Department of Mathematics
Mathematics Department
Contact Information
- Tutor Lab
- SI Review Sessions
- Academic Skills Center
- MathXL Course ID
- Registering for MathXL
- MathXL Help Line
Available Help
MathXL
WileyPlus URL
Instructor Resources
MATH 1110: Algebra II
Spring 2012 Instructors: |
Course Coordinator: |
Dr. Kirsty J Eisenhart 3326 Everett Tower 387-4117 or 873-8194 |
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| See contact page for course times, rooms, office hours, and Final Exam dates. | ||||
Overview and Course Description
This course is designed to sharpen algebra skills and concepts and is a continuation of Math 1100 (Algebra I). Some of the topics covered are linear functions, power functions, quadratic functions, rational functions, composing and decomposing functions, inverse functions, logarithmic and exponential functions. In addition to this, the course is designed to strengthen analytical thinking. Students will be asked/ encouraged to find patterns, make conjectures, and judge the validity of given conjectures. The students will test their conjectures and eventually provide counter examples to disprove invalid conjectures or give justifications for conjectures they determine are valid.
Required Course Materials
In addition to our textbook you will also need a graphing calculator and WileyPlus. If you purchase a new textbook from the WMU bookstore then an access code for WileyPlus will be bundled with your text. To cut down on the price of your text, I have created a custom version which contains only the chapters we will be covering. You may purchase either the custom version or the full version of the text.
TEXTBOOK: Algebra: Form and Function by McCallum, Connally, Hughes-Hallett, et al.
(the first edition, not the draft edition)
ISBN of custom text packaged with WileyPlus: |
ISBN of just the custom text: |
GRAPHING CALCULATOR: If you already own a graphing calculator, then that will suffice for this course. If you do not all ready own a graphing calculator, then you should determine which course you will be taking to satisfy proficiency 3 and then consult the following website to see which graphing calculator best suits your future needs: http://www.wmich.edu/math/academics/calculators.html. Also note that your instructor will be demonstrating on a TI 84. Feel free to discuss your graphing calculator needs with either your instructor or the director of the Developmental Mathematics Program.
WileyPlus: If you purchase a new textbook from the WMU bookstore then an access code for WileyPlus will be bundled with your text, so the only other thing you would need is a graphing calculator. If you are purchasing a new textbook from a different source, make sure your text is bundled with a WileyPlus registration code.
If you purchase a used textbook, you will also need to purchase a registration code for WileyPlus. This will cost you about $75 and can be done on your course website.
To create a new account or access your previous Wiley Account proceed as follows:
- Find your class WileyPlus URL at the following site:
http://www.wmich.edu/math/developmental/WileyPlusURLSpring2012.html - If you have an Algebra II Wiley account, then log in.
- If you are new to Algebra II, then click on Create Account, and follow the directions.
- Eventually you will be asked to input the registration code packaged with your text or purchase a code ($75).
- Continue to follow the directions and when asked for an e-mail address provide your Western e-mail address
Course Format and Participation
Whole class discussions of different solutions to a problem and the mathematics underlying these solutions will play a central role in this course. Though these discussions will take different forms on different occasions, it will always be the case that your ideas, strategies and questions will guide the discussion. Thus, as a class, we will examine each other’s thinking and come to a better understanding of the mathematics by doing so. Given the student-centered nature of this course, attendance and participation is of the utmost importance. Satisfactory participation means that you are willing to share your thought process, questions and solutions with the class (even when you don’t think you have “the right answer”), that you support your classmates by listening and thoughtfully reacting to their ideas, and that you attempt all of the homework before class so that you can actively participate in our discussions.
Grading Policy
If all course requirements have been met, grades will be assigned according to the scale:
| A 90 – 100% |
BA 85 – 90% |
B 80 – 85% |
CB 75 – 80% |
C 70– 75% |
DC 65% - 70% |
D 60% - 65% |
E Below 60% |
NOTES: You must attain at least a C in this course in order to take the mathematics course which satisfies proficiency 3 of your general education requirements.
Course Requirements
The following is a tentative outline of the required graded assignments and their weights:
| * * * * * * |
Exams Comprehensive Final Presentations Reading Questions Homework/Quizzes WileyPlus |
42% of final grade 25% of final grade 5% of final grade 9% of final grade 9% of final grade 10% of final grade |
Attendance
Each class utilizes tools and concepts learned from previous classes, so be sure to arrive on time and stay until you are dismissed. Not only do excessive absences, tardiness, and early departure suggest a lack of professionalism and commitment, but they also guarantee that you will not attain the objectives of this course.
