syllabus: intermediate algebra (math 070) winter...

of 12/Math 070, Intermediate Algebra/January 2016 Intersession Revised 1/3/2016

SYLLABUS: INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA (MATH 070) WINTER INTERSESSION 2016

CRN: 35030, Meeting Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., room B116. This is

a hybrid course; refer to pages 2 and 3 from this syllabus for more information. Dates: January 04 – January 28, 2016. Instructor: Professor Mark Littrell. Contact Information: (562) 463-7556; email: [email protected] Office Hours: My office is S320–P; and intersession office hours are by appointment only. Text Since this is an ALEKS-based course; we do not require a hard copy text. For more information, please refer to page 2 of this syllabus. Minimum Student Materials

1) An ALEKS license; 2) A scientific calculator. For more information, please refer to pages 2 and 6 of this syllabus.

Course Description/Goals

This course is designed for students who have completed an elementary algebra course and need to complete an additional course in algebra before proceeding to a college level transferable course. This course is a study of linear and quadratic equations and inequalities, system of linear equations, polynomials, exponents and radicals, relations and functions, graphs of functions, exponential and logarithmic expressions and their applications.

Prerequisites

MATH 050 or MATH 050D or MATH 053 with a grade of "C" or better or appropriate assessment. Advisory prerequisite: ENGL 035 or ENLA 100 or appropriate assessment; READ 023 or appropriate assessment.

Grades

Your course grade will be a weighted average of exams and in-class work (80%) and ALEKS work (20%). Each component of your grade will be valued at a certain number of points, which will then be combined and weighted as shown in the table below (it appears on page 2). For those taking the course on a credit/no–credit basis, credit is granted when your score is 70% (a C) or better overall. Be advised: students have the option of taking this course for a Pass/No Pass instead of a regular letter grade. Since this is a non-transferable math course, you may want to consider this option. The deadline to request to take a class for P/NP is Friday, January 08, 2016. Please make sure you check with the Counseling Department and/or Admissions & Records to discuss the use of this option and the petition form which needs to be submitted to Admissions.


Grade Components and Weighting

Item Raw Points Weighting Factor

Exam 1 (Tentatively Friday January 08, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., covering the following slices of the ALEKS pie: Real Numbers, Linear Equations & Inequalities, Lines & Functions.)

100 ⎫

⎬

⎪⎪⎪⎪⎪

⎭

⎪⎪⎪⎪⎪

80% of course grade

Exam 2 (Tentatively Friday January 15, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., covering the following slices of the ALEKS pie: Systems of Linear Equations, Exponents & Polynomials, Factoring Polynomials.)

100

Exam 3 (Tentatively Monday January 25, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., covering the following slices of the ALEKS pie: Rational Expressions, Radicals)

100

Comprehensive Final Exam (Thursday January 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., covering all the slices of the ALEKS pie, with about 25% of the material coming from the last three slices of the ALEKS pie: Quadratic Equations & Functions, Function Operations & Inverses, Exponential & Logarithmic Functions)

200

ALEKS Weekly Topic Goals 100 ⎫⎬⎭

20% of course grade ALEKS Pie Mastery Goals 100 ALEKS Weekly Time Goals 100

Course Grade

Percentage Weighted Points Required Grade

≥ 90 ≥ 396 A 80-89.99 352-395.99 B 70-79.99 308-351.99 C 60-69.99 264-3079.99 D

< 60 ≤ 263.99 F Class Policies 1) Internet Connected Devices Rio Hondo College has provided our class with a classroom set of desktop computers that can be used to access ALEKS during the class hours. You are welcome to bring your own laptop or tablet—ALEKS can be accessed from any Internet-connected laptop, iPad or equivalent—but since space in the classroom may be limited, and WiFi connections can be problematic, in general we discourage you from using your own device, especially on exam days, unless individual arrangements have been made. In some cases, however, certain students may be required to supply their own Internet-connected device. For example, if a student was provided with an add code contingent upon them supplying their own Internet-connected device, then that student would be expected to use their own device as agreed. If you receive an add code subject to the requirement that you supply your own Internet-connected device, I reserve the right to refuse you the use of a desktop computer.


