Math 100A: Intermediate Algebra – Uniform Course Policies
Course Description
Welcome to Intermediate Algebra, a three-credit course that intends to provide a deeper understanding of the underlying
building blocks of mathematics. We have thought a great deal about what students really need to know, which means that
previous topics were cut while some new topics were added in order to emphasize particular areas, and decided that this
course will focus on the following four areas:
•
•
•
•
Numbers, Operations, and Grammar
Expressions
Equations
Functions
For each area, instead of overloading you with the same problems with different numbers, we have carefully selected problems
that highlight the skills we believe are most important. In most cases, we will spend a significant amount of class time working
and discussing these problems, which means it will be expected that you will be adequately prepared before you
come to class.
Goal
Since Intermediate Algebra is a precursor to College Algebra, we believe that focusing its content on the four areas listed
above will enable all student from Intermediate Algebra to be sufficiently prepared for College Algebra.
Course Learning Objectives
•
•
•
•
Students will be involved in meaningful and positive, intellectually engaging, mathematical experiences.
Students will analyze, synthesize, and work collaboratively on mathematical endeavors.
Students will improve their ability to communicate mathematical ideas clearly in oral and written form.
Students will improve their logical reasoning skills along with their competence and confidence in their problem-solving
ability.
Required Texts
Sullivan, M., & Struve, K. R. (2010). Intermediate Algebra. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Prerequisites
One year high school algebra or Math 95C or equivalent. Your most recent grade in the prerequisite must be C, P or better.
If you had this prerequisite in high school or someplace other than UNL, then you must also have a qualifying score on the
UNL Math Placement Exam dated after October 2011. The Department of Mathematics will drop all students who do not
satisfy this policy (see the Math Placement policy in the Mathematics section of the Schedule of Classes.)
Taking the MPE via computer
A picture ID will be required and calculators are allowed at the exam. Students who need to take the math placement exam
may do so through our new computerized setup. NOTE: The student must already have been admitted to UNL and entered
into the course registration computer database to be able to take the online version of the Math Placement Exam. Please
review all policies via http://www.math.unl.edu/resources/undergraduate/mpe/.
Additional Readings
There will be reading assignments assigned before most class meetings. These readings will be supplied by your instructor.
To keep up with the class it is imperative you do the additional readings
Requirements
The nature of this course is completely different than a lecture based style. We believe that our students are capable of more
responsibility and can handle being challenged more. In the spirit of this belief, we will require that every student accomplishes
the reading and/or the assignment assigned before they come to class. This is vitally important because most of the time,
class time will focus on building upon the knowledge and experience from the reading and/or homework. We will also require
that every student participates during class time. This means that you must participate in small group work, large class
discussions, and completing the problems or worksheet to the best of your ability.
1
• Homework
Completing the homework is essential in this course as it will help you understand the material, but it will also
be a basis for the exams. Part of the homework will be completed online through MyMathLab. These online
problems will focus more on procedures. The other part of homework will be written and should be completed
sometimes before coming to class or in other cases it will involve finishing up something started in class. These
written assignments will be focused more on concepts instead of procedures and will require more writing. The
more clearly and carefully you write your explanation, the more likely it is to be correct, and the more likely
you will remember the concept. Remember that getting an “answer” is only part of the process of mathematics.
• Exams
There will be three regular midterm exams and a final exam on pre-set dates. The dates are:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Final Exam
Table 1: Exam Dates
Tuesday, September 25th 6:00–7:15PM
Tuesday, October 30th 6:00–7:15PM
Tuesday, November 27th 6:00–7:15PM
Monday, December 10th 6:00–8:00PM
You must attend these exams. The only valid excuses for missing these exams are (a) if you are registered for a night
class which conflicts with the night exams, in which case you must talk to your instructor to obtain permission to
take the makeup exam; or (b) if you are a member of a University-sponsored athletic team, in which case the athletic
department will make arrangements with the math department. Note: intramural athletics activities are not excuses
for missing an exam. If you are excused from taking the regularly scheduled exam, then you will take the makeup exam
the following morning at 7:00AM. The exam locations will vary throughout the semester, but you will be notified several
times before the exam date. It should also be noted that every exam will be graded by all of the instructors of this
course to ensure that the grading is as fair as possible. The Final Exam will be comprehensive.
