MAT 095 Beginning Algebra Online
Sample Syllabus

Professor:  Dr. Erin Wilding-Martin               Office:  M207

e-mail:  emartin@parkland.edu                     Phone:  (217) 353-2037

My Office Hours in M-207:  TBA; or email for an appointment            

Help in D-120:  You can also find help in D120.  Peer Tutoring (student tutors) is open 9 am–9 pm Monday through Thursday, and 9 am–5 pm on Fridays.  Faculty Tutoring (math instructors) is just off to the side, and it is open 10 am-12:50 pm Monday through Friday.  MAT 095 students may get help from either service.  ALEKS is installed in the computers in D120 if you would like to work there. 

Required Materials: 

Ø  ALEKS Higher-Ed 1-semester Access Code

Ø  3-ring binder with divider tabs

Optional Textbook:  The textbook for this course is Beginning and Intermediate Algebra, 3rd edition, by Hall and Mercer.  The relevant chapters will be available in pdf form within ALEKS.  Go to a pie topic in ALEKS, click “Explain” and look for the link on the right.  If you would prefer a hard copy for reference, the book is available from the Parkland bookstore and most online textbook retailers. 

Course Content

Unit 1: Chapter 1; Operations with Real Numbers and Geometry

Unit 2: Chapter 2; Linear Equations and Patterns

Unit 3: Chapter 3; Lines and Systems of Linear Equations

Unit 4: Chapter 4; Linear Inequalities

Unit 5: Chapter 5 and part of Chp 6; Exponents and Polynomials

Grading:

Ø  Homework                                          10%

o   Notebook

o   Practice Exams

Ø  ALEKS Unit Completion                     20%

Ø  Unit Exams                                         25%

Ø  Midterm Exam                                    15%

Ø  Final Exam                                          30%

Grading Policy:

This course follows the traditional scale, except that the midterm and final exams limit the maximum grade you can earn in the course.  The midterm and final are included in your semester average (see percentages above).  In addition, you cannot earn a grade in the course that is more than 10% higher than your weighted average on the proctored midterm and final exams.  (Weighted average means the final counts twice as much as the midterm.)  For example, if you have a 92% average for the semester, but you only average 78% on the midterm and final, you will get a B in the course.  

GRADING SCALE

            A          90-100% average, with midterm/final average of 80% or higher

            B          80-89% average, with midterm/final average of 70% or higher

            C         70-79% average, with midterm/final average of 60% or higher

            D         60-69% average, with midterm/final average of 50% or higher

            F          0-59% average, or midterm/final average below 50%

This policy is designed to enforce academic honesty, while still being fair to you.  There is no way I can enforce a closed book, closed note policy for online exams.  Requiring a minimum score on the proctored midterm and final is meant to encourage students to do their own online work, and to encourage them to prepare for these exams by not using books and notes during online exams.  This will make sure that that your course grade reflects your knowledge, and that you will have the prerequisite skills to do well in your next math class. 

Course Policy Agreement:  You must submit the Course Policy Agreement in Angel by January 16, 2011, indicating that you understand and agree to this policy.  If you do not, you will be dropped from the course.  This agreement covers all of the information in the “Start Here” folder.  If you do not agree to one or more of the course policies, you may drop the class with a full refund on or before January 16, 2011.  If you wait for me to drop you, no refund will be given.

The deadline to withdraw with a W on your transcript is April 28, 2011.  This cannot be done online--you must contact Admissions and Records.

Required Progress:  According to Parkland policy, MAT 095 students will be dropped from the class if they do not attend class the first two days.  For our class, this means that you must log in to ALEKS by Tuesday, January 11, or you will be dropped from the course.  In addition, instructors may withdraw students from class for not making adequate progress toward the course requirements or goals. I have not set arbitrary minimums for hours logged into ALEKS or progress made. My hope is that you are dedicated and disciplined to independently work at the necessary pace to be successful in the course. However, if a student is not making progress in ALEKS and sincerely working toward completion of the course requirements, then I will withdraw that student from the course. 

Notebook:  You are required to keep a notebook in a 3-ring binder, in which you will write down all of the problems you work on in ALEKS.  List the topic, then write down each problem you work in that area along with your solution.  Use tabs to separate each unit.  This will allow you to organize your work and use it for reference or review.  I will check your notebook at the midterm and final exams, as part of your Homework grade.

ALEKS Unit Completion:  You will earn points for completing the pie for each unit in ALEKS by its deadline.  Working on your pie is like homework for a traditional class.

Practice Exams:  There are two practice exams in ALEKS for each unit, to summarize and help you review for the exam.  These have no time limit and can be attempted multiple times before the deadline.  I will record your best score for each. 

Unit Exams:  There is an exam at the end of each unit.  These are in ALEKS under the Homework tab.  Each quiz has a one hour time limit and each exam has a two hour time limit once you start, but you must also finish by the deadline.  You may only attempt exams once.

Midterm Exam:  The midterm exam will be Tuesday, March 1, 6-8 pm at Parkland College. 

Final Exam:  The final exam will cover all material from the entire semester.  It will be Tuesday, May 10, 6-8 pm at Parkland College. 

Note:  The midterm and final exams will be proctored exams, given in person at Parkland College or other prearranged testing site.  If you are using another testing site, you must provide me with the contact information by February 15.  If you have an unavoidable time conflict with the exam but still want to take it at Parkland, you must contact me by February 20.  Failure to meet this deadline could result in a 0 on the exam.  Regardless of where you take the exams, they must each be taken on or before the date of the scheduled exams at Parkland.