MAC 1105 – COLLEGE ALGEBRA



MGF 1107 – MATH FOR LIBERAL ARTS II

SYLLABUS

Spring 2012

INSTRUCTOR Suzie Pickle

OFFICE NM 125

OFFICE HOURS Posted on office door

PHONE 791-2426

E-MAIL Best to Email me thru Angel email. Second choice Pickle.Suzie@spcollege.edu

OPTIONAL TEXT The Nature of Mathematics by Karl J. Smith

ISBN: 0-495-451843

DEPARTMENT CHAIR: Jimmy Chang, NM 120 (Clearwater), 791-2542

DEAN OF MATHEMATICS: Sharon Griggs, SA 215B (SP/Gibbs), 341-4305

COURSE PREREQUISITE MAT 1033 or appropriate score on Mathematics Placement Test.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The intent of MGF 1107 is to present topics demonstrating the beauty and utility of mathematics to the general student population. This course will include topics related to patterns and reasoning, mathematics in nature, linear and exponential applications and modeling, and financial mathematics. History of mathematics, critical thinking skills, problem solving strategies and appropriate use of technology will be used throughout the course. This course is designed to satisfy three credits of the Gordon Rule, which requires "six semester hours of mathematics coursework at the level of College Algebra or higher," but is not a prerequisite to any other mathematics course. Three hours weekly.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. The student will demonstrate a mathematical understanding of patterns and reasoning.

2. The student will demonstrate a mathematical understanding of natural growth patterns and symmetry.

3. The student will demonstrate a mathematical understanding of linear and exponential growth and decay models.

4. The student will demonstrate an understanding of financial mathematics.

Attendance Policy:

STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO WORK ONLINE REGULARLY EACH WEEK. IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK EMAIL DAILY FOR IMPORTANT MESSAGES. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT LOG ON AND COMPLETE WORK DURING THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF CLASSES WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE COURSE BY THE COLLEGE AND WILL STILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TUITION FEES.

Withdrawal Procedure:

Since January 2008, instructors can no longer withdraw students from classes. If a student wishes to withdraw from a course, it is the responsibility of the student to withdraw either online through MySPC or with the help of an advisor in the registration office.  If the withdrawal is completed by the self-withdrawal date, a grade of “W” will be recorded which does not impact the student’s GPA.  If the withdrawal occurs after the self-withdrawal date, the student will receive a grade of WF (withdraw-failing). The WF grade is punitive; it has the same impact on the GPA as an F. Students in the third attempt of a course who withdraw will receive a WF regardless of the date of withdrawal. Students who do not attend during the first two weeks of classes will automatically be withdrawn from the course by the college and will still be responsible for the tuition and fees.  Also, students who do not show sufficient active participation (i.e. completion of tests and quizzes and regular attendance) in the course by the self-withdrawal date, will be administratively withdrawn by the college and receive a WF. Students who withdraw from all classes may be required to repay some or all of the financial aid received for the term.  Should you consider totally withdrawing from all classes before the self-withdrawal date it is important that you consult the Scholarships & Student Financial Assistance office on your home campus to understand your options and the consequences of total withdrawal

IMPORTANT DATES:

January 16 Martin Luther Holiday

March 5 - 9 Spring Break

March 20 Last Day to Self Withdraw with a “W”

April 30 – May 3 Finals Week

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

ASSIGNMENTS

There will be no exams in this course. A list of projects can be found on Angel. Most projects can be completed either individually (I) or as a group (G). For even continuity of work and grading, students will adhere strictly to the due dates. Late projects will be deducted 10 points before they are assigned a grade.

GRADING POLICY

All projects will be worth 50 points regardless of difficulty. You must do all twelve projects; if you do less than twelve, your final grade will be no higher than a B. Each member of the group will receive the same score on group projects unless circumstances warrant otherwise. Your final grade will, therefore, be based on the mean percentage of your 12 project scores (600 pts). The grading scale is:

558 (93%) – 600 (100%) = A

480 (80%) – 557 (92.9%) = B

420 (70%) – 479 (79.9%) = C

360 (60%) – 419 (69.9%) = D

Below 360 (60%) = F

In order to pass this course, your overall course grade must be 70% or higher. Keep track of all your grades throughout the semester.

SUGGESTIONS TO THE STUDENT

Be actively involved in each of the projects.  Don’t hesitate to use any available sources, especially the Internet.  Stay in touch with your group members by learning each other’s names and exchanging phone numbers.  The use of scientific or graphing calculators is highly recommended and sometimes absolutely necessary.

EXTRA HELP

I am available for questions in my office during office hours, which are posted outside my door. I am also available by appointment, if you need to meet at other times. Tutoring is available from the Learning Support Center, which is located in the LA building.

DISABILITY STATEMENT

If you wish to receive special accommodations as a student with a documented disability, please make an appointment with the Learning Support Specialist, SS 104, 791-2710. If you have a documented hearing loss, please contact the Program for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing, SS 101, 791-2628 (V/TDD). If you will need assistance during an emergency classroom evacuation, please contact your campus Learning Specialist immediately about arrangements for your safety. Offices of Services for Students with Disabilities: 791-2628 or 791-2710.

