2019 Spring Course Syllabus - Mathematics 1021.010
Course: Mathematics 1021.010.
Course Title: Math 1021 College Algebra.
Time: TuTh 11:40 - 1:20.
Place: Wachman 00010.
Instructor: John J. J. Matulis.
Instructor Office: Wachman 1029.
Instructor Email: john.matulis@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 610-800-0641.
Course Web Page: https://www.math.temple.edu/ugrad/coordinated/1021/
Office Hours: Mon 3:30-5:30; Tu 1:30-2:30.
Prerequisites: Math Placement or a C or better in Math 0702, 1015, or transfer credit for any of these courses.
Textbook: College Algebra: Basics to Theory of Equations, FALL 2016 Edition, Author: John Schiller/Marie A. Wurster. ISBN# 13:978-160-1264336.
Course Goals: College Algebra is a course designed to teach the fundamentals of algebra that are essential for future mathematics courses.
Topics Covered: This course covers polynomial, rational and algebraic expressions, solving linear equations and inequalities, algebra and graphs of quadratic expressions, and functions.
Course Grading: Review Quiz: 3%; Weekly Quizzes: 14%; Tests 1, 2 and 3: 17% each; Cumulative Final: 32%. 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: Under any circumstance, students will not be allowed to reschedule any exam, especially the final exam, because of travel / work plans. Review Quiz - Thursday, January 17; Weekly Quizzes - dates and material set by instructor; Test 1 - Thursday, February 14; Test 2 -Thursday, March 21; Test 3 - Thursday, April 18. Final - Common Final - THURSDAY, May 2, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., room to be announced. BE AWARE THAT THE FINAL IS SCHEDULED AT A SPECIAL TIME OUTSIDE OF THE FINAL EXAM MATRIX.
Attendance Policy: Attendance is mandatory. Students who miss more than 2 classes without a valid excuse will have their grades lowered by one notch (e.g., from B to B-). Those who miss more than 6 classes will have their grades lowered by two notches. Three tardies are equivalent to one absence; Promptness is required. Failure to attend class during quiz dates will also affect your Quiz Average.
Review Quiz: There is a Review Quiz on pre-algebra scheduled on Thursday, January 17. This quiz contains material you should have had before. If you have difficulty with this review material, it indicates that you do not have enough background to continue in Math 1021 and you may want to take Math 0702. During the first few days of the semester, the Math Department can help you switch from Math 1021 to Math 0701 or 0702. If you wish to do this, please contact Dr. Boris Datskovsky at bdats@temple.edu.
Weekly Quizzes: A short quiz will be given every week starting the second week of class (and excluding exam weeks). 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 make up quizzes will be given. Missed quizzes will receive a score of zero and are to be counted among the dropped scores.
Common Final Exam: The final exam is scheduled for THURSDAY, May 2, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., room to be announced. BE AWARE THAT THE FINAL IS SCHEDULED AT A SPECIAL TIME OUTSIDE OF THE FINAL EXAM MATRIX. DO NOT MISS IT. If a student misses the final exam, he/ she will NOT be allowed to take a make up exam unless there is a documented emergency. If you miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in, your grade for the course will be F.
Homework Assignments: You can find the list of the sections that will be covered and the corresponding homework problems on the course web page listed above. Homework will be assigned on a regular basis. Each exercise represents a typical type of problem that you are expected to solve. If a certain type of problem gives you difficulty, you should get help from your instructor or at the tutoring center and try more exercises of that type until you understand the concept. It is your responsibility to make sure you are doing these problems correctly by checking your answers in the back of the textbook (for the odd-numbered problems) and on the course webpage (for the even-numbered problems), and it is very important that you do them in order to get sufficient practice.
Make Up Policy: There will be no make up for weekly quizzes given. If an emergency arises and you cannot attend the Review Quiz or an exam, you should contact me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to alert me 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 plans.
Review for Midterms & Final: Reviews for the tests and the final will be posted on the course webpage, (www.math.temple.edu/~ nhamid) one week prior to each test week. Please be aware that this review material may not be all-inclusive. Any problem similar to a sample problem or a homework problem may appear on the tests and the final.
Tutoring: The Student Success Center (SSC) and the Math TA and CA Consulting Center (MCC) Wachman 1036 both offer a wide range of services to help students succeed at Temple and beyond. Peer Tutors can assist you with learning the content, and Peer Academic Coaches can help you develop your overall learning and study skills. Check out all that the CLASS has to offer by stopping by its new location at the first floor of Tuttleman Learning Center or checking it out online at www.temple.edu/class. MCC hours will be announced later.
Calculator/cheatsheets: NO CALCULATORS or CHEAT SHEETS may be used for any quiz or test.
Cell Phone and electronic devices: All cell phones and other personal electronic devices must be turned OFF or put on vibrate or silent 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.
Exam Security Policy: Under no circumstance is the use of a personal electronic device, such as a phone, computer, or smart watch, allowed during exams. All such items must be stowed away and out of sight for the duration of the exam. Any student found with such a device during an exam will not be allowed to complete the test, will receive a score of zero for the test, and will be reported to the Student Code of Conduct Board. In addition, under no circumstance, will students be allowed to bring in any kind of paper for use during an exam. Should a student need extra paper during a test, please use the back of the test. Any student found using papers that they themselves brought into the exam will not be allowed to complete the test, will receive a score of zero for the test, and will be reported to the Student Code of Conduct Board.
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.
Students will be charged for a course unless dropped by the Drop/Add deadline date. Check the University calendar for exact dates.
During the Drop/Add period, students may drop a course with no record of the class appearing on their transcript. Students are not financially responsible for any courses dropped during this period. In the following weeks prior to or on the withdrawal date students may withdraw from a course with the grade of "W" appearing on their transcript. After the withdrawal date students may not withdraw from courses. Check the University Calendar (Opens in new tab/window) for exact dates. See the full policy by clicking here. (Opens in new tab/window)
The grade "I" (an "incomplete") is only given if students cannot complete the course work due to circumstances beyond their control. It is necessary for the student to have completed the majority of the course work with a passing average and to sign an incomplete contract which clearly states what is left for the student to do and the deadline by which the work must be completed. The incomplete contract must also include a default grade that will be used in case the "I" grade is not resolved by the agreed deadline. See the full policy by clicking here. (Opens in new tab/window)