MTH 103 College Algebra, Fall 2014 Course Syllabus
Instructor:
Lectures:
Instructor’s Office:
Instructor’s Office Hours:
Recitation:
LAs
LAs’ Office:
LAs’ Office Hours:
Course Web Page:
Online Discussion Forum:
Robert Bell (rbell@math.msu.edu)
MWF 1:50-2:40 p.m. in C-103 HLM
W-32 HLM (basement of West Holmes)
MWF 12:30 - 1:00 p.m. and by appointment
Please sign up for a recitation time ASAP.
Brandon Russell (russe386@msu.edu) & Adrienne Spring (springad@msu.edu)
2nd floor lounge of East Holmes Hall
TBD
http://www.math.msu.edu/~robertbe/MTH103FS14.html
https://piazza.com/
Required Course Materials
Textbook: C ollege Algebra, 11th edition by Gustafson/Hughes, Cengage Learning, 2012. There is a
“Special Version of Gustafson’s College Algebra for MTH 103 College Algebra” which includes sample
MSU exams (with answers). You can order the special version, bundled with an ebook, directly from the
publisher for a reduced price of $101 (with free shipping) at
http://www.cengagebrain.com/micro/MSUMTH103. The special version is also available through the MSU
Bookstore.
Calculator: A graphing calculator (the TI-83 or TI-84 is recommended) which does NOT have a
computer algebra system (CAS) is required. You may NOT use calculators such as the
TI-89/92/92+/NSPIRE, Voyage 200, HP49G/49G+/50G, Casio algebf2.0/algefx2.9pls, nor may you use a
cell phone, tablet, ipad, or other internet capable device.
WeBWork: Registration and payment for a WeBWork online homework account is required. Got to
http://math.msu.edu/webwork for information on how to login. The course fee for WeBWork is $70.
However, please do not pay for Webwork during the first few weeks of class. There are NO refunds for
Webwork, even if you decide to drop the class so please DO NOT PAY for the program until you are
absolutely certain that you will remain in the class. You will be able to use Webwork for free during the
first few (3-4)weeks of class.
Course Notes: Course notes by Sue Allen are available at
http://www.math.msu.edu/webwork/MTH103/. You may find it helpful to bring a copy of these notes with
you to class, but this is not required for our LBC section.
Piazza: You will receive an e-mail invitation to join our online class discussion forum hosted by Piazza.
Please accept the invitation and use the discussion forum to both post questions and to post answers to
your classmates questions.
Other Web Resources: I will not use Desire To Learn (D2L). Instead, all course materials are posted on
our course web page. The url of our course web page is listed above and you can also find a hyperlink on
the course description page on Piazza. Additional notes and a list of recommended textbook exercises will
be uploaded to our course web page. Please bookmark the page and check it periodically.
Topics
MTH 103 is an intensive course in college algebra. The topics will include linear & quadratic equations &
inequalities, complex numbers, equations with radicals, absolute value, graphing linear and quadratic
equations, transformations of graphs, polynomials, functions, polynomial and rational functions,
exponentials, logarithms, and, most importantly, applications of these topics to solving problems outside of
mathematics.
Prerequisites
This course is open to students proficient in intermediate algebra (properties of arithmetic operations,
fractions, integer exponents, radicals, the concept of a variable, linear and quadratic equations, factoring,
and scientific notation). Please make an appointment to meet with the instructor or an advisor if you have
concerns.
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Evaluation
Your course grade will be determined by the following table:
Graded Components
Midterm Exams (4)
WeBWork assignments
Quizzes
Final Exam
400
100
100
200
points
points
points
points
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.0
Grading Scale
90 − 100%
85 − 90%
79 − 85%
73 − 79%
65 − 73%
60 − 65%
55 − 60%
0 − 55%%
Exams
There will be four 50 minute midterm exams during the semester and a comprehensive 120 minute final
exam on the date scheduled by the university.
Midterm Exam I
Midterm Exam II
Midterm III
Midterm IV
Final Exam
Wednesday, September 24
Wednesday October 15
Wednesday, November 05
Monday, November 24
Monday, December 08, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, location TBD
Exams are written and completed in class without the aid of the textbook, notes, or similar materials.
Exams last for the entire class period (50 minutes).
WeBWork
WeBWork is an online homework tool which the MSU Mathematics Department uses for all sections of
MTH 103. We will spend time during the lecture to introduce WeBWork and to discuss how it is used.
Each WeBWork assignment has two due dates; work submitted by the first date receives full credit and
work submitted by the second receives 75% credit. After these due dates, no credit is awarded.
