, but I might not be able to assist you. * There is a “Graphing Calculator Manual” (supplemental book) which supplies directions for and illustrates use of the TI – 83, TI – 83 Plus, and the TI – 84 Plus graphing calculators, but these were not available when our textbooks were purchased. * Note that you will not be permitted to share a calculator with a class mate on test days. Calculators with symbolic manipulation capabilities (such as the TI-89 and TI-92) are not permitted. If you have any questions about the suitability of a particular calculator, please feel free to discuss it with me -- but do so promptly so that you have an opportunity to learn and practice with your calculator far in advance of the first test.
Course (Catalog) Description: College Algebra – Expanded Version: 4 credit hours
A brief but careful review of the main techniques of algebra: Polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions, graphs, systems of equations and inequalities, sequences. We will be covering all of chapters R (Review), 1, 2, 3, 4, and sections 1 – 6 from chapter 5.
Course Goal:
The student will be given the opportunity to develop a better functionality at a collegiate level and to be prepared for further exploration of higher levels of mathematics. The student’s mathematics comprehension, skill, and development of critical thinking ability will be enhanced throughout this course.
General Education Core Desired Learner Outcomes/Objectives:
This course satisfies the integrated/applied mathematics course requirement of the Marshall Plan. Critical thinking and problem solving activities will be a major part of this course.
Desired Learning Outcomes/Objectives:
Upon successful completion of MTH 127, students will:
ü have developed the basic mathematical skills to solve applied problems from the physical, social, and life sciences. These skills include graphing elementary (rational, exponential, logarithmic) functions, interpreting these graphs, solving quadratic, exponential, logarithmic equations; solving rational inequalities and finally, solving systems of linear equations in three variables
ü be able to set up mathematical models to represent real world situations, again focusing on problems from the physical, social and life sciences.
ü be prepared for further studies in mathematics.
Assessment of Learning Outcomes:
Student mastery will be assessed through application of material to 4 exams for the Marshall course and a fifth exam during the high school course, participation, project(s), and a cumulative final. Problem solving and critical thinking which will be developed as these will be necessary to complete each assignment.
Syllabus: MTH 127, CRN 5135, Spring 2008, p.2
Evaluation/Measurement/Assessment of Learner Outcomes:
1. Students will demonstrate their understanding of mathematical concepts outlined in the general description by evaluation on exams, collaborative group work, homework, board work, quizzes, and project assignments.
2. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of material on four (4) exams for the college portion of the course, which will constitute approximately 40% of the final course grade. They will be given one more exam for a total of five (5) tests during the high school term; thus exams will comprise approximately 38% of the high school course grade.
3. Students will demonstrate their mathematical skills through the participation grade. This includes board work, homework, and quizzes which will each be 6% of the Marshall University course grade. Board work will constitute approximately 6%, and homework and quizzes will each determine about 8% of the high school final grade. Also included in the participation grade for this course, student attendance will be valued at 140 points, or 12% of the college course grade and roughly 9% of the high school grade. These components of the participation grade combine to determine 30% (MU) and about 31% (WHS) of the student’s overall course grade.
4. Students will develop awareness of how a foundation in algebra provides support for many facets of the world through written research project assignment(s). Such assignment(s) will determine 10% of the student’s collegiate average and approximately 15% of the student’s high school average.
5. Students will apply their learning of concepts during a comprehensive final examination, which constitutes 20% of the collegiate course grade and about 15% of the high school course grade.
Group Assignments
Group problems may be made in lieu of homework and/or quizzes and are likely to be more challenging than individual assignments. They will be due on or by the announced date and time. Do the group problems with the members of your group only. Look over the problems and think about them before you meet as a group. Once you have solved a problem, appoint a group member to write it up. After it is written, it's a good idea to have the other group members read it to verify its correctness and clarity. Remember: each group member is fully responsible (i.e., this is not a "shared" responsibility) for the content of the assignment, as well as for the timeliness of its submission.
Exams
Exams are the manner in which the instructor can accurately evaluate the student‘s level of mastery as the independent work in a specified time-frame is indicative of the student’s ability to perform these tasks in a possibly stressful working environment with time-based goals and restrictions. Therefore, three 100 point exams during the Marshall University semester and a fourth 100 point exam will be given during the high school semester. Use of books, notes, or formula sheets will not be permitted. On test days, you may bring other work to do after you have finished the test. Students will not be permitted to leave and return to the classroom during the administration of an exam unless called out by a proper authority. Non-multiple choice exams will normally be evaluated by awarding partial credit during the grading process. Letter grades will be assigned for each exam, but the course grade will be computed using the percentage scores, not by averaging letter grades. There will be no partial credit on a multiple-choice exam.
