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Syllabus

PreCalculus Algebra

1151-MAC1140VC1151-16321

General Information | Important Information | Course Detail

General Information

Professor Information

[pic] Instructor: Dr. Ciprian Gal Phone: (305) 348-1216 Office: DM 435B (MMC) Office Hours: By Appointment E-mail: cgal@fiu.edu

Course Description And Purpose

A one semester introduction to the basic notions of calculus. Specific topics include: differential calculus using polynomial, exponential and logarithmic functions, and their application to optimization; integral calculus with area and probability applications. Please enter the course description and purpose.

Course Objectives

Students will develop an understanding of advanced algebraic techniques and procedures and enhance their logical reasoning skills including both inductive and deductive logic. They will gain a better understanding of the techniques of problem solving including clearly defining the problem, using a systematic approach and using symbolic representation to solve practical, real world problems. After finishing the course: o The student should have a good understanding of the concept of a function and its graph, in particular a polynomial, rational, exponential and logarithmic functions will be emphasized. o The student should be able to solve a system of linear and nonlinear equations by substitution and using Cramer’s Rule, if applicable. o The student should be able to recognize and graph a conic, recognize arithmetic and geometric sequences and compute the sum of the first n-terms of such sequences, use proficiently mathematical induction to prove mathematical statements and use the Binomial Theorem to expand a power of a binomial.

Learning Outcomes

Students will study algebraic topics in preparation for the study of Calculus. The skills developed in this course will prepare the students for the study of calculus and other mathematical courses requiring algebraic procedures.

Material To Be Covered

o Chapter 3 - Review only o Chapter 5 – sections 1-5 o Chapter 6 - Review only o Chapter 11: sec 1- 4 o Chapter 12: sec 1,3, 6 o Chapter 13

Important Information

Policies

Please review the FIU policies page as it contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU and additional information on the standards for acceptable netiquette important for online courses.

Technical Requirements & Skills

One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently, and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course; but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the "What's Required" page to find out more information on this subject. Please visit our technical requirements page for additional information.

Accessibility And Accommodation

Obtain more detailed information about the specific limitations with the technologies used in this course.

Review Blackboard's Accessibility Commitment for more information.

For additional assistance please contact our Disability Resource Center.

Course Prerequisites

MAC 1105 with a “C” or better or appropriate score in the ALEKS placement test for students without prior college-level coursework in mathematics. Review the course catalog page for prerequisites information.

Proctored Exam Policy

Please note this course requires 3 proctored exams. All tests are offline! See the syllabus for dates and times, so as not to schedule any other classes in this timeblock. Students in South Florida will take these tests on FIU's University Park campus. Students outside South Florida must find a school, community college, or university in their locale where a proctor can administer the test on the same day (not necessarily at the same time) and fax the completed test to me. The National College Testing Association Site may help you find a testing center outside South Florida.

Textbook

o Option 1: Algebra & Trigonometry by M. Sullivan 9th edition packaged with MyLabsPlus access code. o Option 2: MyLabsPlus Access Code alone (MyLabsPlus program contains an electronic version of the textbook).

Course Detail

Course Communication

Communication in this course will take place via messages. Messages are a private and secure text-based communication that occurs within a Course and among Course members. Users must log on to Blackboard to send/receive/read messages. The Messages tool is located on the left side Course Menu (Blackboard user interface). It is recommended that students check their messages routinely to ensure up-to-date communication. Visit our writing resources page for more information on professional writing and technical communication skills.

Discussion Forums

Keep in mind that forum discussions are public, and care should be taken when determining what to post.

Grading

To get a full credit for a problem on a test you must show your work. An answer alone, even correct, will get no credit. Your grade will depend on your performance on tests and online assignments. Course grades will be awarded using the plus-minus grading system. As a rough guide, my grading policy is approximated below.
|Course Requirements |Points |
|Midterm Exams (3 at 100 points each) |300 pts (48%) |
|Final Exam (Comprehensive) |150 pts (24%) |
|Homework posted every week |75 pts (12%) |
|Quizzes posted every week |100 pts (16) |
|Total |625 pts (100%) |

|Letter |Range |Letter |Range |Letter |Range |
|A |93 - 100 |B- |79 - 82 |D+ |60 - 64 |
|A- |89 - 92 |C+ |75-78 |D |55 - 59 |
|B+ |86 - 88 |C |70-74 |F |0 - 54 |
|B |83 - 85 |C- |65 - 69 | | |

Calculator Policy

Use of graphing calculators is prohibited in this course. The scientific calculator, TI- 30XA will be used occasionally but not on tests.

