San Francisco State University Department of Mathematics Course Syllabus
Math 070Algebra II – Summer 2013
Instructor: Andrew Dynneson
Class meets Monday through Friday 2:15 to 3:15 in Thornton 210
Last Syllabus Update: Aug 13, 2013
Prerequisites.
The pre-requisite for MATH 70 is a grade of C or better in Math 59 or Math 60 or a score
in the range 42 – 48 on the Entry Level Mathematics (ELM) exam.
Bulletin Description.
Equivalent to second year high school algebra. Exponents, radicals, logarithms, systems
of linear equations, quadratic equations. Units and grades earned do not count toward
graduation requirements.
Course Objectives.
Algebra is a language used to represent mathematical relationships. The goal of an
Algebra II course is to build understanding of specific relationships and to use them to
solve problems.
By the end of the semester students will be expected to:
- represent problem situations with a mathematical model, find meaningful solutions
and explain their reasoning;
- solve problems using systems of linear equations or inequalities;
- represent exponential functions using graphical, tabular, symbolic and verbal
representations;
- represent logarithmic functions using graphical, tabular, symbolic and verbal
representations;
- represent quadratic polynomials using graphical, tabular, symbolic and verbal
representations;
- model and solve problems with exponential functions;
- model and solve problems with logarithmic functions;
- model situations with quadratic equations and solve problems by finding meaningful
roots using the quadratic formula and other methods;
The purpose of the course is to prepare students to succeed in future mathematics courses
and in courses in other fields that require the use of mathematics.
Evaluation/Grading.
- 30% Homework/Quizzes/Classwork. Nearly all of the homework will be submitted online through GoogleForms.
- Attendance will not directly count as part of your grade, however quizzes will be given unannounced, so make sure you do not miss class!You cannot make these up if you did not make it to class that day. Most of the quizzes will be a group effort, however I will be checking to make sure that everyone is participating and has learned the material. If I allow you to choose your group members for the quiz, make sure to have no more than four individuals in a group. Have all of the desks in a circle making well-defined communications rings. It wastes time when two or three groups are merged together in a big splosh or I have to remind outlying members to sqooch in. I will not accept a quiz unless the work is at least 100% and everyone in the group understands your solutions. I may allow you to finish the quiz for homework if you need more time. When I allow this, try to turn it in within a week, but I will be lenient on this.
- I am planning to offer occasional extra-credit and surprise bonus opportunities during the lecture, but these are not necessarily guaranteed. This is an extra-incentive for class-participation. Additionally, there will sometimes be an extra-credit project question. This happens when a really good question is asked and I do not know the answer off the top-of-my head. If you are able to do a project answering this question I can give you a heap of extra-credit, the amount depends subjectively on the quality of the work and the difficulty of the questions.
- Homework Assignments will be available online by going onto the class website: [ online.sfsu.edu/dynneson/60.html ]. You will be able to download the questions in the form of a pdf. Then, when you are finished, submit the answers via GoogleForms before the deadline (Submission link is also on the website). This homework is provided for you to do free of charge. I am going to be stricter then I have in the past with regards to deadlines. This is because I will have to manually run a grading-algorithm on your assignment, and if you turn it in after the deadline then I would have to run it an additional time. If you miss an assignment, then you will need to make up for it using the extra-credit opportunities. The other reason is that if I release the solutions to the homework then it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the class. It is very important that you do most of the homework, because even if you do well on the exams, you cannot get a good grade unless you do the homework also. You are highly encouraged to work together on the assignments. However, if you simply copy your friends’ work, then you will not receive the benefit of practicing the assignment, and this will probably affect your test grades.
- 30% Examination(s). These exams are not scheduled at the present, but I will make sure to schedule them at least one week in advance. Sometimes I will provide you with study materials that will help you to be the most efficient with your study-hours. I have not decided how many of these exams to give. There will be at least one, however probably more. This summer I am planning to have the exams be open-book and open-notes and open-google [Bring your laptop/internet device]. I am doing you a huge favour by letting you use the internet and notes on the exams, so it is important that you engage in using it honorably, otherwise if there is an incident with cheating I will stop extending this opportunity and possibly there will also be disciplinary action. It is important that you do not use software to communicate with other individuals, and it is likely that I will have a TA walking around in back to make sure that you do not use the internet or texting to communicate with other individuals. If you are able to consruct a robot or other AI to help you answer questions you may bring it to the exam provided you put it on silent mode. Most of the questions on the exam will be multiple choice, a few may be numeric.I do not know how many questions I will put on the exams, but the tests are intended for a single class period. Since I personally do not like the feeling of timed-exams, I will usually allow the few students that need extra time to come to the office or a computer lab to finish taking it.I am planning to have you enter your answers on GoogleForms when you are finished with the exam in order to help speed-up the grading process.I may choose to give you subtle hints while you are taking the exam. For example, If you ask me, “Is this right?” I may choose to reply, “The bar should go all the way across.” However, if you ask me something like, “I have no idea how to do this,” then it is unlikely that you will receive any hint. Availability of hints will also depend on how busy I am during that testing period working on something.
- 40% Final Examination. The final exam will include problems from all of the measurable student learning outcomes (MSLO’s) listed above in course objectives. The Final Exam is not scheduled. When I schedule it I will announce the date and time both in class and by sending out an email. It will probably take place on the last day of class. I am planning to have the Final in a similar format as the other exams. If I change my mind and switch the format back to short answer I will announce this in class or by email.
