COURSE
REQUIREMENTS: ARE YOU READY?
To
be successful in this (and any) on-line course,
you will need to be self-motivated and self-disciplined in setting
your study schedule. Some students are more
suited to this type of distance learning
experience, but others are not. I encourage you
to ask yourself these questions to help determine
if you are prepared to be in an online course:
Am I able to manage my time
without distractions? (You
must devote at least 10 hours per week
for this class.)
Do I have a quiet, safe
environment where I can study with little or
no interruptions?
Am I able to consistently
meet deadlines? (Refer to the course calendar
for "soft" deadlines.)
Will I continually check
the course calendar and complete assignments
on time?
Am I able to learn new
material on my own?
Do I have a reliable
computer that I am experienced with, and a
back up computer I can use if my computer
crashes?
Based on your personal responses to each of these
items, I'll let you decide if this on-line course
is for you.
Once
in the class you will find a lot of on-line
support from me and from the other students, and
I encourage you to take advantage of this
support.
I
tend not to answer questions that are not
asked.
The most important things
to know about this course:
- You will need
to devote at least 10 hours per week on
Math 52; this includes
- reading the text
- watching tutorial
videos
- doing
exercises
- taking
on-line quizzes and tests
- participating
in "classroom"
discussions
- taking the
Midterm and the Final Exams at
Norco College
-
- I might
drop you for inactivity. However, if you
want to drop the course you should do it
yourself; do not rely on
me to do it for you.
-
- A Computer is
Required:
- You
will also need a computer with an
internet connection. Many of the
tools used in this class will
require a fast internet
connection so please make sure
you have all the required
material for the course.
- Computers
have a habit of failing at
important times. So having
access to another computer, such
as a computer on campus, or at a
library, or a friend's, or one of
your own, is a good idea and
highly recommended.
-
- If
you don't have a reliable computer or
reliable internet access, then you might
want to consider whether taking this
course is a good option for you.
-
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DISABLED
RESOURCE CENTER (DRC)
If you have a physical,
psychiatric/emotional, medical, or learning
disability that may impact your ability to carry
out assigned course work, I urge you to contact
the staff in Disabled Resource Center. You can
find information about contacting them on the
campus of your choice by going to DRC. All
information and documentation is confidential.
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INSTRUCTOR
My name is Stephen
Park. I am an Associate Professor
of Mathematics at Norco College. I have been
teaching at Norco College since 2006, and I have
been teaching on-line courses since 2017.
For
my Math 52 courses I use Bob Prior's Elementary
Algebra textbook (see below). Many students
have had very positive comments about the
readability of the book, and I hope that you find
it the same. Some of you may have used his books
in a previous class, maybe MAT-64 or MAT-65
(Arithmetic and Prealgebra). The Math 52 book has
more challenging material than the Pre-Algebra
text, so you may need to read a section more than
once.
You
cannot do
this course without the book, so
please get it as soon as possible.
My
wish for my students is that they enjoy the
class, enjoy learning math and come away with a
new attitude about math and how it works. Please
feel free to contact me through my school e-mail
address.
Stephen
Park
My
campus e-mail is stephen.park@NorcoCollege.edu
My
web page is MAT52-Online-Park
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COURSE
DESCRIPTION
This course will start you off
learning about the foundations of algebra,
positive and negative numbers, and the Order of
Operations. We then move into Equations,
Polynomials, Factoring, Rational Expressions,
Quadratic and Rational Equations, Graphing Lines,
and square roots.
Now,
don't let any of those topics scare you. The text
will take you through one step at a time, and I
think you'll find the explanations fairly easy to
understand and apply. However, math doesn't come
through a closed book, nor does it come through
last minute cramming. You'll need to keep on top
of the daily assignments so that you don't get
behind.
This
class moves quickly, so you must stay on top
of it on a regular basis.
