The University of Akron Department of Mathematics. 3450: COLLEGE ALGEBRA 4 credits Spring 2015

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1 The University of Akron Department of Mathematics 3450: COLLEGE ALGEBRA 4 credits Spring 2015 Instructor: Jonathan Hafner Office: CAS 249 Phone: (330) Office Hours: Tue, Thu 5:00 5:50; other office hours by appointment Website: jhafner/ TEXT: Intermediate & College Algebra: Custom Edition for the University of Akron (see inside cover of the text for list of authors). The online system, MyMathLab, will be used for online assignments and grade management. Each student in College Algebra is required to have an account by Friday, January 16, The first online homework assignment will be due by 11:59pm on Friday, January 16, To be enrolled in MyMathLab (for Spring 2015) you will need a Course ID (given to you during the first week of the semester). If you are taking College Algebra for the first time in Spring 2015 and did not complete Intermediate Algebra at UA you will also need a MyMathLab student access code, which can be purchased at the campus bookstore. NOTE: If you are retaking College Algebra or have successfully completed Intermediate Algebra at UA, it is possible you will not need to purchase a new student access code. Details can be found on the MyMathLab handout located on page 5 of the syllabus. PREREQUISITE: 3450:100 (Intermediate Algebra) with a grade of C or better, or placement. If you do not have the correct prerequisites, you may be withdrawn from the course without refund. COURSE OBJECTIVES: College Algebra is a General Education college-level course which requires a substantial time commitment to prepare you for Precalculus or Calculus with Business Applications. It can also be considered a terminal course which prepares you for the daily needs of mathematics. If College Algebra is not a requirement for your major you may want to consider alternative mathematics courses to meet your General Education requirement. CALCULATOR: Since you will not be permitted to use a calculator on any of the in-class quizzes/exams, you are strongly encouraged to do as much of the online assignments as possible without using a calculator. ATTENDANCE: As an adult learner you most likely have multiple roles and commitments to juggle. In addition to being a student, you may be an employee, a parent, a community leader, or a caregiver to a family member. If you are a full-time student, you are working to learn a wide variety of new skills and to meet the expectations for multiple courses. As your teacher, I too have many responsibilities and multiple roles. Therefore, we need to work together to accomplish the intended learning outcomes for this course. Responsible attendance means you will plan your schedule so that you can be present for scheduled class sessions and manage your time so you can complete your assignments on or before the date they are due. Therefore, attendance is required at each lecture. Coming to class late or leaving early without notice will count as an absence. 1

2 ONLINE HOMEWORK: Homework assignments (weighted to 10% of your final from each section will be assigned and completed online. Online assignments will be due on Mondays and Wednesdays (except for the first online assignment, which is due Friday, January 16, 2015 by 11:59pm). It is your responsibility to allow sufficient time to complete the specific online assignments by the deadline stated in MyMathLab. You will earn full credit only for the assignments that are completed BEFORE the deadline. Each homework assignment contains problems. See additional comments located under the grading scale. IN-DISCUSSION QUIZZES: There are 10 in-discussion quizzes. See page 4 of the syllabus for all quiz dates and content. All in-discussion quizzes are worth 10 points each and will be completed during your discussion session. Each of the 10 in-discussion quizzes will be given at the beginning of class. No make-up in-discussion quizzes will be given for any reason. However, your two lowest in-discussion quiz scores will be dropped at the end of the semester. To be eligible for full credit for the quiz, students must remain in class for the full session. Otherwise, a score of 0 will be recorded. ONLINE QUIZZES: There are 3 online quizzes (to be completed in MyMathLab). See page 4 of the syllabus for all quiz dates and content. Each online quiz will consist of 10 questions. You will be given 2 attempts per quiz and 60 minutes per attempt. Once the quiz is open, the timer will begin. Make sure you set aside a full 60 minutes for each attempt. If you leave your computer for any reason, the timer will continue to count down and you will lose valuable time to complete the online quiz. No make-up online quizzes will be given for any reason. EXAMS: There will be 3 in-discussion exams (weighted to 50% of your final and a mandatory comprehensive departmental final (weighted to approximately 22% of your final. See page 4 of the syllabus for all exam dates. IMPORTANT: There is a strict policy for any student who misses the scheduled exam and requests a makeup. If you find yourself in this situation, (a) contact your instructor immediately, (b) be prepared to show official documentation justifying your absence, (c) be prepared to take the makeup at the specified time, and (d) understand a substantial penalty will automatically be assessed. This penalty may be removed if the documentation that you present to your instructor meets university requirements. Under no circumstances will a makeup exam be given after graded exams have been distributed. EXAM REVIEWS: Exam Reviews will be posted on MyMathLab (under Document Sharing) the week before each exam (weeks 4, 8, and 13). TUTORING: Free tutoring is available at the Math Lab in Bierce Library (330) ELECTRONIC DEVICES: No activated electronic device is allowed in the classroom. Cell phones must be turned off before you enter the classroom and must be out of sight. No texting during class! ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Students who are caught cheating on in-class quizzes and/or exams by any means, such as looking at other students work or attempting to use a calculator or mobile device, will have their quiz/exam taken and will be referred to the Department of Student Conduct for academic dishonesty. NOTE: Students whose names do not appear on the university s official class list by January 20, 2015 will not be permitted to participate (attend class, take exams, or receive credit). 2

