COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA

Mathematics 91D Distance Education Course

Fall 2009 Semester

 

Instructor:

Christina Hughes Roldan

Office:

West Charleston Campus, Building H, Room 101 J

Office Hours:

Online in our CSN Online Campus Chat room:

Wednesdays 9:30AM - 11:00AM
Thursdays 8:00PM - 9:00PM

These hours are subject to change.  I will keep you informed.

Voicemail:

(702) 651 - 5687

Fax:

(702) 651 - 5881

E-mail:

tina.roldan@csn.edu
NOTE:  Use this email ONLY if our CSN Online Campus mail system is not operating.  During the semester, all communication with me should be done via our CSN Online Campus Course Mail Inbox.

 

  

Required Materials:

Text: Basic College Mathematics, 8th Edition by Lial, Salzman, and Hestwood. The CSN bookstore carries a package with the book, practice workbook, and MyMathLab software. You may choose to purchase the online version of the textbook (MyMathLab) instead of or in addition to the softcover text.

Internet Access to CSN Online Campus.

NO Calculators:  Calculators are NOT to be used in this course.  Your goal is to become familiar with and comfortable with working mathematics without the assistance of a calculator or other such tool. You will NOT be allowed to use calculators on any of the proctored exams.

 

Course Description:

This course covers the fundamental operations of arithmetic. Topics include fractions, decimals, percent, ratio and proportion, measurement, geometry, and simple statistics.

By the end of the course, you are expected to be able to: perform operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and apply them to problem involving whole numbers, fractions, and decimals; perform computations using order of operations; solve problems involving ratio, proportion, and percent; compute perimeters and areas of basic geometric shapes; convert within and between various measurement systems; collect data, construct a variety of graphs from data, and interpret graphical representations of data; apply and extend all concepts.

  

Course Format:

Instead of coming to a traditional classroom for lectures, you will receive instruction via your textbook, online lecture notes, and online video lectures. You will communicate with me weekly via our CSN Online Campus Course Mail and Discussion Forum. In order to help you keep up with the course material, we will be having weekly quizzes that will be taken online via our CSN Online Course class website. In addition, you will have two semester exams and a final exam, all to be taken in a proctored environment (see information below).

 

How You Will Be Graded:

You will accumulate points in several areas: discussion forum, online quizzes, two semester exams and a final exam. The total of all the points you earn throughout the semester determines your final grade. There are 1145 points possible in the course. To determine your grade at anytime during the semester, simply divide the amount of points you've earned by the total number possible up to that point. Below is the overall end-of-semester grading scale.

1048 pts - 1145 pts = 91.5% - 100 % = A

819 pts - 898 pts = 71.5% - 78.4% = C

1030 pts - 1047 pts = 90% - 91.4% = A-

801 pts - 818 pts = 70% - 71.4% = C-

1013 pts - 1029 pts = 88.5% - 89.9% = B+

784 pts - 800 pts = 68.5% - 69.9% = D+

933 pts - 1012 pts = 81.5% - 88.4% = B 

704 pts - 783 pts = 61.5% - 68.4% = D

916 pts - 932 pts = 80% - 81.4% = B- 

687 pts - 703 pts = 60% - 61.4% = D-

899 pts - 915 pts = 78.5% - 79.9% = C+

0 pts - 686 pts = 0% - 59.9% = F

Withdrawals - If you wish to withdraw from the course (receive a W grade), it is your responsibility to officially drop the course by the drop date listed in the CSN semester calendar.

 

How You Earn Points:

Class Participation: You will be required to post a discussion forum message at least once during each full month of the semester - September, October, and November. (Messages posted in August will count towards your September posting amd messages posted in December, before Dec. 8th, will count towards your November posting.) The discussion messages must be somehow related to the course (suggestions include: questions about the class, questions on the homework, words of encouragement to fellow students, responses to another student's message, etc.). It will be up to the instructor to determine if your posting satisfies the requirements for the points. You will earn 5 points for each required monthly posting. There are 15 total points possible for the discussion forum postings.

