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Syllabus
Mat 152b Fall 2003 Instructor:
George Drake This syllabus contains important
information regarding requirements, grading, and deadlines.
Failure to meet the expectations spelled out herein may result in
receiving a poor grade. Having
received this document, the student is expected to know its contents, whether
explained verbally or not. Read it!
This syllabus may also be viewed
online by going to http://www.ltcc.edu/programs/math/,
then click to syllabi, Mat 152b
(Drake). Instructor: George Drake, B.A., M.A., and C.Ph.,
all in mathematics, all from U.C. Davis Office:
F130 Phone:
(530)541-4660x256 Office Hours: M.:
1:00-3:00
T.:
3:30-5:00
W.:
2:30-3:30
Th.:
3:30-5:00
These hours are for drop-in student counseling (i.e., I am there waiting
for someone, anyone, to show up). If
I appear to be busy, be sure to make your presence known, as I rotate
questioning amongst all students who are in attendance.
In addition, a limited number of individual appointments may be made, but
please observe the courtesy of attempting to meet your needs through the drop-in
service as much as is practical. Thanks Text:
Dugopolski, Mark: Elementary and Intermediate Algebra, 1st ed.,
McGraw-Hill, 2002, ISBN 0-07-245028-2 Prerequisite:
A grade of C or better in Mat 152a or the equivalent, or a satisfactory
score on the Mathematics Assessment Test (see pre-requisite topic list).
Class Meets:
T., Th, 1:30-3:20 in A213 Grading Policy:
I grade on a “modified curve.” What
this means is that:
1) Grading will be competitive. I.e.,
the students who demonstrate the best understanding of the material will receive
the highest grades. Traditionally
(old tradition, to be sure) an “A” corresponds to the top 10%, a “B” to
the next 20%, a “C” to the middle 40%, a “D” to the next 20%, and an
“F” to the final 10%.
2) Those who drop out of the class will be assumed to fall into the
lowest categories, so it is possible for every student who persists through the
final to pass, or even attain a “B” or better.
This is, however, a rare event for. . .
3) There will also be a considerable element of subjective judgment in
deciding what the grades will be. I.e.,
I have a strong perception of what good, medium, and poor mastery of this level
of mathematics is. If this class
performs well or poorly on a particular assessment instrument (a test, the
homework, the quizzes, etc.) I will modify the grade distribution to reflect
that fact. Whether the class itself
performs well or poorly, however, I am also capable of assessing each
individual’s performance in a similar manner.
Hence, on any particular assessment instrument there may be more or less
than the 10%, 20%, or 40% described above.
Homework (due daily)
18%*
Each midterm exam (3)
18% (Best two count. Total =
36%)
Quizzes based on the homework and
lectures given at start of the first
class meeting of each non-test week
17%
Final Exam (comprehensive)
27%
Fudge factor
(instructor's subjective
evaluation)
2% *
If less than half of the homework is handed in (including late work) with
legitimate evidence of effort, the student cannot receive a grade greater than
C, no matter what other scores are attained in other areas.
Occasionally homework may include some problems from sections not yet
touched on in lectures. In such
cases any legitimate effort will be counted the same as a correct solution.
Not every problem on each homework assignment will be graded.
Instead, a representative sample (some easy problems, some medium, and
some hard, some odd numbers and some even) will be graded and scored.
The grade for that homework assignment will be the score received on the
sample.
Extra Credit assignments may be made from time to time.
Extra credit will be considered after an initial determination has been
made of a student's grade and will be used only to increase a grade which
marginally misses the next higher grade.
All work will be graded on the basis of the process the student employs
at least as much as on the result, so always show your work!
Correct answers which obviously required written work will not be given
full credit, and may not even get any credit at all, if the work is not shown.
The last day to withdraw from this class with no record or to opt for
Credit/No Credit is November 17, 2003.
The last day to withdraw with the letter grade of “W” is November 21,
2003
The I grade is not intended as a way of avoiding a grade the student
doesn't want, or even one which the instructor doesn't wish to give.
It will not, therefore, be given except in circumstances which cannot
have been foreseen and which occur too late to withdraw from the class.
Students should be apprised of the potential of switching from one
section of a class to another section of the same class (e.g., Mat 152b-1 to Mat
152b-2), subject to the approval of the receiving instructor, but independent of
the date. Because of discrepancies in instructional practices, such a
switch can have disadvantages to the switching student, and anyone considering
such a move should talk to the instructor (Drake) before attempting it. Late and Make-up policy:
Homework may be handed in up to one week late for ½ credit.
