Summer1 2015 Course Syllabus - Mathematics 0701.013
Course: Mathematics 0701.013.
Course Title: Elementary Algebra.
Time: MTWRF 11:50 AM - 1:25 PM.
Place: Tuttleman Learning Center 307AB.
Instructor: Wald, Doreen.
Instructor Office: Wachman Hall 550.
Instructor Email: doreen.wald@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-7995.
Office Hours: MTWRF 9:00-10:00.
Prerequisites: Knowledge of PRE-ALGEBRA material is expected. Placement is based on the Placement Test score.
Textbook: Integrated Arithmetic and Basic Algebra, 5th Edition, by Bill E. Jordan and William P. Palow.
Course Goals: The goal of this course is to give students a firm foundation in the topics of elementary algebra as a basis for subsequent courses in mathematics and other disciplines. Included in this goal is the development and strengthening of ones skill in interpreting and solving application problems.
Topics Covered: Elementary Algebra begins with a presentation of some foundational topics of Algebra: variables, exponents, order of operations, perimeter, area, and volume of geometric figures, equivalence between mathematical and verbal expressions, and operations with integers. Further topics include solving linear equations and inequalities, understanding slope, graphing linear equations in two variables, finding the equation of a line, applying the laws of exponents, performing operations with polynomials, factoring polynomials, and solving polynomial equations. The skill of solving equations will be extended to formulating and solving equations of applied problems.
Course Grading: Test 1 & Test 2 (30% for the better score, 20% for the worse); Quizzes and homework, (20%); Final Exam (30%). Numeric-To-Letter-Grade Scale: 93-100 A, 90-92 A-, 87-89 B+, 83-86 B, 80-82 B-, 77-79 C+, 73-76 C, 70-72 C-, 65-69 D+, 55-64 D, 50-54 D-, 0-49 F.
Exam Dates: Exam Dates:Test 1 Wednesday, May 27; Test 2 Wednesday, June 10; Cumulative Final- Friday, June 19. For this semester, the crucial dates are as follows: Monday , May 11 : First day of class. Friday, May 15: Last day to drop a course. Monday , May 25 : Memorial Day; No classes. Monday, June 1: Last day to withdraw from a course. Friday, June 19: Last day of class. Under any circumstance, students will not be allowed to reschedule any exam because of travel / work plans.
Attendance Policy: Attendance is mandatory. Three or more absences will affect your grade. You will be penalized one grade notch (e.g. from B to B-) for your seventh absence and one grade notch for each increment of 3 classes or a portion thereof that you miss from that point forward. . Failure to attend class during quiz dates will also affect your Quiz Average. Promptness is also required. Some absences are excused such as illness or death in family, given that documentation (with a contact phone number) is provided. If there is another reason for absence, the situation will be evaluated by the professor on a case-by-case basis. Note: Some students have travel plans around the end of every semester. If you are in this category of students, please plan ahead. Under any circumstance, students will not be allowed to reschedule any exam, especially the final exam, because of travel/ work plans.
Weekly Quizzes: Quizzes will be given every week, dates set by instructor. Each quiz will consist of 4-5 problems based on the homework problems assigned that week. When computing your overall quiz average, the lowest two quiz scores will be dropped. (If 8 quizzes or less are given, the lowest quiz score will be dropped). No makeup quizzes will be given. Missed quizzes will receive a score of zero and are to be counted among the dropped score(s).
Make Up Policy: There will be no make up for weekly quizzes given. If an emergency arises and you cannot attend the an exam, you should contact your instructor AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to alert her/him to the situation so that we can make other arrangements. DOCUMENTATION OF THE EMERGENCY IS REQUIRED and any make-up exam must be taken WITHIN TWO DAYS of the exam date, except for the final exam. No make ups will be given once the graded tests are returned. Some absences are excused such as illness or death in family, given that documentation (with a contact phone number) is provided. If there is another reason for the absence, the situation will be evaluated by the professor on a case-by-case basis. Note: Some students have travel plans around the end of every semester. If you are in this category of students, please plan ahead. Under any circumstance, students will not be allowed to reschedule any exam, especially the final exam, because of travel/ work plans.
Tutoring: Free one-on-one tutoring is available throughout the semester at the MSRC located at 1810 Liacouras Walk, 2nd Floor. See www.temple.edu/msrc for more information.
Calculator Policy: NO CALCULATORS may be used for any quiz or test.
Cumulative Final Exam: The final exam is scheduled for Friday, June 19.DO NOT MISS IT. If a student misses the final exam, he/ she will NOT be allowed to take a makeup exam unless there is a documented emergency.
Cellphone and Electronic Devices: Cell Phone and electronic devices: All cell phones and other personal electronic devices must be turned OFF during class sessions. Texting is prohibited during class. If a cell phone is answered during a test, it will result in an automatic failure of the test. Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here. During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester or summer sessions, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F. The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.
During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester or summer sessions, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F.
The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.