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STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The principle objective of
this course is for the students to learn the
mathematics of Elementary Algebra so that they
can apply it to a variety of problems and
applications.
Upon successful
completion of the course, students will be able
to:
- Perform
arithmetic operations on real numbers and
polynomial, rational, and radical
expressions.
- Evaluate
algebraic expressions.
- Solve equations
involving linear, quadratic, rational,
and radical expressions.
- Graph linear
equations and inequalities given the
equation and find the equation given the
graph.
- Factor
polynomials.
- Apply algebraic
principles and techniques to the solution
of applications.
- Use the symbols
and vocabulary of algebra to communicate
mathematical concepts.
Many question the value of
learning algebra, asking, "When am I ever
going to use this stuff?" Even if a student
never again uses algebra in the workplace or at
home, being successful in algebra makes one smarter and opens
more doors to job and educational
opportunities.
This
class moves quickly, so you must stay on top
of it on a regular basis.
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ABOUT
THE BOOK READ THIS!
Our text is actually
three books, shrink wrapped together, a total of
ten chapters:
Elementary Algebra, Norco
Edition, by Robert H. Prior
You can view all of Chapter 1 and
Chapter 2 on-line
while waiting to get your
book!
HOW
TO BUY THE TEXT BOOK
1. You may purchase the
book on-line or in person at the Norco
College bookstore (951) 372-7085.
2. Using
the Norco College Bookstore's web site, you can
reserve the textbook and pick it up yourself, or
you can purchase it on-line and have it shipped
to your home:
Norco
College Bookstore
As mentioned above,
you can view all of Chapter
1 and Chapter 2
online while you wait for the arrival of your
textbook.
As
the instructor, I will be available through
e-mail and on-line discussions, but most
everything relates back to the book.
CHAPTER 0: A
PRE-ALGEBRA REVIEW (not
required)
There is also an
online version of Chapter 0 (not
required) that covers
pre-algebra topics with which you should already
be familiar -- and it is available on-line (see
below). This class does not
cover Chapter 0, but you may want
to look through it in case you are not sure of
topics like fractions or percents.
If you want to, you can
view some or all of Chapter 0
on-line.
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HOMEWORK
There are two ways in which
you will get a chance to practice the algebra
that you are learning,
(1) on paper,
using the textbook, and
(2) online,
using Knewton
Alta.
You won't actually need to go to the Alta
website ... it will come right to you in
Canvas.
For the textbook, you are
expected to do the exercises in each section of
the book tat we cover. However, I will not
collect the homework. You do the exercises
because that's how you're going to learn the
material you will be quizzed and tested on.
For Alta, the homework is all
online -- including explanations and videos --
and your score on the Alta homework will appear
in Canvas.
Also for the textbook,
there are
exercises built right into the reading so
that you can do them as you read. The answers
to these exercises are at the end of that
particular section. There are also Focus
Exercises
at the end of each section; the answers to the Focus
Exercises are posted on-line at my
web page: MAT52-Online-Park.
You should
bookmark my webpage so you have easy access
to it.
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ALTA
ONLINE HOMEWORK
Alta is an online Learning
Management System that is required for this
course. It is separate from Canvas, but you are
able to access it directly within Canvas.
The first time it is available
in our Canvas course (in one of the early
lessons) you will have an option to pay for it.
There are basically three options:
.... (1) Purchase an
access code from Knewton (the company that makes
Alta). Options are
(a) Monthly, for
however long you need Knewton for MAT-52 ($9.95/month).
(b) One-time
purchase for MAT-52 ($44.00)*
.... (2) Purchase an
access code from the Norco College Bookstore ($53.25
+ tax)*
*Purchasing Alta from at full
price gives you two years of access to the MAT-52
materials, just in case you need to repeat the
course.
NOTE 1: It's important that you access
Alta from our Canvas course (don't go directly to
Knewton). When you access it from our course,
Alta will know which Norco College class you are
in and send the information there.
