Course Info – Math 210

Instructional Strategies: Lecture, discussion, group activities, projects.

Attendance and Academic Expectations: You are expected to attend class regularly and on time. The penalty for unexcused absences is that missed assignments cannot be made up. You are expected to read the assigned material in your textbook prior to each lecture and to attempt the problems on the homework assignment. You are encouraged to form a group to study and work with outside of class. You should bring your book and solutions to recent homework problems with you to class.

Homework: I will collect and grade homework several times during the course. You will be told at least 2 days in advance which problems you are expected to turn in. Even when homework is not collected, you should work enough homework problems to learn and understand course material. I will spend a few minutes at the beginning of class answering questions, but the bulk of our time will be spent on new material. 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: I will give quizzes at various times during the course. Most will be in-class quizzes, but a few may be “take home” quizzes. I typically announce quizzes one class period before I give them so you have time to prepare for them. Quizzes will be worth from 5-10 points, depending on their length and scope.

Your best homework and quiz scores will be combined to contribute 145 points toward your final grade. Expect at least one homework grade and at least one quiz grade to be dropped.

Projects: You will be assigned 1 project during the course. You should think of this project as an extended homework assignment designed to fit together cohesively. The project will be worth 25 points.

Reflection Papers: Three times during the semester you will be given a 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 approximately 1 page long (typed, double spaced). These informal papers will be graded mainly on their content and completeness, but you should write in complete sentences and clearly express your thoughts. Each reflection paper will contribute 10 points toward your final grade.

Gateway Quizzes: There will be two (2) “Gateway Quizzes”: one on Negating Quantified Statements and one on Proof by Induction. You will be given multiple attempts to complete each quiz successfully (achieving a minimum standard of 80%). Each Gateway Quiz will count 25 points toward your final grade. Students passing the quiz on the first try will receive 100% on the quiz. Each additional attempt will result in a 10% deduction to your grade on that quiz (e.g. 90% for passing on the 2^nd attempt, 80% for passing on the 3^rd attempt, etc.). A minimum of 50% will be given to any student who passes a gateway quiz regardless of the number of attempts that were needed.

Gateway quizzes will be given in class once. Additional attempts will be proctored outside of class. Quiz retakes must be completed by Wednesday, October 21^st. If both Gateway Quizzes are not successfully completed by the end of the semester, your final grade will be penalized by 3% for each Gateway Quiz that was not completed.

Exams: This course will have four unit exams plus a comprehensive final exam. Since this class runs on a condensed schedule, the final exam will be divided into two parts given during our usual class meeting time on Thursday, October 22^nd and Friday, October 23^rd. All exams will be closed book and closed notes. I will allow the use of an approved calculator (no graphing calculators are allowed). No other electronic devices (cell-phones, etc.) are allowed.

The 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. Each exam will be worth 100 points, but one exam score may be replaced by your unscaled percentage score on the final exam (provided that this improves your grade). The final exam is worth 200 points.

Warm-up Problems: On many class days, I will begin class with a warm-up problem. You will have a few minutes to work on this problem. When a warm-up problem is given, I will randomly choose students to turn in their solutions. Students selected will get one extra credit point for being present. The correctness of your solution will earn up to one additional extra credit point. If you are absent, you will not get another chance until the entire class has had their turn.

Course Grading Policy: Your final grade in the course will be computed as follows:

Homework/Quizzes: 145 points

“Gateway Quizzes” 50 points

Project: 25 points

Reflection Papers 30 points

Unit Exams: 400 points

Final Exam: 200 points

Total: 850 points

Final letter grades will be assigned based on the following scale:

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 only give make-up assignments for extreme personal emergencies or for absences which are officially sanctioned by the University. I expect written documentation in either of these cases. If you miss an exam and a make-up exam is not warranted, you may still replace your grade on one missed exam with your un-scaled percentage score on the final exam.

Special Accommodations: Minnesota State University Moorhead is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is the campus office that collaborates with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations.

• If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g. mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory or physical) please contact the DRC at (218) 477-4318 (V) or (800)627.3529 or 711 (MRS/TTY) to schedule an appointment for an intake.

• Additional information is available on the DRC website: http://www.mnstate.edu/disability/

• If you are registered with the DRC and have a current Accommodation Letter, please schedule an appointment to visit with me, during my office hours, to discuss implementation of your accommodations.

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!!

Math 210 – Section 02 Course Page

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