Homework: A list of homework problems can be found on our website and at the end of this syllabus. You will not hand in the homework nor earn points for it, however your homework will greatly assist you as you take your weekly graded quizzes. I expect you to work your homework exercises from your text and encourage you to ask any questions that may arise.

Quizzes: You will have weekly homework quizzes throughout the semester. The quizzes are meant to test your knowledge of the material and evaluate whether you've understood your assigned homework. To take your quizzes, simply click on the "Assessments Folder" under the Course Content tab on our class website and follow the instructions. You may use your completed homework problems to assist you on the quizzes, however the quizzes must be your own (no one else's) work. Notes regarding the quizzes:
~ The Information Quiz and Quiz 0 are practice quizzes only and do NOT count towards your grade.
~ The Information Quiz must be completed before any remaining quizzes are released to you.
~ You will have one hour maximum allowed for each graded quiz attempt, unless otherwise specified. Be prepared when you go to take the quiz.
~ I will NOT accept late quizzes. Each quiz MUST be completed by the scheduled due date and time.
~ Two Attempts: You may take each graded quiz (Quiz 1 - Quiz 14) twice, with only the highest score counting as your quiz grade. Remember each attempt must be submitted by the scheduled due date and time.
~ Drop Three Policy: Your three lowest quiz scores will be dropped from your overall semester grade.
~ Each graded quiz is worth 30 points.

*Special Note Concerning Computer Grading:  All our graded quizzes are automatically graded by the computer, which, unfortunately, sometimes fails to recognize alternate forms of correct answers.  It is up to you to review every quiz after it has been graded. If you have an answer that you believe was incorrectly marked wrong, it is your responsibility to contact me, the instructor, for a possible adjustment to your score.  To eliminate most computer grading errors, be sure to carefully read and follow the quiz instructions before entering in your quiz answers.

**Special Note Concerning Technical Issues: Computer issues may occur during the semester. Whenever you are unable to resolve a technical issue, please immediately call the CSN computer help desk for assistance, 651-HELP. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Computer problems do not excuse you from missing quiz deadlines. See note above - I will not accept late quizzes for any reason. Make sure you allow ample time to complete your weekly online quizzes. Do not wait until the last minute!

Proctored Semester Exams: You will have two proctored exams during the semester, both in paper form. You will be required to come to a PROCTORED TESTING CENTER to take each exam. That is, you will be required to come to a CSN campus testing center or an approved rural or out-of-state site to take each exam. You choose the day and time that you wish to take each exam, as long as it is taken during the designated exam period.  You may NOT use any books, notes, or calculators during the exams. Scratch paper, however, is permitted. You will have up to 2 hours to complete each exam. NO MAKE UP EXAMS will be given after the designated testing periods, though you may take an exam early with instructor permission. Each semester exam is worth 250 points.

Proctored Final Exam: Your final exam is a cumulative test, in paper form, covering material from the entire course. Like your semester exams, the final exam must be taken in a PROCTORED TESTING CENTER. That is, you will be required to come to a CSN campus testing center or an approved rural or out-of-state site to take the final exam. You choose the day and time that you wish to take the exam, as long as it is taken during the designated exam period.  Calculators are NOT allowed. You may NOT use any books or notes during the final. Scratch paper is permitted. You will have up to 2 hours to complete the final exam. NO MAKE UP FINALS will be given after the final exam testing period. The final exam is worth 300 points.

 

Is there any other important information you should know?

Conduct/Responsibilities: 

(1) All work done for this course is to be your own.

(2) Cheating is forbidden - incidents will be reported to the Department Chair and/or Academic Dean.

(3) Please use courtesy and respect when posting discussion forum messages or communicating with fellow students or the instructor.

(4) You are expected to have read and understand the current issue of the student handbook, published by Student Services. The handbook includes all student responsibilities, student rights, intellectual property policy, information about procedures, and appropriate student behavior.

Disability Awareness: If you have a documented disability that may require assistance, you should contact a campus Disability Resource Center.  The Resource Center phone numbers are as follows: West Charleston Campus Disability Resource Center 651-5089, Cheyenne Campus Disability Resource Center 651-4045, Henderson Campus Disability Resource Center 651-3086.

