ARCADIA UNIVERSITY
MA100 SPRING
2003
ELEMENTARY--INTERMEDIATE
ALGEBRA
Instructor: Renée Starr
Office: Boyer 110A
Office
Hours: By Appointment
Office
Phone: (215) 572-4042 E-mail:
starr@arcadia.edu
School
Closing: #338 - day; #2338 - evening
TEXTBOOK
Elementary
and Intermediate Algebra
CONTENT OF COURSE
Chapters
1 – 3, 5, 6, 10, 11
This
course gives students the skills in algebra, which are essential for college
level math courses. The emphasis is on
practice, which will lead to a greater understanding of the material presented.
Word problems will be introduced and incorporated into the homework exercises
throughout the course. Included with
your text is a code for ALEKS. This is
web-based computer software that you will use throughout this course. As an incentive, for every 5 hours you spend
on ALEKS, one point will be added to your final grade. Along with the obvious advantages of this,
you may accumulate up to 3 additional points.
Click here to access the ALEKS website.
COURSE MATERIALS
In
addition to the text and a notebook, you can use a basic calculator.
EXAMS
There
will be at least 4 tests and a comprehensive final exam during the semester
(each test will be worth 100 points).
There will be no make-up tests, so if you miss one test, your final exam
grade will be counted twice. If you
miss a second test, it will be counted as a zero in your average. The final exam will be counted once or
twice, depending on which gives you the highest average. That is, if you have a good final exam, I’ll
count it twice, otherwise, I will count it once. Also expect several quizzes throughout the semester.
When
taking a test, pencil (not ink) MUST
be used. Calculators are permitted
during tests.
GRADING
Point
spread is as follows:
A+ 97-100 B+
87-89 C+
77-79 D+
68-69 F
0 - 64
A 93-96 B
83-86 C
73-76 D
66-67
A- 90-92 B-
80-82 C-
70-72 D- 65
I
would encourage you to do your best for your own sense of self-accomplishment
and to insure a complete understanding of the material presented in this
course.
HOMEWORK
We
will be covering several sections per class period. Read the material before and after it is covered in class. Homework will be assigned after every
section. Generally, you will be
assigned the odd-numbered problems because the answers can be found in the back
of the book. Please do assigned
problems regularly. It is essential to
getting a firm understanding of the material.
ASK QUESTIONS IN CLASS. MATH CAN BE FUN IF YOU ARE AN ACTIVE
PARTICIPANT!
ATTENDANCE
Attendance
will be taken in every class and all students are expected to attend on a
regular basis (if you arrive late, remind me to mark you present). If a class is missed, it is your
responsibility to make up the material.
As
an incentive for you to attend class, I will add 3 points to your final average
if you have near perfect attendance.
That means no more than 2 absences all semester. The 3 points can mean
the difference between passing and failing!
On the other hand, if you miss more than 6 classes, you will be in
danger of failing the course.
LEARNING RESOURCES
There
are several resources for students with questions. First and foremost, you should participate and ask questions in
class. If you still have unanswered
questions, please feel free to make an appointment with me at a mutually
convenient time. Math Tutors are
located in Room 110 of Boyer Hall. (ext. 2149)
The schedule is posted on the door.
The Educational Enhancement Center also provides free tutoring. Call ext. 4086 to find out the hours. Last but not least, many students find it
helpful to form study groups for doing homework and studying for tests. It is a great way to meet new people!
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Students
are expected to work on their own during tests and quizzes. The first violation of this rule will result
in a zero on the quiz or test. The
second violation will result in a grade of “F” for the course.
I
HOPE YOU HAVE A SUCCESSFUL SEMESTER!!!