Incomplete Grade Policy

The incomplete grade is given to a student who has substantially completed most of the course work but is unable to finish an exam or other work because of circumstances beyond the student's control. An incomplete grade cannot be given if it is necessary for the student to repeat the course. An incomplete grade must be made up within two semesters. There is no extension of the two semester deadline. The student must not register again for the course to make up the incomplete. Every incomplete grade must be approved by the Mathematics Department.

Drops/withdrawals

: Last Day to Register, Add, or Change Sections (Can be done via MyFIU) If you drop a course prior to this deadline, there will be no record on your transcript. March 23: Last Day to Withdraw from a Course with a “DR” grade After this date, you will need the signature of your instructor in order to withdraw from the course.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident that each person's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards breaches of the academic integrity rules as extremely serious matters. Sanctions for such a breach may include academic sanctions from the instructor, including failing the course for any violation, to disciplinary sanctions ranging from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, collaboration, or any other form of cheating, consult the course instructor. A more complete definition of Academic Misconduct is given on pp. 120-121 of the Student Handbook. See also http://www2.fiu.edu/~oabp/misconductweb/1acmisconductproc.htm Intellectual Pluralism: The University community welcomes intellectual diversity and respects student rights. Students who have questions concerning the quality of instruction in this class may address concerns to either the Departmental Chair, Divisional leader, or Office of Student Access and Success (http://www.osas.fiu.edu/). All students will have the opportunity to submit an anonymous evaluation of the instructor at the end of the course.

Exams

THE USE OF COMPUTERS, GRAPHING CALCULATORS AND CELL PHONES DURING EXAMS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED! This course will have two midterm exams and one comprehensive final. All midterm exams will be either proctored on campus or by using a pre-approved local/national testing center. Please refer to Blackboard for more details. Make-up Policy: There will be no make-up tests. The final will NOT replace a 0 that you get for missing a test. If you miss a test due to illness or other emergency and provide supporting documentation, your final exam will count in place of the missed test. In this case, the option of replacing the lowest test score will not be applied (see also below). There are no make-ups for online assignments. Final Grade: You will be allowed to drop the lowest score of the two midterms (ME1, ME2, ME3) and replace it with 0.7 of the score received on the final exam (FE). Note that the final exam weighs 1.5 more times than a regular midterm and this can effectively improve your final grade by a substantial margin. If you miss a test on the scheduled day when a midterm is given, your final will count as one of your dropped scores provided that you provide a legitimate verifiable reason (sickness, etc). Otherwise, you will receive a zero on that midterm and this curve will NOT be applied to you (If this is the case, your final grade will be computed by simply adding all midterms, homework (H), quizzes (Q) and final exam together and the percentage rate is calculated by taking the total score divided by 6.25). In other words, you must take all midterms for this curve to apply to you with the exception noted above. In the case that the curve applies to you, your final percentage (FP) and hence, the final grade calculated according to the grading policy introduced earlier will be computed with the following formula: FP = [(ME1 + ME2 + ME3) + (H) + (Q) + (FE) - MINIMUM (ME1, ME2, ME3) + 0.7 * (FE)] / (6.25).

Online Homework And Quizzes

o Online problems are algorithmic iterations of the textbook exercises. o All online assignments have a due date. Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances, so please plan accordingly. o Homework assignments can be attempted an infinite number of times but must be completed by 11:59pm on the assigned due date. It is your responsibility to track the due dates. o Some homework assignments are extensive. Make sure to allocate enough time to complete them. You should always start working on a weekly assignment every Monday. o To take a quiz you have to complete associated homework assignment with a score of 80% or more. If you do not score at least 80% on the homework, you will not be able to take the associated quiz and therefore you will receive a 0% on that quiz. o You can take each quiz up to 3 times and only the highest score will be recorded. o At the end of the semester the homework with the lowest grade and the quiz with the lowest grade will be dropped. o A grade of 0 on a homework/quiz will be assigned whenever a student did not attempt that assignment before the deadline. o Quizzes will generally be due the next day after a homework assignment is due. Please be advised that merely completing online assignments is not a guarantee of success in the class. You need to understand what you do. A test question will not come with the “help me solve it” button. So, if you can’t correctly do a homework problem without any help, you will not be able to do a similar problem on a test.
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