 

 

Some Tips for Success:

1. Make specific time in your schedule everyday for quiet study.

2. Stay motivated! Keep up with weekly lessons, homework, and quizzes.

3. Regularly check your class mailbox. Get involved in the site's chat room and discuss problems with others enrolled in the course.  Studies have shown that working together with fellow classmates is very beneficial.

4. Seek help and ask questions. The best way to reach me is through our website Course Mail Inbox.

5. Use a variety of instructional tools. Every new textbook comes with a handy cd-rom and MyMathLab access which contains valuable supplemental material, including practice tests, additional problems, worked examples, and video clips. Also, I have prepared and posted several online videos to assist in your studies (these can be found under the Course Content tab of our Angel website). All of the above are excellent resources for you! 

6. Don't put off your studying till the end of the week. Procrastinating and leaving your studying for the last minute is a sure way to not succeed in the course. Spend some time everyday working on your math! Depending on your level of knowledge, you should expect to put no less than 12 hours a week of study in order to be truly successful in this course (some students will need far more time).

7. Visit a CSN campus Math and Science Resource Center or get a personal tutor.

8. Keep positive. After more than a decade of teaching, I have found that the biggest reason students fail to succeed in math is not lack of ability but rather lack of self-confidence. Don't say, "I am not good at math". Instead say, "I can do this!". Or better yet, "You know, math is really fun ! "

9. Practice, practice, practice!

 

Fall 2009 Schedule - Quiz & Exam Dates

Quiz or Exam

Material

Last Day to Complete

Information Survey

Syllabus/Info

Must be completed before any other quiz is taken (no points are awarded for this quiz)

Quiz 1

Sections 1.1 - 1.6

Tuesday, September 8th - by 9AM (Monday is a holiday, so your quiz will be due on Tuesday morning)

Quiz 2

Sections 1.7 - 1.10

Monday, September 14th- by 9PM

Quiz 3

Sections 2.1 - 2.4

Monday, September 21st - by 9PM

Quiz 4

Sections 2.5 - 2.8

Monday, September 28th - by 9PM

Quiz 5

Sections 3.1 - 3.3

Monday, October 5th - by 9PM

Quiz 6

Sections 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2

Monday, October 12th - by 9PM

Exam #1

Chapters 1, 2, and 3

Monday, October 12th through Thursday, October 15th

Quiz 7

Sections 4.3 - 4.6

Monday, October 19th - by 9PM

Quiz 8

Sections 5.1 - 5.5

Monday, October 26th - by 9PM

Quiz 9

Sections 6.1 - 6.4

Monday, November 2nd - by 9PM

Quiz 10

Sections 6.5, 6.6, 7.1

Monday, November 9th - by 9PM

Quiz 11

Section 7.2 - 7.5

Monday, November 16th - by 9PM

Exam #2

Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7

Monday, November 16th through Thursday, November 19th

Quiz 12

Sections 8.1 - 8.4

Monday, November 23rd - by 9PM

Quiz 13

Sections 8.5 - 8.9

Monday, November 30th - by 9PM

Quiz 14

Sections 10.1 - 10.4

Monday, December 7th- by 9PM

Final Exam 

Chapters 1 - 8 and 10

Monday, December 14th through Thursday, December 17th

 

Other Assignment Dates

Assignment

When to be completed

Discussion Forum Posting #1

Post during the month of August/September
(5 points awarded for a posting)

Discussion Forum Posting #2

Post during the month of October
(5 points awarded for a posting)

Discussion Forum Posting #3

Post during the month of November/December, prior to Dec. 8th
(5 points awarded for a posting)

 

 

Homework Exercises

You do NOT hand in homework exercises for this course. However, because your weekly quizzes are designed from your homework exercises, I strongly encourage you to work as many homework exercises as you can before you take your weekly quizzes.  In addition, you may use your homework exercises and other notes to refer to as you take your quizzes. Note, the answers to the odd homework problems are all found in the back of your textbook, so you can check your answers to be sure you are doing the problems correctly.

