College Algebra Math 1200 – 600
Welcome to College Algebra (The Online Version)!
In addition to the work for this course that will be done online in MyMathLab (a textbook specific product that has been designed by and runs on the Pearson site), you will be required to take two written tests and three online tests during the session. The written tests tests will be given on the Warwick Campus.
This is NOT a self-paced course. The online assignments and written tests have due dates by which time they must be completed. An e-mail will be sent to you at your “MyCCRI” account approximately one week before the start of the session informing you that the website is ready and instructing you to log in.
Since this is not a self-paced course, it is strongly recommended that you purchase your textbook and begin working on the assignments in MyMathLab as soon as possible. You will be dropped from the course, allowing another student to enroll, if you have not logged into both Blackboard and MyMathLab by the end of the first week of the session and completed the first week’s assignments in each.
Is Distance Learning For You?
The online format is not for everyone. It requires you to be disciplined enough to work with the online materials on a daily basis, to be organized enough to keep track of assignment due dates, and to be prepared to Skype of FaceTime with me, or to come on campus to meet with a peer tutor, or other classmates should the need arise. In general, students enrolled in online courses can expect to devote more time and effort in completing course requirements than they would in a lecture section of the same course. Click here to check if you have what it takes to succeed in an online course.
Required Materials:
Textbook: The required textbook for the course is given below and should be available at the Flanagan, Knight, Liston, and Newport campuses. It may also be available through the CCRI online Bookstore or through other private vendors. Caution: When purchasing a used textbook or if purchasing a textbook through a private vendor, you may need to separately purchase an unused student access code to MyMathLab. You can check the ISBN of the textbook at a CCRI bookstore using this link.
Intermediate Algebra 10th edition, by Lial, Hornsby, and McGinnis, Pearson Publishing
Caution: When purchasing a used textbook or if purchasing a textbook through a private vendor, you may need to separately purchase an unused student access code to MyMathLab.
Caution: The textbook cover may not look exactly like the one pictured on this site. Check the labeling on the bookstore shelf.
Links to Syllabi
Syllabus_Fall_2016
Syllabus Spring_2017
Syllabus Summer 2017
Blackboard:
All communications for this course should be conducted through the My.CCRI e-mail server. This will help me to tailor my answers to your specific course and section as well as help me to be consistent in what I tell others with similar issues from the same course. Your course will be available to you on http://blackboard.ccri.edu one week prior to the start of classes for the session. You will need to have Internet access on a daily basis for the full session.
Warning: If you have not logged into both Blackboard and MyMathLab and completed the first-week’s assignments located in each site by Thursday evening of the first week, you will be dropped from the course, allowing a student on the waiting list to enroll.
Course Description:
Math 1200 – College Algebra (3 credits in-house) This course is designed for students who plan to eventually study Quantitative Business Annalysis or Calculus. This course covers functions and graphs; systems of equations and inequalities; quadratic equations; polynomial and rations expressiosns; radica, exponential, and logarithmis forms. (Prerequisite: Math 0600 or an appropriate score on the Accuplacer test. This course is not recommended for those receiving a grade below “B” in Math 0600.)
Course Objectives:
Click HERE to get a list of objectives for this course.
Course Outcomes:
Click HERE to get the outcomes for this course
Instructional Method/Expectations
This course will utilize the web for all instruction and for three (3) of the semester’s exams that will be offered online. There will also be two (2) written exams for which you will be expected to come to the Warwick Campus. While not currently scheduled, orientation and seminar meetings may be offered during the session, based on student needs. Of course, you are always encouraged to schedule an office hours with me whenever you need one to help you gain a better understanding of the course material
Successful completion of an online course requires a student to be self-directed, self-motivated, and highly organized. When you log into MyMathLab, you will see a listing of all the assignments that must be completed during this session. To help you complete them in a timely fashion so you will be prepared to take the tests when they are scheduled I will be including due dates for each assignment. The need to cover the course content necessitates that we closely adhere to these dates. The flexibility allowed in the online environment is limited to access, not completion of assignments. In general, students enrolled in online courses can expect to devote more time and effort in completing the course requirements than in a comparable lecture course.
All communication regarding this course should be through the MyCCRI e-mail feature. It is strongly recommended that students check their e-mail account on a regular basis.
Course Homework, Quizzes, and Exams
All of the online Homework, Quizzes, and the three (3) online tests are housed on the MyMathLab site. The due dates for all those assignments are posted there and on your syllabus. The two (2) written exams will be held on the Warwick Campus and you will have a 5 to 7 day window in which to take them.
How to Work in this Course
The following scheme should be used when studying for this course:
Watch the Section Videos: While watching the online videos in MyMathLab will not earn you points toward your grade in this course, many students feel that they provide an adequate substitution for the lecture component they find lacking in the online environment. To find the section videos in MyMathLab follow these links:
- Use the “Study Plan” link on the left hand side of the page once you log into your course in MyMathLab
- Select the Chapter and Section that you want to study
- A link to the section video you selected will appear in the upper right hand corner of the screen (right above the list of sample problems you can try for practice)
NOTE: Check early in the session to ensure that this feature is working on your computer. Few things are more frustrating than to discover that a feature don’t work properly on your machine when you need it. You don’t want to procrastinate on doing this…..