You should work on these problems offline, and then go online to submit your answers. If you a particular
problem is giving you trouble, my advice is to re-read the statement of the problem carefully, then work on
the problem on a piece of paper, then check your work, and then attempt to submit your answer online.
You will find the “all right or all wrong” mentality of the online homework frustrating at first, but I am
confident that you will improve your computational skills and make definite progress.
You can login to WeBWork at http://www.math.msu.edu/webwork.
Quizzes
Quizzes will be administered on a weekly basis by your LA during recitation. The lowest three quiz scores
will not count towards your final grade. There are no make-up quizzes.
Quizzes are an opportunity to test your current understanding and preparedness for a timed, written exam.
Quizzes are written and will last 15 minutes. You are not permitted to use the textbook, notes, or similar
materials during the quizzes.
Ungraded Work
You will not be successful in this course if you only complete the graded assignments. You must, in
addition, regularly read the textbook, test your understanding by solving textbook exercises (and checking
your answer with those in the back of the textbook), and review previously covered topics when they are
not familiar. Additionally, you should attend all lectures and recitations and take notes ideas and examples
which seem helpful to your understanding. I will regularly recommend textbook problems in each section
of the textbook which relates to the course topics. Finally, you should spend time working through the
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exercises in Sue Allen’s course notes, available at http://www.math.msu.edu/webwork/MTH103/. We will
work through many, but not all, of these exercises during the lectures.
If you have not mastered the topics of the course, then you should not expect to achieve a high score on
exams. Ultimately, your performance on exams has the greatest impact on your overall grade for the
course. When studying, if you find you are are unable to solve at least half of the recommended textbook
exercises without making multiple or serious errors, then this is a strong indication that you are not
sufficiently prepared to pass an exam.
Students with Disabilities
Please contact the MSU Resource Center For Persons with Disabilities (RCPD),
http://www.rcpd.msu.edu/, if you require special accommodations, and then schedule an appointment to
meet with me.
Academic Honesty
Cheating in any form will not be tolerated and will be reported to the Dean of the College. You will
receive a zero on any assignment in which there is a case of cheating. This includes, but is not limited to,
plagiarism, failure to give proper citations, and copying another’s work. A copy of the Lyman Briggs
College academic honesty policy can be found at this URL:
http://www.lymanbriggs.msu.edu/current/honesty.cfm
Student Responsibilities
Attend class & arrive prepared. Regular attendance is required. Before attending the lecture, read the
current textbook section. At minimum, attempt to work through the first two examples in each current
section, and write down any questions you have. Work through the recommended textbook exercises for
the current sections and keep a notebook to record your progress.
Read outside of class. You should always have paper and pencil (and eraser!) readily available when
reading mathematical text. Work through the examples by writing the steps out yourself until it is clear to
you that the solution is correct. Once a topic has been introduced in lecture, you should re-read the
corresponding sections from the text. You should work on the exercises at the end of these sections until
you are proficient. I encourage you to work with other students and to help one another succeed in the
course.
Participate in class. Be attentive and stay alert. Work with your classmates, especially those adjacent
to your seat. Take careful notes on those topics which are unfamiliar. Ask questions! Don’t be shy: we–
including yours truly- are all here to learn!
Complete the WeBWork assignments. Start WeBWork assignments early and discuss the problems
with your classmates. Write your attempts to solve the WeBWork exercises on scratch paper and carefully
check your work before submitting your answer.
Work through the recommended textbook exercises. Attempt these problems and test your
understanding. Ask questions about these exercises. Ask your classmates, your LA, your instructor, your
roommate, your lab parter, etc. One of the joys of mathematics is working with others to puzzle out a
solution to a particularly challenging problem. Remember to spend time both as a listener and as a
contributor to the conversation.
Attend recitation. You are required to attend the recitation. Prepare for recitation by reviewing specific
textbook examples, exercises, or concepts. You are strongly encouraged to ask questions during recitation.
Please keep in mind that if time runs out before your question is answered that you can post questions to
our online discussion forum hosted by Piazza.
What is recitation? Recitation is a problem solving session lead by your Learning Assistant (LA). The
recitation will typically consist of a working through a worksheet or having a question and answer session
followed by an opportunity to practice solving additional exercises. Additionally, there will often be a 15
minute quiz administered at the end of each recitation.
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Utilize office hours. Please consider bringing your questions to office hours. Both the instructor and LA
have regularly scheduled office hours. Office hours are times set aside specifically as an opportunity for you
to get additional help. If your schedule conflicts with the scheduled office hours, please make an
appointment.
