Contemporary Mathematics I 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-1332-002 Contemporary Mathematics I

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

Logic; sets and counting; metric system; probability; statistics; geometry; math of finance; and exponential and logarithmic functions.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

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Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

TEXTBOOK: Thinking Mathematically, 5th ed. AUTHORS: Robert Blitzer, Pearson Prentice-Hall Publishing company. You will also need an access code for MyMathLab.

Supplies

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: 

Students must have regular access to a computer with the following:

• Windows 2000 o

  Student Performance

  PERFORMANCE/LEARNING OBJECTIVES:  After completing this course, the student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the following topics:

  1. Correct application of deductive and inductive reasoning, symbolic logic, conditionals and truth tables.
  2. Investigate and apply sets and set operations, Venn diagrams and combinatorics.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of basic terms and rules, independence and conditional probability.
  4. Interpret population, sample and data, measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion and normal distribution.
  5. Review exponential and logarithmic functions, properties of logarithms, and investigate their applications in exponential growth and decay.
  6. Compute and evaluate perimeter, area, volume, surface area and ancient geometries.
  7. Evaluate simple interest, compound interest, annuities, amortized loans and annual percentage rate

  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

  ACADEMIC DISHONESTY will not be tolerated in this class and will result in a zero for the exam or assignment involved.  For more information, please see the college’s academic dishonesty policy in the student handbook.  Cell phone use will not be allowed in any way during any exams for this course.  If a student attempts to use a cell phone during any exam, a zero will be given for that exam.  Further disciplinary action may be taken in accordance with the  provisions in the AC Student Rights and Responsibilities publication.

  If you experience problems with your computer or if ACOnline goes down:

  In previous semesters, students have experienced technical difficulties with their computer and one time, we experienced a week of class where AC Online was unavailable.  This brought to my attention that these are possibilities that we will need to prepare for.  Please print out this information for your reference:   

  Make a back-up plan at the beginning of the semester.  Ask a family member, friend, or neighbor if they will agree to be your "back-up" computer plan should something go down on your computer and you need to finish an assignment right away.  You might not ever need to call them at all during the entire semester, but it is a good idea to have a back-up plan in place just in case you need it.

   Pearson Higher Education is the publisher of our text and also of MyMathLab. You can go to the website http://247pearsoned.custhelp.com or you can call 1-800-677-6337 to get help with access code questions or support for the MyMathLab website.

   Verify that your computer and internet connections meet minimum requirements for this course found in the "Let's Get Started" document found under the "Lessons" tab of your AC Online course.

  If you have problems with your computer, you may use other computers such as those available at the Lynn Library Second Floor Learning Commons at Amarillo College or other library computers.  The Math Outreach Center in the Engineering Building Room 106 also has computers that you can use to do your online homework and tests.

  If you have problems with the Amarillo College server (things like "system unavailable" or "password not accepted"), contact the tech support staff at Amarillo College.  The AC helpdesk phone # is 371-5000 and the web address is http://www.actx.edu/~disted/on/help/helpdesk.htm

  If AC Online goes down, you then have permission to contact me at slclowe@actx.edu .  Please DO NOT use this address to contact me unless AC Online is down.  

  If AC Online is unavailable and it is at least one week into the semester, all due dates on coursecompass.com and for your written exams will be as stated in the syllabus because you can still get to MyMathLab through coursecompass.com on any internet browser even if AC Online goes down for a while.  Just get into any internet browset and type www.coursecompass.com into the webaddress bar and you will be into MyMathLab. 

   If you have questions about assignments, I'll be glad to answer those over e-mail.  I  have backups of the files, and I can access information for you and send it to you.   

   

   

  Expectations and Requirements for this course
  Every online class is different; it makes sense to outline my policies and expectations so that each student is well informed as they begin the class as to what will be required of them.

