Western New Mexico University
Course Syllabus
Math 131 College Algebra (3 credits)
Spring Semester, 2008 – online/WebCT
Instructor
Stanley P. Thompson
Email: (1) thompsons1@email.wnmu.edu
(2) stan@shellmonster.com
Course Web Page: http://www.wnmu.edu (Select the WebCT link on
The left-hand side of the browser and use your Mustang Express
e-mail/password to log into the WebCT tool)
Instructor’s Personal Web Page: http://www.shellmonster.com.
Information on your instructor may be found here.
Telephone Number: (575) 894-7485 (9 am to 5 pm MST, M-F)
Preferred Contact: Please contact via e-mail (1).
Class Location and Format
This is an online, Internet-based course using WNMU’s WebCT
tool.
Class Hours
N/A
Class Web Site
The course website is located at http://www.wnmu.edu through WebCT
Course Description
An integrated review course in pre-calculus algebra covering function
concepts
and symbols, rectangular coordinates, linear and quadratic functions,
polynomial, rational, Inverse, Exponential, and Logarithmic functions,
inequalities, systems of equations, analytic geometry, and Matrices.
Uses appropriate technology such as Microsoft Excel (a graphing
calculator is not required, but maybe helpful). Prerequisite: 2
yes of high school algebra, or Math 111.
Required Textbook
A Graphical Approach to Algebra and Trigonometry,4th Ed., Hornsby,
Lial, Rockswold. (ISBN: 0-321-35695-0)
Suggested Textbooks
Excel Guide for Finite Mathematics and Applied Calculus by Revathi
Narasimhan, Kean University, (ISBN:0-618-67691-0 or 978-0-618-67691-0)
Student’s Solutions Manual. (ISBN: 0-321-35800-7)
Graphing Calculator Manual (ISBN: 0-321-35801-5)
Required Software
Since this is an online course, there are some minimum hardware
and software requirements to complete the course. For recommended
operating system requirements and web browser compatibility, see
http://www.wnmu.edu/webct/WebCT_Logon.htm.
For all browsers, JavaScript and cookies must be enabled. To use
Chat and Whiteboard, Java must also be enabled. Please see http://www.webct.com/tuneup
for details on internet browser setups.
To complete this course, you will need the following software:
a. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint (the ‘free’ Microsoft
PowerPoint Viewer may be used to view .ppt files) and Excel (2000
or newer). There is a possibility that if you have Microsoft Office
2007 you will have to save your Excel documents in a previous file;
(i.e.: .xls) as I may not be able to open your file in the Excel
2007 new file format. Adobe Acrobat Reader® (free download
at http://adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.)
b. WinZip® (download at http://winzip.com ) or similar product.
c. Use of WNMU’s WebCT tool (http://www.wnmu.edu.)
Textbooks and software may be purchased at the WNMU bookstore,
in person or online via : http://www.wnmu.edu.) Or you may purchase
via other online resources such as http://www.amazon.com or http://half.com.
Technical Support
If you are having technical problems with WebCT, you can contact
free technical support through one of the following ways:
a. Phone: (575) 538-6046
b. E-Mail: webct@WNMU.edu
c. Web: http://www.wnmu.edu/webct/WebCT_Logon.htm
Any course content related questions should be directed to your
assigned instructor. Please refer to thompsons1@cs.wnmu.edu.
Exit Competencies
Upon completion of this course, the student will have proficiency
in the following:
a. A background in function theory needed to effectively study
the calculus of real-valued functions.
b. The use of Microsoft Excel (or similar tool) to solve analytical
problems in Algebra and Pre-Calculus.
c. The ability to learn to read and write mathematics effectively.
Course Expectations
Students should expect to spend at least 10 hours per week on
this course. This includes readings, viewing course content, completing
homework assignments, posting to the discussion area, etc.
All announcements/changes/due dates will be posted on WebCT: It
is the student’s responsibility to check their WebCT account
and course calendar for communications and changes to the course
several times a week. A grade of failing (50%) will be given for
assignments not completed by their due date. No late assignments
or quizzes will be accepted.
Exams: Your instructor may arrange for proctoring any closed-book
exams. Common locations include local libraries and Extended University
branch centers.
Course Outline
See the course schedule which is posted on the homepage of this
WebCT course. The outline may be changed from time-to-time by the
instructor. Advance notice will be given by posting on ‘News’ and/or
in the discussion page.
Assessment and Grading Criteria
This is an intensive, undergraduate-level course with regular
and firm deadlines.
Weekly Homework Assignments: You will be assigned homework each
week, except for the week of Spring Break, the mid-term and the
final. Details on the homework can be found under the assignments
icon. Homework format will normally utilize Microsoft Excel workbooks
(sheets). Examples will be posted on the WebCT course for you to
study. You must submit your module (week) assignments by the end
of each module (week) period to be considered for grading. Solutions
will be posted in WebCT following the submission deadline. Normally,
this will be in the following module (week). Homework is worth
250 total points or 25% of the final grade.
Weekly Discussion Topics: Discussions are, in essence, the equivalent
of ‘class participation’ in an online course. The instructor
will begin facilitation of these class discussions. Each discussion
topic will last for one-week. Discussions start on Mondays and
will end on the following Sunday.
Please log into the class and participate in the discussion at
least four times during the one-week window. You are expected to
participate in all of the discussion topics presented during the
semester.
Please take care in composing your discussion postings; the idea
is to have a conversation with the instructor and other students
in the class, much as you would in a face-to-face class. (The discussion
area should not be a series of unrelated postings.) You are encouraged
to share your ideas, ask questions, and comment/respond appropriately
to other students’ comments. The instructor will evaluate
your discussion postings in terms of both quality and quantity
as part of the course grade. The discussion postings are worth
75 points or 7.5% of the final grade.
During the first two weeks of the course you will have an opportunity
to interact casually with other students in the class to form virtual
study groups. Students in this class often find it is essential
to pair up with other students in the class to discuss homework
assignments. However, submitted homework assignments are expected
to by your own work.
There will also be a discussion area called the ‘Student
Café.’ This is an area where you can post questions
and ideas unrelated to formal discussion topics. This area is supposed
to serve as an equivalent to questions you might ask informally
before/after class or in the hallway if you were in a face-to-face
class.
Please use the discussion area as your primary way of asking questions
regarding the class. Often other students will have the same questions,
so it is a quicker and more efficient way for you to get your questions
answered.
Mid-Term Examination: You will have an open-book mid-term examination
for this course. No collaboration is allowed. Please see the
course schedule for the module (week) of this exam. Further details
will be announced prior to this period using our WebCT course.
The mid-term examination is worth 225 points or 22.5% of the
final grade.
Final Examination: The final examination will also be an open-book
examination and will encompass the whole course. As with the mid-term
examination, no collaboration is allowed. Further details will
be announced prior to this period using our WebCT course. The weight
of the final examination is 450 points or 45% of the final grade.
Course Evaluation
You will be asked to complete a mid-term and final course evaluation
survey online for this course. These surveys are completely anonymous
and provide useful information to improve this course for next
semester’s students. These surveys will be listed on the
WebCT home page. If you have any questions or concerns about the
survey, please ask the instructor.
Course Policies
Academic Integrity: Each student is expected to maintain the highest
standards of honesty and integrity in academic and professional
manners. The University reserves the right to take disciplinary
action, up to and including dismissal, against any student who
is found guilty of academic dishonesty or otherwise fails to meet
these standards.
Access to Education: Qualified students with disabilities needing
appropriate academic adjustments should contact the instructor
as soon as possible to ensure your needs are met in a timely manner.
For information on assistive technology available for student use
and additional information on services available through Student
Accessibility Services, see http://www.wnmu.edu/Special%20Needs%202/specialneeds.htm.
Audit: A student may register for a course as an auditor, providing
permission of the instructor is obtained. A student has the first
four weeks of the semester to change a course to audit status.
No changes in audit status will be processed after the fourth week
of class. Students are charged the normal tuition rate for auditing
a course.
Collaboration: Collaborate work, such as studying or discussing
course assignments and materials with other class members, is highly
encouraged. This does not, however, include graded homework assignments
and tests. An example of course assignments and material that can
be collaborated would be chapter exercises that have ‘odd
numbers’ as these can be checked with the ‘Answers
to Selected Problems’ listed in the back of your text. Students
are encouraged to collaborate with each other using the WebCT e-mail
discussion area tools. The discussion area called ‘Student
Café’ is one place to share ideas with others in the
class.
Copyright: All materials in this course fall under copyright laws
and should not be downloaded, distributed, or used by students
for any purposes outside of this course.
Privacy and WebCT Tracking Notice: WebCT or the course web site
automatically records all students activities, including, your
first and last access to the course, the pages you have accessed,
the number of discussion messages you have read and sent, chat
room discussion text, and posted discussion topics. This data is
accessed by the instructor to evaluate class participation and
to identify students having difficulty using WebCT features.
Incompletes, Withdrawals, and Drops: I give out incompletes only
under extreme circumstances. If you are running into problems with
the course, please contact me as early ass possible so you do not
fall behind.
This course falls under all WNMU policies for last day to drop
courses, etc. Please see http://www.wnmu.edu/student.htm or the
WNMU Course Catalog for information on WNMU services and policies.
Please see the WNMU academic calendar for course dates, the last
day to drop courses without penalty, and for financial disenrollment
dates.
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