- Other Grading Notes (How do I check my grades?). On the first day or two when I take role, I will have you provide me with a “secret-agent name,” this name should be a unique name or phrase that only you recognize. This way I can publish your scores forthe homework and exams on a spreadsheet, and it will be easier for you to follow how you are doing in the class. If you would prefer not to participate in this system [perfectly healthy paranoia i.e.], your secret name should be “Opt-out,” and you can still check and discuss your grades by coming to an office hour.
Course Outline.Here is a rough outline of the subjects we will cover, subject to change, and the sections are taken from Kime’s Algebra book.
Textbook and Software.
The recommended textbook is Explorations in College Algebra, by Kime, L., & Clark, J. It is advised that you purchase this book used for cheap on the internet [i.e. amazon.com]. I can help you find a good deal if you are not familiar with internet shopping by coming to an office hour.
Another good resource for you to use is this book College Algebra by Stetz and Zeager, which is available to download for free, also the author sells inexpensive paper copies [ open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/BookDetail.aspx?bookId=12 ]. And, of course google searches and wikipedia are both incredibly useful free resourses for this course.
I will be teaching from my own original material [in my brain], the aforementioned books and internet resources, as well as various other sources. It is not required for you to bring your book and/or computer to class, but it is highly recommmended that you do so.
As mentioned earlier, Homework will be submitted online through GoogleForms, link and problem sets are on my website, along with relevant course documents can be downloaded by going to the class website [ ].
Digital Presence.
If you know that you are going to miss class because of vacation, illness, etc, you can request a digital presence by sending me an email with all of the details: why you cannot make it to class, where you are going to be and on what dates, etc. Add me as a friend on Skype, my user name is [ andrew.dynneson ]. You can then log into class by having me call you on Skype. You can catch the lecture real-time, ask/answer questions and even turn in classwork/quiz by taking a photo and emailing it to me. Bear in mind that to get credit for being in class, you need to log into Skype at the exact same time that the class is in session, and that we are in Pacific Standard Time (convert your times, students).
If you have not already set up a Skype account, the software and account are both free. When installing, make sure to click “no” when it asks you if you want to install ASK toolbar, or anything extra. These add-ons are part of how Skype makes money (I think), and these are entirely useless.
Contact me/Office Appointments.
I hold weekly office hours which are available by appointment. To schedule an office hour, please fill out a doodle with your available hours by clicking on the link that is on the class website [ ]. Try to do this a week in advance if you can. The most convenient time for me is after class. When the office hour becomes fixed (settled), I will often announce either in class or by sending out a mass email. In the past I have found that appointment system is far superior to permanently fixed hours.My Office is located in the Science Building. The room number is 264, which is on the second floor. The science building can be a little confusing and mazelike, so please save my office phone number in your cell phone in case you become lost on the way.
My home website can also be found by googling myself. My name is Andrew Dynneson. My homepage has all of my contact information, and the various links to our class website along with some other interesting goodies unrelated to math 70. You have permission to add me on facebook only after the grades are turned in, if you would like to maintain contact after the class is over. While the class is in session, I would prefer to keep a professional distance, that goes without saying that I am very approachable.
Email/Contact: The best way to reach me is by email [ ]. I am planning to answer emails at least once per week.
If your matter is urgent, and cannot wait, please call me or text message [ 831.apachi.1 ]. I switch off the phone when working, so texting is best. If you have not heard from me before Thursday night, and you sent your emailprior to the previous thursday, then your email was either lost in the tubes, or your email did not make it through my screening process.
I have had to employ a screening process in the past because the volume of emails had become so large that it was not physically possible to answer them. My email is programmed to send you an auto-reply to an email that you send me. This auto-reply should come back to you when you send me emails at least once every four-days. If you are not receiving this reply message at least once in a while, please try to contact me using a different email account. This is also a good indicator if I am receiving your emails. This Auto-response has answers to almost 90% of all questions that I am asked. Therefore, if your question can be answered as part of this auto-response, your email will not receive a reply from me personally.
Be sure to follow the instructions when you receive this automatic email. I will have you send your email a second time, using a specific phrase as part of the subject line as indicated in the auto-response. If I have time, then I or a TA will scroll through all of the emails. However, If I am in a hurry, I will perform a search for this phrase, and only answer those emails, so please do send your question a second time if it has not been auto-answered.
Also, if the question can be answered by reading this syllabus (asking for clarification is okay, but make sure you let me know, and be very specific about what you would like clarified), you will not receive a reply.
Most importanly, Make sure that you mention in the email which class you are taking. If I do not know which class you are in, I will not reply to your email.
Free Tutoring: There are also free tutoring services available on campus. Contact the Math Department, CARP or LAC (try them all, decide which you like best).
Campus Academic Resource Program (CARP)
Monday-Thursday:10am-3pm
Friday: 10am-2pm
Turning in your ExtraCredit Reward Chips:
During the last few days of the course, you have three options for turning in your ExtraCredit Chips (these are listed in the order that I would prefer):
1)Collect all of your chips into a sealed envelope, and make sure your first/last name is on the front of the envelope and turn them in (This is the best because I can re-use the chips next semester).
2)Inside each of the floppies, there is a text document. Collect all of these into a single emailed zip file with your first and last name in the file’s name.
3)Take a photograph of the front of each disk, make sure that I can clearly see the serial number (this is my least prefered method), and try to get it into only as few emails as possible (there is a size-limit on attachments).
Andrew