  1. Online classes require additional skills of the student. You will be expected to learn the material by utilizing the online resources at coursecompass.com (which is where you find MyMathLab) and by reading your textbook.  Students must take responsibility for their learning in this course and start assignments early (several days in advance of any due date) to give yourself time to comprehend the material and get help if needed before the due date arrives.   Students will need to be strong readers, able to read a math textbook, look at examples in the textbook and online, and be able to comprehend the mathematical concepts being covered in this course. 
      
  2. You will need internet access. You will need internet access for several hours each week. To use coursecompass.com, you will need specific software that may not be available on all public computers, so I do not suggest using the computer at a public library for this course. You should plan to use either your personal computer or a computer at  Amarillo   College . If you plan to use a computer at  Amarillo College , please keep in mind that the library may have limited hours on weekends or holidays and keeping up with the library's hours is your responsibility. By signing up for an online course, you are communicating that you have access to a computer with a reliable internet connection with the appropriate software.
      
  3. This class demands a great deal of time. Online courses often take more time than in-class delivery courses. Please expect to spend at least 10-15 hours each week on this course. (This is for Fall and Spring semester courses; double this time commitment for Summer courses). If your other life commitments do not allow you this amount of time to spend on the course, you may want to choose another course or delivery method.
      
  4. Deadlines are your responsibility. Due dates are given to you in the syllabus. Online classes give you the freedom to complete your assignments at your own pace and in your own time. With this freedom comes responsibility.-- You are responsible for completing your assignments by the posted due dates regardless of other commitments you may have in your life beyond this class. Completing assignments a few days ahead of the due date is the best way to ensure that all your assignments are turned in on time.
      
  5. Technical difficulties happen. Yes, technical difficulties happen, and usually at the worst possible times. Plan on it. If ever your internet connection is going to go out, it will happen the night you left the online test until the last minute. My best suggestion is to make a "back-up plan" at the beginning of the semester.  Ask a friend or neighbor at the beginning of the semester if you can use their computer in the unlikely event that you have an emergencyand your internet connection is not working properly.  If you have technical difficulties while completing a test and exit out of the test before you complete it, the software will "lock" you out of that exam.  You will need to e-mail me so that I can go into the software and give you access again to that exam.  I can help you get back into your exam provided that you are not past the due date.  Remember, however, I will not be online at 11:30 p.m. on the due date. If technical difficulties prevent you from completing an online test on time, you will receive the amount of points that  you had accumulated up to that time when technical difficulties prevented your finishing the test. Completing assignments a few days ahead of time ensures that if you have any technical difficulties, we can take care of them before the due date and your assignments will be completed on time.  To put it succinctly, start early on every assignment AND have a back-up plan in place.
      
  6. You are responsible for asking for help when you need it. There are many ways to get help in this class, but you are the only one that will know when you need help.  There are lots of resources available to help you succeed in this course, just ask and we can work together to find help for you.
      
  7. This course requires organization and a good study plan. Online courses take a lot of self-motivation and discipline. This will usually be easier if you develop a system (a weekly schedule or plan) for keeping up with your assignments in the course.
      
  8. Please do not ask for extra credit. If extra credit is offered, I will notify you by e-mail or by placing an announcement on the homepage for the course on AC Online and it will be made available to everyone in the class.  That is the only way to be fair to everyone in the course.  Don't expect extra credit to be offered, and please don't e-mail asking for extra credit.
      
  9. The same rules for a traditional classroom apply. You are expected to conduct yourself in this course according to the standards outlined in Student Rights and Responsibilities. Pay specific attention to the sections on plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Please also note that respect in every form toward your classmates, instructor, and Amarillo College personnel will be expected.

  
  Course Policies continue in the "Let's Get Started" document found under the "Lessons" tab of your AC Online course.  Please log in to AC Online, click on your Contemporary Math online course to find our course home page.  From there you can click the "Lessons" tab and find the documents and links you need for this course.  Please refer to the documents found there as part of the syllabus, policies and general information about the course.

