MATH 060 - 71586 SYLLABUS
Fall 2009 HYBRID
Instructor: Ana Palmer
Office: SCOH-304
Office
Hours: Monday: 11:30am-12:30pm
Tuesday: 2:00-2:50pm
Thursday: 11:00am-12:00pm
or by appointment
Phone: (661) 362-3063
E-mail: ana.palmer@canyons.edu
Website: http://www.canyons.edu/faculty/palmera
§
For e-mail, please include the phrase “Math 060 Hybrid”
in the subject line.
I use this key phrase to filter e-mail into a separate
folder so that I can respond to your e-mail more quickly.
§
To receive the
fastest response, send an e-mail to me rather than calling my office.
§
I will do my best
to answer your e-mail and discussion board postings (if specifically addressed
to me) within 48 hours. If you send an e-mail
to me on Saturday or Sunday, please do not expect a response until Monday.
§
I encourage you to
attend my office hours.
§
Please ensure
that you provide me with a current working e-mail address and that your e-mail
account does not block my e-mail messages by treating them as
Please read this entire syllabus and keep it for reference. The syllabus is subject to change.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Math 060 is a
beginning course in elementary algebra designed to develop the manipulative
skills of algebra. An introduction to the fundamental concepts of operating
within the real number system, to working with first degree equations in one
unknown, to factoring of and multiplication of polynomials and dealing with algebraic
fractions. Linear functions and graphs, systems of linear equalities, exponents
and radicals, quadratic equations, and applications are studied.
You
will also need a Student Access Kit which contains the information you will
need to complete online registration for this course. If purchased from the COC
Bookstore, this kit is bundled with the textbook. If you already have the textbook or do not
intend to purchase a textbook, you may purchase the Student Access Kit online
at http://www.coursecompass.com using a major
credit card.
Please
bring your textbook to each on-campus meeting.
PREREQUISITE: All students
enrolled in Math 060 should have completed Math 058 with a minimum grade of C
or appropriate placement as determined by the COC assessment process.
IS ONLINE MATH FOR YOU?
Online
math classes are an exciting new offering at College of the Canyons. These courses certainly seem appealing
because they are more convenient than on-campus classes, especially for those
who have busy schedules. Your course material will consist of a
textbook, video lectures, animations, and PowerPoint presentations. You will probably spend at least fifteen hours per week for this course and even longer
because of the nature of online courses and dealing with technology. I will be available to address any questions
you have, and you will also have access to the tutors in the TLC Lab and other
tutors by phone. However, please keep in
mind that online classes have many disadvantages. Since
we do not meet face-to-face on a weekly basis, students find it easier to
procrastinate, quickly fall behind in completing course material and even
feel isolated and disconnected from the instructor and class peers.
Successful
online students are self-motivated, independent, organized learners. In determining whether this course will meet
your academic needs, please consider your individual learning style and the
teaching method that best matches your learning style. Be honest and realistic.
To
see if online math is suitable for you, please visit
http://www.canyons.edu/offices/distance_learning
and
click on “DL Readiness Assessments.”
If
this is your first online course, please consider taking the one unit course
offered on campus:
Counseling 070:
Becoming a Successful Distance Learning Student (1 unit)
This
course will help you develop the necessary skills to succeed in any online
course. Please contact Renee Drake at
(661) 362-3600 or renee.drake@canyons.edu for more
information.
ATTENDANCE: We
will have a total of six on-campus meetings this session. Attendance at each meeting is mandatory.
Orientation: You have two options to complete the
mandatory orientation.
1.
Online
Option:
Read the online orientation information and
successfully complete the online orientation quiz. If you do that, you will not be required to
attend the on-campus orientation on Monday, August 24th.
2.
On-Campus Option:
Attend the face-to-face orientation on Monday, August 24th,
at 05:30pm, in BONH-206.