2) Textbook We don’t require any particular text for our class. However if you would like to use a text, there are a variety which would be suitable, and you can purchase less recent editions very cheaply. For example:

• Aufmann, et al., Intermediate Algebra • Miller, et al., Intermediate Algebra

You can also find several different editions on reserve in the college library, and others in the stacks that can be checked out. 3) Homework Our class is a hybrid section, meaning it is 60% face-to-face and 40% online. In other words, instead of meeting for the 90 hours that a non-hybrid section of Math 070 is required to meet, we meet face-to-face for just 60% of that, which is about 54 hours. As stated in the schedule of classes, this section requires an additional eleven hours per week (to be arranged on an individual basis, in addition to the scheduled meeting times). The majority of your time in-class, and probably all of your arranged time outside of class, will be spent using the required software package, called ALEKS. ALEKS is an acronym which stands for Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces. It is an artificially intelligent math teaching engine which, among many things, will personalize the material from this course to help you learn it efficiently and quickly. Register for ALEKS at: http://www.aleks.com/sign_up You will need two codes to register: 1) an ALEKS access code (you can purchase one online, using a credit card, or use the temporary access code from the “welcome to the class” email that I sent out) and 2) a course section code. The course section code for this term is:

CRN 35030, Meeting Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–10:50 a.m.: HT4FL-49TGH For our four-week Intersession course, you can use a six-week ALEKS license (recently, it was $38 for the basic license when purchased directly online from ALEKS, using a credit card). The bookstore also sells ALEKS licenses, but they are probably for a longer period of time than you will need. If you can’t purchase the license right away, for whatever reason, email me and I can supply you with a free two-week access code. If you have ANY technical support issues, do not call or email me, as I am not able to help you troubleshoot your individual computer issues. For ALEKS-related issues, call ALEKS during normal business hours at (714) 619-7090, or email them via their support link on their Web site. You must register and get started using ALEKS immediately, at the very first class meeting. Every point that you earn toward your grade will come from using ALEKS in various ways.

1) Using ALEKS to master a minimum number of topics per day (100 points); 2) Meeting the pie mastery goals (100 points); 3) Meeting the weekly time requirement goals (100 points); 4) Points earned via exams, all of which are delivered through ALEKS.

If you are wondering what your homework is, it is this: you need to learn a minimum number of topics in ALEKS each day. On a practical level, learning a topic means you must correctly answer problems pertaining to this topic at least three times, consecutively. For example, you might be learning how to solve linear equations in one variable; the ALEKS software will give you different versions of the problem, and each


time you answer correctly, you move closer to learning the topic. Because the first several slices of the ALEKS pie contain a large proportion of review topics, and for various other reasons, the required minimum will decrease as you progress through the class:

Required Minimum ALEKS Topics Mastered Per Day Week 1: January 04 through January 09: 30 topics Week 2: January 10 through January 16: 25 topics Week 3: January 17 through January 23: 20 topics Week 4: January 24 through January 28: 15 topics

You’ll earn points for each topic mastered per calendar day (in other words, seven days per week, from Sunday through the following Saturday, not just the days when our class meets in B116). Mastering a topic means that you correctly answer questions pertaining to that topic the required number of times (three times in a row without assistance or pie surfing). ALEKS will then credit the topic to you as a mastery candidate (i.e., acquired in learning mode). The topic will be fully mastered when you lock it in via Knowledge Check. For example, say you mastered 27 topics on a given day where you were required to master at least 30 topics; since 27/30 = 0.9, your score would be 90% for that day. At the end of the course, I will take the unweighted mean score earned in this category straight out of the ALEKS gradebook—“Topic Entries”—and incorporate that into the final grade calculation. When you’re logged in to ALEKS and notice that the pie chart contains around 650 topics, total, it might seem to you that a student who just does the required minimum topics per day may not be able to complete the pie chart by the end of the class. (That’s one reason why the required number of topics/day is a minimum figure.) Data and past experience shows that the average student in this class already knows at least 130-150 of these topics at the start of the class, and they demonstrate this when they take the initial Knowledge Check. So many students need only master 500-520 topics in order to complete the pie chart, and that means that doing the required minimum topics per day is enough to get them very close to completing the pie chart by the end of the course. And if you’re able to master all of the topics before the end of the course, you’ll be free to focus on the other components of your grade that come from ALEKS. You will also earn up to 100 points by meeting the pie mastery goals that come up on various dates; you can see these goals in the assignment calendar, which is found on pages 10 and 11 of this syllabus, and on the ALEKS course calendar. Be careful to note that topics picked up in learning mode are merely mastery candidates. Only topics that are locked in via Knowledge Check in ALEKS are considered mastered, and only mastered topics count for credit toward this component of your course grade. At certain times, ALEKS will decide to check your progress with a Knowledge Check. There are a variety of triggers for Knowledge Checks: log in time, a certain number of topics mastered within a certain number of hours, and so forth. These knowledge checks are vitally important, and when ALEKS wants you to take an Knowledge Check, you must understand that pie is at stake. If you do well on an Knowledge Check, the amount of topics you have mastered should increase. If you do poorly, or if you don’t give the Knowledge Check the attention it deserves—overuse of the “I don’t know” button, for example—you can lose pie, which is the last thing you want. Any time that ALEKS wants to do a Knowledge Check, you should rightly view it as an opportunity to lock in more pie and reduce the amount of work you need to do in the future; ideally the proportion of mastered topics should increase each time you are assessed. You should always give every Knowledge Check your undivided attention and do you best to lock in as many topics as possible. This is the only way to convert mastery candidates (topics gained in learning mode) to mastered topics (topics that ALEKS


reckons you have truly learned). Due dates in ALEKS will never be adjusted on a personal basis for whatever reason, so please don’t bother asking. Regarding the gradebook in ALEKS, please understand that all it can offer you is an estimate of your overall course grade at any given time. It can be a decent estimate, but keep in mind that significant components of your course grade (like the final exam) don’t appear fully graded in your ALEKS gradebook while you have access. In other words, your course grade is calculated at the end of the course, after your ALEKS access has ended, so you should accept any estimate of your grade supplied by ALEKS with a grain of salt, i.e., don’t accept it as true until you see it on your transcript. 4) Exams Students frequently ask what happens when they miss an exam. Regarding make–up exams, when you enroll in a class like this one you are tacitly agreeing to be present during the scheduled class hours; since the exams fall during these hours, you are also tacitly agreeing to be present for the exams. Thus, exams will not be rescheduled on an individual basis for any reason; please don’t bother asking. To put it differently, make–up exams will NOT be given. Students missing any one exam will have the percentage score from the final exam substituted for any single (missed) exam score. Students who miss more than one exam will have their final exam score used to replace all missing exam scores, however a 25% penalty will be deducted for each of the (second, or third, or fourth) replaced score(s), if you can document your reason(s) for being absent to my satisfaction. If you can’t justify your absence(s) to my satisfaction, I’ll deduct a 35% penalty for each of the (second, or third, or fourth) replaced score(s). Bottom line: if you are not able to attend any exam, you would be wise to contact me in advance— by email, preferably— to advise me of your situation. You would also be wise to document your circumstances. You won’t need to provide me with the documentation unless I ask for it, but it’s smart to have it ready. Sick? Get a note from your physician. Jury duty? Get a note from the court clerk. Traveling on business? Get a letter from your boss, on company letterhead. Car accident on the way to school? Get a copy of the police report. And so forth. Understand that missing more than one exam will cause all of your absences to come under scrutiny (and that’s when the documentation will be requested). Too, please understand that I will be the final judge with respect to what constitutes acceptable documentation and/or reasonable or compelling circumstances for missing an exam. Please note: missing any exam also makes you ineligible to benefit from any extra credit assignment(s) that may be offered during the course, even those which have already been completed. Even if they appeared in your ALEKS gradebook at one time, they will effectively be deleted. I can’t exclude them on an individual basis, so I will manually set the scores to zero, so they will not be factored in to the calculation of your final course grade. The one exam that everyone needs to attend is the final exam. If you miss the final, whether you are depending on your final score to replace one (or more) missing exam scores, or not, you will almost certainly fail the course. I will also strenuously oppose the recording of an incomplete grade on your behalf. In the interest of fairness, I will also permit students who sit for all of the regular exams to replace one exam score of their choosing with the score on their final exam. If someone is interested in doing this, indicate your wishes by writing a brief note— “replace exam x with my final percent score,” or “replace my lowest exam score with my final percentage score,” or something equally clear— on the front of your final exam paper. This request, once received, is irrevocable and unchangeable. If your request is not intelligible or it conflicts with what is permitted— for example, I’ve had people write “replace my final exam score with exam x”


