STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES
The principle objective
of this course is for the students to learn the mathematics of
Beginning 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.
This course may be your
last math class (if you only need it for an AA degree), or you
may need to use it to pass on to the next level, Intermediate
Algebra (or Geometry). In either case, it is my wish that every
student strive to get the top grade.
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.
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ABOUT THE BOOK
READ THIS!
Our text is actually three
books, shrink wrapped together. It has ten chapters in all.
Elementary
Algebra: A
First Course in Algebraic Thinking (2007), Version 2.03, By Robert H. Prior.
You
can view all of
Chapter
1
on-line
while
waiting to get your book!
I have spent many hours thinking
about and writing about the mathematics that you
will be studying in this course. I have designed the text so
that you can learn as you read, oftentimes learning without the
assistance of an instructor.
As the instructor,
I will be available through e-mail and on-line discussions, but
most everything relates back to the book.
Last, this Math
52 textbook contains some sections that we will be skipping in
this on-line course. The sections that we do cover are listed
in the course
calendar.
I have also written a Chapter 0 that includes
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 all of Chapter 0 on-line.
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HOW TO BUY
THE TEXT BOOK
You may purchase the book (see above)
by phone or in person.
If you wish to
buy it by phone with a credit card, you may do so by calling
a local Corona merchant,
Preferred
Choice Printing
at
(951)
549-0951
680
E. Parkridge Avenue, Ste 100,
Corona,
CA 92879
map
Price
of book: $79.60
(This is the same price
as at the RCC campus bookstores.)
Shipping
& handling is $10.00.
You
will usually receive your book within 2 business days.
This text can also
be purchased in person at:
1. Preferred Choice Printing, mentioned above. map
or
2. The RCC Norco campus bookstore (951)
372-7085
If you wish to purchase
it at the RCC Norco bookstore, you can reserve the textbook (or
have it shipped to your home), by going to the RCC
Norco Bookstore
website. Shipping time is not guaranteed.
As mentioned
above,
you can view all of Chapter 1 on-line while you wait
for the arrival of your textbook.
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LESSON ROUTINE
A typical lesson will be
as follows. On WebCT (our host server for on-line classes) ...
- In the Course
Content Menu, click on Learning Modules
- Click on a lesson
and read the different parts of a lesson (start with the Introduction);
- From the lesson's
Assignment,
read
the related textbook material, watch the related video tutorial,
read the text again, and do the exercises as they appear;
- In the Assignment part of the lesson, there
might also be some on-line activities for you to do to strengthen
your understanding of the topic;
- You can also use
the Discussion Board to post any questions you may have, or answer
any questions that have been posted by others; and then
- For each lesson,
there is always at least one quiz and, at the end of the chapter,
a practice test. Information about the quizzes/tests is found
within either the Discussion portion of the lesson
or a special Assessment portion. Take the quiz
and/or test offered at the end of each lesson.
These routines
will be explained further at the introduction to each lesson
on the course website.
Our pace will need
to be about one
lesson every 4 to 6 days, including weekends and holidays. Each
lesson will typically include two or three sections in the book.
(See Course
Calendar
for the schedule of Lessons.) Don't fall behind! It's important that you
keep up with the lessons according to the schedule. It's a good idea to write the lessons'
schedule on your personal calendar.
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CALCULATORS
This course does not require
or allow the use of a calculator, nor should you use one in your
studies, quizzes and tests.
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STUDENT RESOURCES
You are encouraged to take advantage of
all of the learning resources available to you:
Math Lab: On the Norco Campus, the
Math Lab is located in ST 101.
(There are also math labs on the Moreno Valley and Riverside
campuses.)
The math lab is an invaluable resource
for students who would like extra help from both math tutors
and math instructors. The Math LAB is available to any student
enrolled in a math course. Sign
up for ILA-800 (Math) to get free one-on-one tutoring in the
math Lab (instructor's referral required). Please
contact the Norco Math Lab if you have any further questions
951-372-7008.
Tutorial Services:
RCC 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 here.
