Ocean County College
Introduction to Algebra Part I (MATH 011)
Prof. V. McMillian Syllabus — Spring 2011
Office: Kable-Russell 111
Phone: 255-0400 x 2361, Office and Voice Mail
Email: vmcmillian@ocean.edu
Office Hours -MCTR: Mon, Thurs 9:30 – 10:45 AM;
Tues, Fri 10:15 – 10:45 AM, 12:25 - 12:55 PM
Students are encouraged to drop by during posted office hours or to contact me via email with questions or to schedule an
appointment. If you wish to arrange a meeting with me in addition to the regularly scheduled office hours, please contact me
after class or by email. If you do not receive a response within 48 hours, please contact the Department of Mathematics by
phone (732.255.0368) or email (latanasio@ocean.edu).
Catalog Description
This course is designed to aid students in the development of appropriate basic algebraic skills needed for college-level
courses. It is a required course for students who, based on their Accuplacer score, do not have the necessary background in
basic algebra. Successful completion of this course is a minimum course grade of C and will enable students to enroll in a
Introduction to Algebra – Part II (M012). Course topics include: operations with real numbers, solution of linear equations and
linear inequalities with mathematical modeling of real life applications, graphing linear equations and inequalities, solving
systems of linear equations with mathematical modeling of applications and operations with polynomials. This course does
not earn graduation credit but may be counted toward minimum enrollment for full-time status.
General Education Goals
Learning experiences will contribute to the development of the student’s ability to:
 Become an independent thinker through mathematical, scientific, and philosophical reasoning; and
 Solve problems by collecting, organizing and evaluating information.
Course Learning Outcomes/Objectives
Course assessment will require students to demonstrate their ability to:
 Perform operations using real numbers.
 Apply properties of real numbers.
 Evaluate expressions using the order of operations.
 Solve linear equations and inequalities
 Perform operations with polynomials.
 Solve application problems using linear equations.
 Graph linear equations and inequalities.
 Solve systems of linear equations.
Learning Tools:
We, the faculty and bookstore staff, are aware of the high costs of books and have made every effort to make the bookstore
bundle as affordable as possible. Even so, it is best to purchase the bundle immediately and use all of the resources routinely
so that you complete the course successfully – the first time you register (or this time if you are repeating the course)!
Beginning Algebra: Early Graphing, Second Edition, Tobey/Slater, Prentice-Hall 2009. The textbook and supplemental tools
are packaged together and available for purchase from the OCC bookstore with ISBN # 0321632095.
Math XL is a online homework, tutorial, and assessment system aligned to the textbook. It is an individualized program that
engages students in active learning and records progress towards course goals so each student must have their own access
code. The access code is included with the new textbook bundle from the OCC bookstore. The access code may be acquired
apart from the text if you purchase a used text. Students may access an electronic text from within MathXL so a print textbook
is optional. However, the access code is MANDATORY! The access code must be in your possession at class time on
Jan 28.
Other tools include a binder or folder to contain your notes and homework, lined paper, a ruler (6” is large enough), graph
paper, and colored pencils. Calculators will NOT be used in this course.
Course Requirements, Standards, Expectations
You must make a commitment to the course – a commitment that extends beyond “showing up” to class and completing the
exams. Develop a schedule which includes reading the text, completing the homework exercises, and completion of online
activities. Successful students usually spend 6-8 hours each week reviewing and practicing skills, seeking one-to-one
help from tutors or the instructor when needed.
Class attendance is an essential element for course success. I expect students to be in attendance at every class meeting. I
realize that emergencies and illness will occur -- but only occasionally, not routinely. Therefore, no grade penalty will be
assessed for the three absences. Students accruing four absences prior to the last date for withdrawal (April 4) may be
subject to immediate administrative withdrawal without further warning. After April 4, each absence will continue to incur a 10
point deduction from the corresponding exam grade. After April 4, each absence will continue to incur a 10 point deduction
from the corresponding exam grade. Late arrivals and early departure are better than an absence but it should be the
exception, rather than the rule. However, students arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving more than 10 minutes early
will be recorded as absent. Please note the attendance policy above.
Students are expected to be actively engaged in all learning activities during class. Students will not be permitted to sleep or
remain as passive observers. After one warning, students will be asked to leave class and an absence will be recorded.
