College Algebra
Department
of Mathematics|College of
Science
Fall 2007
Dr.
Ariyadasa Aluthge (aluthge@marshall.edu)
This course begins on August 20, 2007 and ends on December 11, 2007.
Please note that all times are Eastern.
Please see the University Academic
Calendar for course withdrawal dates.
|
Office |
Office Hours:
You can email me with the VISTA Mail Tool, request a CHAT session, or use the Whos
Online
tool. Should you ever find yourself on campus this semester, you can also look
me up in person. My office is in Morrow Library 106 and my phone is
304.696.3050.
About me:
I have been teaching at Marshall University since 1990. My credentials include
a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University where I studied operator theory and other
topics in mathematics.
My interests include camping and traveling, as well as reading mathematics.
|
Course Materials and Cost |
College Algebra
Graphs & Models,
3rd Edition by Bittinger, Marvin L., Beecher, Judith A., Ellenbogen, David,
Penna, Judith A.
Included
with the purchase of a new book from the MU Bookstore is an access code for the
publisher’s web site. There are tutorials, videos, and worked problems
available at this site, all of which are optional. You will need a graphing
calculator.
The books can be ordered online at The Marshall University Bookstore or at any other book
seller of your choice for approximately $130.00.
|
Technical Requirements |
·
For
minimum hardware/software requirements please see:
http://www.marshall.edu/muonline/hardwaresoftwarecheck.asp
·
Be
sure to run the free web browser tuneup:
http://www.marshall.edu/muonline/support/tuneup.asp
·
You will need to have several plugins
(software) installed on your computer. These plugins
are all free. You will need Real Player and Flash Player to experience the streaming video and audio
clips that are part of the course. You can easily check your computer to see if
you have these programs (and if you don't install them for free), by clicking
on this link: http://www.marshall.edu/muonline/support/plugin.asp
·
If
you have technical problems, please go to the Help Desk:
http://www.marshall.edu/muonline/technicalfaq.asp
|
HELP DESK PHONE NUMBERS: |
|
Course Details |
Prerequisites: MAT 097 or Math ACT 19 or 20
Course Description: A brief but careful review of the main techniques of
algebra. Polynomial, rational, exponential, and
logarithmic functions. Graphs, systems of
equations and inequalities, sequences.
Objectives of the course:
1.
To prepare students for a course in calculus with analytic
geometry. Students should also take trigonometry before attempting
calculus.
2. To prepare students for science and engineering courses.
3. To give students a solid understanding of algebra and how it is used.
4. To develop facility in using graphing calculators to solve math problems.
5. To satisfy the mathematics general education requirement.
This course consists of six chapters: a review chapter and five chapters. Each
chapter is divided into sections. For each section I suggest that you:
·
Begin
by reading the text for each new section. The content in my lectures is
not meant to replace the text, but to supplement it.
·
Look
at my lectures for a guided tour through the section. Each lecture contains
video clips of selected problems, web sites for more help, definitions and
rules, worked out examples and explanations.
Work the suggested homework problems. Many sections have additional material
called "Thinking About..." that goes beyond
the basics.
· If you are having
trouble, please contact me through the VISTA e-mail or through Marshall's
e-mail. I would be happy to explain to you how to do any of the problems. If
you understand the concept being presented, you may be able to skip some of the
problems. Only you can be the judge of the work you will have to put in to
master the material, but remember that “practice makes perfect.”
·
For
the homework grade, please complete the homework quizzes after each
section. These you may do with your books, notes, and other (non-human)
resources.
Upon
finishing each unit you will need to take a unit examination and a
comprehensive final examination will conclude the course.
The
following table lists the fifteen weeks and the sections you will need to
complete. All work for the Review Chapter and Chapter 1 is due by September
24th at 11:59 p.m. All work for Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 is due by October 29th at 11:59 p.m. All work for Chapter 4 and Chapter
5 is due by December 11th at 11:59 p.m. The comprehensive final
examination must be completed by December 11th at 11:59 p.m. You may work ahead
if you want to complete the course work sooner. The following schedule will
help you keep up with the work.
Below
is a suggested schedule for the work in this course. Students who work at a constant pace tend to make better grades than
those who try to hurry through or leave it all to the last minute.
|
Week
of |
Chapters and Sections |
|
Unit
1 |
|
|
August 20 |
Review
Chapter R.1, R.2, R.3 |
|
August 27 |
R.4, R.5, R.6 |
|
September 3 |
R.7 Chapter
1 1.1, 1.2 |
|
September 10 |
1.3, 1.4, 1.5 |
|
September 17 |
1.6, 1.7 Unit
1 quizzes and exam must
be completed
by September 24 |
|
Unit
2 |
|
|
September 24 |
Chapter
2 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 |
|
October 1 |
2.4, 2.5, 2.6 |
|
October 8 |
Chapter 3
3.1, 3.2, 3.3 |
|
October 15 |
3.4, 3.5 |
|
October 22 |
3.6, 3.7 Unit
2 quizzes and exam must becompleted
by October 29 |
|
Unit
3 |
|
|
October 29 |
Chapter
4 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 |
|
November 5 |
4.4, 4.5, 4.6 |
|
November 12 |
Chapter
5 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 |
|
November 26 |
5.4, 5.5 |
|
December 3 |
5.6
Unit 3 quizzes and exams must be
completed by December 11 |
|
December 11 |
Comprehensive Final
Exam must be complete by December 11 |
|
Course Grading |
Each
Unit Examination (three exams) will be worth 20% of the semester grade.
Homework quizzes will be worth 20% of the semester grade. The comprehensive
final exam will be worth 20% of the semester grade.
90.00 – 100 = A
80.00 – 89.99 = B
70.00 – 79.99 = C
60.00 – 69.99 = D
Below 60.00 = F
|
Exams |
All
exams will be taken with the Assessments Tool. A proctor will be required for all
exams,
but not for quizzes. Exams are closed book/closed notes exams.
Homework quizzes are open book/open notes quizzes.
Make sure that your proctor
includes your name and course when contacting me. Proctors should write to me at
pupploco@marshall.edu. After you read the syllabus, there is a quiz for
you to take. You may take it up to 5
times. It counts as a regular quiz
grade.
|
On-Campus Requirements |
There is absolutely no requirement that you come to campus. You
can communicate with me via the course Mail tool or
the Who’s Online tool.
All of your assignments are submitted electronically through the course Assignments Tool and all exams are timed
and taken online through the Assessments
Tool.
|
Course Policies |
There
are deadlines for the completion of each exam. Quizzes and exams will not
be available after the deadlines. The course is divided into 3 units with
exams at the end of each unit. For the extent of the
course, we will be using a proctor to administer
each unit exam and the final exam. If you are not familiar with
this term, a proctor is a person who is willing and able to administer your
exams. A proctor should be computer literate. It is up to the
student to find a proctor. Each proctor must be approved by the
instructor before any passwords will be released. Qualified proctors
include educators, librarians, ministers, work supervisors, and other reliable
non-relatives. Your proctor should send me an e-mail at
aluthge@marshall.edu telling me his or her qualifications and willingness to
serve as your proctor for the duration of the course. Make sure that your proctor includes your name and course
when contacting me. After you read the
syllabus, there is a quiz for you to take.
You may take it up to 5 times. It
counts as a regular quiz grade.
|
Resources |
Don’t
hesitate to contact me directly with questions or concerns. You can reach me
through the VISTA Mail Tool or if necessary by phone at
304.696.3050. Please don't let your questions hang out there and simmer. If you
are not sure about something the best thing to do is to ask about it right
away! Something that may seem obvious to me may not be obvious to you at all!
Support Services
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