Online Homework (20% or your grade): All of the homework for this course will be completed online in MyMathLab. You can redo any homework problems you get wrong even after an assignment has gone “past due”. Everyone has an opportunity to get a grade of 100% on this part of the course.
Any time after reviewing the topics covered in a section, you can begin the homework. When you are in the homework mode in MyMathLab, a “Help Menu” is provided on the right hand side of the screen. You can use it to request that the computer
- Give hints on how to solve the problem that is being posed.
- Show the step by step solution to a similar problem to the one being posed.
- Show the step by step solution to the specific question being posed.
- Let you watch a video snippet on how to solve similar problems.
- Take you to the pages of the e-book where the concept was taught.
- Ask your instructor to help you out. (The “Ask Your Instructor” feature will send me a link to the actual problem you were solving so I can tailor my answer to your specific question).
NOTE: It is advised that if you use any of the help features to get the solution to a homework problem that you immediately request the computer to generate a “Similar Problem” to confirm that you really understand how to do the problem on your own. Students are sometimes unaware of this feature because they don’t see it if they have failed to fully open the homework window.
Online Quizzes (20% of your grade): All the quizzes for this course will be taken online in MyMathLab. You can redo quizzes as many times as time permits. Once a quiz has gone “past due” you will need to make a special request to have it reopened. I will usually accommodate the request as long as the test on that chapter has not yet been given.When you are in the quiz mode, you will no longer have access to the help menu that was available to you when you were completing the homework. It is assumed that by the time you take the quiz, you no longer need the help. If you find this not to be the case, you might be relying too heavily on the help features when completing the homework.Once you submit a quiz you should go to the MyMathLab grade book to review it. The computer will show the correct answers to all the questions you got wrong and if you mouse over those corrected answers, you can view the answer you provided so you can see where you went wrong. Occasionally, the computer will incorrectly read an answer. This is usually caused because the answer was input in the wrong forms. If you ever believe this has happened to you, just send me an e-mail with the name of the assignment and the numbers of the problems in dispute. I will review them and give you credit if you are right.
Online Exams (30% of your grade): There will be three online exams scheduled this session. Be sure to take the time to print out a copy of the syllabus for this course so you will know when the exams are scheduled. About one week before each exam, I will send you a reminder of the days when the online exam will be available to the class. During that window, you will be able to take the online test three times and the best of your attempts will the one that counts in your average for the course. When I e-mail you to remind you of an upcoming exam, I will also include an attachment containing the objectives that will be covered on the test. I also also provide you with sample tests in MyMathLab. When you review a sample test after taking it, you will have access to the same help features you have when completing homework for the course. If you have forgotten how to solve a problem, you can use the help features to re-teach yourself the material. The sample tests are optional but the questions on the written test closely resemble them. It is advisable to look at the sample test before taking the written one. Each online test will only be available to the class for a limited time.
Written Exams (30% of your grade): There will be two written exams scheduled this session. Each exam will be given on the Warwick campus. Be sure to take the time to print out a copy of the syllabus for this course so you will know when the exams are scheduled.About one week before each exam, I will send you a reminder of the day, time, and room where the exam is to be held. That e-mail will also include an attachment containing the objectives that will be covered on the test. I will also provide you with sample tests in MyMathLab. When you review a sample test after taking it, you will have access to the same help features you have when completing homework for the course. If you have forgotten how to solve a problem, you can use the help features to re-teach yourself the material. The sample tests are optional but the questions on the written test closely resemble them. It is advisable to look at the sample test before taking the written one. Each test will only be available to you for between 5 and 7 days. If you should have a day or time conflict, make early arrangements to reschedule the exam to one of the alternate times that will be available to you.
Grading Policy:
The Mathematics Department has not adopted an official Grading Policy. The following chart indicates how I will assign final grades in this course.
Grade Range
A 95-100
A- 90-94
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 70-76
D+ 67-69
D 60-66
F <60
Need Help?
During the Fall and Spring semesters, the Success Center uses the Math Lab rooms on the Warwick and Lincoln campuses to run a Drop-In center between the hours of 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM every afternoon – Monday through Friday. You can drop in there on those afternoons to get some questions answered. The Success Center will also provide you with a peer tutor who will meet with you on campus for an our or two each week to tutor you through the material you are studying. Also, I am willing to answer your questions. You should submit your questions to me through the “Ask My Professor” link on the Help Menu located to the right of each online homework problem you do. By using this link to submit your questions, I can see the question the computer asked you as well as the answer you provided. For questions that are asked often enough, I have created detailed explanations that I can send you to help you better understand what you are doing wrong.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or issues.