NOTE 2: I don't recommend purchasing
it from the bookstore unless you are on financial
aid.
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CALCULATORS
This course does not allow the
use of a calculator, so you should not use one in
your studies, quizzes and tests. Just so you
know, the Midterm and the Final do not allow the
use of calculators.
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STUDENT
RESOURCES
You are encouraged to take
advantage of all of the learning resources
available to you:
Math
Express: On the Norco Campus, drop-in
tutoring is located
in the Learning Resource Center (LRC). The LRC is
in the bottom floor of the Library Building.
(There are also math labs on the Moreno Valley
and Riverside campuses.) For Math Express hours
on Norco College, please call 951-372-7143.
The math lab is an
invaluable resource for students who would like
extra help from math tutors. Math Express is
available to any student enrolled in a math
course. Please contact Tutorial Services if you
have any further questions 951-372-7143.
Tutorial
Services: RCCD
offers up to three hours per week of free
tutoring to each student.
Often a tutor makes
all the difference in your understanding.
Information about Tutorial Services can be found
on-line: Norco, Riverside, Moreno
Valley. The
phone number for Norco Tutorial Services is
951-372-7143.
Instructor:
I am here to
help you in anyway I can. Make sure you reach out
to me for assistance.
Unfortunately, with
an online class, I can't tell if you are having
difficulty with the material unless you contact
me via our class e-mail.
Classmates:
In an online
course, we have a discussion board.
This is a great
place to reach out to your fellow students.
Post your questions and (likely) within hours
you will have a reply, from me or a fellow
student, with help or support.
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GRADING
Wouldn't it be great if
students could learn for the sake of learning
without having to be concerned about grades?
Unfortunately, most courses don't operate that
way, so I have developed a weighted
grading system for our class.
Your
grade will be based on your work in the following
areas
- a
Midterm Exam*: 30% of
the total
(The Midterm is weighted to be worth
about 750 points)
- a
Final Exam*: 30% of
the total
(The Final is weighted to be worth about
750 points)
- 8 chapter
tests: about 25% of
the total
(The tests are worth between 25 and 100
points)
- 28 Quizzes:
about 10% (The quizzes are
worth 10 points each)
- Alta Homework,
about 5%
*Special Note: The Midterm
Exam and the Final Exam are proctored
tests that are given at Norco
College.
Extra Credit:
There
are a few extra credit quizzes throughout the
course; each is worth 2 or 3 points maximum.
Otherwise, there is no other works that can
be done for extra credit. All other points
come from the items listed above.
Participation takes place
in the Discussion Board. Participation includes
answering the questions in the Discussion part of each
lesson, reading others' postings, posting
original messages (including asking math-help
questions),and replying to messages. The number
of participation points (100 maximum) will be
calculated at the end of the semester. It will
not be a part of any grade progress reports given
throughout the semester.
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QUIZZES
AND TESTS
Within the course there are
about 30 quizzes, worth 10
points each. All on-line quizzes are
multiple choice.
There
are also on-line multiple choice chapter
tests. Most are worth 100 points.
The Chapter 10 test is worth 50 points and Test 3 is
a paper test (25 points) that you must get to me
by email or by regular mail.
The Midterm
and Final exams are paper
tests that are given at Norco College, and these
tests are not multiple choice. Instead,
you must show your work on the test to receive
full credit.
Each
lesson usually includes one or two quizzes.
Quizzes:
You
get three chances (attempts) at each
quiz. If you take a quiz more than
once, you always get the highest score. So,
if you get a great score the first time, you
don't need to take it a second time. (You
generally have 60 minutes to take each quiz.)
The
on-line program should automatically grade
the quiz right away. If it doesn't, let me
know (through our Canvas class e-mail), and
I'll fix it as soon as I can. Don't let
glitches like that keep you from reading the
material in the next lesson.
