Elementary Functions Syllabus Spring 2009

Instructor: Dr. Ron Smith
Office: 321 Zimmermann
Phone (Office): 784-5283
Phone (Home):784-6473

Office hours:

Materials:

Scope:

Expecations for the student:

1. Come to class on time every class day and stay the entire period,
2. Have paper and pencil out on the desk at the beginning of class ready to work.
3. Keep a daily journal of work done in a three ring binder.
4. Turn off electronic communication during class.
5. Rest and eat before or after, but not during, class.
6. Ask questions of the professor to facilitate understanding.
7. Schedule at least 5-6 hours outside of class each week for working math problems.
8. Prepare a worksheet each week outside of class to hand in before class starts on Monday.

Expectations of the Professor:

1. Be prepared for class every day.
2. Treat every student with respect.
3. Learn each student's name.
4. Answer every question in a respectful, truthful manner.
5. Be available in my office during office hours, and give priority to anyone signed up.
6. Do my best to make every minute of every class a learning experience.

Exams.

Grades:

1. Mastery learning (200). You will receive a grade for the percentage of items that you have mastered by the end of the course. A midterm and final assessment in Aleks will be used to assess the amount of material you have mastered. The midterm mastery learning portion of the grade will be based on the expectation of completing half of the items by midterm, and all the items by the end.
2. Participation in Aleks (130). Aleks can be used almost anywhere at any time. You are expected to use Alek an average of 5 to 6 hours a week (including class time). A minimum of 3 hours per week, is required of each student. Each Friday sometime after class, the number of hours you have logged during the week will be recorded, along with weekly average for the semester. You will be awarded 6 points for the first three hours, and 1 point for each hour above that up to 10 point. If you have not completed the minimum of 3 hours by the end of the week, but your average per week is 3 or more hours, you will be awarded 6 points. If you do not log at least 3 hours and your weekly average is under 3 hours, you will get no participation points for the week.
3. Attendance (40) There will be an attendance award of 1 point per day. To get your attendance point you must (1) be logged on within the first five minutes of class (2) stay until the end of class, and (3) not run any program but Aleks during class. If you have an excused absence, you must turn in an extra worksheet within one week of your return in order to keep your attendance point.
4. Quizzes (60) There will be a 5 point quiz each Monday covering what we talked about in class.
5. Worksheets (120) Each Monday until you finish the course, must turn in a worksheet of problems at the beginning of class. Each worksheet is worth 10 points. Worksheets are electronically dated, and must bear a date and time no later than the due date and time, and no earlier than 5 days before. The formula for grading worksheets is as follows:

   10-int(missed/2)-untried-2[messy]

6. Journal (100) You are required to keep a journal for class notes and progress in Aleks. When you are in the learning mode in Aleks, you will choose problems along your learning path to work on. In your journal, you should write down the problem type, an example, and the details of how to work the example. You will also use your workbook for writing down the computations required when working problems. This collection of examples constitutes the writing component of the course, so neatness and organization are of paramount importance. Journals must meet the following guidelines:
   • The Journal must be a three ring binder with rings that snap open and shut.
   • The notebook must be identified on the outside with the student's name legibly and clearly written.
   • The notebook consists of three parts: Problem types, Daily work, and Worksheets.
   • Each problem type encountered by the student should be listed by title along with an example problem of that type. The solution to the example problem should follow, along with enough explanation to make it clear how the problem was solved.
   • The Problem Types section must have an index attached which contains a list of problems in alphabetical order, and which page number an example of that type of problem can be found.
   • Daily work pages must be dated and neat.
   • Worksheets must be in dated order and secured in the notebook.

Incompletes:

Disabilities: