MAT*

137

Intermediate Algebra

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Department

Course No.

Course Title

3

Online

Online

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Credit Hrs.

# lecture hrs./week

# lab hrs./week

Jean Insinga

11/09/09

Prepared by

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Faculty Member

Date

Course prerequisites:

C or better in MAT*095, placement in MAT*137 or higher, and/or permission of the instructor

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Course Location (building/room number):

Online

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Meeting time (days/hours):

Online

MAT*137 is a continuation of MAT*095.  Topics include factoring; rational functions, expressions and equations; radical functions, expressions and equations; an introduction to complex numbers; and quadratic functions and equations.  There will be an emphasis on modeling and applications for all topics.  Prerequisite:  “C” or better in MAT*095 (Formerly MATH 101), placement test, and/or permission of instructor.

• Introductory and Intermediate Algebra for College Students, MxCC Custom 3^rd Edition by Robert Blitzer, Pearson Education, Inc., 2009.

·          Scientific Calculator with a good display as well as fraction and editing capabilities, or a graphing calculator (TI-83 Plus or TI-84) if going on in math beyond MAT*137, paper, pencils, eraser, and notebook/folder.

• MyMathLab Access Codes to register with Course Compass (www.coursecompass.com)

Office Location

Online

Office Hours/

Online 24/7

 Monday through Thursday

Office Telephone:

Office e-mail:

Jean.insinga@snet.net

Math Placement Tests:  The purpose of the Math Placement Exam is to assess a student’s background and place him/her in an appropriate level of mathematics so as to increase the likelihood of a student’s success.  If a student believes that he/she has been misplaced in a math class, the student is responsible for speaking with his/her math teacher during the first week of class.  If, after reassessing the placement, the math teacher believes that the student should be reassigned to another math class, the student must complete the course change process before the second week of class.

Attendance:  For the learning process to be effective, students are expected to participate in an online course through assignments, projects, exams and discussion postings.  An online course allows the student to establish a flexible schedule to do work; however, open chat sessions (recommended not required) will be at scheduled times.  Discussion Postings will be 5% of your final grade.  Discussions and chats are strongly recommended to interact with other students and clarify any questions or problems that are causing difficulty in your understanding of the course assignments.

Homework:  Homework will be assigned for each chapter.  You are expected to attempt all problems using MyMathLab located in Course Compass. Solutions will be posted on the website for each chapter. If you have many questions, you should seek help by emailing me and/or contacting the College Learning Center at 860-343-5858. 

Religious Accommodation Statement:  If your religious obligations conflict with the course calendar requirements, and if you wish to request an accommodation, you must make your request in writing prior to the date of the assessment or activity you will miss and preferably at the beginning of the semester.  When requesting a make-up quiz, test, exam, assignment, or activity, state the reason for your request and the date(s) on which your religious obligation(s) will conflict with the course calendar requirements.   Also, if your religious obligation/holiday is unfamiliar to your instructor, you may be asked to provide a calendar which shows the published date(s) of your religious observance(s) or holiday(s).

ADA Accommodations:  Students with physical or learning disabilities who may require accommodations are encouraged to contact the Counseling Office.  After disclosing the nature of the disability, students are urged to discuss their needs with individual instructors.  This should be done at the beginning of each semester.  Instructors, in conjunction with appropriate college officials, will provide assistance and/or accommodations only to those students who have completed this process

Academic ethics and online behavior:  At Middlesex Community College we expect the highest standards of academic honesty.  Academic dishonesty is prohibited in accordance with the Board of Trustees’ Proscribed Conduct Policy in Section 5.2.1 of the Board of Trustees’ Policy Manual.  This policy prohibits cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, unauthorized access to examinations or course materials, plagiarism, and other proscribed activities.  Plagiarism is defined as the use of another’s idea(s) or phrase(s) and representing that/those idea(s) as your own, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Withdrawal:  You may withdraw from the class with a grade of “W” before the fifth class.  After that date, you will receive a “W” only if you had a passing average on the date you apply for withdrawal.  If you wish to withdraw from the class after that date, you must contact me.  NOTE:  The primary responsibility for initiating a withdrawal “W” rests with the student.  Withdrawal from the course is official only when initiated in writing through the Records Office, all requested signatures are obtained, and the proper papers are filed with the Records Office by the indicated deadlines.  If you do not complete this process or contact me personally and stop attending class, you will receive an “F” for the class.

Additional Academic Policies:  Please refer to the official college catalog for all other academic policies.

Evaluation methods (exams, term papers, projects, etc.), percentages towards final grades, and relation to course objectives:

Your letter grade is based on your “grade on 100” as follows:  A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, F=0-59.  Your overall average will be determined according to the following breakdown:

                Homework, Quizzes, Discussion Postings                                                20%

                Unit Exam Average (4):                                                                                   60%

                Final Exam                                                                                                      20%

NOTE:  You need a C or better to move on to a math course with a MAT*137 prerequisite.

Unit I:  Factoring Polynomials

·         Factor polynomials by factoring out the greatest common factor

·         Factor polynomials by grouping

·         Factor trinomials by trial and error and grouping

·         Factor the difference of two perfect squares and the difference and sum of two perfect cubes

·         Factor using a general strategy

·         Solve Quadratic equations by factoring.

Unit II:  Rational expressions and equations including modeling and applications

·         Simplify, add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational expressions

·         Solve rational equations

·         Apply mathematical modeling to solve problems

Unit III:  Radical expressions, equations, and introduction to complex numbers including modeling and applications

·         Simplify, add, subtract, multiply, and divide radical expressions

·         Use complex numbers to simplify negative radicands

·         Solve radical equations

·         Apply mathematical modeling to solve problems

Unit IV:  Quadratic and Power functions, relations, and graphs including modeling and applications

·         Use factoring to solve quadratic equations

·         Use the square root property to solve quadratic equations

·         Use the quadratic formula to solve quadratic equations

·         Graph quadratic and power functions

·         Apply mathematical modeling to solve problems