Greenville Technical College
Arts and Sciences Division
Mathematics Department
Course Syllabus – Spring 2013
Course: MAT 102 Online
Course Title: Intermediate Algebra
Semester Credit Hours: 3.0
Instructor Information: Found on BlackBoard
Course Description: This course includes the study of linear systems and applications; quadratic
expressions, equations, functions and graphs; and rational and radical expressions and functions.
Prerequisite: ASSET score of ALGE 50-55 or ALGI 41-48 or ALGC 35-37; or COMPASS test
score of ALGE 53-100; SAT Math score 480; ACT Math score 19; or completion of MAT 101
with a grade of C or better.
Course Purpose: MAT 102 serves as the prerequisite course for MAT 103, MAT 109, MAT
110, MAT 120, MAT 122, MAT 211 and MAT 215. This course does not provide collegetransfer credit.
Required Text/Access Code: D. Franklin Wright, Developmental Mathematics, Hawkes
Learning Systems. At the Greenville Tech Bookstore, this text comes shrink-wrapped with the
required code to use the Hawkes Learning System (HLS) tutorial with ISBN 978-1-935782-19-3
for the package. You must have a HLS access code to complete required quizzes and tests. As an
alternate, you may purchase the book package and access code directly from the publisher. If
you have registered with an HLS access code used for MAT 101, you may change your
instructor and course yourself.
On-line students requiring the Greenville Tech Bookstore to ship materials, find information at
the GTC webpage .
Other Required Materials
 We require Texas Instruments TI-30XIIS MultiView which comes with the book package
for this course. Graphing calculators of any type are NOT permitted.
 To fully participate in the Live Meeting sessions, you will need to have a headset with
microphone. Without these items you are very restricted in your participation with your
instructor and classmates.
Outcomes: The student satisfactorily completing MAT 102 should be able to:
1. Solve linear, quadratic, rational, and radical equations.
2. Solve compound and absolute value linear inequalities.
3. Solve systems of two linear inequalities.
4. Perform various algebraic procedures, such as factoring and simplifying, and arithmetic
operations with polynomial, rational, radical expressions and imaginary numbers.
5. Graph linear, quadratic, and radical functions.
6. Solve application problems involving the procedures and techniques detailed above.
Required Trips to Campus:
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
If you have difficulty accessing Blackboard or Hawkes Learning System, you will be
required to meet with your instructor before the end of the first week of classes.
However, this will not be necessary if you are able to access Blackboard, read and post a
Discussion Board message, send a private email in GTC Gmail and register and log in to
HLS by the end of the first week of class.
You are required to come to the Barton Campus to take TEST 2 and the Final Exam.
Refer to the Course Outline for these dates.
Registering into and using HLS:
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
New student using Hawkes Learning System. View the video in Blackboard on how to
load HLS on your computer and how to register into your HLS class. There is also a
handout posted on BlackBoard with written step-by-step directions that can be used.
A returning student who has used HLS in a previous semester, log into HLS, and at the
Progress Report page click on the button labeled Transfer. The new instructor’s name
will be needed as well as the course and section number to transfer yourself into the new
section.
Note: The Hawkes Learning System Tech Support can be reached by phone (843-571-2825)
or live chat. Technical Support Hours: Phone, Mon – Fri, 8:30AM-10:00PM ET; Live Chat, 24 hours a day, 7
days a week. Click here for the HLS student support web page.
On Campus Testing:

The Course Outline document lists the dates for Test 2 and the Final Exam which must be
taken in the Distance Learning Testing Center on the Barton Campus. The tests will be
taken through HLS Webtest, but you will be provided with paper to show all your work.
The papers will have to be turned in before leaving the Testing Center.

If documentation from Student Disability Services has indicated accommodations for a
student, the student is responsible for providing the instructor with this written
documentation prior to taking Test 2.

Use this Testing Center link to check on the location, hours of operation, and policies.
Tests are taken according to the calendar date(s). It will be the student's responsibility to
arrive with enough time to complete the exam. A student WILL NOT be allowed to
enter the testing center or begin an exam with less than 1 hour before closing time. A
picture ID must be presented when testing. DO NOT bring cell phones, radios, etc. into
the testing center; they are not allowed. Do remember to bring your TI-30XS Mulitview
calculator.