We
will meet on the following five Mondays from 5:30-8:30pm, in BONH-206, for
exams:
Exam 1 9/21 5:30-8:30PM BONH-206
Exam 2 10/12 5:30-8:30PM BONH-206
Exam 3 11/2 5:30-8:30PM BONH-206
Exam 4 11/30 5:30-8:30PM BONH-206
Final Exam 12/7 5:30-8:30PM BONH-206
NOTE: YOU
MUST BRING A VALID PICTURE ID TO EVERY EXAM.
We will probably meet
on two additional Monday nights for review/discussion, location and time TBA.
The cumulative final exam will be held
on Monday, December 7th, 5:30-8:30PM. No calculators, books or notes will be
allowed.
If
you are not able to attend one or more of these dates, please immediately
contact the instructor since there are NO makeup exams.
You
will be dropped from the course if
1.
You don’t complete
the mandatory orientation: either online or the on-campus orientation.
2 You
have not logged onto http://www.coursecompass.com by
11:59pm on Thursday, August 27th, 2009.
CLASSROOM CONDUCT: Standards
of speech that pertain to a traditional classroom also apply to the discussion
board and e-mail communications. Please
exercise appropriate “netiquette.”
Inappropriate postings will be immediately removed from the
CourseCompass site, and the student will be required to meet with the Dean of
Student Services before continuing participation in the course. Until I have been informed of the outcome of
the meeting with the Dean of Student Services, the student will be blocked from
accessing the CourseCompass site.
CALCULATOR
USE:
You might need a scientific calculator for some of the homework
exercises. You may use it for your
homework assignments, but you will not be allowed to use calculators
during exams unless otherwise stated. If
you must purchase a scientific calculator, the Texas Instruments calculators
such as the TI-30X are inexpensive options that are easy to use.
GRADING: Grades will be based on the following:
In-class
exams 55%
Final
exam (comprehensive) 20%
Online
homework and discussion board postings 10%
Online
exams 10%
Textbook
homework 5%
To
calculate your grade, use the following weighted average formula:
Grade
= 0.55(In-class exams average) + 0.20(Final exam) + 0.10(Online homework
average)
0.10 (Online exams average) + 0.05(Textbook homework
average)
You may also access grade
information from the WebGrade website:
http://sc.webgrade.classmanager.com/ColloftheCyns/
You
will receive login and password information following Exam 1. I will announce when updated scores are
available. You are responsible for
checking your scores and notifying me of any mistakes or omissions.
There
will be NO extra credit. Grades will be
determined as follows:
A: 90-100%
B: 80-
89%
C: 70-
79%
D: 60-
69%
F:
0- 59%
I
strongly recommend that you keep all work and exams until you receive your
course grade in case you have questions concerning your class performance.
Student
Learning Outcomes:
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS: All
students must have access to a PC based computer. You must have your own e-mail address,
regular access to the Internet, a web browser such as Internet Explorer, and a
word processing program such as Microsoft Word.
You will need at least a 56K modem, but a cable/DSL, T1 or other high-speed
connection is best for the multimedia content (audio, video, animations). Dial-up service is NOT recommended. Your computer should also have the
following:
Memory: 64 MB RAM
Monitor
resolution: 1024 x 768 or higher
Plug-ins: These can be obtained through the
Installation Wizard available online.
You
should have basic computer literacy and be comfortable using the Internet. Specifically, you should be able to compose
documents using a word processing program, copy and paste text, use a web
browser, use e-mail, and send and open documents with attachments.
NOTE: If you experience difficulties with the
CourseCompass website, technical support is available by calling Pearson
Product Support at (800) 677-6337. At
this time, College of the Canyons does not offer technical support for
students.
REGISTERING FOR THE COURSE: After
completing STAR enrollment in section 71586, you must also register in
CourseCompass. To register, you must
have a valid e-mail address, student access code (obtained from an accompanying
package when you purchase the textbook), and the CourseCompass Course ID, which
you can obtain by successfully completing the online orientation quiz.
When
you enter your name, type it exactly as it appears on your COC registration
form.
Capitalize
the first letter of your first and last name.
Do not use only lower case letters.
CourseCompass/MyMathLab: You
will find the online course materials by logging in at the website:
If
you try to log in at the CourseCompass site and cannot, then
1.
