MAT 090 Course Syllabus Sample

Department of Mathematics & Statistics
MAT 090 Prealgebra Syllabus
Spring 2008

Course Instructor: ___________ Office: ________ Phone: _____ Email: ________

Lab Instructor: _________________ Lab Number: _____ Lab Room: ________

Course Description:

Real number system, ratio and proportion, order of operations, measurement, exponents and radicals, probability and statistics, graphs, a strong strand of geometry, and basic algebraic concepts such as solving linear equations and understanding variables and algebraic expressions. 3 Lec/2 Lab. 3 hours of institutional credit.

Course Objectives:

Specific skills which are expected of students completing MAT 090 include

performing whole number, integer, rational, and decimal number arithmetic.
using the order of operations to simplify expressions.
using properties of exponents.
adding, subtracting and multiplying polynomials.
solving linear equations.
graphing on the rectangular coordinate system.
finding perimeters, areas, and volumes of geometric figures and solids.
simplifying, adding, and subtracting square roots.
solving ratio and proportion problems.
solving basic percent problems.

Required Materials:

TEXT: MAT 090 Prealgebra by Alan S. Tussy and R. David Gustafson (EKU edition, 2003).
CALCULATOR: You must have a calculator. A scientific calculator is recommended. A graphing calculator may be used, but calculators with symbolic manipulation capabilities, such as a TI-89, TI-92, or equivalent, are not allowed. Check with your instructor or the coordinator, Dr. Yoder (Wallace 306, margaret.yoder@eku.edu) if you are not sure about the calculator you have.

What to Expect:

In Lecture: Your course instructor will demonstrate and explain problem solutions. The course instructor may assign, collect, or distribute problems during lecture. Points received during lecture will contribute to the overall course grade. Class time may also be spent doing quizzes or completing worksheets.

In Lab (Quiz days): Your lab assistant will answer questions from your homework as a review. The last thirty minutes of lab will be spent taking a quiz. The quiz will consist of problems that are modeled on your homework questions.

In Lab (Test Days): The entire period will be spent taking the test.

In Recitation: Problem-solving sets will be assigned and completed during the recitation hour. Your lab assistant will be present to assist you.

What You Are Expected to Do:

In Lecture: Come on time and pay attention in class. As you listen to the instructor, take notes in a notebook kept for this purpose. Feel free to ask questions.

In Lab: (Quiz Days): Be on time! Ask questions about homework problems that you had difficulty with. Then take the quiz.

In Lab: (Test Days): Be on time!

In Recitation: You will be working on a set of problems. You are expected to stay for the entire time and complete the work. Before you leave, check your work.

Out of Class: When your instructor has finished discussing a section of the textbook, the odd-numbered exercises are automatically assigned, including the review exercises. Do your work in the textbook or in a notebook for this purpose. It is a good idea to reread the section before doing the exercises. Before class, read the sections and bring your questions to class. For each in-class hour, you should expect to be doing your homework for a minimum of two hours outside of class. When you finish an exercise set, check your work in the back. If you are having trouble, don't hesitate to get help!

Retention of Material:

Students need to retain material throughout the semester. The final is comprehensive and the material will be assumed knowledge in future classes. After a test is returned, students should study the items they missed to ensure that they have learned that material. In addition, tests may contain one or two questions from previous chapters.

Attendance:

Students are expected to attend every class meeting and will be held responsible for announcements made in class. Absences in excess of 10% of the scheduled class meetings (either excused or unexcused) may result in a lower course grade.

Lateness:

No additional time will be given to take quizzes or tests without the course instructor's approval. Students who are more than 10 minutes late to lab without an acceptable excuse presented to the course instructor may not be allowed to take the quiz or test.

Make-ups:

Students who have a valid excuse for missing a test will take a general make-up exam covering the entire course. This is scheduled during the week prior to finals. To qualify for the make-up test, a written excuse with verification from an official such as a doctor must be presented to the course instructor; otherwise, a zero will be recorded.

Help Available:

The Mathematics and Statistics Tutoring Center is in Wallace 342, (859) 622-6508 V/TTY. This service includes tutoring, computer assisted instruction, videotape instruction, and instructional materials, and is provided free of charge by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The staff will assist with homework completion, improving study skills, decreasing mathematics anxiety, and test preparation. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this facility. Current hours, locations, and phone numbers for the tutoring facilities on campus are found at http://www.advising.eku.edu/tutoring/hours/.
There are videotapes on reserve in the Instructional Media Room (Room 105) of the Crabbe Library. Each tape covers one chapter and is approximately one hour in length. Each videotape can be checked out for two days with a student I.D. Students living in University housing may view these videos on Campus Cable. Your course instructor will provide you with a copy of the video schedule.
If you are registered with the Office of Services for Individuals with Disabilities, please make an appointment with the course instructor to discuss any academic accommodations you need. If you need academic accommodations and are not registered with the Office of Services for Individuals with Disabilities, please contact the office on the third floor of the Student Services Building, by email at disabilities@eku.edu or by telephone at (859) 622-2933 V/TDD. Upon individual request, this syllabus can be made available in alternative forms.

Grading Policy:

The midterm grade will be the average of the scores on the tests given before midterm. Mid-term grades will be viewable online (EKUDirect/Student Services/Midterm Grades) on March 8, 2008.
The course grade will be calculated using homework and/or homework quizzes (100 points), recitation score (50 points), the tests (100 points each), and the departmental final exam (200 points).

The grading scale for the course and the final:

Percentage:	90-100	80-89	70-79	69 or below
Letter Grade:	A	B	C	F

In accordance with departmental policy, grades will not be posted or given out over the telephone.

Departmental Policies:

During class, cell phones and pagers must be turned off or set to a silent mode.
No student may enroll more than twice for the same course taught by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics unless subsequent enrollments are during Summer School. Exceptions to this rule are by petition to the Chair.
Any student enrolling in a multiple section course for which s/he has already received a grade of "D," "F," or "W" from the instructor who is teaching the section may change to a section taught by a different instructor by seeing the Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. This change must be completed by the end of the drop/add period.

Policy on Academic Honesty & Responsibility:

Anyone violating the usual standards for academic honesty, for example, anyone attempting to obtain or exchange information regarding any quiz or test, or anyone using a fraudulent excuse to qualify for a make-up, may receive a course grade of 'F'. Cheating includes buying, selling, or otherwise fraudulently obtaining copies of examinations or assignments for the purpose of improving one's academic standing. During examinations it includes receiving information from other students or other student's exams and referring to unauthorized notes or other written information in any form including electronic (e.g., information stored in graphing calculators).
Anyone behaving in a disruptive manner or refusing to follow the usual standards for academic behavior may receive a course grade of 'F' and may be barred from attending class.
Students are advised that EKU's Academic Integrity policy will be strictly enforced in this course. The Academic Integrity policy is available at www.academicintegrity.eku.edu. Questions regarding the policy may be directed to the Office of Academic Integrity.

University Policies that affect students in MAT 090

In accordance with the rulings of the Council on Postsecondary Education for Kentucky, a student whose ACT mathematics subscore is less than 18 is placed in an appropriate developmental course designed to improve their skills. Students whose ACT mathematics subscore is less than 16 are placed in MAT 090. In the case of transfer students, the University also considers performance at the previous institution.
MAT 090 is a three-hour institutional credit course. The credit hours do not apply toward graduation or to GPA, but do count toward enrollment status for such purposes as financial aid eligibility and full-time student status.
Students enrolled in MAT 090 (Prealgebra) cannot enroll in any course with the following prefixes: AST, BIO, CHE, CNM, CSC, FOR, GLY, NAT, PHY, SCI, or STA.
The only grades possible in MAT 090 are A, B, C, and F. There are no course grades of D in developmental courses, and developmental course grades do not include the use of the plus/minus (+/-) grading system. Developmental course grades are not included in the calculation of GPAs.

University Policies that apply to students in any developmental course

All full- or part-time students with developmental requirements in two or more areas must take GSO 102 in the first semester of enrollment.
All full- or part-time students with developmental requirements, identified by the ACT and local placement testing, are required to enroll in the specified developmental course(s) during their first and each subsequent semester, including summer semesters, of enrollment at EKU until all developmental requirements are completed. Withdrawal from a developmental course is not allowed without a signature from the Director of Developmental Education, SSB 326.
Part-time students must enroll in any required developmental course(s) before attempting course work (other than GSO 102) which carries academic credit.
Students with developmental requirements are allowed a maximum of two consecutive terms of university enrollment to successfully complete each required course.
Students with developmental requirements must complete all required developmental courses by the end of the term in which they attempt their 45th credit hour, including developmental hours. Withdrawal from a developmental course counts as one semester of university enrollment toward the attempted completion of developmental requirements. Students who wish to withdraw from MAT 090 must obtain permission in SSB 326.
Students not completing developmental requirements as outlined above will be developmentally dismissed from the university until the developmental deficiencies are remediated by some alternative means such as taking the appropriate course(s) at another institution.

Restrictions that apply to students in developmental courses

Students with two or more developmental requirements are restricted to 12 hours of university enrollment unless otherwise specified by admissions status.
Students with two or more developmental requirements are enrolled as "Undeclared" majors. The Office of Academic Advising will assist these students in creating linkages to the departments of their intended majors.
Students with developmental requirements cannot enroll in MAT 105, MAT 106, or EDF 103 until all MAT, ENG, and ENR developmental requirements are completed.