Grading Policy
All sections of this course will be using the same grading policy. There will be two ways in which you will be assessed.
⇧ Uniform Grade: This part of assessment will contain all three regular exams, the final exam, and the online homework.
The final course grade will be primarily determined by the uniform component for each student. However, for some
students, the final course grade may be modified by the section component grade.
Table 2: Uniform Grade Composition
Online Homework 10%
Exam 1 20%
Exam 2 20%
Exam 3 20%
Final Exam 30%
⇧ Section Component: To help you learn the essential procedures and concepts, you will be given a variety of reading
assignments, worksheets, and group work. Your instructor will decide how your section component grade will be
determined. Your instructor will also monitor attendance.
As noted above, your final grade is mostly determined by the Uniform Grade. If, at the end of the term, your section
component and uniform grade differ significantly from one another, your course grade will be examined to see if an
adjustment should be made. Your final course grade may increase by at most one-third of a letter grade and decrease
by at most one-third of a letter grade.
Table 3: Examples
Uniform Grade
A
C
B (“good”)
B
B
Section Component
Excellent
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Poor
Final Course Grade
A
C+
B+
B
B–
It should be noted that, in the majority of cases, students’ uniform grades and section grades will resemble each other
and thus no adjustment will be made to the final course grade. Additionally, a grade of “C” or better will be required
to pass the course and take any future math courses, such as Math 101.
2
Table 4: Uniform Grading Scale (percentages)⇤
A+
A
A–
97–100
92–96
89–91
B+
B
B–
86–88
82–85
79–81
C+
C
C–
76–78
72–75
69–71
D+
D
D–
66–68
62–65
60–61
F
below 60
⇤
Recall: The Section Component may affect your final grade. This includes, but is not limited to, attendance, quizzes,
class participation, etc.
Department Grading Policy: Students who believe their academic evaluation has been prejudiced or capricious have
recourse for appeals in order, to: their instructor; the Chair of the Mathematics Department; the Mathematics Department
grading appeals committee; and lastly, the College grading appeals committee.
Attendance Policy
Since much of the learning in this course occurs during class time and a very large portion of the exams will be modeled from
questions discussed during class time, it is essential that you come to class. For these reasons, the instructor will reduce the
student’s final course grade if students miss more than two or three classes during the semester. Absences
due to illness or university sponsored activities may be excused, but only if proper documentation is supplied. If you miss
class, excused or not, it is your responsibility to figure out what you missed and make it up on your own time.
Resources for help:
It is important that you ask for help when you need it! In addition to your instructor’s office hours, the Math Resource
Center (MRC) offers free tutorial assistance. The hours are 12:30 – 8:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday; 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. on
Friday; and 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Calculator Policy
Students are required to have a TI-82, TI-83, TI-84, TI-84+, TI-85, or TI-86. Instructors will use a TI-83.
Academic Integrity
Mathematics is often seen an isolated activity, but we believe that learning mathematics should be a community activity which
is why we are encouraging you to work with your peers. While we are encouraging you to work with your peers, we also believe
that it is essential that you show us that you have really learned the material. Thus, you may work with other people but you
must write up solutions in your own words. Please note that copying from a peer and changing a few words is still considered
cheating. Any instance of academic dishonesty will be not be tolerated. The instructor can, and will, lower grades, up to
giving an F in the course, of students caught committing academic dishonesty. In addition, all cases of academic dishonesty
will be referred to Judicial Affairs, who may assess additional penalties, up to permanent expulsion from the university.
Classroom Behavior
Every student in the classroom has the following three rights: the right to be heard, the right to hear, and the right to be
safe. To ensure that everyone in this class can have these three rights, please put away any unapproved electronics
(i.e. cell phones, laptops, iPads, etc.) during class time and in general be respectful to everyone. If you are disrupting any
of these rights for your peers, your instructor has the right to ask you to leave the classroom. Keep in mind that this class
is highly interactive, and your participation is important to its success.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the instructor for a confidential discussion of their individual needs
for academic accommodation. It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to provide flexible and individualized
accommodation to students with documented disabilities that may affect their ability to fully participate in course activities
or to meet course requirements. To receive accommodation services, students must be registered with the Services for Students
with Disabilities (SSD) office, 132 Canfield Administration, (402) 472-3787 voice or TTY.
