2023 Fall Course Syllabus - Mathematics 0702.030

Course: Mathematics 0702.030.

Course Title: Intermediate Algebra.

Credits: 4.

How this course will be taught: Classroom In-Person Instructional Method.

Time: MWF 2:40 - 3:50 PM.

Place: Wachman Hall 206.

Instructor: Pinches Dirnfeld.

Instructor Office: 1025 Wachman Hall.

Instructor Email: pinches.dirnfeld@temple.edu

Instructor Phone: Please reach me by email.

Course Web Page: canvas.temple.edu

Office Hours: MWR 1:00-2:00 pm. My office hours are on a walk-in basis. However, if you cannot make my usual office hours, I welcome you to email me to set up a different time or a virtual appointment. I will do my best to accommodate you. In general, you should expect a reply within 24 hours during the work week and 48 hours on weekends.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of Introductory Algebra is expected. Placement is based on the Placement Test score or a grade of C- or better in Math 0701 to Math 1021.

Course Materials: TEXTBOOK: College Algebra with Intermediate Algebra, A Blended Course, by Beecher, Penna, Johnson, and Bittinger; Students have the following options for purchasing access to the text 1) MyMathLab with eText 18-week Access. ISBN: 9780135234532. 2) MyMathLab with eText 24 Month Access. ISBN: 9780135909096. With either of the options above there is a Print Upgrade Offer available. 3) Package: College Algebra with Intermediate Algebra: A Blended Course, Binder Ready Edition, with MyLab Math - 18-week Access Card Package, Beecher & Penna & Johnson. IBSN: 9780136175858. 4) Standalone eText, a monthly subscription with a 4 month minimum. 5) Standalone looseleaf option: ISBN-13: 9780134555928.

Course Goals: The goal of this course is to cover the core topics of algebra as a preparation for precalculus mathematics.

Topics Covered: This course covers these topics: solving linear equations and inequalities, compound inequalities, and absolute value equations and inequalities, an introduction to functions, graphing linear equations and finding equations of lines, solving systems of two linear equations in two variables, the properties and definitions of exponents, operations with polynomials, factoring polynomials and solving polynomial equations, and operations with rational expressions. The techniques learned for solving equations will be applied to solving application problems involving projectile motion and more.

Course Grading: Tests 1-3 (Each worth 17% of your final grade), Quizzes (15%), Exponents Quiz (5%), Written Assignments (4%), Final Exam (25%). 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: All MWF sections and MW sections: Test 1 - Wednesday, September 20; Test 2 - Wednesday, October 18; Test 3 - Wednesday, November 29; Cumulative Final - Wednesday, December 13, 3:30 - 5:30 pm. All TR sections: Test 1 - Tuesday, September 19; Test 2 - Tuesday, October 17; Test 3 - Tuesday, November 28; Cumulative Final - Wednesday, December 13, 3:30 - 5:30 pm.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is required. Unexcused absences will affect your final grade according to the schedule given in the Student Guidelines. Thirteen unexcused absences will result in a failure for the course.

Attendance and Your Health: To achieve course learning goals, students must attend and participate in classes, according to your instructors' requirements. However, if you feel unwell or if you are under quarantine or in isolation because you have been exposed to the virus or tested positive for it, you should not come to campus or attend in-person classes or activities. Students have the responsibility to contact their instructors to create a plan for participation and engagement in the course as soon as they are able to do so and to make a plan to complete all assignments in a timely fashion when illness delays their completion.

Quizzes: A quiz will be given every week except during those weeks in which a test is scheduled. The quizzes will be done in groups. Since the quizzes are group work, make-up quizzes will not be given. Your lowest one or two quiz scores will be dropped.

Exponents Quiz: The properties and definitions of exponents will be taught after completing Unit 2. A quiz on this material alone will be given in class on Friday, October 27.

Written Homework Assignments: Regular written assignments of problems from the textbook will be given by your instructor. The exercises for these assignments will be sourced from the problems posted on the Assignment List. I grade homework based on effort not correctness. To be an effective learner, it is important to develop the habit of self evaluation and assessment. I will post solutions or an answer key after the homework is collected. I will frequently add a homework reflection assignment which will count like any other homework assignment. Homework will count for 4% of your course grade.

