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MAT 187A – BASIC ARITHMETIC (Part l)
Winter
2012
INSTRUCTOR:
Jeff Harootunian
PHONE:
530-541-4660, Extension 366
E-MAIL:
jharootunian@ltcc.edu
OFFICE
HOURS:
Room TBA
Mon. & Wed.
2:30-3:00pm
LTCC MATH PAGE:
http://www.ltcc.edu/academics.asp?scatID=5&catID=34
TEXTBOOK
(OPTIONAL):
Required Software License:
It is required to have a software license to use the software
MyMathLab in this class. Students have
two choices. The
first
choice is to purchase the textbook from the bookstore. The
textbook comes with the software license for an additional cost of approximately
$5. The second choice is
to purchase the license alone either from the bookstore or online at
coursecompass.com. The license gives you access to the textbook online.
This is a more economical choice, but is only recommended to students who have
online access and feel comfortable reading a computer screen instead of a
traditional book. If you purchase a used textbook, you will also need to
purchase the software license. The
software license is valid as long as the student uses the same textbook; the
student may need to call the tech support to obtain another access code if the
student takes the same class again later.
Our course id is
harootunian03508
For assistance
call
1-800-677-6337.
Mon – Fri 5:00 AM – 5:00 PM & Sunday 2:00
PM – 9:00 PM
Online assistance is available 24 hours every day at:
247pearsoned.custhelp.com
COUSE
DESCRIPTION:
The purpose of this course is to teach students
the skills of basic Arithmetic. We will cover whole numbers, fractions, and an
introduction to decimals. In reality, you have probably already seen this
material somewhere in your educational past. Nonetheless, you may have forgotten
how to work with these types of problems or you might not have really understood
the steps and skills needed to successfully navigate through these materials.
Our first goal is to fill in the gaps of your knowledge about arithmetic and to
help you get the “big picture” of how all of these arithmetic skills fit
together. Second, we want you to form mathematical ideas in a way which makes
sense to you and that then can be applied to “real life” problems. We will spend
considerable time actually analyzing and discussing how the math is extracted
from word problems and then translated into a precise order of mathematical
operations. This course is an extended version of Math 187A in which we will
include a component of study skills to assist you in being successful in this
math class and others which you will take in the future.
This is actually two six-week classes
(each receiving its own grade):
Ř
Math 187A
covers whole numbers, fractions, and an introduction to decimals.
Ř
Math 187B
covers the rest of decimals, percents, and an introduction to algebra.
CALCULATORS:
Calculators are not allowed in this class on exams or the final.
TUTORING:
Tutoring is available in the Math Success Center (MSC) in Room 201.
Students
will earn 0.5 points toward the total grade for every 10 hours in MSC or DRC.
However, if any student misses two or more classes, no lab credit will be
granted.
STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1.
Perform arithmetic operations with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.
2.
Translate written language into mathematical ideas and statements.
3. Apply the concepts in the course to
real-life situations.
4.
Apply study skills learned in this class to studying
in this class.
GRADING
POLICY:
Method of Student Evaluation
Homework (Online, 21
sections, 4 points each)
18%
Study Skills Component (16 points)
3%
Quizzes (Two, Online, 10 points each)
5%
Exams (Two, In Class, 100 points each)
44%
Final (Covers entire course content, 140 points)
30%
Your letter grade will be based on
your percentage.
A
90-100%
B
80-89%
C
70-79%
D
60-69%
F
less than 60%
CHECKING YOUR GRADE ONLINE:
You can check your
grade at any time in MyMathLab where you will be doing your homework. Any
student will be dropped from the class if the student misses two classes or more
and is unable to keep up with the learning.
HOMEWORK:
Homework will be done online using MyMathLab. Due dates are listed
for you when you go on line to do the assignments.
Feel free to consult a fellow classmate, a tutor, your instructor, or
anyone else for assistance on the homework. In addition, the computer will give
you help with any problem, show you an example of a similar problem, and in some
cases show you a video of someone teaching how to do that type of problem.
You can work on homework after the due date but there are penalties for
being late (see the make-up policy below).
If you don’t have the internet connection
at home, you can print them out in school at Math Lab, TLC, or D-wing Lab, work the
problem on the papers, and enter the answers in school.
QUIZZES:
Quizzes will be taken online in
MyMathLab. You can take each quiz up to three times, and the highest score will
be used. Before you take the quiz, make sure that you have done all of the
homework for the sections covered in the quiz, read the appropriate sections in
the textbook, looked at the video(s), received assistance from either the
computer, or your instructor on any difficult topics, and perhaps most
importantly used the assignments to practice and work through all of the
specifics and logistics on how to enter your answer responses prior to taking a
quiz. If you do not take a quiz on time, a zero will be recorded for that grade.
EXAM
POLICY:
Grading will be based on progress
towards the final answer, and the demonstration of understanding of the concept
that is being tested. The more you show and demonstrate steps and details, the
better your chances for partial credit. You provide me the communication
and detail in your answers; and I will give you the best grade I can based on
that communication and answer. All testing formats will be consistent and adhere
to the use of one page of notes or one note card, front and back, for quizzes,
exams and the final.
