Mat0024C—Beginning Algebra
Spring 2010
Amy Aplanalp, Instructor
http://frontdoor.valenciacc.edu/?aaplanalp
TEXTBOOK Beginning Algebra, by Rockswold and Krieger 2nd edition ISBN: 0-321-50004-0
Activity, Review, and Practice booklet (Gold cover) You have to buy it at VCC bookstore
DEPARTMENT OFFICE 7-142, 407-582-2366
CREDIT HOURS 3 Contact hour and 1 lab hour, Non-degree credit
PREREQUISITE Minimum grade of C in MAT 0012C or appropriate score on entry assessment exam.
OTHER MATERIALS Notebook paper and pencil, graph paper, and MyMathLab cd for online homework
ATLAS EMAIL Please note that any notifications of excessive absence or course progress is done through Atlas. Be sure to check your email at least twice a week.
Note: All work must be done in pencil only, including tests, any assignments and labs.
COURSE COMPETENCIES
The Valencia faculty has defined four interrelated competencies (Value, Think, Communicate, Act) that prepare students to succeed in the world community. These competencies are outlined in the College Catalog. In this course, through classroom lecture and discussion, group work, and other learning activities, you will further develop your abilities to Value, Think, Communicate, and Act.
STATE COMPETENCY TEST
The state of Florida and Valencia Community College requires students exiting college prep mathematics to possess and demonstrate certain competencies. To successfully complete this course you must demonstrate (at an 80% level) the following competencies on an examination administered near the end of the course.
NOTE: It is required that you pass this state test with an 80% or above, a review for the test is in your lab packet. The exact date and time will be given. You have only 1 attempt in which to pass the test.
HOMEWORK
Homework is an essential part of this course. Homework will be assigned during each lecture session and is expected to be completed by the next class session. You will do your homework online with My Math Lab. The disk comes with your book or you will need to purchase it online. Homework will be due the following Monday it was assigned. Homework will be counted as 100 pts. Directions on how to set it up are at the bottom of this syllabus.
GRADING
Your grade will consist of homework, lab work, 5 unit tests, the state test, and a final exam. The lowest test or one missed test will be replaced with the grade of your final exam.
5 tests 500
State Test 100
Labs 50
Homework 100
Final exam 150
Total 900 points
90 – 100% A
80 - 89 B
70 - 79 C
60 - 69 D
below 60 F
Final Exam: The final exam will be comprehensive and is mandatory, if you do not withdraw and do not take the final, then a F will be assigned regardless of your average in the class.
MAKE-UPS
It is my policy NOT to allow make-ups of missed tests or assignments. The only exceptions that will be considered are verifiable absences due to illness, death in the family, or other such unanticipated emergencies. In the event of such a situation, written verification (Dr.'s excuse, police report, etc.) of the emergency must be provided. If you are going to have to miss an exam, you must let me know before the scheduled exam time, and you may be allowed to take the exam early.
Withdrawal The following grade will be given depending on the following:
Policy:
W This grade will be assigned if you withdraw from the course before the withdrawal date March 26th 2010.
WP A withdraw passing grade will be assigned if you withdraw after
March 26th, and have an average of at least 60%.
WF A withdraw failing grade will be assigned if you withdraw after
March 26th and have an average below a 60%.
Please note: Always seek advice and guidance from myself and from your counselor before withdrawing from the class. See your counselor in how doing so impacts any financial aid you may be receiving.
HONESTY
Representing another's work as your own or allowing such conduct on the part of a fellow student is cheating. Such behavior will not be tolerated in this class. Such incidents will be handled according to the college policy on academic honesty.
MATH SUPPORT CENTER
Tutors are available in the Math Support Center in addition to software for your course. The Support Center is located on the first floor of Building 4. Check for the hours of operation.