Course Evaluations/End of the Semester Bonus Opportunity
The Department of Mathematics Course Evaluation Form will be available through your Blackboard account during the
last two weeks of class. You’ll get an email when the form becomes available. Evaluations are anonymous and instructors
do not see any of the responses until after final grades have been submitted. Evaluations are important—the department
uses evaluations to improve instruction. Please complete the evaluation and take the time to do so thoughtfully. We would
like to encourage everyone to participate in giving feedback for the semester through the online evaluations. If your section
has at least an 80% response rate, then every student in that section will have 1% added to their final course grade.
3
Fall Semester 2012
SCHEDULE
MATH 100A
Week
Reading for today
Aug. 20
Aug. 22
Classification of Numbers (p. 11-15)
Aug. 24
Section 2.3 (p. 53-55) & Handout
Aug. 27
Aug. 29
Aug. 31
Aug. 31
Sep. 3
Sep. 5
Handout
p. 25-29 in Book
Handout
Sep. 7
TBA
Sep. 10
Sep. 12
TBA
Section R.2, p. 8-11
Sep. 14
Expressions, p. 39
Sep. 17
Sep. 19
TBA
Evaluate Expressions, p. 40-41
Sep. 21
TBA
Sep. 24
Sep. 25
Sep. 26
TBA
Review
Exam 1: 6:00 -7:15 pm
Equivalent Expressions and Distributive Property
Sep. 28
TBA
Distributive Property, Expanding and Factoring
Oct. 1
Oct. 3
TBA
TBA
Factoring
Factoring
TBA
Factoring with Prime Factorization, Expressions vs. Equations
TBA
Oct. 5
Oct. 8
Oct. 10
Oct. 12
Oct. 12
Oct. 15
Oct. 17
Topics
Introduction and Starter Problem
Classification and Plotting of Numbers
Plotting Fractions and Prime Factorization
Equivalent Fractions with Prime Factorization
Operations with Fractions
Operations with Fractions
Last day to withdraw without receiving a "W"
LABOR DAY
Estimation
Estimation and Order of Operations
Order of Operations
Sets of Numbers
Constructing Expressions
Reasoning with Expressions
Evaluation and Manipulation of Expressions
Equivalent Expressions
Solving Equations, p. 48-54
Solving Equations
TBA
Solving Equations
TBA
Constructing Equations
Last day to change a course registration to or from "Pass/No Pass"
FALL BREAK
TBA
Constructing Equations
Oct. 19
TBA
Solving Inequalities
Oct. 22
Oct. 24
TBA
TBA
Solving Inequalities, and What is a Function?
What is a Function?
Oct. 26
TBA
Different Representations of Functions
Oct. 29
Oct. 30
Oct. 31
TBA
Review
Exam 2: 6:00-7:15 pm
Different Representations of Functions
Nov. 2
TBA
Modeling with Functions
Nov. 5
Nov. 7
Nov. 9
Nov. 9
Nov. 12
Nov. 14
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
Modeling with Functions
What is a Linear Function?
What is a Linear Function?
Last day to withdraw and receive a “W”
Solving Linear Functions
Solving Linear Functions
Nov. 16
TBA
Modeling with Linear Functions
Nov. 19
Nov. 21
Nov. 23
Nov. 26
Nov. 27
Nov. 28
TBA
TBA
Modeling with Linear Functions
THANKSGIVING
BREAK
Review
Exam 3: 6:00-7:15 pm
Systems of Linear Equations
Nov. 30
TBA
Systems of Linear Equations
Dec. 3
Dec. 5
Dec. 7
TBA
-
Systems of Equations
Review
Review
FINAL EXAM:
-
Monday, Dec. 10, 2012, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (ROOM TO BE ANNOUNCED)
You are expected to arrange your personal and work schedule to allow you to take the exam at the scheduled time. Students with
conflicting exam schedules may be allowed to take an alternate final, which is always given after the regularly scheduled final. No
student will be allowed to take the final exam early. A picture ID (drivers license or student ID) is required to take the final exam.