Course Syllabus

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MAT 1033C Intermediate Algebra

CRN 34665  Online Summer 2020

This syllabus is an agreement between the student and the instructor. By enrolling in and then attending this course, the student agrees to and accepts the terms and conditions of this agreement. It is the responsibility of the student to carefully read this syllabus/agreement in its entirety and to adhere to all policies and procedures within the syllabus.

Instructor: Edna Joseph-Williams 
Phone: 407-801-6204 (Text only)
E-mail: ejosephwilliams@valenciacollege.edu 
Preferred Method of Contact:  Canvas Messaging
Lab Instructor(s): Samir Ali & Seema Azim

 

Course Description

MAT1033C INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA 3 credit hours, 4 contact hours

Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C in MAT 0022C or MAT 0028C or appropriate score on an approved assessment.

Degree: For the A. A. degree, this course carries general elective credit but does not satisfy either Gordon Rule or general education requirements. For the A. S. degree, this course can fulfill general education mathematics requirements if a minimum grade of C is earned. (Special Fee)

At the end of this course, you will:

  • Be able to use algebraic properties to write expressions in equivalent forms.
  • Be able to solve algebraic statements.
  • Have a developing understanding of relations and functions.
  • Be able to read in a mathematical context.
  • Demonstrate appropriate college readiness skills.​

Course Content

  • Linear Equations and Inequalities: solving equations, applications, inequalities, and absolute value equations
  • Quadratic Equations: factoring, completing the square, the quadratic formula, applications, graphing quadratic functions
  • Graphs and Functions: definition and function notation, intercepts, domain and range
  • Linear Functions: slope, equations of lines including slope-intercept form and point-slope form, applications
  • Polynomial Functions: factoring higher degree polynomials including sum and difference of cubes, solving polynomial equations, applications, and long division of polynomials
  • Rational Expressions, Equations, and Functions: integer exponents, factoring expressions containing integer exponents, rational expressions and functions, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing rational expressions, solving rational equations, and applications
  • Radicals and Complex Numbers: radicals and rational exponents, factoring expressions containing rational exponents, simplifying radical expressions, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing radical expressions, rationalizing binomial denominators, solving radical equations, operations on complex numbers and applications
  • Systems of Equations and Inequalities: substitution and addition methods of solving 2 by 2 linear systems of equations, systems of inequalities, and applications

Required Materials

  •  Textbook

Computer and Internet Requirements

This is an online course. Therefore, you must have reliable access to an internet enabled device. In addition you will must have:

  1. Access to ATLAS email and other websites as needed.
  2. Access to Canvas course page: https://online.valenciacollege.edu
      • Use your ATLAS Username and Password
      • Make sure you run the Canvas Browser Requirements Check.
      • If you are new to Canvas, I recommend taking the Canvas 101 tutorial course.
      • Make sure you set your Notifications to notify you of class Announcements!
  1. Ability to make and send a digital image, a cell phone can be used to do this.
  2. Ability to download and read PDF files and be able to upload PDF files through Canvas.
    • Cam-Scanner, Scannable or Tinny Scanner

Evaluation Criteria and Course Assignments

Evaluation Process 

Category Weights

Letter Grade Calculation

Academic Refreshers

Extra credit

Scale

Grade

Administrative Assignments

5%

100% - 89.5%

A

Home Work

15%

89.4% - 79.5%

B

Lab’s and Discussions

15%

79.4% - 69.5%

C

Unit Exams

40%

69.4% - 59.5%

D

Final Exam

25%

59.4% - 0%

F

Academic Refreshers (Extra Credit)

There are seven Academic Refresher Modules containing content prerequisites to Intermediate Algebra. Although the content covers material in which you should already be familiar with, a "refresher" of these topics may be helpful to building a stronger foundation for the rest of our course topics.

By completing the Academic Refresher Modules, you will review foundation content for this course and earn a 2% bonus per module on Exam 1 and/or Exam 2. Complete any or all modules by the deadlines listed in the Academic Refresher Canvas module to earn extra credit on these exams. You must score 100% on a module to earn the bonus points.

Administrative Assignments 5%

There are five administrative assignments during the semester.

  • The Student Information Questionnaire 
    • Due Friday June 19th at 11:59 PM.
    • If this is not complete by June 22nd you will be dropped from the class.

  • The Orientation Quiz
    • You need to score at least 90% to open the modules.
    • Due Friday June 19th at 11:59 PM.
    • If this is not complete by June 22nd you will be dropped from the class. 