(exactly backwards), or “replace exam x with exam y” (not permitted at all), neither of which is something I can do— I will simply ignore your request, and I will not pursue clarification. In sum, make sure your request conforms to what is permitted and make sure it is clear. Too, please understand that this replacement will take place regardless of whether you score better or worse on your final exam than you scored on the exam it is replacing, so you should not make this request lightly or casually. Grades earned on exams are based to some extent on the quality of the work that you write down for the open-ended problems. Clarity of expression is important. Thus: if you submit something which I can't read, or which I can't follow, you may lose points. If you submit answers to open-ended questions without appropriate supporting work, you may not get credit for the answers. The long and the short of it is “no work, no credit,” and I reserve the right to enforce this policy as I see fit. You have a selfish reason for showing your work carefully and clearly, in that I won’t be able to evaluate partial credit on answers to exam questions that are unsupported by work. Students sitting for exams will be allowed to use a dedicated scientific calculator (as illustrated below). Examples of scientific calculators would include, but not be limited to, TI-30X IIS and TI-30Xa (pictured below), and other similar models. You can use a less functional calculator if you wish, but I would suggest that it is unwise, at best, and could help you to earn a lower grade than you might be able to earn with an appropriate calculator.

Examples of scientific calculators (legal for exam use)

Graphing calculator (illegal for exam use)

Cell Phone, tablet PC (illegal for exam use)

I reserve the right to decide whether a particular calculator is legal for exam use in my classroom or not. Additional instructions will be given for each exam during class as needed. Students sitting for exams will not be allowed to use any of the following items during the exams: 1) any kind of cell phones or similar electronic device (e.g., iPod, iPhone), 2) electronic dictionaries, and 3) calculators with QWERTY–style keyboards and/or built-in Computer Algebra System (e.g., TI–89*/92*/Voyage*/TI-Nspire CAS or equivalent), 4) graphing calculators (e.g., any of the TI–8x series, or any equivalent, as determined by me). If, during an exam, you are observed to use one of these devices, or found to have one sitting on your desk, I reserve the right to record a permanent score of zero (0) for that exam, and to pursue additional measures associated with cheating (see item 9, cheating policy, below). More to it, since you will be taking your exams while logged in to ALEKS, having any other browser tab or unauthorized application open during the exam will also be grounds for invoking the cheating policy. In other words, when you are taking an exam, you are only allowed to have a Web browser with one tab open, and you need to be logged in to ALEKS on that tab. Any other open tabs or open applications are not permitted, with the exception of the ALEKS calculator (when ALEKS makes it available, which you may use instead of an actual calculator should you wish).