 

Below are the minimum suggested homework exercises.  In other words, at the very least, I expect that you have worked the following exercises before taking your weekly quizzes.  Of course, if you feel you need more practice, I encourage you to work more than these exercises.  Remember, the more exercises you do, the better you will learn and retain the information.

 

*The notation odd means do Every Odd exercise.  For example, 1-17(odd) means do 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17.

**The notation EOO means do Every Other Odd exercise. For example,
1-21(EOO) means do 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21(skipping 3, 7, 11, 15, 19).

***The notation all means do Every exercise. For example, 1-8(all) means do 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

 

Section

Page

Exercises

1.1

 7

1, 3, 4, 13 - 25(odd) 

1.2

17

3 - 67(EOO), 77, 79, 81, 85, 87, 89, 91

1.3

27

3 - 67(EOO), 81 - 97(odd)

1.4

37

3 - 81(EOO), 85 - 91(odd), 99, 101, 103

1.5

51

1 - 45(odd), 71 - 79(odd), 85 - 95(odd)

1.6

61

13 - 25(odd), 33, 35, 39, 41, 43 - 50(all)

1.7

73

1 - 57(EOO), 61, 63, 65, 73

1.8

79

1 - 25(EOO), 25 - 89(odd)

1.9

87

1 - 15(odd), 19, 21

1.10

95

1 - 17(odd), 21, 23, 25, 31 - 39(odd) (just solve, no need to estimate)

2.1

117

1 - 25(odd)

2.2

123

1 - 63(EOO), 69 - 74(all)

2.3

131

1 - 25(odd), 31 - 51(EOO), 53, 57, 59, 61, 65, 67, 69

2.4

137

1 - 33(odd), 39, 41, 43, 45, 53, 55

2.5

149

1 - 49(odd)

2.6

157

1 - 33(odd)

2.7

167

1 - 47(odd)

2.8

177

1 - 29(odd)

3.1

203

1 - 39(odd)

3.2

213

1 - 49(odd), 55 - 59(all)

3.3

221

1 - 51(odd)

3.4

231

1 - 73(odd)

3.5

243

1 - 35(odd), 39 - 69(odd)

Exam #1

 

Chapters 1, 2, and 3

4.1

271

3 - 67(EOO), 73, 75

4.2

281

1 - 29(odd), 37, 39, 41

4.3

287

1 - 19(odd), 29 - 49(odd), 57, 59

4.4

293

1, 3, 5, 9 - 21(odd), 31 - 41(odd), 45, 51

4.5

305

1 - 17(odd), 21, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41 - 55(odd)

4.6

313

1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 25, 27, 29 - 65(EOO)

5.1

337

1 - 23(odd), 35 - 45(odd)

5.2

345

1 - 11(odd), 17, 19, 25, 27, 29

5.3

353

1 - 37(EOO)

5.4

359

1 - 11(odd), 19 - 27(odd)

5.5

367

1, 3, 7 - 29(odd)

6.1

391

1 - 33(EOO), 37 - 57(odd), 69 - 87(odd)

6.2

403

1 - 37(EOO), 45 - 67(odd), 71, 75, 81 - 89(odd)

6.3

413

1 - 9(odd), 13 - 23(odd), 27 - 59(odd)

6.4

425

1 - 49(odd), 59 - 69(odd) (you can choose to do section 6.4 or 6.5 or both)

6.5

435

1 - 41(odd), 45 - 55(odd) (you can choose to do section 6.4 or 6.5 or both)

6.6

447

1- 23(odd), 37, 39, 43, 47

7.1

491

1 - 47(odd), 55 - 61(odd)

7.2

501

1 - 45(odd)

7.3

509

1 - 73(odd)

7.4

517

1 - 19(odd)

7.5

523

1 - 7(odd), 13 - 23(odd), 27 - 35(odd)

Exam #2

 

Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7

8.1

547

1 - 23(odd)

8.2

552

1 - 15(odd)

8.3

561

1 - 29(odd)

8.4

569

1 - 15(odd)

8.5

575

1 - 21(odd)

