Instructor: Dr. Phil Gustafson
Office: Wubben 151
Phone: 248-1176
Email: pgustafs@mesastate.edu
Office Hours: 1-1:50 pm M-F, and by appointment.
Text: College Algebra, 8th
Edition, by Lial, Hornsby, and Schneider.
Chapters 1-7: Real and complex numbers, exponents and radicals, equations and inequalities, functions and graphs, polynomials and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, systems of equations, conic sections.
Prerequisite: MATH 091 (Intermediate Algebra) or two years of high school
algebra.
Required: Stapler and loose-leaf
paper.
Recommended: Scientific or graphing
calculator, preferably a TI-82, 83,85, or 86.
Grading: Homework…………………………………. 100 pts.
Quizzes ……………………………………. 100 pts.
Exams (3) …………………………………. 300
pts.
Final Exam ………………………………… 150
pts.
Total ……………………………………….. 650
pts.
Grading Scale: 90 – 100 % ………………………………… A
80 – 89 % ………………………………… B
70 – 79 % ………………………………….. C
60 – 69 % ………………………………….. D
0 – 59 % ………………………………….. F
Homework: Homework will be assigned
and collected regularly, and graded on relative accuracy, completeness, and
neatness. You are encouraged to work
together in solving homework problems, but you must write up your own work to
turn in. Homework is due at the
beginning of class, late homework will not be accepted. Homework must be written in a neat,
organized and professional manner. To
receive credit, all homework problems must be worked in order, and all pages
stapled together in order. Projects and
presentations may be included in part of the homework grade. The lowest four homework scores will be
dropped.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be given frequently, and may not always be announced
in advance. The lowest three quiz
scores will be dropped. No make-up
quizzes will be given.
Exams: There will be four
regular semester exams, and the lowest score will be dropped. Realize that all
exams need to be taken, and the lowest score determined from the four. Make-up exams will not be given. Tentative exams dates:
Exam 1: Friday,
September 14; Exam 3: Friday,
October 26;
Exam 2: Friday,
October 5; Exam 4: Friday,
November 16.
Final Exam: Monday, December 10, 1 - 2:50 am. The final exam will be cumulative, and all students are expected
to take the final during this college-scheduled time.
How to Get the Grade You
Want:
1.
Attend
class daily and work assignments daily.
2.
Ask
questions – don’t delay! Seek help on
problems and difficulties as soon as possible.
One minute of clarification right after class on a problem may save
hours of frustration.
3.
Be
persistent. Learning math sometimes
requires lots of effort before a breakthrough occurs.
4.
Look
over the book before coming to class.
Sometimes even 5 – 10 minutes of glancing over the text ahead of time
can make a big difference in getting a handle on the material presented in
class.
Attendance: Daily attendance in class is crucial for your learning in this
course. By missing class, you will not
obtain valuable information as it is presented, and you will be absent from
general classroom discussion and context.
For most students, missing class results in confusion, anxiety, and
lower grades. Missing one hour of class
usually means several hours of frustration and catch-up. I will follow the statement on attendance on
page 39 in your College Catalog, which enables the instructor to initiate a
drop or withdrawal for any student who fails to attend regularly. Read this attendance statement in your
catalog carefully.
Academic
Dishonesty: Cheating is serious offense and will be
treated as such. Cheating is an act of
academic dishonesty, which includes using another person’s work as though it
was your own or knowingly permitting another student to use your work. The consequences of cheating on a quiz will
result in the grade of 0 for all those involved, or in the case of an exam, an
F for the course. Other situations
involving cheating will be dealt with in a similar way. Further actions may be taken in accordance
with the statement on academic dishonesty given on page 39 of the College
Catalog.
General
expectations for this course:
1.
We
will cover new material every day, approximately one or two sections each class
period, with some overlap.
2.
The
first few minutes of class will be devoted to answering questions from the
previous class. You can consult with
each other or ask me questions during this time period.
3.
Class
time is at a premium. If you have
extensive difficulties with the material, I encourage you to talk with me
outside of class for the extra help that you need.
4.
Spend
an hour or two each day, Monday through Thursday, working on homework and
studying the notes and text. Set aside
this time period now in your schedule, preferably at the same time each day.
5.
Chapter
1 is a review of intermediate algebra.
If you have significant trouble with the material in Chapter 1, then
some kind of action should be taken:
Find and meet with a tutor on a regular basis, use the tutoring services
in Houston Hall, use the Math Lab across the street on College Place.
6.
There
is a math placement exam on campus (COMPASS) that freshman take. Follow the recommendation given by this
exam. For those students who take the
recommended course, the average grade of the student is a C. For those students who take a harder course
than recommended, the average score of the student is a D.
7.
If you are a graduating
senior or need a C if your life is to go on:
Strive for an A or B instead of a C.
The only way to get a C or better is by absolutely knowing how to work the problems. Hire a tutor, make use of the college
tutoring services, read the book before coming to class, rework homework
problems to review for quizzes.
A. Syllabus Confirmation
I
have read and understood the syllabus for this course.
_____________________________________ _____________________
Signature Date
Name (Print Clearly): __________________________________________________________
Year
in College __________________________________________________________
Previous
college math courses ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Intended
Major __________________________________________________________
Phone
Number __________________________________________________________
Hometown __________________________________________________________
Other (Please comment below on any other
information that you would like me to be aware of.)