  Grading Criteria

  INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD / EXAMINATIONS / ASSIGNMENTS and GRADING:
  Online homework (20% of your total grade):  Online homework will be completed at www.coursecompass.com (MyMathLab) by the due date indicated in your Assignment Schedule found in AC Online under the "Lessons" tab.  Online homework may be attempted as many times as you need to, up until the due date.  If you start early, you will have plenty of opportunity to continue working on certain problems to achieve a 100% on each homework assignment.  But the key is to START EARLY.  The highest grade achieved on the homework as of the due date will be recorded by the computer program.  There are 15 homework assignments, and I will use your 12 best scores to compute your homework average.  Late homework will not be accepted for any reason (see policy entitled “Late Work” below).  Online homework must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CST on the due date. 
  
  Online Exams (20% of your total grade):  Online exams will be completed at  www.coursecompass.com (MyMathLab) by the due date(s) indicated in the Assignment Schedule.  Online tests may be taken twice and have a time limit of 90 minutes.  Once you start an online Test, you need to complete it and submit it for a completed grade within the 90 minute time limit.  If you exit out of an online test or experience technical difficulties and are "kicked out" of the test before you finish it, you will be "denied access" by the software program until you contact me via e-mail and then I have to go into the program and grant you access. At that point, I will give you the grade you had when you exited out or were "kicked out" even if it was really low and then I will grant you access.  It is a very difficult process and is to be avoided at all costs.  You will want to plan to complete all your online tests in one sitting.  There are 15 online tests -- I will drop the 3 lowest test grades and use your 12 best scores to compute your online test average.  There will be no makeup exams (see policy entitled “Late Work” below). Online tests must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CST on the due date. 
  
  Three Paper and Pencil Exams (2 regular exams and 1 final exam, each worth 20% of your final grade for a total of 60%):  These two exams and the final exam will be completed by hand.  These tests must be taken at the  Washington Street   Campus Testing Center (SSC-104, (806) 371-5456) or at an approved testing site. If you will be taking a test at a site other than the Washington Street campus testing center, you must get approval by and make arrangements with the instructor by the first week of the semester  and notify your instructor who, when and where you want the exam sent to the alternate testing site.  You may use a TI-83 calculator to complete these exams.  Each exam must be completed by  the due date.  The testing center requires that you provide a photo ID to take a test and will not hand out a test within an hour of closing.  Paper exams may not be taken late for any reason. 
  Cell phone use during any exam in this course is not allowed under any circumstances.  Any student attempting to use a cell phone during any exam will receive an immediate zero on that exam and may be subject to further disciplinary actions in accordance with the Amarillo College Student's Rights and Responsibilities document.  

  LATE WORK:  I will drop 3 (of 15) online Homework grades and 3 (of 15) online Test grades at the end of the semester.  I do this because I do not allow any makeup work or late submitted work.  These dropped grades are to be used in all situations involving missed assignments including ( but not limited to ): illness, family emergency, hospitalization, family illness, death of family member, technical difficulties, forgetting assignment, etc.  It is wise to "save" these three dropped grades in each category for times in the semester when you REALLY need them.  You do not want to use these on your first three assignments.  Because of these three dropped grades, you will not be given any extensions on any of the homework assignments or online tests. 

  Paper exams may not be taken late for any reason.

  Attendance

  This course will be web-based. Lectures will be viewed at the online site, coursecompass.com which contains MyMathLab. Mastery of the material will be facilitated by reading the text, working through examples and solving homework problems online. Two homework assignments and two weekly tests will be given online.  Two Written Exams and a Final Exam must be proctored at Amarillo College or at another site agreed to by your instructor. You must tell your instructor via e-mail within the first week of the beginning of the course as to the date and approximate time you plan to take your two written and one final exam. Please choose a date and time from the following schedule and let me know via e-mail as soon as possible.

  First Written Exam Dates: June 21, 22, or 25        Second Written Exam Dates:  July 9, 10, or 11

  Final Exam Dates:  July 24, 25, or 26

  The AC Testing Center is open 8am to 7pm Monday-Thursday and 8-5 on Friday.