Please do not think of this as an inconvenience to your instructors; additional help is available if you seek it
out. However, it is your responsibility to come to office hours only after first making a sincere effort to
answer questions on your own. Learning is difficult: work hard, try new ideas, and ask questions. If you do
this, you will see definite progress.
Post questions to Piazza or send questions via e-mail. Please utilize the online class discussion
forum. I have found through experience that most students greatly appreciate reading the questions and
answers posted by their peers and their instructors. However, for this to work, you must participate. There
is an option to post questions anonymously; you are welcome to do. If you choose to send an e-mail
directly to your instructor, be sure to include a polite salutation and sign your name. You should try your
best to state your question clearly. If you are asking a question about a specific exercise or example in the
textbook, please include a statement of the original problem.
Final Thoughts
The best way to learn mathematics is to write down your attempts to solve specific exercises in the
textbook. If you find you are not making much progress, go back and write out the steps taken in the
examples given in the textbook. If, before the time arrives to take each exam, you are able to solve most of
the recommended textbook exercises, I am confident that you will do very well in the course. But don’t
limit yourself to the recommended problems; the textbook offers a variety of interesting problems and
challenges. Try working out problems that sound interesting to you. If you need help with topics
traditionally covered in previous mathematics courses or if you want to work on more challenging
problems, please drop by my office during office hours or make an appointment to meet with me.
If you are falling behind in the course, please seek help ASAP. There is help available 24-7 on the online
course discussion forum, during office hours, and during certain evening hours here in the Holmes Hall
math help room located on the 2nd Floor of East Holmes Hall– your LA and other LAs will hold office
hours there. Additionally, the Mathematics Department hosts the Math Learning Center (MLC) in Wells
Hall and in most of the neighborhood communities on campus.
I want you to succeed in this course, and I’m here to facilitate this goal. But the burden is upon you to
work hard, to set aside realistic amounts of time for study, and to seek out help when you need it.
Some final advice: read the textbook. Then attempt some exercises and read the textbook again. I cannot
emphasize this enough. Learn to read the textbook and seek out additional sources of information when
the textbook is insufficient. This applies not only to this class, but to all of your university courses.
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MTH 103 College Algebra, Section 050 (Lyman Briggs College)
Fall 2014 Schedule for WeBWork, Quizzes, & Exams
All dates indicated for WeBWork refer to the due date for 100% credit. The 75% credit due date is 3 days
after the 100% credit due date.
Typically WeBWork assignments are due on Mondays (M). Note that the due dates are at 7:00am
EST. So, effectively, for 100% credit you need to submit correct answers on Sunday night. The last two
WeBWork assignments of the course are due on Fridays.
Quizzes are on Tuesdays (T) during recitation. The length and the amount of time allowed will vary from
one quiz to the next.
Midterm Exams are 50 minutes and the Final Exam is 120 minutes. The exam schedule is as follows:
Midterm Exam
Midterm Exam
Midterm Exam
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
I
II
III
IV
Wednesday, September 24
Wednesday, October 15
Wednesday, November 5
Monday, November 24
Monday, December 8
Schedule for WeBWork, Quizzes, & Exams:
F
M
T
M
T
M
W
M
T
M
T
M
W
M
T
M
T
M
W
M
R
M
R
F
M
F
M
09-05
09-08
09-09
09-15
09-16
09-22
09-24
09-29
09-30
10-06
10-07
10-13
10-15
10-20
10-21
10-27
10-28
11-03
11-05
11-10
11-11
11-17
11-18
11-21
11-24
12-05
12-08
WeBWork (tutorial)
WeBWork (1.1, 1.2)
Quiz (1.1, 1.2)
WeBWork (1.3, 1.4)
Quiz (1.3, 1.4)
WeBWork (1.5, 1.6)
Midterm Exam I (1.1 - 1.6)
WeBWork (1.7, 1.8)
Quiz (1.7, 1.8)
WeBWork (2.1, 2.2)
Quiz (2.1, 2.2)
WeBWork (2.3, 2.4)
Midterm Exam II (1.7, 1.8, 2.1 - 2.4)
WeBWork (3.1, 3.2)
Quiz (3.1, 3.2)
WeBWork (3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
Quiz (3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
WeBWork (3.6, 3.7)
Midterm Exam III (3.1 - 3.7)
WeBWork (4.1, 4.2)
Quiz (4.1, 4.2)
WeBWork (4.3, 4.4)
Quiz (4.3, 4.4)
WeBWork (4.5, 4.6)
Midterm Exam IV (4.1 - 4.6)
WeBWork (5.1, 5.2, 5.3)
Final exam (comprehensive), 10:00 - 12:00 noon, location TBD
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