College Algebra Syllabus for 2011-2012
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Instructor Information

Course Information

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Administrative Drop Policy

N/A

Student Withdrawal Procedures

N/A

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

MATH-1314-005 College Algebra

Prerequisites

MATH 0303-minimum grade of C, an Accuplacer score of 75, a THEA score of 270, an equivalent score on a state-approved test or Department Chair consent

Course Description

Study of quadratics; polynomial, rational, logarithmic and exponential functions; systems of equations; progressions, sequences and series; matrices and determinants.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

\N

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

\ CollegeAlgebra, 5^th edition, by Robert Blitzer, Pearson Prentice Hall

Supplies

\ Course Materials:

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• \ Graphing Calculator:  You are required to bring your calculator to EVERY class.  A TI-84 Plus calculator is preferred, but most TI calculators will be ok. If you already own

  Student Performance

  \ Learning Objectives: After completing this course, the student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the following topics as evaluated by the faculty in the department/program:

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  1. \ Recognize, solve, and apply radical, absolute value, linear, quadratic, and rational equations
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  2. \ Recognize, solve, and apply inequalities
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  3. \ Recognize, solve, graph, and apply polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions
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  4. \ Explore functions, graphing techniques, operations of functions, composition of functions, and inverse functions.
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  5. \ Evaluate all real roots of higher degrees of polynomials
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  6. \ Recognize, solve, and apply systems of linear equations, including the use of matrices and matrix algebra
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  7. \ Identify sequences and series, and calculate the sum of a sequence
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  Students Rights and Responsibilities

  Student Rights and Responsibilities

  Log in using the AC Connect Portal

  In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

  If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

  Expected Student Behavior

  \ Student Responsibilities:   Students are expected to behave in the classroom in a manner that is supportive of the learning environment.  Disruptive behavior includes, but is not limited to the following: the use of cellular phones, texting, making offensive remarks, reading newspapers, sleeping, asking questions not relevant to class material, or engaging in any other form of distraction. For a full discussion of appropriate behavior and student responsibilities, please refer to the Student Rights & Responsibilities.  Cheating is defined in Webster’s College Dictionary as “taking an examination in a dishonest way, as by having improper access to answers.” Improper access includes, but is not limited to, copying from another student’s paper, copying from the homework solutions manual, or using any unauthorized sources of information while taking an exam or quiz. If the instructor sees a cell phone out during any exam, the instructor will assume that student is cheating and the exam will be taken up and a grade of a zero will be received on that exam. Any student who cheats on an exam or quiz will receive a grade of zero for that exam or quiz and that grade may NOT be dropped.  .  Students who fail to comply with the standards outlined in the syllabus and/or Student Rights & Responsibilities will be subject to disciplinary action which may include but is not limited to:  removal from the classroom, consultation with department chair and/or other AC authority, withdrawal from the course and/or the college..

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  \ Food/Drink: It is the policy of the Mathematics & Engineering Department that food and drink be allowed in the classroom setting, at the instructor’s discretion. Food and drink are not allowed in the computer labs.

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  \ Phones/Pagers: It is the policy of the Mathematics & Engineering Department that cell phones and pagers must be turned off or in silent mode in the classrooms and the computer labs.

  Grading Criteria

  Grades:  There will be a minimum of three major exams and a comprehensive final.  I will drop the lowest major exam grade.  If you miss a major exam, it will count as your drop grade and will not be made up.  The final may not be dropped.  I do not offer make-up exams.  If you miss more than one exam (remember the first missed one is your drop grade) a second missed exam will be recorded as a zero.  However, if you know ahead of time that you will be missing an exam, you may schedule to take the exam early.

  Homework:  Expect to have homework every day in this course! Homework will be assigned from the book and will be graded on a point scale.  Your daily homework score is determined by the number of problems you attempted to work following the guidelines outlined below, not the number of problems you worked correctly.  Your final homework score will be determined by dividing the number of problems you received credit for by 90% of the total number of problems assigned for the semester.  Turning in all of your homework is one of the best things you can do to improve your grade!