Participation
Participation will possibly involve obtaining help from others and/or giving help to others. Students are permitted to work together except when doing presentations and on quizzes. The student’s participation is indicative of how the student may present ideas, work in groups, and/or function in a possibly less stressful, time-restricted business environment. There are 300 total participation points included in the Marshall University grade and 600 participation points incorporated in the Wahama High School grade. The participation grade will be composed of board work, a homework notebook, quizzes and attendance. The high school participation grade will also include any later implemented daily grade(s) to be composed of in-class activities such as “bell ringers”.
Ø Board Work will be limited to no more than 2 problems being presented each class. A third problem may occasionally be permitted, when acceptable, after the lesson is covered and work time is allotted. Work must be voluntarily written on the board at the very beginning of class and the student desiring credit will be responsible for explaining the process shown after roll is taken. A student may present no more than 12 problems for college credit and 16 for high school credit. 10 points will be granted for each problem correctly presented on the board and 5 points for every incorrect problem presented on the board for a maximum of 60 (MU) and 80 (WHS) points.
Ø Quizzes will be given 6 times in order to monitor progress between exams. Quizzes will be valued at a total 50 points of the participation grade and will be based on material taught and homework assignments. The quiz portion of the high school participation grade will be equal to the percentage earned based on the total number correct divided by the total amount possible for all quizzes during the high school semester. The quiz score will then be half of the overall quiz percentage.
Ø Attendance will be taken daily. Attendance points will be strictly proportional to the days attended. The amount of time exposed to material and availability of time for questions to be resolved is reduced by every absence; therefore successful completion of the course is directly related to your attendance. This will account for 12% of the MU course grade and approximately 9% of the WHS course grade. A total of 140 points will be awarded for attendance and will be calculated using the following formula:
Project(s)
To identify how well students can apply the material in a less time-restricted but semi-independent setting, there will be at least one project assigned to students. As will be announced and written on the assignment sheet, students may or may not be permitted to collaborate on projects and/or they may be assigned groups to work in. In either situation, each student is expected to independently finalize and provide his or her own work in a unique and thorough manner. Projects may require basic computer skills and are to be typed and submitted to the instructor before the deadline and in the manner specified on the project assignment sheet or as announced in class. No late projects will be accepted. Overall, project scores will yield of 100(MU) and 200 (WHS) points toward the overall course total number of points and will be 10% of the MU grade and close to 15% of the WHS grade.
Syllabus: MTH 127, Spring 2008, p.3
Final Exam
The Final exam will be a culminating application that can reflect student mastery level, the focus of this exam will be to thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of instruction and achievement of the student. Valued at 200 points for both of the credited courses, it will be cumulative and may cover any and/or all material covered by the class. An unexcused absence during the final exam will result in forfeiture of the student course grade and will result in a grade of “F” for the course. The final for this class is to occur during our 2nd block class and is to be between Thursday, December 6 and Tuesday, December 11, 2007.
Grading Policy
Providing explanations for your work is crucial. A correct answer with insufficient explanation will result in only a small partial credit or may result in no credit. An incorrect answer with no explanation (and no opportunity for me to see what kind of mistake you've made) will earn you no credit.
Explanation of Overall Course Grade Calculation:
Exam percentages will represent the number of points for each test. The total of the exam percentages will represent the total out of 300 possible points for the three exams (MU) and 400 possible points for the five WHS exams. The amount of total participation points earned will be determined by adding the number of points earned for board work, homework, attendance, and quizzes each into the students total number of points. Scores in each area will be figured as described previously to form a total number of points earned. The student’s total number of points will be calculated then divided by 1300 for the high school grade, and by 1000 for the college grade, to obtain the student’s semester percentage and/or letter grades. Grades will continue to be taken once Marshall University’s semester has completed since the high school portion of the dual credit course will continue. Grades will be determined according to the criteria as described and shown in the following charts:
MU & WHS Course grades will be based on Quizzes, homework, in-class tests, a project, and a comprehensive final exam according to the following weights:Criteria / MU Scale / WHS Scale
Participation / 300 points / 600 points
Exams / 400 points / 500 points
Project / 100 points / 200 points
Final / 200 points / 200 points
Maximum Points / 1000 points / 1500 points
Grades (Calculation of Overall Course Grade): (cont.)
MU & WHS Letter grades for this course will be assigned as follows:MU Percentages / MU Scale / Letter / WHS Percentages / WHS Scale
90% - 100% / 895 – 1000 / A / 93% - 100% / 1388 - 1500
80% - 89% / 795 – 894 / B / 85% - 92% / 1268 – 1387
70% - 79% / 695 – 794 / C / 75% - 84% / 1118 – 1267
60% - 69% / 595 – 694 / D / 65% -74% / 968 – 1117
0% - 59% / 0 – 594 / F / 0 – 64% / 0 – 967
Attendance Policy: