MAT 187B

BASIC ARITHMETIC (Part ll)

\Winter, 2012

INSTRUCTOR:                     Jeff Harootunian

PHONE:                             530-541-4660, Extension 366

E-MAIL:                             jharootunian@aol.com

OFFICE HOURS:                Room TBA

                                                Mon. & Wed.    2:30-3:00         

LTCC MATH PAGE:          http://www.ltcc.edu/academics.asp?scatID=5&catID=34

TEXTBOOK (OPTIONAL):  Basic College Mathematics, by Tobey & Slater, Sixth Edition

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 harootunian20469

                                                For assistance call 1-800-677-6337. 

                                               Mon – Fri 5:00 AM – 5:00 PM & Sunday 2:00- 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 course is actually two six-week classes (each receiving its own grade):

Ø      Math 187A covers whole numbers, fractions, and an introduction to decimals.

Ø      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, 22 sections, 4 points each)        22%

                                           Quizzes (2, Online, 10 points each)                            5%

                                                         (4 In-Class 8 points each)                          8%

                                           Exams (2, In Class, 70 points each)                         35%

                                           Final (Covers entire course content, 120 points)       30%                          

                               Your letter grade will be based on following standard percentage scale.

   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: 

There are 24 total Homework assignments. Each student will complete them all with the two lowest assignment scores dropped. All 24 assignments will be done online using MyMathLab.  Due dates are listed following each assignment accordingly.  Feel free to consult a fellow classmate, a tutor, your instructor, or anyone else for assistance on the homework. In addition, the student has the option of clicking on the far right column after each problem in the assignment to see an example of how to solve a similar problem. Homework can be worked on past the due date with 5% deduction day each assignment is late up to a maximum of 3 days. After that time working a late assignment will not be a further option.

If you don’t have an internet connection at home, you can print any of the assignments and problems or other course materials directly in the LTCC Math Lab, TLC, or D-wing Lab. For best results, work the problems on paper first and then bring in the answers to enter once you are in school.

QUIZZES:   Two quizzes will be taken online in MyMathLab and 4 other q      uizzes will be taken In-Class in accordance with the schedule. You can take each online quiz up to three times, with the highest score being the score to be counted toward the grade.  All in class quizzes are to be taken only on the dates scheduled. No in-class quiz may be made up if missed.  Before you take any of the quizzes, make sure that you have done all of the homework for the sections covered in the quiz prior and have 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 this classroom environment, I expect students to work together both individually and collectively in teams depending on the type of problems or activities provided. Please feel free to ask me directly if you would like to work with me one-on-one.

·  Please see me if you do not understand any of these 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 187B

Be sure to use class time, office hours, and the MSC to get all of your questions answered.