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Math 1021 Section 3 College Algebra Online
Summer 2012 Syllabus
Instructor: Mrs. S. Kurtz
Phone number: 225 578 1653
Email: skurtz1@lsu.edu
Office: 274 Lockett Hall
Profiles of Potentially Successful Online Students
If you do not meet one of the profiles described below, it is likely that you will not be successful in this
online section and would be better served in a regular section with required class meetings and
required lab participation hours.
 You have a Math ACT score of 24, want to move quickly and independently through the Math
1021 material, and have no interest in the guidance and socialization provided by the classroom
and lab environment.
 You transferred into LSU within the last two years, have a Math ACT score > 24, and must
take Math 1021 for credit.
 You were enrolled in Math 1021 in the previous semester, were being successful, and dropped
for personal reasons.
 You made a D, F, or W in Math 1021, are repeating, and are absolutely confident that all that is
needed for success in the course is additional practice work on your part.
 You are a non-traditional student, cannot meet the time requirements for Math 1021 due to
work or family commitments, and have a strong math background, motivation, determination,
excellent study skills, and good work habits.
Course Eligibility
 Students should have a minimum Math ACT score of 20 to enroll in Math 1021.
 First semester freshman with a Math ACT score of 25 or greater receive automatic credit for
Math 1021.
 Credit will not be given for both Math 1021 and Math 1023.
Course Design Overview
 Class does not ever meet face-to-face and there are no required lab hours.
 Your homework, tests, and the final exam will be completed online using a web-based learning
and assessment system called MyMathLab. Note that tests and the final exam must be taken at
specified locations on the LSU Baton Rouge campus.
MyMathLab
 You can access MyMathLab through www.mymathlab.com. Select Log In on the upper right
side. If this main site is inaccessible, you can use www.mathxl.com, but be sure to login as a
MyMathLab user on the lower left of the login screen, not as a MathXL user.
 If you need technical assistance, call MML student technical support at 1 800 677 6337.
Required Materials
 A Trigsted MyMathLab account is required. If you took Math 1021 in Fall 2011 or Spring
2012 AND you remember your login and password, then you will not need to purchase
anything. Otherwise, you will need to purchase a Trigsted MyMathLab access code and eText
reference, ISBN 0-322-76818-3. If financial constraints prohibit you from having this access
code in time to complete the first homework by June 7, temporary MyMathLab access is
available. During the MyMathLab enrollment process, you may choose to pay with a credit
card, enter an access code, or request temporary access. This temporary access is good for 17
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days. You must convert your temporary access to permanent access within those 17 days either
with an access code or credit card.
Your LSU email address is required in MyMathLab. Even if your LSU email address is not
your preferred email address, you must list it in MyMathLab as your email address. It will be
used as the personal identifier that allows your grades to be exported from MyMathLab and
properly imported into your Moodle gradebook. Without it, your homework, test, and final
exam grades will be blank in Moodle.
You will need the course ID# for your section of the course. This will be emailed to you by
your teacher. It will be your teacher’s last name and then five digits.
Your LSU student ID card is required for access to the LSU Testing Center in Himes Hall and
the Pleasant Hall Math Lab.
A non-graphing calculator with logarithmic and exponential capabilities is required. The
TI30 XIIS (solar) or the TI30X IIB (battery) with a two-line display is preferred. Graphing
calculators are NOT allowed on tests or in the Pleasant Hall Math Lab. Also, calculators with
symbolic notation or natural display capabilities, such as the TI-30XS Multiview, the TI-34
Multiview, and the Casio 115ES or 300ES Natural Textbook Display series, are NOT allowed
on tests or in the Pleasant Hall Math Lab. See the Calculator Policy posted in Moodle for
specific details.
Class Meetings
 There are no class meetings.
 Video lectures for all sections are available online. They can be accessed through MyMathLab
or at www.math.lsu.edu/courses/videos.
 Class Notes are available in MyMathLab and at https://www.math.lsu.edu/courses/ClassNotes.
You should print these and use them as a structure to guide you as you read through the eText
and take notes on the examples. (Yes, you are really expected to read the eText.)
Pleasant Hall Math Lab
 The LSU Math Lab is located in Room 1155 Pleasant Hall.
 Your attendance in the lab is optional.
 The lab will be open 9 AM – 1 PM only on the following days: June 5, June 6, June 8, June 11,
June 13, June 14, June 18, June 19, June 21, June 22, June 26, June 27, June 29, July 2, July 5,
and July 6.
 The lab is staffed with teachers and tutors ready to provide you with immediate, personalized
help.
 No food, drinks, water, gum, candy, tobacco products, or weapons are allowed in the lab.
 Laptops, cell phones, iPads, iPods, pagers, watches, and any other electronic devices that beep
or ring cannot be used in the lab.
Homework
 You should watch the videos and read the eText before attempting the homework.
 If you rely on the MyMathLab learning aids or other help to get a standard, Step-by-Step, or
Brief Exercise correct, then use the Similar Exercise feature and rework the exercise repeatedly
until you can get it correct without any help. Many students who become overly dependent on
the learning aids or other assistance to get a score of 100% on the homework assignment find
out that they score much lower on the tests.
 The graded homework counts as 25% of your final course grade.
 Homework is due at 9 pm on the due date. See the Daily Schedule for due dates.
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Graded homework for each section has due dates and will close then, but a copy of the
homework assignment (labeled Practice Homework) is open throughout the summer term to be
used for studying. The Practice Homework does not count toward your final course grade.
When working your homework assignments, you should save after completing each exercise.