Tests:
The
on-line tests are to
be taken at the end of each chapter in the
book. You will be told when it's appropriate
to take the tests. You get two attempts
at each test, so, if you make
mistakes the first time, you have an
opportunity to correct them for the second
time. (You generally have 3
hours to take each test.)
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EXAMS
(MIDTERM AND FINAL)
We have both a Midterm Exam
and a Final Exam for this course, and they are
both proctored exams. These
exams are held at Norco College. The Midterm is
during the 8th week of the semester, and the
Final is during the 16th week. After the second
week of the semeter, the Midterm schedule will be
posted online; I will let you know when it is
ready.
The Midterm covers Chapters 1
- 4 & part of Ch. 6 (6.1-6.3); the Final
covers the whole course. These
exams are no-book, no-notes exams; also,
calculators, computers, and cell phones are not
allowed.
The
Midterm is graded out of
150 points, but it is
worth 30% of your course grade (it is scaled to a
total of 750 points). The
same is true of the Final.
Because they total 60%
of the course grade, these two exams should be
your primary focus.
However, the way you do well on these exams is to
1)
Study the material and do well on the
exercises in the book, both the
"in-reading" exercises and the
Focus Exercises;
2)
do well on the on-line quizzes and tests;it
is strongly recommended that you do the
quizzes and tests without using notes,
books, and calculators.
3)
prepare for the Midterm by going to the Midterm web page (it has
a practice test with video explanations); and
4)
prepare for the Final by going to the Final Exam web page (it also
has a practice test with video explanations).
Again,
the Midterm and Final exams are paper exams offered at
Norco College, and these exams are not
multiple choice. Instead, you must
show your work on each problem to
receive full credit.
You
can start practicing for the Midterm and the
Final exams from the first day by going to those
respective web pages (links embedded above).
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Course Calendar
Each lesson has a open
date and a close date.
Consecutive lessons overlap each other so that
there could be as many as three or four lessons
open at one time. This means, for example, that
you don't need to wait for Lesson 7 to close
before starting on Lesson 8.
Lesson Opens is the first day you
can access the lesson.
On-time (soft) Deadline is
the date you should
complete the lesson to be on pace.
Lesson Closes is the last day you
can access the lesson. After this date,
you will not have access to the lesson
If you don't finish a lesson
in time to take the quiz or test, then you will
receive a score of 0 (zero) on that quiz or test,
so it is important to stay on top of the
deadlines. Please read the syllabus to find out
more about the lessons.
*Notice that Sections 5.1, 5.2, 5.3,
10.2, 10.3, and 10.5
are skipped in this course.
COURSE
CALENDAR - SPRING 2019 |
Learning Modules |
Sections |
Quiz/Test |
Lesson Opens
|
On-time (soft)
Deadline
|
Lesson Closes
at 11:59 PM
|
Lesson