FDLE Statement:

Federal and State law requires a person designated as a "sexual predator or offender" to register with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The FDLE then is required to notify the local law enforcement agency where the registrant resides, attends or is employed by an institution of higher learning. Information regarding sexual predators or offenders attending or employed by an institution of higher learning may be obtained from the local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction for the particular campus, by calling the FDLE hotline (1-888-FL-PREDATOR) or (1-888-357-7332), or by visiting the FDLE website at fdle.state.fl.us/sexual_predators. If there are questions or concerns regarding personal safety, please contact the Provost, Associate Provost, Campus Security Officer or Site Administrator on your campus.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY POLICY

• Information technology use that supports and enables the effective and efficient completion of job description duties and assigned tasks is acceptable.

• Information technology use by faculty (and students under the direction of faculty) that contributes to scholarly research and academic work within the boundaries of the approved curriculum is acceptable.

• Occasional and infrequent personal use that does not interfere with job duties, supersede work responsibilities, or add additional costs to the College is acceptable. The cost to the employee per page for printing shall be the same as the cost per page for a photocopy as set forth in District Board of Trustees’ Rule 6Hx23-5.17.

Prohibited Use

• Use of College information technology to break any international, federal, state or local law (or to aid in any crime) is prohibited.

• Use of College information technology for creation, storage, display or transmission of profit-oriented, commercial, political, or business purpose is prohibited.

• Consistent with the College’s sexual harassment policy, creating, viewing, storing, transmitting or public displaying pornographic (as defined by the U. S. Supreme Court), obscene, defaming, slanderous, harassing, or offensive data (including sound, video, text, and graphics data) is prohibited.

• Circumventing established College software security procedures or obtaining information system access and passwords to which one is not entitled is prohibited.

• Unauthorized alteration or removal of College hardware security systems is prohibited.

• Unauthorized modifications to College hardware or software are prohibited.

• Unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction of another employee’s data, programs, or electronic mail is prohibited.

• Connecting or installing personal or non-College owned information technology hardware or software to the College network without prior approval is prohibited.

• Installing non-College owned software without prior approval and documented proof of legal licensure is prohibited.

Inspection

• The Board reserves the right to review and inspect all data and materials on any computer furnished by the College to any student or employee.

Consequences of Unacceptable Use

• Unacceptable use may result in the revocation of access to College information technology and may result in disciplinary action.

PRESENTING HOMEWORK AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

All work that you turn in should be of collegiate quality: neat and easy to read, well-organized and demonstrating mastery of the subject matter. Future employers and teachers will expect this quality of work. Moreover, although submitting homework of collegiate quality requires "extra" effort, it serves two important purposes directly related to learning.

1. The effort you expend in clearly explaining your work solidifies your learning. In particular, research has shown that writing and speaking trigger different areas of your brain. By writing something down, even when you think you already understand it, your learning is reinforced involving other areas of your brain.

2. By making your work clear and self-contained (that is, making it a document that you can read without referring to the questions in the text), it will be a much more useful study guide when you review for a quiz or exam.

The following guidelines will help ensure that your assignments meet the standards of collegiate quality.

• Always use proper grammar, proper sentence and paragraph structure and proper spelling.

• All answers and other writing should be fully self-contained. A good test is to imagine that a friend is reading your work, and asking yourself whether the friend would understand exactly what you are trying to say. It is also helpful to read your work out loud to yourself, making sure that it sounds clear and coherent.

• In problems that require calculation:

o Be sure to show your work clearly. By doing so, both you and your instructor can follow the process you used to obtain an answer.

o Word problems should have word answers. That is, after you have completed any necessary calculations, any problem stated in words should be answered with one or more complete sentences that describe the point of the problem and the meaning of your solution.

o Express your word answers in a way that would be meaningful to most people.  For example, most people would find it more meaningful if you express a result of 720 hours as 1 month. Similarly, if a precise calculation yields an answer of 9,745,600 years, it may be more meaningful in words as "nearly 10 million years."

• Finally, pay attention to details that will make your assignments look good. For example:

o Use standard-sized white paper with clean edges (e.g., do not tear paper out of notebooks because it will have ragged edges.)

o Staple all pages together; don’t use paper clips or folded corners because they tend to get caught with other students’ papers.

o Use a ruler to make straight lines in sketches or graphs.

o Include illustrations whenever they help to explain your answer.

o Ideally, make your work look professional by using a word processor for text and equations and by creating graphs or illustrations with a spreadsheet or other software.

• Concerning research from the Internet:

o Make copies of the first page of every website used. Clearly copy the web address.

o Highlight as you read the web pages and make comments in the margins.

o Attach only the first pages of all web sites used, cited and/or quoted within the project.

o Do not attach unused web pages.

• Cautions about groupwork:

o Plan to meet outside of class on a regular basis.

o Do not assign parts of the projects to individuals, then "paste" the parts together. (This can have disastrous results.) Projects must have a natural flow.

o Avoid turning projects in at the last minute. Be prepared to turn in projects at or before the due date.

o Be sure to collaborate on the whole project.

o Be sure that each person in the group has an opportunity to proof the project.

o I will take responsibility for removing a "non-working" member from your group, if you inform me of the situation.

SYLLABUS ADDENDUM

In the event that topics listed in this addendum also appear in your syllabus, please note that you should rely on the addendum information as this information is the most current. The syllabus addendum can be found on the website:

spcollege.edu/central/asa/addendum.htm

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