Students who have been certified by DSP&S will take paper-and-pencil exams in the DSP&S office, because the logistics of the situation do not permit the use of ALEKS for exams. If you are receiving proctoring services from DSP&S, be advised that I will not make an exam available for you in their offices unless you request it in a timely fashion, by email. I need to be advised by email at least 24 business hours prior to your exam appointment that you have made an appointment to take an exam in DSP&S. So for example, if you plan on taking an exam on a Monday in DSP&S, I need an email from you no later than the prior Tuesday, advising of your appointment. In addition, you must start your exam during the same window of time that other students in our course are taking the equivalent exam. In other words, if our class is taking an exam on a Wednesday morning between 9:00 a.m. and 10:50 a.m., you need to schedule your appointment in DSP&S to start your exam during that same 110-minute window of time, or you will not be allowed to take the exam. Finally, you may be required to submit pencil-and-paper exam answers on a Scantron form SC882-E/N-E (the blue form 882 with the ID Number field). Using any other Scantron or Parscore forms will result in your exam score(s) being reduced by 10% or 10 points, whichever is larger. 5) Attendance Attendance is important. So is being punctual. You should know that when people are looking to add the class, I will certainly drop you if you miss any class meetings during the first two days of the course without notifying me (email only, please) that you don’t want to be dropped. Because of the high attrition rates we often see in math courses, and the compressed nature of this class in particular, I will take attendance twice per day: at the start and at the end of the class. If you come late or leave early, I will record a partial absence for you. Three partial absences will be equal to absence for a full class meeting (a whole absence), except when you miss both roll calls on the same day; that will count as a whole absence. If you have more than three whole absences, I gain the right to drop you for non-participation. So, for example, say you’ve accrued two whole absences, and have come late to class and/or left early a total of four times on different days. At that point, you have earned 3.33 whole absences, which means I can drop you at my earliest convenience, without giving you prior notice. In order to make attendance quick and efficient, I reserve the right to use a seating chart, and I will require you to be in your assigned seat when I take attendance, and to remain there. If you show up late, after your absence has been noted, or if you leave early, before the second roll call, I will record a partial absence. I can’t accept any excuse for partial absences, so please don’t bother asking. I will not remove a partial absence for any reason, unless I have made an error. To incentivize you to attend on time, for each whole absence which remains “unused” at the end of the course, I will add 1% to your total course grade, up to 3%. So in other words, if you have perfect attendance (no partial or full absences), I will add 3% to your course percentage score before I calculate your course grade. So, for example, if a student had perfect attendance, but their overall percentage score (before being bumped for perfect attendance) was 89.3%, since 89.3% + 3% = 92.3%, I would record an “A” grade for them. Too, if you miss a class, it is your responsibility to obtain information from your classmates regarding what transpired in your absence. You should make an effort to get the phone number or the email address of one or two others from the class for that purpose. Don’t call me or email me after missing class(es), looking for an individualized summary of what you missed or a personalized repeat of the material. 6) Office Hours During the Winter Intersession, office hours are by appointment only. 7) Enrollment Deadline Only students who are officially registered for the course will receive a grade. After the last date to add has passed (Tuesday, January 05, 2016), I can’t add any students for any reason, even if you have enrolled in


the ALEKS section of our class. All registration transactions between you and the Admissions & Records Office generate a receipt; to protect your own interests, you should make sure you retain your copy at least until you receive your grade for this course. 8) Drop Deadline The final drop deadline for this class is Tuesday, January 19, 2016. Around that time, I may elect to drop students who no longer appear to be participating, but you should not depend on me to do so. For example, if you have missed more than one exam and I never heard from you regarding that, I’ll probably drop you. If your exam average is below 50% around the deadline, I’ll probably drop you, especially if your average appears to be decreasing (exam 1 score > exam 2 score, etc.). I may factor other elements into the decision process, like scores/recent activity on ALEKS, too. However, managing what appears on your transcript is really your business, not mine, and I make no guarantees either way. Please understand: if you are dropped for non-participation, please don’t bother asking for reinstatement for whatever reason (including athletic eligibility, or maintaining insurance coverage, for example), as I will not be able to reinstate you. This is a mathematics course, and the purpose of the class is helping you to learn mathematics, not maintaining athletic eligibility or providing insurance coverage. Please be advised that state law regarding course repetition has recently changed. Students will be allowed no more than three attempts at any course for which an unsatisfactory grade (D or F) or a withdrawal (W) is recorded on their transcripts. This change will be retroactive. For example, say that a student has enrolled in the Math 070 course three different times at Rio Hondo College. The first time, they earned a D grade. The second time, they withdrew, and a W was recorded on their transcript. Now they are enrolled for the third time. If they can't pass the course (by earning a C grade or better), or if they withdraw again (and receive a W), they will not be able to repeat the course again at Rio Hondo College. 9) Processing Times Normally, I make every effort to process all papers as quickly as possible and get them returned to you in a reasonable amount of time. Reasonable normally means within a week, but it may take up to two weeks for an exam to be returned, especially if several of my classes happen to have exams during a particular week. In addition, it is strongly recommended that you retain all papers— syllabus, handouts, exams, etc.— which are related to this class until you have received your grade. 10) Cheating The Rio Hondo College Academic Integrity policy reads: “Cheating is defined as obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for work by the use of any dishonest, deceptive, fraudulent, or unauthorized means helping someone commit an act of academic dishonesty.” If you cheat on anything assigned for credit in this class, I will record for you a permanent score of zero for that assignment; I will report you to the Director of Student Life and Leadership and/or the Dean of Student Affairs (which hopefully will get you put on disciplinary probation); I will also put you on my radar, so to speak, meaning all future submissions from you will get extra scrutiny. Examples of cheating might include, but not be limited to, having an illegal calculator on your desk during an exam or a quiz, or having a cellular phone on your desk during an exam or a quiz, or communicating with another student (or students) during an exam. You also forfeit your ability to submit any extra credit if you get caught cheating, including assignments already completed. In addition, please be aware that I am the final judge regarding what constitutes cheating in my class; you can still be penalized by me for cheating even if the Director of Student Life and Leadership and/or the Dean of Student Affairs declines to put you on disciplinary probation.


