Beginning Algebra
MAT 087, section 13, Spring 2007
Tues, Thurs 5:00 – 6:50 PM, ICB 1101
Instructor: Kevin Boyer
e-mail: Kevin.Boyer@heartland.edu, or ktboyer@ilstu.edu
Office: ICB 2402
Office hours: 4-5 PM before class, or by appointment
Phone: 268-8640 (Math Science Office – ask to speak to me)
Class notes will be available on http://filesrv01.cas.ilstu.edu/~ktboyer/public/HCC087
Catalog Description:
Prerequisites: Math 070 with a grade of C or higher, or assessment
Topics include signed (positive and negative) numbers, order of operations,
ratios, proportions, data analysis, geometry, polynomials, factoring, rational
expressions, linear equations, and inequalities. Problem solving will be stressed
throughout this course. This is a 4 hour course.
Credit earned for Math 087 does not transfer or count towards graduation and is
not calculated into your GPA.
Required Materials:
Textbook: Elementary Algebra for College Students 6th Ed, Allen R. Angel,
Prentice Hall, 2004
Notebook: I recommend a bound notebook with about 70 pages.
Calculator: Scientific or graphing calculator with root and exponent functions.
Calculators with built-in algebra solving systems such as the TI 89 are not
allowed. I will be using a TI-83-plus during lecture. You must have your
own calculator for tests – any sharing of calculators during a test will be
treated as cheating.
Student Conduct
Students are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous and
responsible manner at all times. Please do not leave a mess in the classroom
(i.e., leaving food and drink garbage). Turn off cell phones, pagers, and other
electronic devices during class, or at least put them on silent mode. Do not talk
to others excessively while the instructor is talking to the class or while other
students are participating. Failure to follow this rule will result in your being
asked to leave the room. Consult the Student Handbook for clarification.
Attendance and Participation
Attendance is essential to learning. Skipping is a guaranteed way to fail.
Also, trying to learn from someone else’s notes is no substitute for being here.
Try not to miss class except for extreme emergencies. In order to understand
the material, you must also participate meaningfully in class by asking questions
and participating in the solving of in-class problems. Although I do not have a
direct attendance policy, you are not doing yourself a favor by skipping class.
To encourage participation, I give extra credit to volunteers who give their
answers to homework problems. On days that homework is due, we will go over
the assigned problems. I will ask for volunteers to put their answers up on the
board. Each time you attempt to answer a homework question (regardless of
whether or not the answer is correct), you will receive one-half of a point of extra
credit. There will be enough homework assigned that everyone who wants to
participate can. Due to department policies, I will have to cap extra credit from
this method at 25 points (50 trips to the board). Please do not be afraid to put
your answers in front of the class. It has been my experience that people who
display and explain their work learn much more than those who just watch.
Grading and Evaluation
I will collect homework problems from each section that we go over in
class. The homework problems will be assigned on the day of the lecture, and
they will be due the next class period. Each of these assignments are worth five
points. Completing twenty homework assignments will result in receiving the full
100 points for your homework grade. Please note that doing all the assignments
could result in a homework point total that is over 100 points. I do not accept
late homework assignments. Please note that the homework assignments I
intend to assign are listed at the end of the syllabus.
There will be ten quizzes worth twenty-five points each. The entire class
may work together on the quizzes (no notes or books). There will also be five
tests worth one hundred points each. On the tests, you will be working by
yourselves. At the end of the semester, your lowest two quizzes will be dropped.
No tests will be dropped for any reason (this is a department policy), but I will
allow you to replace your lowest test your percentage on the final if it is higher.
The final exam will be given on 13th. The final is comprehensive and
must be taken at the given time. The final will also not be dropped for any
reason.
Point Distribution for the Class:
There will be 1000 total points available throughout the semester. The
distribution of points are as follows:
Twenty best assignments
Eight best quizzes
Five exams
Final exam (comprehensive)
5 pts each
25 pts each
100 pts each
100
200
500
200
1000 pts
900 points guarantees an A, 800 a B, 700 a C, and 600 a D. The actual
scale might be adjusted slightly, but not by much.
Make Up Policy
During the semester, I will let you make up one quiz and one test with no
questions asked. This quiz or test will be available for one week in the testing
center in the library. Not taking the quiz/test within this time will result in a zero.
If you miss any other quizzes or tests, do not expect to be given additional makeups. Please note that this limit is a departmental policy. In the event of extreme
special circumstances, this limit might be relaxed.
Once again, you may not make up homework for any reason, and you
must take the final at the scheduled time. Make-ups are a privilege, not a right,
so abusing it will result in a loss of the privilege. Also note that I reserve the right
to make the make-up quizzes and tests significantly different from the quiz or test
that the rest of the class received.
SUPPORT SERVICES:
Heartland Library:
www.hcc.cc.il.us/library
For more information about Library services please call the Library at (309) 268-8200.
