M 121Q --- “BLENDED” COLLEGE ALGEBRA -- Spring 2016
Sections 3 & 7 --- Wilson 1-134
Instructor / Course Supervisor: Heidi Staebler-Wiseman
Email: h.staeblerwiseman@montana.edu
Office: Wilson 2-251 Office Phone: 994-5365
Office Hours: Tues: 11 – 12 am; Wed: 12-1 pm; Thurs: 2 – 3 pm
In MLC: Tues. 4 – 5 pm
Required: College Algebra eText by Kirk Trigsted; 3rd Edition
The course covers chapters R-5.4. NOTE: The MSU bookstore
sells hard copies of the text that come with access to the online e-text.
Also required: Student Video Notes packet - only available at MSU bookstore.
Math Learning Center (MLC): Wilson 1-112; Mon – Thurs: 9 am - 8 pm; Fri: 9 am – 3 pm
Your Cat Card is required for entry/exit.
Calculator: TI-83 or TI-84 graphing calculators are recommended, but lesser scientific calculators will work.
NO cell phone calculators are allowed during testing.
Prerequisites: these MUST be verified.
 C– or above in M096 (M101) or M097 (M103) or 100 level college course or an equivalent college transfer course.
 MPLEX (Math Placement Exam): level 3 or higher.
 Math ACT score of 23 or higher OR Math SAT score of 540 or higher.
Is Math 121 the Right Course for You? This course is primarily a preparation for precalculus and calculus.
It is the prerequisite for M151 (Precalculus), M161 (Survey of Calculus), and Chem141; and can be used as a
prerequisite for Stat216 (Elementary Statistics). M121 is one of the core math courses (satisfies Q requirement), but
if you merely need to fulfill core you should take M145 (Liberal Arts Math) instead. Questions? See an instructor
outside of class or see your advisor.
Course Environment / Structure: A team-based learning approach will be used. It is well-documented that
students learn much more by "doing" rather than by listening to a lecture or reading a text. So, you will view lecture
videos and complete structured notes before class and actively DO mathematics in class.
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You must attend all class sessions, watch the assigned instructional videos and complete the student video notes
(VN) for that section before coming to class. Each section of student notes has "You Try It" (YTI) problems that
you need to complete immediately after watching the video. If you have trouble, re-watch the video or look at
alternate videos provided through the e-text.

Class may open in a variety of ways. You and your group members may be given time to discuss VNs and YTI
problems. Other times mini-lectures will be given or you may be asked to work a warm-up problem followed by
discussion. Your VNs will be scored and graded on a 0-2 point scale. Two low VN scores will be dropped
and your VN percent average will account for two quiz scores.

Most of class will be spent by working in cooperative groups on worksheets. Your instructors will check to make
sure everyone is on task and address group questions. Worksheets will be graded as a group rather than
individually. One randomly chosen worksheet from your group will be scored and all group members will receive
that score. Hence, we advise that everyone in a group come to an agreement on their answers. 
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Short lecture segments will also occur, likely at the beginning, middle, and end of class: In particular, if there are
several groups with common questions, a class discussion will clarify any misunderstandings.
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ATTENDANCE IS CRUCIAL! Since group interaction is key to the success of the instructional approach used
in this section, you can only make up absences that are school related or due to illness or some other emergency
AND are documented in writing! Two low worksheet grades will be dropped, essentially giving each student two
free unexcused absences.
Online Homework (REQUIRED!!). Done in My Math Lab – you MUST purchase access.
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You will complete your own personal algorithmically-generated problem sets. Thus, you MUST have regular
access to the Internet outside of class. The online HW problem sets will generate individual HW grades, but you
are encouraged to work with others to solve them.
Only use Firefox or Chrome as a browser! Others will eventually cause problems, even if they work initially.
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This syllabus is subject to changes. All changes will be announced in class.
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Usually, each total week's HW is due on or before Sunday evening 11:59 p.m. You CAN work on an
assignment after the deadline with a 20% penalty. Pay careful attention to the Homework due dates in MML!
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Extremely valuable aspects of online HW are that you will receive immediate feedback regarding your work and
you can utilize links within the MMML website. In addition, you can email your instructor with questions –
something we strongly encourage! 

BUT, we also know that true knowledge of mathematics means you can write coherent organized problem
solutions where each step of your work is shown, and proper notation is used. Hence, this will be emphasized in
class and on quizzes and exams.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be announced at least one class period in advance. They are designed to provide students
with feedback about their understanding of course content and help them prepare for the next exam. Quizzes may be
individual, group, or take-home. They cannot be made up unless: 1) the absence is excused with written
documentation (e.g. school related or doctor documented), 2) you notify your teacher of the need for a make-up the
day of the quiz (before class) at the latest, and 3) a reasonably-timely arrangement can be made. Two low quiz
grades will be dropped at the end of the semester.
Mini-Exams, Mid-term Exams & Comprehensive Final Examination: Everyone will complete two miniexams in class and each of the 3 regularly scheduled common-hour evening exams (dates listed on the semester
schedule) as well as a comprehensive final exam. These are the same exams taken by all sections of M 121.
Please arrange your personal schedule!
Absence for an Exam: If you have an MSU academic or athletic conflict with a mid-term exam or the final exam
as scheduled, you must contact the course supervisor at least three school days before the exam. If you have a
work conflict, make arrangements with your employer so that you can take the exam as scheduled. If an unexpected
emergency arises, contact the course supervisor immediately. Any missed exam that is not excused will be a zero –
which leads to failing the course. If an excused exam cannot be made-up or made-ahead within two days of the
scheduled time, the Final Exam score will replace the missed exam score. Alternate final exams will be given only
for very unusual circumstances – you must be here the morning of Tuesday May 3 !!
Individual and Group Expectations:

We will create teams as quickly as possible. You likely will remain in your team for several weeks, and possibly
for the entire semester. However, your instructor reserves the right to make team changes, possibly even
multiple times during the semester. Our goal in doing so is to maximize the learning of ALL students.

Since most class time will be spent interacting with your team members, we expect you to learn cooperatively
and listen attentively to each other. Everyone should feel free to ask questions, make mistakes, share ideas, and
offer each other feedback. It also is important to stay on task and complete worksheetss in a timely manner.

You are expected to seek help if you are struggling with a concept or not achieving the results that you desire.
We strongly encourage you to use the many resources available to you; including your group-mates, the online
MML website, the Math Learning Center, and your teacher's office hours.

If you have a documented disability for which you plan to or might request an accommodation(s), please see
your instructor outside of class and contact Disabled Student Services as soon as possible.
Course Grades: Based on Worksheets, homework, quizzes / notes, mini-exam pair that form a mid-term exam
grade, three mid-term exams and a comprehensive final exam. The weights each carry are:
Worksheets - 8%
Homework – 8%
3 Mid-terms and 1 pair of Mini-exams – 13% each
Quizzes/Notes – 8%
Comprehensive Final Exam – 24%
Thus, ≈ 90% of your overall course grade will be determined by your individual performance, while ≈ 10% will be
earned through team performance on group activities / assignments.
Grading Scale:
A ↔ 90 - 100%
C+ ↔77 – 79%
B+↔ 87 – 89%
C ↔ 70 – 76%
B ↔ 80 – 86%
D ↔ 60 – 69%
F↔ 59% or less
Academic Integrity: If a student is found to engage in an act of academic dishonesty, appropriate university
offices will be notified and procedures described in the Student Handbook and/or MSU Catalog will be pursued.
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This syllabus is subject to changes. All changes will be announced in class.