Course
Information
MDEV
127: Intermediate Algebra - Section 01, Spring 2011 -
4 Credits
Lecture:
M, Th 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]
Office: MacLean 375M Office Phone: 477-4011
Office Hours: W 9:30 – 10:20am Email: jamesju@mnstate.edu
TTh 10:30 – 11:20pm Webpage: web.mnstate.edu/jamesju
MTWTh 1:30 – 2:50pm
F 1:30 – 2:30pm
Other times by Appointment
Course Description: See MDEV 127 Syllabus.
Prerequisites: See MDEV 127 Syllabus.
Course Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes: See MDEV 127 Syllabus.
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.
Note: 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 actively
working on these lab assignments.
During labs, the 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. Each
lab will be due at the end of class.
Most labs will be graded on a 10 point scale. If you miss class on a lab day, you will not be allowed to make up the lab. Your best 20 graded labs will contribute 200
points toward your final grade.
Homework:
I will collect homework for grading a
few times during the semester. You will
be told 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 when assignments 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 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: Short Quizzes will
be given in class from time to time.
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 at least one page long (double spaced) – longer is ok, but no need to get carried away. These informal papers will be graded mainly on their content and completeness, but you should write in complete sentences and express your ideas clearly. 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.
Final Exam: The Final Exam for this course will be held on Wednesday, May 11th from 9:00-11:00am
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 (~25 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!!
MDEV 127
– Section 01 Course Page