Tutoring and Academic Support:
http://www.heartland.edu/asc/
For more information about Testing and Tutoring please call the ASC (309) 268-8410
TENTATIVE SPRING SCHEDULE
Jan
Feb
Mar
16
18
Intro, 1.2 – 1.5
1.6 – 1.8, quiz
13
15
Spring break – no classes
Spring break – no classes
23
25
1.6 – 1.10
review, Test 1
20
22
4.4 – 4.6
5.1, quiz
30
1
2.1 – 2.4
2.5, quiz
27
29
5.1 – 5.3
5.4, quiz
6
8
2.5 – 2.7
3.1, quiz
3
5
5.4 – 5.6
5.6, quiz
13
15
3.1 – 3.3
review, Test 2
10
12
5.6
review, Test 4
20
22
7.1 – 7.3
7.4, quiz
17
19
6.1 – 6.3
6.4, quiz
27
1
7.4, 7.6
4.1, quiz
24
26
6.4, 6.6
6.6, quiz
6
8
4.1 – 4.3
review, Test 3
1
3
6.6
Review, Test 5
8
Final Review
Mar
Apr
May
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 15, 5PM, ICB 1101
Notice of Canceled Class Sessions
Cancelled class sessions, for all HCC classes, will be listed under Cancelled Class
Meetings in the A-Z Index and under Academic Information in the Current Students
page on the HCC Web site. Go to http://www.heartland.edu/classCancellations/ to learn what
classes have been cancelled for that day and the upcoming week. Be sure to check the
last column, which might contain a message from the instructor.
Please note that I rarely cancel class except for extreme emergencies. In the event that
a substitute is teaching the class, all syllabus policies are in force, and you will be held
responsible for any and all material the substitute goes over. Any discipline problems
that you cause for the substitute will result in SEVERE punishment!
Tentative homework assignment list:
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
1.9
1.10
11, 13, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 31, 32, 42
27, 31, 33, 45, 51, 53, 61, 63, 67, 71, 75, 81
8, 9, 49, 50, 51, 52
13, 17, 19, 33, 51, 57, 67, 69, 75, 77
30, 58, 71, 79, 82, 89, 115, 116, 121, 122
39, 54, 71, 75, 81, 127, 128, 131, 132, 137
17, 21, 35, 40, 43, 46, 73, 76, 131, 134
27, 37, 44, 63, 73, 83, 95, 105, 123, 129
23, 25, 37, 41, 43, 47, 59, 61, 65, 67
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
17, 25, 29, 35, 49, 71, 95, 101, 103, 121
15, 17, 19, 21, 31, 35, 41, 45, 51, 59
13, 17, 21, 23, 35, 37, 49, 53, 55, 63
19, 23, 39, 47, 55, 69, 75, 87, 89, 97
19, 21, 25, 27, 33, 43, 47, 61, 69, 75
27, 33, 35, 37, 41, 55, 61, 65, 75, 81
13, 19, 25, 33, 37, 43, 49, 57, 59, 63
3.1
3.2
3.3
13, 17, 21, 25, 43, 53, 61, 73, 97, 109
7, 9, 15, 21, 34, 59, 65, 77, 82, 85
14, 15, 18, 21, 24, 25, 31, 41, 47, 50
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.6
27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53
21, 23, 25, 29, 35, 51, 59, 77, 81, 83
13, 23, 27, 31, 33, 35, 49, 51, 55, 72
11, 15, 23, 31, 41, 47, 53, 59, 61, 72
11, 15, 19, 21, 25, 29, 37, 45, 49, 57
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
19, 25, 39, 55, 57, 65, 79, 83, 93, 101, 111, 129
31, 37, 53, 73, 85, 97, 103, 113, 123, 129
19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 43, 57, 59, 65, 81
15, 27, 30, 33, 36, 54, 57, 61, 63, 69, 89, 93, 97, 103
27, 29, 35, 37, 43, 47, 55, 57, 59, 93
17, 25, 33, 37, 41, 43, 47, 55, 59, 67
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
21, 24, 31, 49, 61, 63, 69, 79, 82, 87
11, 19, 31, 45, 47, 53
6, 11, 19, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49, 57, 61, 75, 79
5, 11, 17, 23, 27, 31, 35, 37, 39, 45, 49, 53
15, 19, 24, 35, 37, 41, 49, 53, 63, 71, 77, 91
7, 11, 17, 19, 23, 29, 35, 41, 47, 49, 51, 53
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.6
29, 35, 39, 43, 45, 51, 59, 63
9, 13, 17, 23, 27, 31, 35, 45, 51, 57, 61, 65
17, 19, 25, 29, 33, 35, 39, 41, 43, 47, 51, 57, 65, 71, 73, 81, 89, 93
9, 13, 27, 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 63
15, 19, 23, 29, 35, 39, 47, 53, 55, 61, 71, 79
STUDENT INFORMATION
Math 087, Fall 2006
Supply only the information you want the instructor to know!
The instructor does not share any identifying information with others.
Name
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Address
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Phone
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Email
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How many credit hours are you attempting this semester?
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Place of employment
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Hours/week employed
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Math Courses Taken
Where?
When?
Grade?
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What calculator will you be using this semester?
Anything else you want the instructor to know?
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