Course Notebook
We suggest you organize your work for this course in a notebook (e.g. one-inch three-ring binder) that includes the following sections: 1) In-class & Post-class Notes, 2) Initial Homework Thoughts, and 3) Assignments. Your aim should be to make your notebook into something that will serve as a resource for you over time. This will also serve as your main resource when studying for each exam. Items within your notebook will be assessed through various means. Therefore, it is critical to always bring your notebook to class with you, and to keep up on your daily work and seek help when you don’t understand an assignment. Here are suggestions for each section of your notebook.
| In-class & Post-class Notes: It is often the case that you may have difficulty taking notes on the discussions that occur during class. For this reason we strongly recommend that you take at least 10 minutes after each class to capture important mathematical ideas that have been discussed during class. This will help to solidify your understanding, and highlight areas/issues around which you still have questions. Post-class notes will save you valuable time when studying for an exam. Along with providing the main ideas of the activity, the post class notes could also contain "aha" moments (a defining moment in which you gained real wisdom or insight), a list of questions you still have about the material in the activity, and a "cheat sheet" like list (things you would need to know for an exam: definitions, formulas, important examples, calculator key strokes, etc). | |
| Initial Homework Thoughts: Use this section to organize scratch work, strategies, and your first attempt at a homework assignment. You will us this to rewrite your homework in a well organized manner. We highly recommend crossing out incorrect work rather than erasing it and then write yourself some notes as to why your fist methods were invalid. This will help you learn from your past errors rather than repeat them. | |
| Assignments: This section will contain journaling, reflections, and any other assignments that will be assigned by your instructor. You will want to keep both the graded and not graded assignments in this section so that you can reflect on all before tutor sessions, group homework sessions, or an exam. |
Assignments: In order to succeed in any class, it is critical that you stay on top of your assignments. Be sure to start your homework early and utilize your instructor and the tutor lab when needed. Also to keep you on schedule, late homework will not be accepted. In the event that you must be absent from class, have your homework delivered to the Math Department mailroom before class. Each instructor has a mailbox in the Math Department office on the 3rd floor of Everett Tower. Be sure to attach a cover sheet to your homework that contains your name, class time, and instructor's name.
Reading Questions : Pre-reading a textbook is a key element to success in a course, but students often have difficulty reading a mathematics/science text/journal. All of you are taking math 1110 as a prerequisite either to chemistry or to calculus. As such you will all be required to read a science/mathematics text in the near future. Each of you have also chosen a field in which you will at sometime need to read a technical journal. To help you with these future tasks, we have created reading questions to help students learn how to read a mathematics text. One main difference between reading a science text and casual reading is that you will need to read sections from the text several times. During the first read through you should not try to understand all of the pieces instead you should determine the main goals of the section. You might need to read the section several times before seeing the key points. After this, you will want to read with a more technical eye and determine why all of the pieces are valid and how they fit together. Then look over the reading questions and reread the text as needed to answer the reading questions. Since pre-reading is so important, the Academic Skills Center devotes an entire College Success Seminar to Text Book Reading Strategies. Recall that the Academic Skills Center service are free to all WMU students. I highly recommend utilizing these services.
WileyPlus: This is an online interactive tool packaged with our textbook that can provide immediate feedback. The majority of the problem come straight form the text, so this application will provide you feedback on many more problems than traditional paper and pencil homework. We will be utilizing this tool to help strengthen your mathematical skills and more importantly to help you become more efficient in these skills. Efficiency in these skills is vital for success in your next mathematics course. Note that each class is assigned a unique WileyPlus URL address.
Presentations: Most students must take an active rule in order to learn/ understand mathematics. For this reason each student will present at least one problem during the semester. Each presentation will be graded on both the board work and the verbal explanation. While preparing for your presentation, you may consult with whomever and whatever you wish. You can either find a problem and then consult with your instructor prior to your presentation or ask your instructor to assign you a problem. The presentation is worth 5% of your final grade.
Exams: There will be 3 unit tests worth 14% each (for a total of 42% of your final grade). Most of the problems on the unit tests will be similar to, or elaborations of, homework and group work. Other questions may test definitions, example problems, and/or class work. Note that answers to selected section problems are in the back of your text. You may wish to use these as practice problems. The final will be a comprehensive test worth 25% of your grade. If you are unable to attend class on any exam day you must notify Dr Eisenhart (387-4117 or 873-8194) BEFORE the exam or a make-up may be denied. All APPROVED make-up exams will be given on the mass final exam date: Friday, April 27th.
Accommodations: Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact their instructor and the appropriate disability services office at the beginning of the semester. If you believe you need some type of accommodation due to a disability and haven’t yet talked with the Disabled Services for Student office, here is their contact information: 2210 Wilbur Ave (across from Rood before the Health Center, above the Day Care Center); 269-387-2116; http://www.wmich.edu/disabilityservices/.
Policy on Incompletes: According to University policy, incompletes are given only in those rare instances when extenuating circumstances have prevented a student from completing a small segment of the course. An incomplete is never given as a substitute for a failing grade and the Chair of the Department of Mathematics must approve all incomplete grades. The last day a student can process an officially withdrawal from a class to avoid a failing grade is Monday, March 19th.
Academic Integrity: You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. [The policies can be found at http://www.wmich.edu/catalog under Academic Policies, Student Rights and Responsibilities.] If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.
Student Conduct: Please familiarize yourself with the student code of conduct and the definition of plagiarism. The use of mobile phone or two-way radios is strictly prohibited during class, unless it’s a life-and-death emergency. Silence your phones, beepers, iPods, etc. at the entrance of the classroom and store them. For a complete copy of the code go to http://www.osc.wmich.edu.