0: Introduction |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
0
|
Introduction
|
Syllabus
Quiz
|
Feb 11
|
Feb 13
|
Sun,
Feb 24
|
Chapter
1: Lessons 1, 2, 3 |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
1
|
1.1 -
1.2
|
Quiz 1
|
Feb 11
|
Feb 13
|
Sun,
Mar 3
|
Lesson
2
|
1.3 -
1.6
|
Quiz 2
& 3
|
Feb 13
|
Feb 15
|
Sun,
Mar 3
|
Lesson
3
|
1.7 -
1.10
|
Quiz 4,
5,& 6
and
Ch. 1 Test
|
Feb 15
|
Feb 18
|
Sun,
Mar 3
|
1st
Drop Deadline is February 24 |
Chapter
2: Lessons 4, 5, 6 |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
4
|
2.1 -
2.3
|
Quiz 7
& 8
|
Feb 19
|
Feb 22
|
Sun,
Mar 10
|
Lesson
5
|
2.4 -
2.5
|
Quiz 9
|
Feb 23
|
Feb 26
|
Sun,
Mar 10
|
Lesson
6
|
2.6 -
2.7
|
Quiz 10
and
Ch. 2 Test
|
Feb 27
|
Mar 2
|
Sun,
Mar 10
|
Chapter
3: Lessons 7, 8 |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
7
|
3.1
|
Quiz 11
|
Mar 3
|
Mar 6
|
Sun,
Mar 17
|
Lesson
8
|
3.2 -
3.3
|
Quiz 12
and
Ch. 3 mini test
|
Mar 7
|
Mar 10
|
Sun,
Mar 17
|
Chapter
4: Lessons 9, 10, 11 |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
9
|
4.1 -
4.2
|
Quiz 13
|
Mar 11
|
Mar 14
|
Sun,
Mar 31
|
Lesson
10
|
4.3 -
4.4
|
Quiz 14
|
Mar 15
|
Mar 18
|
Sun,
Mar 31
|
Lesson
11
|
4.5 -
4.6
|
Quiz 15
& 16
and
Ch. 4 Test
|
Mar 19
|
Mar 23
|
Sun,
Mar 31
|
Chapter
6: Lessons 12, 13, 14 |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
12
|
6.1* -
6.3
|
Quiz
17, 18,& 19
|
Mar 24
|
Mar 28
|
Sun,
Mar 31
|
Midterm Exam (Ch.
1 - 4 and 6.1 - 6.3)
at Norco
College
April 2 - 6
(Tues - Sat)
(Refer to the Midterm web page for the
testing schedule.)
|
Spring Break
April 8 - 12
Note: Lesson 13
is open during Spring Break
|
Chapter
6: (Continued) |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
13
|
6.4 -
6.5
|
Quiz 20
|
Apr 7
|
Apr 15
|
Sun,
Apr 21
|
Lesson
14
|
6.6 -
6.8
|
Quiz 21
& 22
and
Ch. 6 Test
|
Apr 15
|
Apr 20
|
Sun,
Apr 21
|
Chapter
7: Lessons 15, 16, 17 |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
15
|
7.1 -
7.2
|
Quiz 23
|
Apr 20
|
Apr 25
|
Sun,
May 5
|
Lesson
16
|
7.3
|
Quiz 24
|
Apr 25
|
Apr 30
|
Sun,
May 5
|
Lesson
17
|
7.4 -
7.5
|
Quiz 25
& 26
and
Ch. 7 Test
|
Apr 30
|
May 5
|
Sun,
May 5
|
Chapter
8: Lessons 18, 19 |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
18
|
8.1 -
8.2
|
Quiz 27
& 28
|
May 5
|
May 10
|
Sun,
May 19
|
Lesson
19
|
8.3 -
8.4
|
Quiz 29
& 30
and
Ch. 8 Test
|
May 10
|
May 15
|
Sun,
May 19
|
2nd
Drop Deadline is May 10 |
Chapter
9: Lessons 20, 21 |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
20
|
9.1 -
9.2
|
Quiz 31
& 32
|
May 14
|
May 20
|
Sun,
Jun 2
|
Lesson
21
|
9.3 -
9.4
|
Quiz 33
& 34
and
Ch. 9 Test
|
May 20
|
May 24
|
Sun,
Jun 2
|
Chapter
10: Lesson 22 |
Opens
|
On-Time-Deadline
|
Closes
|
Lesson
22
|
10.1
& 10.4*
|
Quiz 35
& 36
and
Ch. 10 Test
|
May 24
|
May 28
|
Sun,
Jun 2
|
Final Exam
at Norco
College
June 1 - 7 (Sat
- Fri)
(Refer to the final exam web page for the
testing schedule.)
|
___________ |
___________ |
___________________ |
___________ |
________________ |
________________ |
*Notice that Sections 5.1, 5.2, 5.3,
10.2, 10.3, and 10.5
are skipped in this course.
**If you stop
logging in but are still enrolled after the last
day to drop, then you will receive a grade of F.