8.6

585

1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 15

8.7

597

1, 9, 11, 13, 15, 19, 23

8.8

603

1, 2, 3, 4, 21, 23, 39

8.9

611

1 - 21(odd)

10.1

725

1 - 25(odd)

10.2

735

1 - 21(odd), 25, 27, 29

10.3

745

1 - 11(odd), 15 - 35(odd)

10.4

753

1 - 9(odd)

Final Exam

 

Cumulative on all material in the course

 

 

Review Exercises

The problems listed below are suggested review exercises. Do the review exercises as practice for your exams. All exercises are taken from our course text, Beginning College Mathematics, 8th Edition by Lial, Salzman & Hestwood. You do NOT hand in these exercises. These are intended to help you prepare for your exams.

 

Title

Page

Exercises

Summary Exercises: Whole Numbers

65

1 - 44(all)

Ch. 1 Review

103

1 - 60(all), 63 - 116(all), 117 - 125(all, no need to estimate), 131 - 148(all), 151 - 170(all)

Ch. 1 Test

111

1 - 25(all)

Summary Exercises: Fraction Basics

141

1 - 48(all)

Ch. 2 Review

187

1 - 20(all), 25 - 82(all)

Ch. 2 Test

193

1 - 25(all)

Cumulative Review for Ch. 1 - 2

197

1 - 8(all), 10, 11, 13 - 46(all)

Summary Exercises: Fractions

247

1 - 44(all)

Ch. 3 Review

253

1 - 94(all)

Ch. 3 Test

259

1 - 25(all)

Cumulative Review for Ch. 1 - 3

263

1, 2, 5 - 34(all)

Exam #1

 

Chapters 1, 2, and 3

Summary Exercises: Decimals

297

1 - 26(all), 28 - 35(all)

Ch. 4 Review

321

1 - 31(all), 36 - 39(all), 42 - 50(all), 52 - 63(all), 65 - 72(all), 74 - 82(all)

Ch. 4 Test

325

1 - 25(all)

Cumulative Review for Ch. 1 - 4

329

1 - 31(all), 33 - 36(all)

Summary Exercises:  Ratios, Rates, and Proportions

361

1 - 24(all)

Ch. 5 Review

377

1 - 19(all), 21 - 33(all), 36, 37, 39 - 48(all), 50 - 63(all), 65, 66, 67

Ch. 5 Test

381

1 - 6(all), 8 - 20(all)

Cumulative Review for Ch. 1 - 5

383

1 - 22(all), 24, 25, 26, 28 - 33(all)

Summary Exercises:  Percent

439

1 - 26(all)

Ch. 6 Review

471

1 - 39(all), 41, 42, 43, 45 - 56(all), 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 75 - 90(all), 93, 95, 98

Ch. 6 Test

477

1 - 21(all)

Cumulative Review for Ch. 1 - 6

481

1 - 47(all), 49, 50

Summary Exercises:  US Customary and Metric Units

513

1 - 32(all)

Ch. 7 Review

533

1 - 102(all)

Ch. 7 Test

537

1 - 34(all)

Cumulative Review for Ch. 1 - 7

539

1 - 27(all), 29, 30, 34 - 38(all)

Exam #2

 

Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7

Summary Exercises:  Perimeter, Circumference, and Area

589

1 - 18(all)

Ch. 8 Review

623

1 - 43(all), 46 - 49(all), 55, 58, 63, 64, 69 - 99(all)

Ch. 8 Test

631

1 - 25(all)

Cumulative Review for Ch. 1 - 8

633

1 - 24(all), 26, 29 - 32(all)

Summary Exercises:  Graphs

741

1 - 16(all), 15 - 29(all)

Ch. 10 Review

763

1 - 52(all)

Ch. 10 Test

769

1 - 30(all)

Cumulative Review for Ch. 1 - 10

773

1 - 42(all)

Final Exam

 

Comprehensive on ALL material in the course

 

Note:  As instructor, I reserve the right to alter or change this course syllabus as necessary.  If any such change does occur, you will be notified via our CSN Online Campus Course Mail Inbox.