Students will be respectful to other students and faculty, which includes taking precautions not to unintentionally
disrupt/interrupt the instruction and learning process. Therefore, turn off your phone or set it to silent (this is NOT the same as
vibrate) and place them out of sight. Students observed texting (reading or sending) will be asked to leave class immediately
and an absence will be recorded. Long gone are the days of removing hats indoors, to be replaced by hats as a fashion
statement. However, hats will NOT be permitted during exams. Laptop computers may only be used when the whole class is
engaged in lab activities; laptops will not be permitted in the traditional classroom.
Course Assessment, Evaluation
Assessments generate numerical representations of a student’s mastery of skills which are then used to assign a final letter
grade for the course based on the following:
A Outstanding or consistently excellent work – “Awesome, not Average”
Student can consistently recall and apply most mastered skills in new contexts and combinations
B Above average or very good work — “Better than Most, Best Effort for some”
Student can consistently recall and apply most mastered skills in previously studied contexts and combinations
C Average performance —“Consistent, but Commonplace”
Student can recall and demonstrate mastery of most skills, but without context or in limited combinations
F Failure to demonstrate mastery of skills
Grades will be assigned according to the following percentages:
 A: 90 - 100
 B+: 87 – 89
 C+: 77- 79
 B : 80 – 86
 C : 70 - 76
 F: Below 70
Exams will be given as indicated in the course schedule. Make-up exams will not be administered; failure to take an exam will
count as an absence and result in a grade of 0 for the exam. A cumulative final exam may be administered at the instructor’s
discretion. MathXL will be utilized to monitor progress toward mastery of content objectives
Course grades will be determined according to student performance on exams and other designated learning activities based
on the following weights:
Course Assessment:
Course Grade:
80% Proctored Exams
A
90 – 100%
10% MathXL Homework
B+
87 – 89%
B
80 – 84%
10% Quizzes
C+
77 – 79%
C
70 – 74%
F
Under 70%
Tentative topics for the four units –
Real Numbers and Variables: Introduction to the Set of Real Numbers. Operations with Real Numbers, Powers and Roots,
Order of Operations and Grouping Symbols, Evaluating Algebraic Expressions, The Distributive Property and Combining Like
Terms, and Removing Grouping Symbols; Linear Inequalities
Exponents and Polynomials: Integer Exponents and Rules, Fundamental Polynomial Operations, Multiplication and Division
of Polynomials
Equations, Inequalities, and Apps: Solving Linear Equations with Properties of Equality (including fractions, decimals, and
grouping symbols), Application Problems, Solving Linear Inequalities
Graphing and Systems of Equations: The Rectangular Coordinate System, Solving Equations Containing Two Variables,
Graphing Linear Equations and Two-Variable Linear Inequalities, Solving a System of Linear Equations
Other
In addition to office hours, tutoring is available at no additional charge to students on a space available, walk-in basis.
Professional tutors for this course are available at both each day but with varying hours and locations. You may drop-in the
Mathematics Tutoring Center for the complete schedule or contact them by phone at 732.255.0400 x 2341. In addition,
Student Success Seminars are scheduled each week and are posted on the college website under “Campus Resources and
Services.”
You are responsible for all information contained in the OCC Catalog and the Student Handbook. Be familiar with all policies
relating to academic honesty, attendance, withdrawal from course, etc. Cheating in any form will not be tolerated; Policy
#5180 will be strictly enforced.
Students accruing four absences prior to the last date for withdrawal (Apr 4) may be subject to immediate administrative
withdrawal without further warning and assigned a grade of W or F according to college policy. New policy mandates that
students withdrawing after Apr 4 must be assigned a grade of F. Therefore, students electing to withdraw from the course
with a grade of W must submit a request in writing on or before Mar 30 in order to allow time for processing.
If there is any student in this class who has special needs because of learning disabilities or other kinds of disabilities, please
feel free to come and discuss this with me during office hours or meet with a staff member in the Center for Academic
Excellence.
All individuals should not assume that anything received, sent, or stored in this course or in any course is private.
Students’ written work, assignments, and test results may be used anonymously for college assessment purposes.
Course content, support materials, and communications (including chats, discussions, emails, and any other forms
of communication) may be used for quality assurance purposes by authorized college administrators.
Important Notes
Ocean Cruiser is the official email communication for students at OCC (firstname_lastname@occ.mailcruiser.com)
Failure to pay for this course may result in your being dropped for non-payment.