  • Sign the Ethics Statement
    • Due Friday June 19th at 11:59 PM
    • Pledging that you will not cheat on any of the exams. 
    • If this is not complete by June 22nd you will be dropped from the class. 

  • The Student Feedback of Instruction (SFI) Assignment
    • You will complete the survey and send me confirmation through the link provided. I will enter the points for you.
    • This will be made available mid-semester. Valencia will send you an e-mail in your Atlas account as to when the survey will open & close.
    • If you do not do the SFI assignment, the college locks it and I cannot open it at my level.

  • Entering Answers into iMathAS Assignment
    • You'll learn how to enters answers that involve
      • Exponents
      • Fractions
      • Intervals, involving the infinity symbol   
      • Radicals (square-roots, cube-roots, etc.)
      • Graphing on a number-line
      • Graphing on a x-y coordinate plane
      • Shading the graph of an inequality. 

Homework: 15%

All homework assignments will be accessed through IMathAS. To access your homework, click on "Exercises" at the end of each lesson.  ALL homework assignments will be available beginning Day 1. The due dates of each assignment will be available on our class schedule & Canvas Calendar.  You will have unlimited attempts to answer every question; however, after 3 failed attempts, the question will re-generate different values. 

Expected Homework Conduct: 

  • Attempt all homework questions on paper. 
  • Keep your homework organized and in a folder.
  • If you have questions, seek help (see Student/Learning Support Services Module). 

Lab & Discussions: 15%

Some weeks you will have math activities. These activities reinforce the skills and concepts that you watched in the weekly media. You should complete these activities on paper, keeping a copy in your notebook, and submit the requested specific answers for the Lab Assignment in the Canvas weekly module. Each exercise in the activity may be attempted 3 times for full credit. Your lab instructor will be holding lab activity help sessions using ZOOM, more details to come.

There will also be several discussions in Canvas. These will require an original post and 2 replies to your classmates. 

Unit Exams: 40%

There will be 2 exams (each with a 2 hour and 30 minute time limit)

  • Exam #1: Chapter 2, 3 and 4
  • Exam #2: Chapters 5, 6 and 7

You will be required to sign an ethics statement in Week 1 pledging that you will not cheat on exams. If you do NOT sign the ethics statement, your exam will NOT open. You are welcome to upload your Exam work if you want your Professor to look over an issue you had. This must be uploaded within 30 minutes of completing the Exam.

Both exams will be given through Canvas.

Items allowed on the exam include  

  • Your Notes
  • Graphing Calculator (TI-83 or 84) or Graphing Calculator app/program or Scientific Calculator
  • Course textbook
  • Course videos

You may NOT use:

  • Another person
  • Websites or apps outside of Canvas
  • TI-Inspire or TI-89



Cumulative Final Exam: 25%

There is a comprehensive Final Exam for this course. The rules and procedure for the final exam will be the same as detailed for the unit exams. The final exam must be taken before July 28th, 2020.

Late Work/Makeup Policy:

  • Academic Refreshers (Bonus): All academic refresher assignments must be complete prior to attempting the exam that it relates to. You will not be awarded any bonus points for completing an academic refresher module after you take the exam. 
  • Administrative Assignments: With the exception of "Entering Answers into iMathAS", all other Administrative Assignments cannot be done after the due date. "Entering Answers into iMathAS" can be completed past the due date for a 25% penalty. 
  • Homework: Any late homework assignment will have a 25% penalty for questions answered past the due date. No homework assignments will be dropped. You have until July 27th to complete any missing or unfinished homework assignments.
  • Labs & Discussions: You may submit a late lab assignment within 48 hours past the due date for a 25% penalty.
  • Exam's:No Make-Up test will be given and the student will receive a grade of zero for that test. If you happen to miss both the 1st and 2nd exam, then exceptions will be made ONLY in the case of a documented extreme emergency (severe illness, hospitalization of the student, a death in the immediate family - such as mom/dad/sibling); however, even in these cases you must make up the missed exam within 48 hours. 
  • Final Exam: You must provide documentation of an extreme emergency to re-schedule your final exam. 

Time Commitment

An online course may need more time commitment than an onsite course. Since this is an online course, the three hours a week that you would normally use to attend lectures should be spent online reading the textbook, watching lecture videos, working through practice exercises and taking tests. Any college course also requires at least two hours of study-time for every lecture hour. Thus, you should allocate at least another six hours a week on study time activities such as working on assigned homework and sample tests. This course may take more time than you expect. Further more, our traditional 16 week course will be accelerated into 6 weeks; so proportionally, you should expect to spend at least 20-25 hours per week working within the course. 

