Spring 2016 Student Information Sheet
Sacramento City College (Jan 19 – May 12)
3 units
Math 28 Basic Skills Math (Course Code: 18904)
TuTh 7:30 – 8:50am, Business 237
F-Lab 7:30 – 8:35am, Rodda Hall South-174 (required)
Instructor:
Lewis Caviness
Emails: caviner@scc.losrios.edu
Voicemail:
916/286-2692x13316
and
r.caviness@comcast.net
Office hours: TuTh 9:05 – 9:45am, Adjunct Office-Rodda Hall South 165 (RHS-158 in hallway)
Text: Basic Mathematics through Applications, Sacramento City College Edition by Akst/Bragg, ISBN 9781256770169.
Calculators of any kind will not be permitted in this course.
This is a lecture course in basic mathematics skills, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, applied to
whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. This course does not fulfill the learning skills requirement for graduation.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
(Student Learning Outcomes – SLOs)
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Use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, to perform basic operations/applications.
Use fractions to perform these basic operations/applications with non-negative rational numbers.
Use decimals to perform these basic operations/applications with non-negative rational numbers.
Use percents to perform these basic operations/applications with non-negative rational numbers.
Translate simple English phrases/sentences into simple algebraic expressions and equations.
Evaluate simple expressions and solve one-step single variable linear equations.
Compute ratios and rates.
Set up ratios and proportions for applications.
State and write simple arguments that are mathematically correct.
To succeed in college math:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Have a positive attitude.
Manage your time.
Attend all class periods.
Do your homework.
Double-check your work.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Learn from mistakes, yours and others.
Get help when you need it.
Organize your class materials.
Read your textbook/notes both before and after class.
Be brave enough to ask questions.
Class time will be divided between lecture and work in groups and as individuals. Please follow guidelines of good
behavior: Turn off cell phones and other electronic devices, end private conversations as class begins, be polite and
respectful of others. Follow the Sacramento City College Student Code of Conduct. If you arrive late, be seated without
distracting others; if you must leave early, notify me before class.
You are expected to be present each class session. Attendance is extremely important to success in class and will be
taken every session. Participation in class will comprise about 5% of your grade.
The instructor has the right to drop non-attending students who miss the first two meetings or a total of four days. It is
your responsibility to drop the course it you decide to withdraw. Otherwise, you will receive an F on your transcript.
Homework for the topics covered each day in class will be due at the next Tue/Thu class meeting. Homework will be
screened for correctness, with each assignment worth 5 points. Always show your work, in order to receive credit. Your
grade will be based on completeness and accuracy. Homework points will total 10% of your overall grade.
Plan on spending at least two hours per day working on homework outside of class. Don’t let your homework slide
because homework is where we do most of our learning in math. Math builds upon itself so falling behind early can
jeopardize your understanding of new material being presented. Since homework is a learning experience, you may not
solve every problem on the first attempt. DO NOT give up! Set it aside for a moment, ask questions, and keep trying!
Twelve quizzes will be given during the semester to help you prepare for tests. An in-class quiz will be given during the
last class period before the day of the test. A take-home quiz (the Chapter Posttest) will be due the day of the test. Each
quiz will be worth 10 points. There will be no “make-up” in-class quizzes. You may work collaboratively with classmates
on the take-home quizzes. I will only keep the top five in-class quizzes and the top five take-home quizzes (100 points).
Five tests will be given, one for each chapter (Chapters 5 and 6 will be combined). The five tests comprise 50% of your
overall grade (10% each). Check the pacing chart for test dates. If you have a conflict with a test date, please contact
me as soon as possible. Make-up tests are only given for verifiable reasons and must be scheduled and taken before
the test date. A ReTest of your lowest chapter test will be given on May 5, but will not worsen your score. Your
remaining lowest or missing test score will be replaced by your percentage on the final if that score is an improvement.
The final exam is held in Business-237 on Thursday, May 12th from 8:00am-10:00am. (Note the different time.)
The final is comprehensive over all six chapters and must be taken. This exam is worth 20% of your overall grade.
Your grade:
is based
on 1000 pts
90 -100%
80 – 89%
70 – 79%
60 – 69%
0 – 59%
A
B
C
D
F
(900 pts)
(800 pts)
(700 pts)
(600 pts)
(less)
5 exams – 100pts (10%) each
10 of 12 quizzes – 10 points each
20 homework assignments – 5 pts each
14 Friday lab assignments – 5 pts each
30 TuTh class/participation – 1 pt each
Comprehensive final – 200 points
50 %
10 %
10 %
7%
3%
20 %
500 points
100 points
100 points
70 points
30 points
200 points
Cheating as defined in the Student Code of Conduct will result in you receiving a 0 for the activity. You will be referred
to the discipline officer. Note that using a calculator, cell phone, I-Pod, MP3 player, or other electronic device for any
reason during a test or quiz will be considered cheating. Talking or having notes or a book open during tests or quizzes
will also be considered cheating. Read the Student Code of Conduct at our Desire2Learn page.
Students with learning or physical disabilities or with special needs should let me know as soon as possible about the
accommodations needed (after class would be preferred).
Resources for help include: Ask questions during class or office hours; attend a study group; get tutoring in the Math
Lab (Rodda Hall South-162), Learning Resource Center -1st Floor or RISE program; use the CD Lecture Series (ask in the
Math Lab); study at Math XL or interactmath.com. Get help early and often as needed.
Websites:
d2l.losrios.edu (Login for Desire2Learn – class grades and news)
scc.losrios.edu/RichardCaviness (Find class assignments, Intro Survey, even before officially enrolled)
interactmath.com (Visit publisher’s free website to practice for homework/quizzes/tests)
Math XL login (At D2L, scroll down on left side, click on Pearson widget to register to use Math XL.)
(Your Math XL course number is: XL27-B1F1-201Z-4MG2