You can re-work exercises, enter and exit your homework, and get back to it at a later time
prior to the due date.
There are three types of homework exercises. In each case, the result of your last attempt for
each exercise will be recorded.
Type of
Sample of
Features
Exercise
Numbering
Standard
2.1.15
~learning aids available in MML
~in general three attempts allowed for each iteration with
Step-by4.1.SbS-13 feedback after each
Step
~Similar Exercise (new iteration for same exercise number)
allowed an unlimited number of times
Brief
5.3.BE-47
~tutors in lab can assist with these exercises
Custom
Instructor- ~learning aids NOT available in MML
created
~in general three attempts allowed for each iteration with
question
feedback after each
~Similar Exercise (new iteration for same exercise number)
allowed an unlimited number of times
~tutors in lab can assist with these exercises
Reading
2.1.RA-3
~learning aids NOT available in MML
Assessment
~can be attempted only two times with feedback after each
~Similar Exercise NOT allowed
~multiple choice, usually found at the end of each homework
assignment, 3 to 7 questions
~tutors in lab can NOT assist with these exercises
Tests and the Final Exam
 The 2 proctored, password protected tests and the final exam using MyMathLab must be taken
on the LSU Baton Rouge campus in the Center for Assessment and Evaluation (CAE) Testing
Center in Himes Hall or in the Office of Disability Services (ODS) in Johnston Hall for
students who have an accommodation allowing this testing location.
 You will not get feedback after each exercise answer is entered. You must work through the
test and submit it before seeing your score. You can review your test in Gradebook, and the
MyMathLab learning aids will appear for the review.
 Only one attempt is allowed for each test and the final exam.
 The maximum time allowed is two hours for each test and two hours for the final exam.
 After completing all homework, you should prepare for tests and the final exam by repeatedly
practicing until you can get all exercises correct without any assistance from MyMathLab
learning aids, notes, the eText, or tutors. Practice Tests and a Practice Final Exam are available
in MyMathLab for each test and will be open throughout the summer term. Practice Tests and
the Practice Final Exam do not count toward your final course grade.
 You are not allowed any assistance on a test or the final exam. This includes notes, formula
sheets, or any other type of outside help. While testing, you are not allowed access to other
online materials, including your homework and online learning aids in MyMathLab. Note that
the CAE Testing Center and ODS have strict policies regarding test-taking. Be sure to
familiarize yourself with the rules. Remember, academic dishonesty is a violation of the
university Code of Student Conduct.
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Both tests and the final exam must be scheduled through either the CAE website or the ODS
website.
Students testing in the CAE testing center must schedule tests in advance using the CAE
scheduler found at http://www.cae.lsu.edu. You may begin scheduling tests as soon as the
testing site is available. You will be notified by email when scheduling can begin. Test
deadlines can be found on your daily schedule. The first time you access the CAE site you will
need to use your LSU ID # (89xxxxxxx) as the password. When you schedule a test or the final
exam at CAE correctly, you will receive a confirmation email from CAE. Print this email and
do not delete it. This email will serve as your receipt in case there is a problem when you
arrive to begin your test or the final exam. Check the date and time to be sure you have
recorded them properly.
Students testing in the ODS testing facility must adhere to all rules of the ODS testing facility,
especially those regarding the time frame for scheduling tests.
If you are not certain when you will be ready to take a test, then schedule it either the last
day the test is available or a day or two before that. You can always try to move it to an
earlier date if you are ready and space in the testing center is available. If you wait until
the last two days the test is available to schedule it, there will probably be no seats
available. If this happens, you will receive a grade of zero for that test and will not be
eligible for a make-up test.
You are allowed to choose the day and time for your test, as long as the test is taken before the
deadline for that test and as long as a seat is available in the testing center. Therefore,
makeup tests are generally not approved. If you miss a test, contact your teacher
immediately.
Neither makeup tests nor the makeup final exam will be counted unless you have approval in
advance from your teacher.
There will be two test scores and a final exam. Your two tests count as 50% of your final
grade, or 25% each. The final exam counts as 25% of your final grade, with the following
exception. Your final exam score will be entered in the Moodle gradebook as your final exam
score and also as (a fictitious) Test #3 score. Then, the lowest of the scores on Tests #1-3 will
not be used in the final grade calculation (even though that score shows in the Moodle
gradebook). This has the effect of replacing the lower of your two test scores with the final
exam score if that final exam score is higher. In this situation your final exam grade counts as
50% of your final grade along with the higher of your two test scores counting as 25% of your
final grade.
Final Grade Calculation (posted in Moodle)
Weight
Item
Details
25%
Homework
26 homework assignments (2 lowest grades dropped)
50%
Tests
2 tests (lowest will be replaced with final exam score if higher)
25%
Final Exam
1 test (cumulative)
The Practice Homework, Practice Tests, and Practice Final Exam do not count toward the final grade
in the course. Dropped homework grades will always show in the Moodle gradebook but will NOT be
used in the Moodle final course grade calculation.
Grading Scale
A = 90-100% B = 80-89% C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = 0-59%
General Education Course Credit: This course can be used to meet three credit hours toward the
general education requirement for analytical reasoning. See the LSU general catalog for more
information.
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Topics
Topics covered include Solving Equations and Inequalities, Systems of Equations, Lines and Circles,
Functions and their Graphs, Inverse Functions, and Polynomial, Rational, Exponential, and
Logarithmic Functions with Applications.
Announcements
Throughout the semester announcements will be made through the MyMathLab announcement page
and by LSU email. Check these daily.