  I request that these two tests be proctored. If none of these dates are possible for you, please contact your instructor right away so that a possible solution can be worked out between you and your instructor. These testing issues must be all settled and scheduled by the first week of the semester.  This helps the testing center staff plan for the large numbers of tests being given on those dates.

  Attendance Policy: Since this is an online class, your attendance is achieved by logging into this course AT LEAST four times per week on different days of the week. Please stay current with your assignments and with class announcements.  You are responsible for logging into the online course to get your assignments and check messages.  You can reach the online course by going to www.actx.edu and clicking on AC Online.  You can call 371-5000 for technical assistance.  Please respond promptly to e-mails and requests from your instructor. Due dates for assignments, quizzes, and exams will be strictly enforced. Homework and tests not completed by the due date will receive a grade of zero. It is easy to get behind in an online class so stay motivated and do not procrastinate. If for some reason you stop working on the course and decide that you do not have time because of other commitments, please remember to officially drop the course via the registrar's office, otherwise you will receive a grade of F. The last day which you may drop this course with a "W" is Monday, July 16th.

  Calendar

  The following sections of the textbook are covered in this course, however they will not be covered in this order.

  Chapter 1:    1.2, 1.3
  Chapter 2:    2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5
  Chapter 3:    3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7
  Chapter 5:    5.2, 5.6
  Chapter 7:    7.1, 7.2, 7.6
  Chapter 8:    8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6
  Chapter 9:    9.1, 9.2, 9.3
  Chapter 11:    11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.8
  Chapter 12:    12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5

  The order in which we will cover these sections and the due dates are listed below:

  First Day of classes for the eight week courses of Summer 2012 is June 4th.  Please log into AC Online and find the "Lessons" tab to access this online course. 

  
  Last Day to Drop with 100% Refund is June 5th.

  Week #	Due Date	Sections Covered
  1A	6/7	1.2, 1.3
  1B	6/10	5.2, 5.6, 2.1, 2.2
  2A	6/14	2.3, 2.4, 2.5
  	6/7	Last day to drop with 70% refund Sign up for your desired exam dates!
  2B	6/17	7.1, 7.2, 7.6
  3A	6/21	9.1, 9.2, 9.3
  	6/21-25	Written Exam #1 in AC Testing Center DUE by 5 pm June 25th
  3B	6/24	3.1, 3.2
  4A	6/28	3.3, 3.4
  4B	7/1	3.5, 3.6, 3.7
  5A	7/5	8.1, 8.2, 8.3
  5B	7/8	8.4, 8.5
  	7/9-11	Written Exam #2 in AC Testing Center Due by July 11 at 5 p.m.
  6A	7/12	11.2, 11.3
  6B	7/15	11.4, 11.5, 11.6
  	7/16	Last day to drop course "W"
  7A	7/19	11.7, 11.8
  7B	7/22	12.1, 12.2, 12.3
  8A	7/25	12.4, 12.5
  8B	7/24-26	Final Exam in AC Testing Center DUE by 2 pm on July 26th

  I look forward to working together with you this semester and my desire is to help each of you enrolled in this course to complete it successfully.  Please keep in touch!  That is the key.  I will see you online.

  Additional Information

  \ Websites for this course:

  \

  \ www.coursecompass.com

  \

  \ www.actx.edu

  \

  \ You must be able to access www.actx.edu and then from that home page, log in to AC Online to access your online course. Inside your online course under the "Lessons" tab there will be links to www.coursecompass.com which is the website that enables you to do the MyMathLab homework assignments and online weekly tests.

  \

  \ The course itself uses www.coursecompass.com/MyMathLab for delivery of the majority of the online instruction and content of the course.

  \

  \ 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.

  Syllabus Created on:

  11/30/-1 12:00 AM

  Last Edited on:

  11/30/-1 12:00 AM