Tips for Success

  • Set aside time for the class. Treat the online class as a face to face class with set hours.
  • Take organized notes as you work through each section. Your notes should include the section and the title of the section. Be sure to include definitions, formulas, strategies/steps for solving and any other relevant information.
  • Make sure you write down and solve homework problems as if you’re turning them in for credit. That way you have something to reference when preparing for your exams.
  • If there’s prerequisite material you have forgotten, don’t be afraid to look it up on YouTube, Google, etc.
  • Remember there are 2 parts to learning math-knowing what to do and knowing when to do it.
  • Don’t get behind. If possible, work ahead!
  • Work ahead in the beginning so you have more time later in the semester.
  • Use the resources that are available to you.
  • Communication is key in an online class. If you need assistance, be sure to contact your instructor immediately.
  • Form a digital study group-it makes homework more fun. You have peers and access to zoom.

Policies and Procedures

Attendance Policy/ No-Show Policy

The No Show Status Policy published by the US Department of Education (ED) and adopted by Valencia College states that any student registered in an online course must show attendance. The Department of Education has made it clear that simply logging into an online course does not constitute attendance as an "academically-related activity."

The way a student shows first week attendance in this course is by (1) completing the Student Information Questionnaire, (2) completing the syllabus quiz with an 80% or greater and (3) signing the ethics statement (all found in the Orientations module). Doing these three things will prevent you from being  withdrawn from this course as a No-Show. If you are withdrawn as a “no show,” you will be financially responsible for the class and a final grade of “WN” will appear on your transcript for the course.

If you miss 6 or more consecutive assignments without contacting your professor as to why you're not completing the assignments, you will be withdrawn from the course mid-semester for lack of attendance/participation.

Withdraw Policy

Per Valencia policy, a student who withdraws from class before the established deadline for a particular term will receive a grade of “W". A student is not permitted to withdraw after the withdrawal deadline.

After the withdrawal deadline, faculty will not withdraw a student and the student will receive the grade of "F" at the end of the course.  If you do not intend to complete the course, you must withdraw yourself prior to the withdrawal date through ATLAS by 11:59 PM on July 17th, 2020. 

Academic Honesty Policy

  • What is cheating?
    Cheating consists of anything that gives you an unfair advantage on an assignment or examination. 
  • Examples of cheating? 
    • Plagiarism: The practice of taking someone else's work and passing it off as your own. This includes submitting any assignment copied from another person, copied from a solutions manual, or copied from a site found on the internet. 

    • Strangely-Similar Work: Typically in a math class, homework and lab assignments can - and should be - worked on and discussed with others. However, the write-up should be independent and in your own "math words". Students should never turn in a lab assignment that is identical (or incredibly similar) to another students work. Likewise, copying from a solutions manual or from a site online is considered cheating.

    • Falsely claiming extenuating circumstances in the hopes of obtaining special accommodations. For example, falsely claiming that you were in a car accident and therefore missed the Exam. 

  • What is the penalty for cheating?
    Possible consequence could include, (1) receiving a 0% on the assignment (2) receiving a failing grade for the class, (3) proper personnel will be contacted about the incident which could result in expulsion. 


Valencias Academic Dishonesty Policy
All students are expected to be in compliance with Valencia College’s policy on academic honesty.

Valencias Student Code of Conduct
All students are expected to be in compliance with Valencia College’s policy on student code of conduct.

Important Dates:

June 23rd - Add/Drop Deadline
June 24th - No Show
July 3rd -  College Closed, Independence Day Observed
July 17th  - Withdraw Deadline
July 28th  - Final Exam 
July 31st -  Grades posted on Atlas

EAST CAMPUS LEARNING ASSISTANCE RESOURCES:

Online Learning Assistance Resources

  • Valencia’s Virtual Tutoring Service: In response to COVID-19, Valencia’s tutoring services have moved online and are available live for all math students.  To get started, visit and self-enroll in the math tutoring course in Canvas.  This is where you will access the link to live tutoring (via Zoom), as well as the schedule of tutors, times, and services. 
  • Valencia’s Math Help 24/7: Valencia Math professors have created pen-casts and videos of common lessons to help you learn the concepts being presented in class. This resource is located at.  Click on your course to view your lessons. Some lessons have more than one professor’s perspective; watch more than one!
  • Smarthinking: Smarthinking is an online tutoring tool available to all of Valencia’s students, and math tutors are available 24/7.  You can access Smarthinking through the Courses tab in Atlas, in the My Courses channel.  Students have a limited number of hours available, and therefore, Smarthinking is best used as a back-up to Valencia’s virtual tutoring service, not as a replacement.  There are Smarthinking phone applications for both iOS and Android devices.
  • Distance Tutoring Guide and Additional Resources: For more information on virtual learning support services, including links to live Valencia tutoring for other subjects.
  • Make a post in the discussion board
  • Request a Zoom meeting with your instructor.
  • Meet with your Lab instructor on Zoom.