Course Expectations and Norms: A) Math is learned by practicing, making mistakes, and actively engaging with material: learners are expected to attend and participate in all class sessions. learners who must miss a class should notify me in advance and obtain notes from a classmate. B) Distractions detract from our ability to learn: Learners are expected to either silence or turn off electronics; they should not be used during class. Also, please do not wear headphones or earbuds during class. Experience has taught me that laptops in a classroom leads to distractions, therefore I do not allow the use of laptops in our classroom. Learners are allowed to use tablets to take lecture notes, but they must be kept flat on the desk. C) We learn better working in groups: We will often form groups in class to work on questions or otherwise have class discussions. Students are expected to be respectful of their peers. Students are encouraged to form study groups to discuss concepts and additional problems outside of class. D) Be respectful of others and the learning environment: During the large group discussions (i.e. traditional lecture portion of the class) do not engage in any side conversations with other learners. If you have a question or need clarification, please raise your hand. Remember, if you have a question about something, it is highly probable other students have the same question. Bringing your question to me is beneficial for all. In addition, having side discussions is disrespectful of the group. E) A 12 credit hour course load is supposed to be equivalent to a 40 hour workweek. This means that for this course learners should expect to spent approximately an additional 10 hours a week on course work outside the classroom. If you find yourself consistently spending significantly more time than this, please come talk with me. It is likely that we can formulate a plan to optimized your learning strategies.

Exam Make-up Policy: Permission to take a make-up exam may be granted if it is missed as the result of a DOCUMENTED EMERGENCY, like an illness or accident. The documents confirming the emergency (from a healthcare professional, hospital, or police, for example) must be provided. If you miss an exam, you must contact me AND the Math 0702 Course Coordinator, Scott Stringfellow (sstringf@temple.edu), by email right away, ideally before the exam. Requests for makeups will not be honored if they come more than 48 hours after the time of the exam.

Exam Security Policy: The use of personal electronic devices such as phones, computers, or smart watches are not permitted 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 papers for use during the exam. Should a student need extra paper during a test, the proctor will provide it. 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. This is consistent with the Temple University Academic Honor Code (see https://secretary.temple.edu/sites/secretary/files/policies/03.70.12.pdf ) that states: "Every member of the university community is responsible for upholding the highest standards of honesty at all times. Students, as members of the community, are responsible for adhering to the principles of academic honesty and integrity".

CANVAS: This is a registered CANVAS course. Please check CANVAS daily for important announcements.

Academic Support: The Student Success Center (SSC) and the Math TA and CA Consulting Center (MCC) both provide excellent support services for this course throughout the semester. Information regarding the services these centers provide will be posted on the course Canvas page. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these services! In addition, this semester the SSC will be hosting PASS study sessions. These sessions will start in approximately week 3 and more information will be posted to CANVAS at that time.

Peer-Assisted Study Sessions: The Student Success Center (SSC) at Temple offers Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) and STEM tutoring for this course. During weekly PASS sessions, you can work with a trained peer leader and your fellow classmates to practice and explore course content together. During STEM tutoring sessions, a tutor will work with you one-on-one to review and understand the concepts in this course. Both programs are free and open to all students enrolled in this course. More information about PASS and STEM tutoring, as well as other services offered by the SSC, is available at studentsuccess.temple.edu, by emailing sscdesk@temple.edu, or by calling 215-204-0702.

Calculator Policy: No calculators may be used for any quiz or test.

Common Final Exam: The final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, December 13, 3:30 - 5:30 pm. Do not miss it. If a student misses the final exam, he or she will not be allowed to take a make-up exam unless there is a documented emergency.

Disability Statement: Any student who has a need for accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability or medical condition should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) in Howard Gittis Student Center South, Rm 420 (drs@temple.edu; 215-204-1280) to request accommodations and learn more about the resources available to you. If you have a DRS accommodation letter to share with me, or you would like to discuss your accommodations, please contact me as soon as practical. I will work with you and with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities. All discussions related to your accommodations will be confidential.

Academic Freedom: 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 (opens in new tab/window).

Add/Drop Policy: Students will be charged for a course unless dropped by the Drop/Add deadline date. Check the University calendar (opens in new tab/window) 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).

AI Policy: The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, etc.) is not permitted in this class unless specifically announced for a particular assignment; therefore, any use of AI tools for work in this class may be considered a violation of Temple University's Academic Honesty policy and Student Conduct Code, since the work is not your own. The use of unauthorized AI tools will result in a grade of zero on the assignment; a second offense will be reported to the Student Conduct Board.

Incomplete Policy: 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).

Student Support Services: The following academic support services are available to students (all links open in a new tab/window):
    The Math Consulting Center
    Student Success Center
    University Libraries
    Undergraduate Research Support
    Career Center
    Tuttleman Counseling Services
    Disability Resources and Services
If you are experiencing food insecurity or financial struggles, Temple provides resources and support. Notably, the Temple University Cherry Pantry and the Temple University Emergency Student Aid Program are in operation as well as a variety of resources from the Division of Student Affairs.