MDEV 102 - SYLLABUS - Fall 2009

Any student with disabilities or other special needs are encouraged to share these concerns or requests as soon as possible.

Instructor: Timothy Peil, Ph. D.
Text: Packet purchased in bookstore.
          Extended readings and videos at http://web.mnstate.edu/peil/MDEV102/R2.htm (These are in development and are not complete.)
Office: MacLean 375 V

Phone: 218-477-2454
Office Hrs:  MWF 9:30-11:20;  TH 10:30-11:20 & 12:30-1:20
E-mail: peil@mnstate.edu
Web homepage: http://web.mnstate.edu/peil

FINAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAM: 
            11:30 Class - Thursday, December 10, 12:00 noon in Bridges 269.
              1:30 Class - Monday, December 14, 12:00 noon in Bridges 269.

GENERAL INFORMATION: The focus of the class will be algebraic skills.
   
      Poor arithmetic and basic algebra skills are among the major reasons students struggle in college mathematics courses. Other reasons for poor performance are not doing the homework, poor class attendance, not asking questions, and minimal study time. IMPORTANT UNIVERSITY POLICY NOTE: "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." Hence, it is expected that you spend at least 2 hours for every hour in class working assigned problems and reading the text. Get help and ask for help if you have questions or problems. Note: my office hours; other hours may be arranged if there is a time conflict.
       
Read the given and posted materials. 
       
For the assigned homework, all steps must be shown to receive credit for any corrected exercise, just writing the answer will result in no credit. You must be in class to hand in an assignment and no late assignments will be accepted!!!  There may be supplementary worksheets assigned at various times during the semester.
   
     If you have any questions or problems, come in for help. If my office hours do not match your schedule, see me about arranging another time to meet. Also, you may e-mail me questions. Besides the Learning Center, a tutor room is available in MacLean 383.
   
     When used in an appropriate manner, calculators and computers are excellent tools. I want to emphasize the idea of tool, please use the appropriate tool for the appropriate task. For example: simple computations such as single digit arithmetic and estimations should be done mentally, use a calculator for several digit arithmetic, and use a computer in situations involving repetitive operations such as multiplying several values by the same number. The key analogy is you would not use a pile driver or a sledge hammer to put a thumb tack into a bulletin board. Or,

I will use a teaspoon to till a flower pot,
a spade to till a flower bed,
a tiller to till a garden,
and a tractor and plow to till a field.
I will not drive a tractor and plow into my house to till a flower pot.
Timothy Peil (1995)


All calculators are prohibited for this class.

Grading Policy. Grades will be based on the the following weighted scoring system:
                                20% - Final Exam
                                50% - Five Unit Exams
                                10% - Collected Labs
                                10% - Collected Homework
                                10% - Supplemental Homework (Must complete at least 15.)
          Grades will be based on the following scale:
                A:  90% to 100%
                B:  80% to 89%
                C:  70% to 79%
                D:  60% to 69%
                F:  Below 60%

Cell phones. Cell phones ringing during classes have become a problem. Please respect others and have your cell phone turned off during class time.  

Attendance Policy. In order to succeed in mathematics classes, experience indicates, that it is extremely important that students stay on schedule. Because we are interested in your success, this course carries the following attendance requirement. 
     "Any student that is absent from more than 5 scheduled class meetings during the session will have his/her overall
percentage score lowered by 2 percentage points per each additional absence before final grades are assigned."

        No makeup exams will be given!!!—except in cases of extreme illness, family emergency, or university-approved activity, in which case exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. For me to even consider an exception, you must notify me (not the department secretary) before the exam takes place, and provide documentation (such as a receipt from the doctor) before taking the makeup exam.

Where and when is class.   MH in MacLean 276 and TF Bridges 269. The two section times are 11:30 - 12:20 or 1:30 - 2:20.

Course Description from the Minnesota State University Moorhead Bulletin. 
MDEV 102 Mathematical Concepts (4)
This course will study real numbers and their properties, exponents, common and decimal fractions, percents, algebraic expressions, linear equations in one and two variables, lines and linear relationships, and an introduction to set theory. It is expected that students who complete this course will then go on to take MATH 102. This course is not intended to prepare students for any course in algebra. Credit not applicable to any major or any degree.

E1 – Mathematics Student Learning Outcomes 
http://web.mnstate.edu/math/MathStudentLearningOutcomes.htm

Attendance Policy. http://web.mnstate.edu/acadaff/Departments/policies/studentabsence.htm

Academic Honesty. http://web.mnstate.edu/sthandbook or http://web.mnstate.edu/math/MSUMAcademicHonestyPolicy.htm

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