Mathematics

Math 1110 Algebra II Syllabus

Purpose of Math 1110

The purpose of all of the developmental mathematics courses is to support student success academically and beyond by advancing critical thinking and reasoning skills. Specifically in Algebra II, as a team, we will examine ways to use the algebraic structure provided to for strategies that are appropriate for the given problem and minimize the amount of work needed to arrive at a conclusion. In other words, use the structure to solve a problem efficiently.

This syllabus is subject to further change or revision, as needed, to best realize the educational goals of the course. Necessary revisions will be announced in class or on course materials with fair prior notice.

This course serves solely as a prerequisite course. Math 1110 does not satisfy any general education or essential studies requirement.

TEACHING TEAM

Course coordinator

Dr. Kirsty J Eisenhart

Instructors

See the program schedule for course times, rooms, office hours and final exam dates.

OVERVIEW AND COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to sharpen algebra skills and concepts. 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. You will be asked and encouraged to find patterns, make conjectures, and judge the validity of given conjectures. You will test your conjectures and eventually provide counter examples to disprove invalid conjectures or give justifications for conjectures they determine are valid.

Required course materials

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 or quantitative literacy requirement and then find which graphing calculator best suits your future need. Also note that your instructor will be demonstrating on a TI84. Feel free to discuss your graphing calculator needs with either your instructor or the director of the Developmental Mathematics Program.
Three-ring notebook.
Math 1110 Course Pack: The course pack contains all of the worksheets for the course and the writing assignments. The materials in the course pack will be used every day, so it is vital to purchase one as soon as possible. To lower the cost of the course pack, we are working with mycoursepack.com rather than the bookstore. The course pack will be $35 including tax. There are two options when purchasing the pack:
1. Order the math 1110 (Algebra 2) course pack by phone with a credit card: (269) 383- 9102 Then the course pack will be delivered to Dr. Eisenhart to distribute to instructors to give out during class.
2. Purchase directly from R J's Printing at 1001 Second Street Monday Through Friday 8am-5pm to purchase the pack.
  Note that the Metro Bus 10 has a stop on Mills and Second which is minutes from R J's Printing.

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 others 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. Consistent and productive participation in class will be considered in determining final grades (see participation rubric below).

GRADING POLICY

If all course requirements have been met, grades will be assigned according to the scale:

A: 90-100 percent
BA: 85-90 percent
B: 80-85 percent
CB: 75-80 percent
C: 70-75 percent
DC: 65-70 percent
D: 60-65 percent
E: Below 60 percent

You must attain at least a "C" in this course in order to take the next mathematics course which satisfies Proficiency 3 of your general education requirements or quantitative literacy for essential studies.

Course requirements

The following is a tentative outline of the required graded assignments and their weights.

Exams: 40 percent of final grade
Comprehensive final exam: 20 percent of final grade
Participation: 5 percent of final grade
Desmos homework: 10 percent of final grade
Course Pack homework: 10 percent of final grade
Mobius on-line homework: 15 percent of final grade

Attendance policy

Each class utilizes tools and concepts learned from previous classes, so to optimize your understanding be sure to arrive on time and stay until you are dismissed. Excessive absences, tardiness, and early departure suggests a lack of professionalism and commitment, and will result in missing material and the objectives of this course.

Course notebook

Being able to find your past assignments and class notes will reduce the time spent studying. If you have a method to organize your materials, continue to use this method. If not, we suggest you organize your work for this course in a notebook (e.g., one-inch three-ring binder) that includes the following sections:

In-class and 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. 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. 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.

Course pack and Desmos 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.

Instructors will provide valuable feedback on selected homework assignments to prepare your for exams. Be sure to read over the feedback in Desmos and on course pack assignments and if needed, bring things to your instructor or the tutor lab for further clarification.

Collaboration

Your instructor might allow and encourage students to work together on assignment. What this means is that students can share strategies. You cannot share final versions of assignments. The final polished version of the assignment must be your own work. Similar problems may appear on an exam, so you will want to be sure that you can complete each problem on your own after working with peers.

Mobius links in E-Learning

We use Mobius as an online interactive tool that provides immediate feedback. All assignments can be attempted infinitely many times, so start early and redo the assignment until you earn a 90 percent or higher. We will be utilizing this tool to help strengthen your mathematical skills and help you to become more efficient. Efficiency will be vital for your success in both this mathematics course and the next. After completing an activity in class or online, go to E-Learning and do the corresponding Mobius assignment. Be sure to visit E-Learning a few times throughout the week so that you do not miss a due date. If you miss an assignment due date, you can complete the assignment with late penalty. You can earn at most a 75 percent on the penalty quiz, but this is much better than a zero.

Presentations

In order to learn/ understand mathematics, students must take an active rule during class. For this reason we will encourage each student to present at least one problem during the semester.

Exams

There will be four unit exams worth a total of 40 percent of your final grade. The first and forth exam are short exam worth 8 percent of your final grade. The other two unit exams will each be worth 12 percent of your final grade. Most of the problems on the unit exams will be similar to, or elaborations of, Mobius (on-line homework), course pack assignments (or Desmos) and in-class work. Other questions may test definitions, example problems, and/or in-class work. The activity learning outcomes tell you what to expect on an exam. The final will be a comprehensive exam worth 20 percent of your grade. If you are unable to attend class on any exam day you must notify Dr. Eisenhart (269) 387-4117 or (269) 873-8194 immediately, so that she can assist you in a timely manner.

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 Office of Disability Services at the beginning of the semester. If you believe you need some type of accommodation due to a disability, contact them.

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 officially withdraw from a class to avoid a failing grade is Monday, October 28 for fall 2024.

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 (under Academic Policies, Student Rights and Responsibilities). These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. 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 cell phones is strictly prohibited during class, unless it’s a life-and-death emergency. Silence your phones, tablets, iPods, etc., at the entrance of the classroom and store them. If seen using one of these devices, you will be asked to leave since this is disruptive not only to the class but also the instructor. If there is an emergency situation, place your devise on vibrate, sit close to the door and leave the classroom as inconspicuous as possible. For a complete copy of the student conduct code go to the office of student conduct.

Academic integrity

Students are responsible for making themselves aware of and understanding the University policies and procedures that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. The academic policies addressing Student Rights and Responsibilities can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog.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) and if you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with your instructor if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.

Professionalism and Mutual Respect

Students and instructors are responsible for making themselves aware of and abiding by the “Western Michigan University Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, and Stalking Policy and Procedures” related to prohibited sexual misconduct under Title IX, the Clery Act and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)and Campus Safe. Under this policy, responsible employees (including instructors) are required to report claims of sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator or designee (located in the Office of Institutional Equity). Responsible employees are not confidential resources. For a complete list of resources and more information about the policy see www.wmich.edu/sexualmisconduct

In addition, students are encouraged to access the Code of Conduct, as well as resources and general academic policies on such issues as diversity, religious observance, and student disabilities:

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