Students with Disabilities Policy
Valencia Students who qualify for academic accommodations must provide the professor with a Notification to Instructor (NTI) from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). Students are expected to discuss their specific needs with the professor, preferably during the first two weeks of class. OSD determines accommodations based on appropriate documentation of disabilities.

  • East:  Bldg. 5, Rm. 216 Ph: 407-582-2229 Fax: 407-582-8908 TTY: 407-582-1222
  • West:  SSB, Rm. 102 Ph: 407-582-1523 Fax: 407-582-1326 TTY: 407-582-1222
  • Osceola: Bldg. 1, Rm. 140A Ph: 407-582-4167 Fax: 407-582-4804 TTY: 407-582-1222
  • Winter Park: Bldg. 1, Rm.212 Ph: 407-582-6887 Fax: 407-582-6841 TTY: 407-582-1222

SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WITH FOOD/HOUSING/FINANCIAL NEEDS: Any student who has difficulty accessing sufficient food to eat, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect his or her performance in the course, is urged to meet with a Counselor in the Advising Center for information about resources that may be available from the college or community.

Note to International Students (F-1 or J-1 Visa)
Please be advised that withdrawal from this course due to attendance may result in the termination of your visa status if you fall below the full-time enrollment requirement of 12 credit hours. Contact Valencia's International Student Services office for more information.

Student Feedback on Instruction
Near the end of the term, students will receive an invitation through their Valencia ATLAS email account asking them to complete the Student Feedback on Instruction (SFI). This survey provides Valencia College professors with feedback on students’ experiences in courses and helps them to continually improve their courses. The results are released only after grades are submitted and students’ names are not included in the results - all responses will be anonymous.

Student Assistance Program
Valencia College has contracted with a private and confidential counseling service (Bay Care Behavioral Health Student Assistance Program (SAP)) to provide FREE short-term assistance to students who need to resolve problems that are affecting their college performance. Examples might include: stress, relationship/family issues, alcohol/drug problems, eating disorders, depression, and gender issues.  Students who are experiencing any of these issues and who are enrolled in credit classes at Valencia should call the toll-free number 1-800-878-5470 to speak to a professional counselor. If needed, the counselor may refer the student to appropriate resources or to speak face-to-face with a licensed counselor. For more information, call or visit a Counselor in Student Services on any campus.

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
FERPA is a Federal law that is administered by the Family Policy Compliance Office (Office) in the U.S. Department of Education (Department). 20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99. FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. Valencia College has a firm commitment to protecting the privacy rights of its students. 

TITLE IX
Valencia College strives to be a place free from all forms of discrimination. Title IX protects students from discrimination based upon sex including protections against sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking. This also includes protections for students who are pregnant or may become pregnant. If you experience sexual violence, domestic violence or stalking and would like assistance there are several options available to you. Valencia partners with the Victim Service Center of Central Florida which is a confidential resource available 24/7. 407-497-6701. If you would like assistance on campus, you can go to valenciacollege.edu/eo or contact Valencia College’s Title IX and Equal Opportunity Officer, Ryan Kane, by emailing rkane8@valenciacollege.edu. If you would like to report to law enforcement, you may visit Campus Security or call 911.

Please note that there are no confidential resources on campus. As your professor, I am required to report any information mentioned in this statement to the appropriate campus resources. This will include your name, and detailed information shared with me. We take privacy very seriously at the College and only those who have a legitimate need to know the information will be provided with this information.

Core Competencies of a Valencia Graduate
Valencia’s Student Core Competencies are complex abilities that are essential to lifelong success.
This course will help you to develop and demonstrate the abilities to:

  • THINK clearly, critically, and creatively;
  • COMMUNICATE with others verbally and in written form;
  • Make reasoned VALUE judgments and responsible commitments;
  • ACT purposefully, reflectively, and responsibly.

Due to the nature of these global competencies, many of the problems will be  presented in the context of an application. These applications will require students to select appropriate information from the problem and communicate effectively in order to explain and/or describe how the student used the skills they are learning to arrive at an appropriate solution for the problem.

DISCLAIMER

Changes in the syllabus, schedule, evaluation procedures, and/or homework assignments may be made at any time at the discretion of the professor. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what, if any, announcements or changes have been made. 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due