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 email.
Classmates:
In an online course, we
have the discussion board.
This is a great place to reach
out to your fellow students. Post your questions and within hours
you will have a fellow student respond back with help or support.
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MATH LAB
HOURS
Here is a table showing
the Math Lab hours for the Norco campus. If you want indivisualized
tutoring appointments, see me about a referral to ILA 800. It's
also a good place for group
study.
MATH LAB HOURS
- SPRING 2010
|
Day |
NORCO
Campus, ST 101 |
|
Monday |
8:45 AM - 8:00 PM |
|
Tuesday |
8:45 AM - 8:00 PM |
|
Wednesday |
8:45 AM - 8:00 PM |
|
Thursday |
8:45 AM - 8:00 PM |
|
Friday |
8:45 AM - 2:00 PM |
|
Saturday |
Closed |
|
Sunday |
Closed |
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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 grading system for our
class.
Your grade will
be based on your work in the following areas
- 28 Quizzes: about 28% of the total
- 5 chapter tests: about 50% of
the total
- Homework: about 7% of the total
- a Final Exam: about 15% of the
total
Homework:
That you practice
the algebra you are studying is a necessary part of the learning
process. The textbook has many exercises within the reading,
and there are also exercises at the end of each section, called
Focus Exercises. The Focus Exercises
are your primary assignment. It is expected that these exercises
will be completed before the next class session.
Homework will be
collected on the day of an exam and will be given a maximum of
10 points per chapter. Homework
assignments must be placed inside of a portfolio folder (with
pockets) with student's name at the upper-right outside corner.
To receive the
most credit, you must show complete work on each exercise. Homework
may be given a lower score if it is not neat, if work is not
shown, or if it is out of page order.
The Focus Exercises
can be downloaded (and printed) from bobprior.com.
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QUIZZES AND
TESTS
All on-line
quizzes are multiple choice only. All
of the tests will be done in the Math Lab.
Each lesson will
include one or two quizzes.
You get two chances
(attempts) at each quiz. If you get a great score the first time,
you don't need to take it a second time. However, if you take
a quiz twice, you always get to keep the highest score.
The on-line program
should automatically grade the quiz right away. If it doesn't,
let me know (through our WebCT e-mail), and I'll fix it as soon
as I can. Don't let glitches like that keep you from doing the
next lesson.
The on-line tests are for practice only and do not count
toward your grade.
The
quizzes will stay open through to the end of test for that set
of material. You must take the quizzes in succession, and they
will be available to you only after the previous one has been
completed.
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Course
Calendar
HYBRID COURSE CALENDAR - SPRING
2010
| Day |
Dates |
Discussion |
Lesson Assignment |
Quizzes |
| Tues. |
Feb.
16 |
Intro |
Lesson 1 |
|
| Thurs. |
Feb.
18 |
1.1 - 1.5 |
Lesson 1 |
Quizzes 1 and 2 |
| Tues. |
Feb.
23 |
1.6 - 1.9 |
Lesson 2 |
Quizzes 3 and 4 |
| Thurs. |
Feb.
25 |
Ch. 1 recap |
Lesson 2 |
Quizzes 3 and 4 |
| Tues. |
Mar.
2 |
2.1 - 2.2 |
Lesson 3 |
Quiz 5 |
| Thurs. |
Mar.
4 |
2.3 - 2.4 |
Lesson 3 |
Quiz 6 |
| Tues. |
Mar.
9 |
2.5 - 2.6 |
Lesson 4 |
Quiz 7 |
| Thurs. |
Mar.
11 |
3.2 - 3.3 |
Lesson 5 |
Quiz 8 |
|
Tues, Mar. 16, 10:30-12:30
2:00 - 4:00
|
Test 1: Ch. 1, 2, & 3
(Ch. 3 includes only Sec. 3.2 &
3.3)
|
|
Wed,
Mar. 17, 9:00-3:30 |
| Tues. |
Mar.
16 |
4.1 - 4.2 |
Lesson 6 |
Quiz 9 |
| Thurs. |
Mar.