  •   Written Homework:  Homework that does not meet the requirements will be recorded as a grade of a zero. You may come check your written homework in Engr. 104, which is the student outreach center anytime as long as you have attempted every problem.  Homework must follow the following requirements:
  1.  It must be turned in at the beginning of the class period. Late homework will not be accepted. Late is defined to be: anything turned in after the start of the class period.
  2. Homework must be written in pencil on white 8.5 x 11 inch paper.  It must be neat and legible. I will be the judge as to what is neat. Just because you can read it doesn’t mean that I can interpret it.
  3. Do not tear your paper out of a spiral and leave jagged edges. Any assignment with jagged edges will not be accepted and be recorded with a grade of zero.
  4. If you have more than one page to turn in, the pages must be stapled together. Multiple pages that are not stapled or held together by a paperclip, folded corner, spit, gum, etc. will not be accepted and be recorded with a grade of zero. You must staple multiple pages together.
  5. Homework must be presented in an orderly manner with the problem running in a single column down the page.
  6. All final answers must be circled to receive credit. Any algebraic answer not circled or “boxed” in will not be graded.  Pictures/graphs do not need to be circled or boxed.
  7. If you have an assignment where you have to graph something, the ENTIRE ASSIGNEMENT must be on graph paper.
  8. You will place your name in the top right corner of each page.  Under your name place the course name, number, and section.  In the top left corner of each page, list the appropriate section of the homework assignment for example Section 2.3) and place the due date underneath.  Any assignment without the proper heading will not be accepted and be recorded with a grade of zero.
  9. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact another student to find out the homework assignment for the following class.  You may call and leave a message on my phone, 371-5901, or email me at padavies@actx.edu, but you take the chance that I may not retrieve the message before the due date.  And remember,  Late homework is not accepted.

  The will be "pop" tests given over the homework.  The pop tests will be taken in your Blue Book.  At the end of the semester, I will drop your two lowest "pop" tests grades to allow for sick or just "My dog ate my homework and I was not able to study" days.  Use the days wisely.

  The homework average will be determined by the average of the homework score and the "pop" tests. 

  Exams:  Exams must be taken in pencil.  Exams will be administered in class (in which case they must be completed by the end of class, in the testing center, or as a take home test.  If you make below a 70 on your Exam, you will be required to have a 30-minute session with your instructor before the next exam.

  Final:  Under NO circumstances will the final be given late (i.e. No Make Ups)!! The final will cover all material covered in-class including chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8. The comprehensive final will be given on the following date as directed by the official Amarillo College Schedule:

  • Section 005: Thursday, June 28, 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM

  Make-up:  Make-up work is given at the discretion of the instructor.  NO make-up homework or tests are given without prior notification AND proper documentation.  If you know that you are going to be out in advance, you MUST make arrangements to take the quiz or test early.  If you have an emergency and don’t know of your absence in advance, you MUST make arrangements to meet with me BEFORE the next class period to discuss what you missed.

  Grading Policy:    The final grades of A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), and F (below 60) will be computed as the average of the earned grades as follows if there are only three major exams:

  Homework ave. + two major exam scores + final exam grade

                                                      4

  If there are more than three major exams, increase the numerator and denominator accordingly.

  Other Student Resources:       

  1. Your instructor is your first and BEST resource for any help!
  2. Free one-on-one tutoring at the Student Outreach Center in Engineering 104. You will need your AC ID  to sign in.                                Hours:    MTWR 8:00am – 8:00pm, F 8:00am – 2:00pm, S 10:00am – 4:00pm, U closed
  3. Free online tutoring at Smarthinking on MyAC. This is available 24 hours a day.  You will need to log on to MyAC, click on Academics, click on Tutoring, then create an account.

  Attendance

  Attendance:  Attendance is mandatory and will be taken at EVERY class period.  It is your responsibility to make sure that you have marked youself present for each class.  If you are absent for any reason, YOU are responsible for all make-up work and notes.  Please find a friend to get your notes from, as I do not make copies of my personal lecture notes.  You will be rewarded for perfect attendance, not only because you will receive the instruction you need to do the assignment, but you will also have two points added to your final average.

  Perfect attendance:  2 points added to final average

  1-3 absences:  no change in final average

  4-5 absences: 1 point deducted from final average

  6+ absences:  3 points deducted from final average

  Remember that the deadline for withdrawing from any class at AC for Summer I,  2012 Semester is Wednesday, June 20th. If you stop attending class and your average drops below a 60 due to missed assignments and you do not officially drop the course by this deadline, you will receive an F for the course.

  Calendar

  PROJECTED SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

  Week 1:  Orientation, P.3, P.4, P.5, P.6, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7
  Week 2:  Review, Test I, 2.2, 2.5, 2.6
  Week 3:  2.7, 3.1, 3.2, Review, Test II, 3.3
  Week 4:  3.4, 3.5, Review, Test III,  4.1/4.2, 4.3
  Week 5:  4.4, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.5
  Week 6: 2.8, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, Review, Final

  Additional Information

  \ Additional Contacts:        

  \

  \ Dr. Kathryn Wetzel, Department Chair, 371-5097, kcwetzel@actx.edu

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  \ Gina Garrett, Senior Staff Assistant, 317-5158, rrgarrett@actx.edu

  Syllabus Created on:

  11/30/-1 12:00 AM

  Last Edited on:

  11/30/-1 12:00 AM