ATTENDANCE
To be successful in any math course you must attend class regularly and complete all assignments on time. If you are unable to attend class for any reason it is YOUR responsibility to find out what you have missed. If you miss more than 3 classes you will be dropped from the course. Each 2 tardies will be counted as 1 absence. A tardy is considered arriving 10 minutes after start of the class. If your absences or tardies are excessive you will be notified through ATLAS and you may be withdrawn from the course.
CELL PHONES
Cell phones are to be off or on silent mode while in class and during test time. Please be polite and also do not be using (INCLUDING TEXTING) your phone during class.
Important Classes do not meet: Jan 18th & March 8-12th
Dates: Withdrawal deadline to receive a “W” is March 26th
Final withdrawal deadline: April 23rd (grade will be a WP or WF
depending on class average, please see above)
State Test: Day and time will be announced later. Taken in the testing center
Final Examination day and time: Wed April 28th 5:00pm. Please note
the final exam is mandatory, if a student (who hasn’t withdrawn) does not show up
for the final exam than a F is given as the final grade regardless of class average,
this is Valencia policy. Link for final exam schedule:
http://valenciacc.edu/calendar/documents/FinalExams-Fall2009-Spring2010.pdf
Any college student should be able to calculate their own grade, do not rely on me to average your grade throughout the semester. Your grade will consist of the following, please keep track of all your scores and know how to compute your average at any time during the progress of the course. Your average can be found by taking your total points and dividing by the total possible points at that time.
Tests
Ch. 1/2 (100 pts.) ______Ch. 5 (100 pts.) ______Ch. 6 (100 pts.) ______
Ch. 7 & 8 (100 pts.) ______Ch. 3 (100 pts.) ______Final Exam (150 pts) ______
State Test (100 pts.) ______
Your total pts.(750 possible) _____
Labs (5 pts. Each)
Lab 1 ______Lab 2 ______Lab 3 ______Lab 4 ______Lab 5 ______
Lab 6 ______Lab 7 ______Lab 8 ______Lab 9 ______Lab 10 ______
Your total points (50 possible) ______
Online Homework ______(100 pts. possible) Your score ______
convert the % to pts.
Your total points /900 will give your final grade %
For My Math Lab:
If you have a used book and need to purchase an access code online ($72):
Step 1: Go to www.coursecompass.com
Step 2: Under Students, click on Register
Step 3: Click on Purchase online access now using a credit card.
Step 4: Enter the course ID aplanalp34319 and click next.
Step 5: Click on Purchase. Then follow the directions on setting up an account.
Step 6: Record your login information. If you forget your user name or password you have to contact Technical Support at 1-800-677-6337 (M-F 8am-5pm CST)
Step 7: Download the necessary plug-ins by logging into your course and then clicking on Installation Wizard in the menu on the left.
If you purchased a new textbook that came with an access code:
Step 1: Go to www.coursecompass.com
Step 2: Under Students, click on Register
Step 3: Click on Next in the bottom right hand corner. Read the License Agreement and Privacy Policy and click "I Accept".
Step 4: Follow the directions on the screen to register in the course. When asked for the
course ID enter aplanalp34319
Step 5: Record your login information. If you forget your user name or password you have to contact Technical Support at 1-800-677-6337 (M-F 8am-5pm CST)
Step 6: Download the necessary plug-ins by logging into your course and clicking on Installation Wizard in the menu on the left.
Note: If you ever have problems accessing the site through the above link, then go to www.mathxl.com and log in through there as a MyMathLab user. This is a form of a back-door into the class.
There is an online homework assignment for each section covered in this course. Each homework section must be completed by the date given in class. All of the homework assignments can be found by first logging into your course in MyMathLab, clicking on Spring 2010 Beginning Algebra, then click on Do Homework on the left hand side, and then select the section you want to work on and do the exercises. When you are done make sure to click on Submit Homework. You may submit the homework as many times as needed up until the deadline date. Therefore, you can work on the homework until you get a perfect score. Every time you hit Submit Homework your homework grade will be updated in your grade book that can be assessed by clicking on Gradebook on the left hand side.