Syllabus

UNE Summer Session

MATH 1010: College Algebra – Summer Session 2024 – 6 Week

Credits - 3

Description

This course was designed to provide students with the quantitative skills necessary to model and analyze real-world problems. With just a handful of different algebraic tools and modeling techniques, students will be able to interpret, visualize, and describe a vast array of mathematical relationships that arise in ecology, economics, medicine, and many other fields. This course will emphasize using algebraic principles to strengthen problem-solving skills and enhance communication of quantitative concepts. Topics include polynomial functions, rational functions, absolute value functions, piecewise functions, logarithmic and exponential functions, solving systems of equations and inequalities, and elementary mathematical modeling and applications.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

• Identify function types (polynomial, radical, piecewise, absolute value, rational, exponential and logarithmic), symbolically and graphically
• Interpret and create graphical information (intercepts, end behaviors, inverses, transformations)
• Analyze functions to determine properties such as domain and range and function values
• Solve equations and inequalities
• Communicate algebraic facility with respect to real-world problems (e.g. construct algebraic models for a set of data)
• Solve systems of linear equations

Assignments

Greetings Discussion Boarding

Before getting started with any material in the course, students will need to participate in the greetings discussion board. This is an opportunity for students to introduce themselves to their peers and instructor. Students are encouraged to read other students’ posts to get to know their classmates. 

Knowledge Checks

Each week, excluding the final week, students will complete a knowledge check. Knowledge checks are composed multiple choice, true or false, or numerical answer questions. Students will only have one attempt at the knowledge checks and should prepare for these assignments by completing the assigned readings, watching the Try It demonstration videos, and completing the optional practice problems. Once the knowledge check is completed, students will see feedback and explanations on how to answer these questions.

Homework Activities

At the end of weeks 2, 4, and 5 students will submit completed homework activities. The problems in these activities will cover the two weeks of material leading up to the submission deadline. The problems on these activities will focus on real-world applications of college algebra concepts.

Reflective Discussion Boards (2)

In weeks 2 and 6, students will have the opportunity to showcase their knowledge of material they’ve learned up to that point as well as reflect on their understanding of the material. One of the reflective discussion boards will require students to write an explanation of how to complete a problem they initially found challenging (these are called Reflective Discussion Boards with a Written Teaching Component). The other discussion board will require students to create a short video in which they will teach an important problem covered in the course (these are called Reflective Discussion Boards with a Video Teaching Component).

Projects (1)

There will be one small project in the course. This project will require students to apply the concepts they learn in the course to real-world applications that interest them. It will wrap up the final week of the course. 

Midterm Assessment

Midway through the course, students will complete a cumulative assessment in Brightspace. This assessment will be made up of multiple choice, true or false, and numerical answer questions. The assessment will be administered through ProctorU. Students should see UNE’s ProctorU page for information on proctoring logistics and scheduling. 

Final Assessment

The course will conclude with a cumulative assessment in the final week. Students will answer multiple choice, true or false, and numerical answer questions. The assessment will be administered through ProctorU. Students should see UNE’s ProctorU page for information on proctoring logistics and scheduling. 

Review Guide Pages

At the end of each week, students will fill in the review guide page that corresponds to that week. This outline will help students reflect on and summarize the most important material covered throughout the week. Students are also encouraged to include examples of problems they find challenging. Students will need to submit their review guide pages to Brightsapce. Feedback on review guide page submissions will be provided by the instructor when appropriate.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment	Percent of Final Grade
Discussions (3)	12%
Homework Activities (3)	24%
Knowledge Checks (5)	14%
Review Guide Notes	10%
Midterm Assessment	10%
Final Project	15%
Final Assessment	15%
Total	100%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00