3 WITHDRAWAL: The deadline to complete the online processing of withdrawals for College Algebra is Monday, March 2, 2015 by 11:59pm. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Accommodations letters for students with certified disabilities will be sent to instructors electronically. Students will request and coordinate all of their accommodations through the Student Testing and Accommodation Request System (STARS). GRADES: Instructors of College Algebra will use the UA Grade Scheme when assigning final grades. There will be no bonus points or additional work given throughout the semester. It is your responsibility to monitor your progress via the Gradebook on MyMathLab. Students dealing with unexpected emergencies who wish to apply for a grade of Incomplete must have finished at least two-thirds of the semester s work with an average grade of C or above. GRADES (WEIGHTS): Three in-class exams Online Assignments Highest 8 in-class quizzes & 3 online quizzes Final Exam (Comprehensive) Total 300 points (50% of final 60 points (10% of final 110 points ( 18% of final 130 points ( 22% of final 600 points GRADING SCALE: % Range Letter Grade % A pts % A pts % B pts % B pts % B pts % C pts % C pts % C pts * % D pts 59.9** 0 % F pts * If your final percentage is %, you will receive a grade of C instead of D if: (1) you have earned 51 (or more) out of 60 points (85% or higher) on MyMathLab online homework assignments, (2) you have completed all exams, (3) and you have missed no more than 3 lectures. ** If your final percentage is %, you will receive a grade of D instead of F if: (1) you have earned 51 (or more) out of 60 points (85% or higher) on the MyMathLab online homework assignments, (2) you have completed all exams, (3) and you have missed no more than 3 lectures. 3

4 College Algebra Tentative Schedule (Spring 2015) Week Tuesday Thursday Quiz/Exam 1 Jan 13 Jan 15 Section 1.2 Section 2.1 Quiz 1: Prerequisite 2 Jan 20 Jan 22 Section 2.1 Section 2.2 Quiz 2: Sections 1.1 & Jan 27 Jan 29 Section 2.3 Section 2.5 Quiz 3: Sections 2.2 & Feb 3 Feb 5 Section 2.5 Section 3.1 Quiz 4: Section Feb 10 Feb 12 Quiz 5 (Online): Sections Section 3.2 Sections 3.3 & 3.4 Exam 1: Sections Feb 17 Feb 19 NO CLASS (Pres. Day) Sections 3.4 & 3.5 NO QUIZ 7 Feb 24 Feb 26 Sections 3.5 & 4.1 Section 4.2 Quiz 6: Sections 3.4 & Mar 3 Mar 5 Section 4.3 Section 4.4 Quiz 7: Sections 4.2 & Mar 10 Mar 12 Quiz 8 (Online): Sections Section 4.5 Section 4.5 Exam 2: Sections Mar 17 Mar 19 Section 4.6 Section 4.6 Quiz 9: Section 4.5 SPRING BREAK 11 Mar 31 Apr 2 Section 5.1 Section 5.2 Quiz 10: Section Apr 7 Apr 9 Section 5.3 Section 5.4 Quiz 11: Sections 5.2 & Apr 14 Apr 16 Section 5.5 Section 5.6 Quiz 12: Sections 5.4 & Apr 21 Apr 23 Quiz 13 (Online): Sections Sections 5.6 & 6.1 Sections 6.1 & 6.2 Exam 3: Sections Apr 28 Apr 30 Section 6.2 & Review Review Review Sheet for Final Exam 16 Final Exam Comprehensive Date and Room TBA Each in-discussion quiz will be worth 10 points. Quizzes 1 4, 6 7, and 9 12 are pencil/paper quizzes given during your Thursday discussion session. Quizzes 5, 8, and 13 will be completed online using MyMathLab. The window for each online quiz will be displayed on MyMathLab. 4

5 MyMathLab is an interactive website where you will access and complete your online homework assignments and complete 3 online quizzes: Quizzes 5, 8, and 13. The window for each assignment will be displayed on MyMathLab. You must register for MyMathLab by Friday, January 16, Your first online homework assignment is due that evening by 11:59pm. To enroll in your Spring 2015 College Algebra MyMathLab course, you need: Your Course ID: (Lower case letters; no spaces) Student Registration/Enrollment in MyMathLab (for those who do NOT have a MyMathLab Pearson account): Enter in your web browser (Google Chrome works best). Under Register, click Student. Enter your Course ID (see above) provided by your instructor and click Continue. Your course information appears on the next page. If it does not look correct, contact your instructor to verify the Course ID. Either: Sign in with another existing Pearson Account (if you have one, possibly from Chemistry) OR Create a Pearson Account. When creating your Account, use an address that you check regularly and use that same address for your username. Carefully and correctly enter your First and Last Name since this is the name under which all of your scores will be recorded. Read and accept the License Agreement and Privacy Policy. At the bottom of the page, click Create Account. On the next page you are given two choices: 1. Click Access Code if you already purchased a textbook (with Access Code) from the bookstore. Enter your 20-digit Student Access Code. Click Finish. OR 2. You will see the option to purchase an Access Code (with an electronic version of the textbook) using a credit card or PayPal. Once your registration is complete, a Confirmation page appears. You will also receive this information by . Make sure you print the Confirmation page as your receipt. Remember to write down your username and password. You are now ready to access your resources! Student Enrollment in MyMathLab (for those who already have a MyMathLab Pearson account) Sign in as usual at by using your username and password from last semester. On the next screen, click Enroll in Another Course. Next, enter the new Spring 2015 College Algebra Course ID. From here on out, you will access your MyMathLab assignments by: Going to and clicking Sign in. Entering your username and password and clicking Sign In. On the left, clicking the name of your course. The first time you enter your course from your own computer and anytime you use a new computer, click the Installation Wizard or Browser Check on the Announcements page. After completing the installation process and closing the wizard, you will be on your course home page. Need technical help? First, check the browser you are using. Google Chrome or Firefox seem to work the best for MyMathLab. If your problem does not involve issues with your browser, contact Product Support at 5