If you qualify for an off-site proctor, you must submit your request to the Distance
Learning Testing Center within 2 weeks of the beginning of this course to have sufficient
time to approve and secure a proctor.
Missed Tests: The Mathematics Department has a no make-up policy in face-to-face classes or
online. A missed online chapter test will be replaced by the by the final exam. The final exam
must be taken by all students. If you take all tests on time, and your final exam grade is higher
than one of your other chapter tests, the final exam score will replace the lowest test grade.
Live Meeting Room: When your instructor offers a Live Meeting review, it will be recorded
and archived so that students, who were unable to attend, can do so later. It is to your benefit to
attend them live so you may ask questions and interact with your instructor for the best review.
There will be at least one live meeting for each of the four units.
Appointments: Individual appointments are available and encouraged. Your instructor is
available for help with your course content if you need it. Appointments may be arranged at any
time that is mutually convenient for you and your instructor. Please phone or e-mail the
instructor to arrange an appointment. If you make an appointment and cannot keep it, please
notify the instructor.
Communication with instructor: Communication should primarily occur through GTC Gmail.
PLEASE be sure to check your GTC Gmail on a daily basis. If you send an email, your
instructor’s reply will be within a day, many times sooner. The reply may be time sensitive
asking you to call or offering an appointment, so please check back soon for the reply to your
request. Please include a phone number if you would like to make an appointment.
Communication using “Live Meeting Room”: Within Blackboard, we have the ability to
communicate in real time using Collaborate, found in “Live Meeting Room”. Individual
meetings with your instructor can also be scheduled instead of meeting on campus. A computer
microphone is all that is needed to interact well within the Wimba environment.
Blackboard Discussions:
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We will be engaging in Blackboard discussions. The threaded discussion is a great place to focus
on a particular topic, ask questions about a concept, and challenge each other’s understanding.
To earn full participation credit in a discussion, you must have at least two meaningful posts in
each of the discussions. The posts must also be submitted on two different days and are clear and
grammatically correct. A rubric will be used in the grading process.
The most successful students participate early in the week. To get the most of the course, they
read all other posts and actively participate by responding to several other classmates.
This document along with the documents entitled “Policies for Mathematics
Department Online Curriculum Courses” and “ARTS AND SCIENCES
DIVISION POLICIES” comprise the complete syllabus for this course.
Weighted grades: Each student's final course grade will be determined as follows. As you work
in Hawkes Learning Systems (HLS), the gradebook will keep track of your overall average using
these weights:
17% from Hawkes assignments including HLS (Certify) and Graphing Assignments
3% from the Blackboard Discussions
50% from four chapter tests using HLS (Test 2 to be taken at the Testing Center) and 4
Cumulative Mini-tests
30% from the comprehensive final exam (NO exemptions)
Grading Scheme: Unless specified otherwise by the Instructor, the course grade
(G) is related to HLS assignments average (H), the test average (T), the
Blackboard discussion average (D) and the final exam (F), using the following
formula:
G = .17*H + .03*D + .50*T + .30*F
Grading Rubric for Test 2 and the final exam:
0 (0%)
Non-responsive
Solution contains no
correct information
1 (25%)
Preliminary
Solution contains some correct
information/elements, but
problem is unsolved/unstarted
2 (50%)
Beginning
3 (75%)
Developing
4 (100%)
Exemplary
Solution contains evidence
of understanding the key
concept, and a solution has
been attempted/started
Solution clearly exhibits use
of key concept(s) to structure
answer, and a solution has
been proposed, limited nonconceptual/careless
calculation errors
Solution effectively uses key
concept(s) and appropriate
steps/methods to structure
answer and provides a
correct solution with no
errors.
Grading Rubric for Weekly Discussions:
A total of 100 points are possible for each unit discussion provided your posted responses: directly
address the discussion topic; are clear and grammatically correct; include at least two responses.
Course Content:
Section(s)
12.1
12.2
12.3
12.4
12.5
12.6
12.7
13.1
13.2
13.3
13.4
13.5
13.6
14.1
14.2
14.3
14.4
Topic(s)
Review Factoring GCF and Factor by grouping
Review Factoring of Trinomials: x² + bx + c
Factoring Trinomials: ax² + bx +c
Special Factoring Techniques
Additional Factoring Practice
Solving Quadratic Equations by Factoring
Applications
Review for Test 1
Test 1 (Sections 12.1 thru 12.7)
Ch. 2 Review of Fractions
Rational Expressions
Multiplication and Division with Rational Expressions
Addition and Subtraction with Rational Expressions
Complex Fractions
Solving Equations with Rational Expressions
Applications involving Rational Expressions
Variation
Review for Test 2
Test 2 (Sections 13.1 thru 13.6) taken on campus
Roots and Radicals
Simplifying Radicals
Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication with Radicals
Rationalizing Denominators (refer to supplemental textbook material in Blackboard
for examples of radicals with indexes higher than 2)
Equations with Radicals
Rational Exponents
Functions with Radicals; Graphing; Worksheet Assignment posted on Blackboard
Review for Test 3
Test 3 (Chapter 14)
A.8, A.9 Complex Numbers
15.1
Quadratic Equations: The Square Root Method
15.2
Quadratic Equations: Completing the Square
15.3
Solving Quadratic Equations by the Quadratic Formula
15.4
Applications
A.10
Equations in Quadratic Form (refer to supplemental textbook material in Blackboard)
15.5
Quadratic Functions; Worksheet Assignment posted on Blackboard
Review for Test 4
Test 4 (Sections 15.1 through 15.5, A.8, A.9, & A.10)
A.4b
Absolute Value Inequalities
A.6
Graphing Systems of Linear Inequalities
Review for Final Exam
Comprehensive Final Exam
Please check information from your instructor for the course outline with meetings and due dates.
14.5
14.6
14.7
College - Wide General Education Outcomes
Communication

Students will demonstrate the ability to use active reading and listening skills and to produce
effective written and oral communication for varying audiences.
Information Technology and Technological Literacy

Students will demonstrate competency in using computer technology within a field of study.
Critical Thinking/Reasoning

Students will demonstrate the ability to apply the scientific method, mathematical processes,
and research skills to analyze and solve problems/issues by using reflection and reasoning to
justify conclusions.
Professionalism and Personal Responsibility
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Students will demonstrate the ability to exhibit conduct, attitudes, and etiquette appropriate to
the student’s community and chosen career.
Students will demonstrate the ability to manage time, to use effective interpersonal skills, and
to display responsible behavior.
Diversity
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Students will demonstrate the ability to recognize diversity and to demonstrate respectful
conduct and attitudes toward all.
Students will demonstrate the ability to explain how global issues impact life, work, and
opportunities.