MAKE-UP
POLICY:
For Exams and the Final,
make-up is possible if the instructor is
contacted in advance and the absence is excuse; there is a 10%
penalty if the absence is not excused. The make-up test needs to be taken before
the next class. Homework will
be accepted late up to one week after it is assigned for half credit; the online
homework will be closed after the due date, and I will
reopen it sometime the next day for
another week for the late homework. If
you take the make-up test at TLC,
you need to make an appointment at TLC 24
hours ahead by going to TLC, call (530)541-4660 x 740, or e-mail
TLCProctors@ltcc.edu.
COMMUNICATION POLICY:
You can communicate
with me best by email to
jharootunian@aol.com or stopping by during office hours.
I will respond to
your e-mails in a timely manner. If you miss the class, it is your
responsibility to pick up the class handouts or obtain the information either
from your classmates or from me during the office hours. I will not be giving
out any missed handouts during a class session.
· In my classroom environment I expect students
to work both individually and collectively in teams depending on the type of
problems or activities we are engaged in. together. Please feel free to ask me
directly if you like to work with me one-on-one.
·
Please come see me if you do not understand any of my policies or
expectations.
·
Since math is not usually a clear
language when first learned or relearned, please
be sure to ask if you
have any difficulty with understanding the math due to my lecture or discussion
vocabulary used when explaining concepts, sample problems, or textual readings.
I will be happy to clarify.
LEARNING DISABILITIES:
If you have a certifiable
learning disability that may affect your performance in this class, be sure to
discuss your special needs with me during the first week of class.
Learning disabilities will be accommodated.
Please
read and practice the following suggestions on how to succeed in this math
course.
1) Read
your textbook before class. This will help you to gain early understanding of
the types of questions you might have.
2) Choose to
attend all class periods and be on time as well as check weekly for online
announcements and updates to MyMathLab.
3)
Exchange names and phone number with
classmates.
4)
Learn from your mistakes and be patient with yourself.
5)
Ask many questions to help you gain clarification on how to do problems
that you may not fully understand.
6)
Know how to get help if you need it and consult all resources that are
available to you.
7)
Organize your class materials in a way that makes sense and allows you to
work comfortably with your own learning process.
8)
Do each and every assignment to the best of your ability and practice and
write down all of the steps to each problem as you are working them on-line.
9)
Be sure that you write down the
assignment date, section, and problem number of each problem as you work through
them. This will not only help you to check your work, but will also allow you to
reference and review any problem that you wish to re-visit at a later time.
10)
Complete all assignments in a timely
manner and by the due date set in class or on-line.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY (CHEATING):
Academic dishonesty of any form will
not be tolerated. Students caught cheating on exams or quizzes will receive a
score of zero on the assignment for the first offense and a course grade of F
for the second offense.
Cheating will be defined as but not limited to:
(1) using any method to copy another’s work on an exam, quiz, or final (2)
directly copying another student’s homework assignment (3) using any method
other than your own honest efforts to complete exams, quizzes, the final, or
homework assignments.
The following activities are NOT cheating:
(1) collaborating with other students to complete homework assignments (2)
working with math tutors or academic coaches to complete homework
assignments (3) working with other students to study for exams, quizzes or the
final.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: If you need help
paying for your books or other expenses, call our financial aid officer, America
Ramirez, at 541-4660 x236, email her at
Ramirez@ltcc.edu,
or drop by A100.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT:
Your full cooperation and respect is expected in this course. This means that
rude or insensitive remarks or comments will be dealt with. The first time that
this occurs you will be asked to curtail all negative behaviors. The second time
there is any problem thereafter, you will be asked to leave the classroom. I
will not allow any student or group of students to cause any disruptions that
compromise the learning environment of any persons in this class. If any
problems should occur, it is the student’s responsibility to discuss the problem
with me in a rational manner outside of the classroom. Together we can then
discuss and work out a course of action to remedy the situation.
WHERE TO FIND A COMPUTER ON
CAMPUS:
Computers are available for your use in the
following locations on campus:
§
Learning Assistance Center (LAC)*
open Mon – Thurs 9 – 6, Fri 10 – 2, Sat 11 – 3.
§
Math Success Center (MSC) * open
Mon – Thurs 9 – 6, Fri 10 – 2, Sat 11 – 1.
§
Open Labs in the D-wing which
have available times posted by the door of each lab.
* Both
the LAC and the MSC are in room 201.
Tentative Lecture Schedule for Math 187A
Be sure to use class
time, office hours, and the MSC to get all of your questions answered.
Be sure that you are registered for Math 187B which begins next
week, Monday, February, 13d, 2012.
Math 187A
Study Skills Component
Sixteen
points of your grade in this class
is based
on the study skills component. You can earn those twenty-one points in the
following manner:
Study
Skills Assignment:
Individual Counseling, (16 points)
Due, Monday, February. 6th, 2012.
a. Make an appointment for one hour to meet with any counselor.
b. After your appointment, you need to write a half-page summary of your
meeting with a counselor of what was most and least helpful about the counseling
appointment. Turn this summary to Prof Jeff by February, 13th.
Be sure to turn in your report
TYPED.
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