Course Information
PDEV 100: Intermediate Algebra
- Section 02, Fall 2007 - 3 Credits
Lecture: M, R 9:30 - 10:20a.m.
Bridges Room 269
Lab: T, F 9:30 -
10:20a.m. MacLean Room 276
Textbook: Intermediate Algebra: Concepts and Graphs,
4 ed., by Charles McKeague [Required]
Instructor: Justin James, Mathematics Dept. Office: MacLean 375M
Office
Phone: 477-4011
Office Hours: MTHF 10:30
- 11:20am Email: jamesju@mnstate.edu
MTWHF 12:30
- 1:20pm Webpage: web.mnstate.edu/jamesju
MTWH 2:30 - 3:30pm
Course Description: See PDEV 100 Main Handout.
Prerequisites: See PDEV 100 Main Handout.
Course Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes: See PDEV 100 Main Handout.
Course Requirements: You are expected to
complete all daily homework, labs, and writing assignments, and to take and
pass all exams and quizzes at their scheduled dates and times.
Instructional Strategies: Lecture, discussion, small group work.
Attendance and Academic Expectations: You are expected to attend class
regularly, and on time. The penalty for unexcused absences will be that missed
in class assignments cannot be made up.
Each day in class, you are expected to have read the material in your
textbook pertaining to that day’s lecture and to have completed the problems on
the previous homework assignment. You
are encouraged to form a group of 3-4 students to study and work together on
homework outside of class.
MSUM's standard is that one semester credit hour for undergraduates is meant to represent three hours of academic work per week for the average student who has the expected preparation for the courses that he or she is enrolled in. Since this is a 4-credit course, this means that you will be expected to work 12 hours per week, on average, for this course. Spending time reading the book, doing homework and worksheets, and studying for exams is meant to be a significant part of this course.
Recall that any student that is absent from more than 5 scheduled class
meetings during the session will have his/her overall percentage score at the
end of the semester lowered by 2 percentage points per each additional absence
before their final grade is assigned.
Labs: Twice a
week, our class time will be spent working on a lab assignment. The goal is to help you master course
material by working actively on these lab assignments. During labs, the other lab instructors and I
will circulate throughout the classroom answering questions and helping to keep
you on track. You will need to work hard
and stay on task in order to finish the entire lab as they will be due at the
end of class. Most labs will be
collected and graded on a 10 point scale.
If you miss class on a lab day, you will not be allowed to make up the
lab outside of class. Your best 20
graded labs will contribute 200 points toward your final grade.
Homework: I will collect homework for grading
several times during the semester. You
will be told in class at least a day in advance which problems to write up and
turn in. If you miss class, it is your
responsibility to find out if an assignment has been announced. Even on assignments that are not collected,
you will need to work the homework problems in order to master the material
taught in this course. I will
occasionally spend a few minutes of class time answering questions on the
homework, but the bulk of our time will be spent either covering new material
or working on lab assignments. You are
encouraged to discuss homework with your classmates and with me outside of
class during my office hours. If my
office hours do not match your schedule, see me about arranging another time to
meet.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be given in class about once a week. Each quiz will be worth 5 points. The quizzes are designed to help encourage
you to keep up with course, to give you feedback on how you are doing leading
up to exams, and to allow you to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts
from recent course material. Many quiz
questions will be similar to assigned homework problems. Homework and quizzes will combine to count
70 points toward your final course grade.
Reflection Papers:
Three times during the semester, you will be given a short writing assignment in which you will be asked to give your personal thoughts and reflections on different aspects of the course. These papers must be typed and should be about two pages long (double spaced) – longer is ok, but no need to get carried away. These are informal papers which will be graded mainly on their content and completeness, but do try to write in complete sentences and to clearly express your ideas. Each reflection paper will contribute 10 points toward your final grade.
Exams:
This course will have four unit exams plus a comprehensive final exam, as outlined on the course syllabus. Be sure to mark the date of each exam on your calendar, especially the final exam. Exams will be closed book, and closed notes. Credit given on exam questions will be proportional to the amount of correct work shown. Little to no credit will be given if sufficient work is not shown, even when the final answer is correct. In your final grade, your four unit exams will each be worth 100 points. The final exam is worth 200 points.
Calculators and Electronic Devices:
This course is designed so that calculators are not necessary. You may bring a calculator to class and lab if you wish, but no calculators will be allowed on exams, so you might want to get used to working without one. To reduce in-class interruptions, please turn off call phones prior to the beginning of class.
Course Grading Policy: Your final grade in the course will be computed as follows:
Labs (~28 total labs): 200 points
Quizzes and Homework: 70 points
Reflection Papers 30 points
4 Unit Exams: 400 points
Final Exam: 200 points
Total: 900 points
I will compute the percentage of the total possible points each student earned during the semester (rounded to the nearest .1%), and will then assign letter grades based on the following scale. I may make slight adjustments to this scale (down, never up), but don’t count on this happening.
96.5-100.0% A+ 81.5-86.4% B 69.0-71.4% C–
91.5-96.5% A 79.0-81.4% B– 66.0-68.9% D+
89.0-91.4% A– 76.5-78.9% C+ 60.0-65.9% D
86.5-88.9% B+ 71.5-76.4% C <60.0% F
Make-up Work:
Because you are allowed to drop several scores, I will only give make-up assignments for extreme personal emergencies or for absences which are officially sanctioned by the University. I will expect written documentation in either of these cases. If you miss an exam and a make-up exam is not warranted, you may replace your grade on one missed exam with your un-scaled percentage score on the final exam.
Special Accommodations:
Students with disabilities who believe they may need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services at 477-5859 (Voice) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), CMU 114 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
Academic Honesty:
You are expected to do your own work. You may work with others and get
help on assignments, but the work you submit must be your own. During
exams and quizzes you will not be allowed to get help from others.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in any course at any level.
See the MSUM Academic Honesty policy for more information on the possible
consequences of cheating.
Thanks, And Let’s Have A Great Semester!!
PDEV 100 –
Intermediate Algebra – Section 02 Course Page