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Math
181a-e Syllabus
Winter 2002 Having
received this document, the student is expected to know its contents, whether
explained verbally or not. Read it! Required
Text: Basic College Mathematics, fourth
edition: John Tobey and Jeffrey Slater ISBN# 0-13-090954-8 This book is on reserve at the LTCC library. Students may wish to use this resource as a temporary
solution if they cannot purchase the book immediately.
But this will not be a satisfactory long term resolution of this
difficulty. Nor will sharing.
You will need to own your own copy. Syllabus
Internet Address:
http://www.ltcc.edu/programs/math/, then click to syllabi,
Mat
181 (Drake). Instructor:
George Drake: (530)541-4660x256
Office:
F-103 Office
Hours: (in F103)
M 3:30-4:30, W 10:00-11:00, TTh 2:30-3:30
(in G4) F
11:00-12:00
These hours are for drop-in student counseling (i.e., I am there waiting
for someone, anyone, to show up). If
I appear to be busy, be sure to make your presence known, as I rotate
questioning amongst all students who are in attendance.
In addition, individual appointments may be made, but please observe the
courtesy of attempting to meet your needs through the drop-in service as much as
is practical. Thanks Class
Meets:
TTh 10:00am-12:25pm in room A 213
Math 181a-e is a sequence of 5 one unit classes, referred to as
"modules." Each
module must be registered for separately, and each is graded separately.
The only criteria for a grade are the scores obtained on module tests.
Mat 181a-e is taught as a combination of self-paced and group-led
instruction, and constitutes the basic math sequence of classes that are
prerequisite for all other math classes at LTCC.
I recommend the student register for each module either as it commences
as group-led or when s/he actually begins to work on the material of that
module, rather than sign up early for a course s/he may not be prepared to
finish when the quarter nears its end (for one thing, you likely will not be
able to get a refund). The student
should also be aware of the option of taking each module, 181a, 181b, 181c,
181d, and 181e, individually as a short course.
However, these courses are not offered
with the option of individualized pacing and are
described in the General Policy Statement in greater detail.
Please refer to it.
The usual add and drop policies of the College are subject to special
rules for modular classes such as this one.
The last day to add a module this quarter is Monday, March 4, 2002.
The last day to drop a module is Monday, March 11, 2002. HOMEWORK:
Completion of Mat 181a-e (i.e., all five units) in one quarter's time requires
that students do work at home. Homework
from each module must be completed prior to taking an exam on that module and,
if you are attempting to get all 5 units, there will simply not be enough class
time to accomplish this.
When working homework:
1) Handouts supersede the text and may be introduced into the
curriculum without notice. Be sure
that you know whether you have missed any handouts when returning from an
absence.
2) Students should always read the appropriate sections or handouts prior
to attempting to do homework. In
reading the text, the student must always realize that mathematics is a
participation sport. You must work
your way through a math text. Simply
reading it does not suffice. When
you encounter practice problems in the middle of a section, stop and work the
problem, then check the answer which is fully worked out at the back of the book
(pages SP1 ff).
3) Unless over-ruled in a class announcement, homework consists of working
every third exercise beginning with number 1 and continuing until the exercise
set is exhausted. I.e., working
numbers 1, 4, 7, 10, etc. until there are no more exercises.
Homework is “due” at the class meeting following the lecture on those
sections (see the schedule below). The
word “due” is in quotation marks for two reasons: 1) homework will not be
collected nor graded, so it is not really “due.” Instead, homework must be shown to the instructor at the time
the student wishes to take the module test.
It will be examined at that time to make sure the student has, in fact,
done it before the student will be given the exam and 2) no student is required,
in this class, to maintain the pace being set by the lectures, hence “due”
is really meant to speak only to those who want to complete all 5 units in one
quarter’s time. Should you fall
off this pace, the only consequence will be that you will not complete all 5
units in one quarter.
4) Students must show their homework to the instructor or the aide
before taking the exams on each Module.
5) Students should take the module exams as soon as possible after
having completed the homework in that module.
Do not wait for a class-wide administration of the exam, as exams are
given on an “individual need” basis.
6) Tests are not to be taken home by students, even after being graded
and recorded. Tests which leave
the campus may inadvertently result in a student getting an F in the pertinent
module.
7) Frequent review of these instructions, including which sections to
cover (discussed later), will save you considerable confusion.
During the course orientation, you will be requested to fill out an
estimate of your overall workload. The
most common cause of lack of success in Mat 181a-e, without compare, is students
having unrealistic self-expectations on how much work they can handle.
The time to correct an overload is in the first few weeks of a quarter,
not the last! The College’s late
drop date for regular classes can seriously exacerbate the negative effects of
poor planning on the student’s part. Do
not wait until the deadline to drop classes if you are predictably overextended!
Students do have the option of reducing the time spent outside of
class with the understanding that the usual consequence is that Mat 181a-e
may require more than one quarter to complete.
This is not advised, and students are urged to talk with the instructor
before choosing this route. Preferred
would be enrollment in one of the short course options, mentioned above, which,
in conjunction with short courses to be offered next quarter, should get most
students through the Mat 181a-e requirement in two quarters fairly reliably. GENERAL
INFORMATION:
Attendance, although not considered in assessing final grades, is
essential and required for success.
Hand held calculators are not to be used for Mat 181a-e, either in class
or on the homework.
Students who are so insecure about their basic facts that they will
choose to ignore this total prohibition should at least restrain themselves to
using their calculators at home only to check the work they have done
without it, and must recognize that the inescapable message of such
insecurity is that they will have to memorize the basic facts through their own
hard work (see next paragraph). Calculators
are not allowed in any of the LTCC math classes through Mat 152a at least.
Mat 181a-e involves extensive work with the basic operations, the
mechanics of which will be taught. However,
the basic facts, such as 7 x 4, 14-6, etc., must be memorized by the
student, and virtually no class time will be devoted to this task.
It is the student's responsibility to assess, and eliminate, his/her
weaknesses in this area!
Students will be tested on the first day of class to determine proper
placement. If placed in Mat 181b, the student may elect to forego
credit for Mat 181a and skip Chapter 1 in the text, but is then still
required to attend lectures on Chapter 1, and to read and work any handouts
distributed during those classes. If
placed in a module higher than Mat 181b, the student may elect to sign up
only for the modules needed and is then only required to attend during those
classes in which those modules are being covered. Because so many students forget to return to the class at the
proper time, however, this option is not recommended.
Besides, a better option for many students will be enrolling in one of
the short courses.
The following is an outline of sections and the dates when the lectures
related to them will take place. Students
will be expected to be aware of, and to obtain and read any handouts distributed
in class. Students wishing to
complete 5 units of credit this quarter should have the homework from each
section covered in lecture completed by the following class meeting. Occasionally circumstances arise during the quarter which
necessitate minor changes, hence this schedule is somewhat tentative.
If you need to know the exact date that a module begins and are not
attending class regularly, consult the instructor again nearer the proposed
date. It is the student’s
responsibility to obtain the handouts, and this is especially pertinent if the
student misses the class at which the material is lectured. Module
a:
Chapter 1 & §7.5 1/3.................................................................................
Orientation, General Policy, Vita Sheets and §1.1 1/8......................................................................................................................................................
§§1.2-1.3 1/10.............................................................................................................................................................
§1.4
1/15....................................................................................................................................................
§§1.5-1.6
1/17...............................................................................................................................................
§§1.7 + §7.5
1/22.............................................................................................................................................................
§1.8 Module
b:
Chapter 2
1/24....................................................................................................................................................
§§2.1-2.3
1/29....................................................................................................................................................
§§2.4-2.5
1/31....................................................................................................................................................
§§2.6-2.7
2/5...............................................................................................................................................................
§2.8
2/7...............................................................................................................................................................
§2.9 Module
c:
Chapter 3
2/12....................................................................................................................................................
§§3.1-3.3
2/14....................................................................................................................................................
§§3.4-3.5
2/19....................................................................................................................................................
§§3.6-3.7 Module
d:
Sections 4.2 & 4.3, Chapter 5, and section 8.1
2/21.........................................................................................................................................
§§4.2-4.3 + §5.1
2/26.................................................................................................................................................
§§5.2-5.3A
2/28..................................................................................................................................................
§§5.3B-5.4
3/5......................................................................................................................................................
§5.5 + 8.1 Module
e:
Sections 9.1-9.4 & 10.1-10.5
3/7......................................................................................................................................................
§§9.1-9.2
3/12..........................................................................................................................................
§§9.3-9.4 +10.1
3/14................................................................................................................................................
§§10.2-10.5
The last class meeting will be during finals week on Tuesday, March 19,
2002 from 11:00am to 1:00pm. There
will be no lecture during this meeting. All
homework for any module which a student is intending to finish must be completed
by 1:00 this date in order to be tested for that module.
Notice the different time for the meeting during finals week!
The publisher of the textbook maintains a web site devoted to this text.
The address is
Featured there are a number of student aids, including an online study guide with self-quizzes and an e-mail option for scoring. Student feedback on this site’s quality and usefulness would be appreciated.
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