However, late work will not normally be graded.
Instead the student will be given credit at the end of the quarter for
each late assignment at the rate of ½
of his/her average homework score. To
meet the requirement that ½ of the homework be attempted in order to score
better than a C, homework may be handed in until the date of the final.
However, any homework received later than one week from the due date will
be given a zero point value.
Quizzes may not be made up. One midterm may be made up (i.e., taken at a time other than the
scheduled administration) with the instructor's permission, which must be
obtained in advance. However,
a made up exam is automatically subject to three penalties:
1) The actual score will not exceed the "earned score, minus,"
i.e. an earned B+ becomes, at best, an actual score of B, etc.
2)
The actual score will not exceed the best of the scores received on exams taken
by the student on time, and 3)
The actual score will not exceed the best of the scores received on that midterm
by students taking the exam during its regularly scheduled administration. WARNING:
It is the responsibility of the student taking a make-up exam to find out
whether any corrections/clarifications were made between the time of the test's
duplication and his/her actually seeing it. Restriction on use of calculators:
Most sections of this course are meant to be conducted without the use of
a calculator. A few sections, and some homework exercises, will be enhanced by
the use of a calculator and the book utilizes a “calculator icon” to
indicate such. Do not use a
calculator unless you are doing one of these specially designated exercises.
Generally, calculators will not be allowed on tests, so practice not
using them on your homework. No
exceptions to this rule arise before chapter 10, and, depending upon the
specifics of this quarter’s class, may not even arise then.
In addition, most graphing
calculators will do much of the work being taught in MAT152b.
Therefore, the use of graphing calculators in
MAT152b is forbidden even where a calculator may otherwise be allowed
(again, don’t practice in homework that which you will not be able to do in
class). Plagiarism and Academic
Dishonesty:
The only portions of this class which may be conducted in a collaborative
manner are the homework, where collaboration is encouraged, and assignments
which may, from time to time be specifically made with the provision that they
are to be collaborative.
Tests and quizzes are all closed book, closed notes.
Any attempts to cheat, including talking during a test/quiz or excessive
“wandering eye”, if discovered,
will be severely dealt with. Lecture and exam schedule,
including due dates of assignments:
Lectures and exams will proceed according to the following schedule:
9/23
Introduction and §3.3
9/25
§§ 2.4 & 8.1
9/30
§§ 8.7 & 6.1
10/2
§§ 6.2-6.3
10/7
§§ 6.4-6.5
10/9
§§ 6.6-7.1 (hand out review guide)
10/14
Review 3.3,8.1,8.7,6.1-6.6 + §7.2 **
10/16
Test 3.3, 8.1, 8.7, 6.1-6.6 (first one hour) + §7.3
10/21
§§ 7.4-7.5
10/23
§§ Return exam + §7.6
10/28
§§ 7.7-7.8
10/30
§§ 8.2 & 9.1 (hand out review guidelines)
11/4
Review §§ 7.1-7.8 + § 9.2 **
11/8
Test 7.1-7.8 (first one hour) + §9.3
11/11
§§ 9.4-9.5
11/13
Return exam + §9.6
11/18
§§ 10.1-10.2 (hand out review guide)
11/20
Review §§ 8.2, 9.1-9.6 + §11.5 **
11/25
Test 8.2, 9.1-9.6 (first one hour) + review §§ 10.1,10.2, &
11.5 (hand out review guide)
12/2
Review all, return exam
12/4
Review all **
December 11 (Thurs.)
Final Exam, Comprehensive with an extra emphasis on §§10.1,10.2, &
11.5 (two hours), 1:00-2:50 Please note the change in time!
Please come to class having read the material which is to be covered in
class that day. Sometimes this will
be hard to do, as the material may be very difficult to understand when it is
read without the benefit of having heard a lecture on the topic. But, when that is the case, it gives the student the benefit
of knowing in advance which topics are most confusing. When it is not the case, it gives him/her a head start on the
lecture, making it easier to benefit from any special nuances which may be brought out in class. Homework Assignments:
Homework assignments will be made via handouts which will be distributed
every two weeks, covering the following two weeks.
Students are expected to attend class, and the instructor accepts no
responsibility for difficulties which may arise from the student's failure to do
so--including the possibility that the student may not get the assignment
sheets.
Homework is due at the end of class on the date due, but I recommend
handing it in as you enter, since that is easier to remember to do. Keys to the homework assignments will be posted next to F130, usually by the day after the assignment is due. |