18 |
4.3 - 4.5 |
Lesson 7 |
Quiz 10 |
| Tues. |
Mar.
23 |
4.6 - 4.7 |
Lesson 8 |
Quizzes 11 & 12 |
|
Monday, March 22:
The last day to drop without a W |
| Thurs. |
Mar.
25 |
5.1 - 5.2 |
Lesson 9 |
Quiz 13 |
| Tues. |
Mar.
30 |
5.1 - 5.2 |
Lesson 9 |
Quiz 13 |
| Thurs. |
Apr.
1 |
Ch 2/3 Make up |
|
|
| Tues. |
Apr.
6 |
5.3 |
Lesson 9 |
Quiz 13 |
| Thurs. |
Apr.
8 |
5.4 |
Lesson 10 |
Quiz 14 |
|
April 11 - 17 Spring
Break |
| Tues. |
Apr.
20 |
5.5 - 5.6 |
Lesson 10 |
Quiz 15 |
| Thurs. |
Apr.
22 |
6.1, 6.3 |
Lesson 11 |
Quiz 16 & 18 |
|
Thurs, Apr. 22, 10:30-12:30
4:00 - 8:00
|
Test 2: Ch. 4 & 5 |
|
Friday,
Apr. 23, 9:00-2:00 |
| Tues. |
Apr.
27 |
6.2, 6.4 |
Lesson 12 |
Quiz 17 & 19 |
| Thurs. |
Apr.
29 |
6.4, 6.5 |
Lesson 12 |
Quiz 20 |
| Tues. |
May
4 |
7.1 |
Lesson 13 |
Quiz 21 |
| Thurs. |
May
6 |
7.3 |
Lesson 13 |
Quiz 22 |
|
Tues, May 11, 10:30-12:30
2:00 - 4:00
|
Test 3: Ch. 6 & 7
(Ch. 6 includes only Sec. 6.1-6.5;
Ch. 7 includes only Sec. 7.1 &
7.3)
|
|
Wed,
May 12, 9:00-3:30 |
| Tues. |
May
11 |
8.1 - 8.2 |
Lesson 14 |
Quiz 23 |
| Thurs. |
May
13 |
8.3 - 8.4 |
Lesson 14 |
Quiz 24 |
|
Monday, May 17:
The last day to drop with a W* |
| Tues. |
May
18 |
8.5 |
Lesson 15 |
Quiz 25 |
| Thurs. |
May
20 |
8.6 - 8.7 |
Lesson 15 |
Quiz 26 |
|
Tues, May 25, 10:30-12:30
2:00 - 4:00
|
Test 4: Ch. 8 |
|
Wed,
May 26, 9:00-3:30 |
| Tues. |
May
25 |
10.1 - 10.2 |
Lesson 16 |
Quiz 27 |
| Thurs. |
May
27 |
10.3 - 10.4 |
Lesson 16 |
Quiz 28 |
| Tues. |
June
1 |
Final Exam Review |
Practice Final |
|
|
Thursday, June
3, 11:00 - 1:30 |
Final Exam HUM
102 |
*Notice that Sections 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 7.2, 7.4, and Ch. 9
are skipped in this course.
*If you stop
attending classes but are still enrolled after the last day to
drop, then you will receive a grade of F.
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DROPPING THE
COURSE
I will likely drop you from
the class if you miss two tests. However, don't depend on me
to drop you. If you plan to drop the course, you should do so
on your own through WebAdvisor or by filling out a drop card.
Be aware of the two drop deadlines, shown in the calendar. Also, please e-mail me
if this is your intention.
If you are still
enrolled in the class after the second drop deadline, you
will receive a grade.
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HONOR SYSTEM
Cheating? Don't even think
about it. If you find yourself getting tempted, please let me
know, and we'll find another way to get around obstacles and
get things understood.
Remember, this
course is all about learning math, not getting through
a course for a grade. The intention is, as you learn you will
get good grades, and you will appreciate math more than ever
before.
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