Try again.
2.
Try again later.
3.
If you are still
having trouble, contact Pearson Product Support at (800) 677-6337
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
EXAMS: No calculators, books or
notes will be allowed during the exams unless specifically stated otherwise. I do not drop any exam scores; however you
may replace your lowest test score with your grade on the final exam only if it
improves your overall grade. Thus, if
you are absent on the day of an exam, I will use your grade on the final as
your grade for the missed exam (one time only).
Exams will NOT be given later than the scheduled dates.
THERE
ARE NO MAKEUP EXAMS. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Photo ID: You will
not be permitted to take the exam without a valid photo ID.
Please
bring a student ID or other acceptable photo ID (e.g. driver’s license,
passport) to all exams.
Taking exams before the scheduled date: If you notify
me at least 48 hours prior to the start of a scheduled exam that you will be
unable to attend, you will be permitted to take the exam early. Please contact
the instructor as soon as possible for rescheduling arrangements.
What if an emergency arises? Students with extreme
circumstances must
1.
Leave a voice or
e-mail message with the instructor prior to the start of the scheduled
exam AND
2.
Provide official
documentation by an outside authority (physician’s letter, hospitalization or
police report, etc.) for further consideration.
I will not consider any requests made after the scheduled exam.
You
are expected to adhere to the Regulations and Policies listed in the College of
the Canyons Catalog. If you do not
follow the exam guidelines, you will receive a zero for that exam which cannot
be replaced with your grade on the final.
If you cheat, the matter will also be referred to the Dean of Student
Services for further disciplinary action.
Online
exercises:
To
access the online homework exercises, click the “Do Online Homework”
button. You will be able to rework
similar exercises to the ones you missed until you have achieved a score of
100%. As a result, you may submit an
assignment multiple times as long as you do so before the stated deadline. Please take advantage of this opportunity.
Additionally,
I will assign online exams. You will
find these by clicking the “Take a Test” button. You will have unlimited attempts to complete
the exams by the stated deadline, and your highest score will be recorded. Please rework problems until you have
achieved a score of 100%.
You
will also be assigned discussion board work with specific deadlines. If you are asked to respond to other student
postings, you will receive no credit for short postings such as “I agree” or
“Good point.” To receive full credit,
your posting must satisfy the assignment requirements.
DO
NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ONLINE ASSIGNMENTS.
In
previous classes, some students experienced technical difficulties near the
deadline and were not able to submit their work on time. Plan to submit assignments at least one day
before it is due to allow for unexpected technical difficulties.
You
may have heard this before, “Math is not a spectator sport.” It’s true.
If you do not practice and apply these skills, you will probably not
perform well on the exams.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES:
Last
day to add: 9/4/09
Last
day to drop without a W: 9/18/09
Last
day to drop with a W: 10/16/09
NOTE: It
is YOUR responsibility to complete and file the appropriate form to officially
drop this course.
IF YOU NEED HELP
DISCUSSION BOARD USAGE: If you have a question about technical
issues, course content or specific exercises, please first post your question
on the appropriate discussion board before e-mailing the instructor. Other
students often have a similar question and can benefit from the response. Students may also respond to other students’
questions using the discussion board. I
will regularly monitor discussion board activity and respond as necessary.
OFFICE
HOURS: Please do not hesitate to attend my office
hours whenever you need assistance.
TUTORING: Free
tutoring is available for this course.
On-campus: The
Tutoring/Learning/Computing Lab in BONH-209 offers individual assistance for
students enrolled in COC math classes.
Please check with the TLC Lab for scheduled hours.
Off-campus: You may also
call the publisher’s tutoring service The Tutor Center. To register, please have your CourseCompass
Course ID or student access code.
Tutors
are available on Sunday-Wednesday 2:00-9:00pm (Pacific Standard Time) and will
discuss any textbook problem (not online homework problems). For more information about this service,
please visit http://www.prenhall.com/tutorcenter
.
STUDY
GROUPS: I encourage you to form study groups with
other students in the class and meet on a regular basis.