11) Course Web Site Our Course Web site can be found at http://littrell.riomath.com/math70.html. If you have any questions regarding the mock exams or the course Web site, ask me in person or email me directly at: [email protected] (please don’t email me via ALEKS). 12) Student Learning Outcomes Throughout the term, your performance on multiple student learning outcomes will be evaluated. In particular the outcomes which will be assessed this term include--but are not necessarily limited to--the following:

• Given a quadratic equation in one variable, the student will solve the equation. The solution is correct, the students show appropriate steps to show how the solution is derived.

• Given the description of real-world problem, students construct correct equations and/or inequalities to represent the problem and determine the correct solution or set of solutions.

• Identify and apply basic algebraic concepts including function and its properties (domain, range, intercepts, inverse function), slope and its meaning (rate of change); absolute value, equations and equivalency of equations, inequalities, exponents, laws of exponents and logarithms; and Pythagorean Theorem.

• Perform basic operations on and simplify expressions containing algebraic expressions: Complex numbers, Polynomial expressions, Exponential expressions, Logarithmic expressions, Radical expressions, Rational expressions.

• Solve equations and inequalities: Equations in one or two variables; Inequalities in one variable; Systems of linear equations in two or three unknowns using elimination, substitution and graphing; Quadratic equations by factoring, completing the square, and quadratic formula; for real and complex roots; Simple exponential and logarithmic equations; Equations involving radicals; Equations involving rational expressions.

• Sketch the graphs of functions and relations: Algebraic, including linear equalities and inequalities, polynomial, rational; Radical; Logarithmic; Exponential.

• Find and sketch inverse functions. • Problem solve by application of linear, exponential and quadratic functions.

14) Email, Email Hours Typically I am teaching more than one class, so when a student emails me, I appreciate it when they make it abundantly clear which class they are emailing in regards to, e.g., “… regarding Math 070 MW…,” or some equally clear reference. In addition, it’s never bad to keep in mind that email messages do not convey the non-verbal portion of a conversation, like tone of voice, or body language, so always be careful to use appropriate politeness. For a number of reasons, it is also very good to use proper grammar and spelling in emails, to strive for clarity, and to write as an intelligent student in a math course should write. Since I appreciate prompt responses to my own emails, I typically try to respond to emails as quickly as possible. However, even though you (collectively) may be working on this class 24/7, I do teach other classes, and I am not on the clock 24/7, so you should not expect any email communication after 10:00 p.m. most nights, and from about 4 p.m. on Fridays to about 6 p.m. on Sundays (Pacific Time), and on holidays as well. I may elect to respond during those times, but don’t count on it.


15) Assignment Schedule and Calendar Please note that in the event a class meeting must be cancelled, I reserve the right to hold you responsible to cover the material scheduled for that date on your own, using ALEKS. Should there be any conflict between the due dates in ALEKS and the due dates in this syllabus, the due dates in ALEKS (possibly updated for whatever reason, like something in class being pushed back) will trump the due dates listed in the syllabus. I typically do not update the syllabus as the term progresses. In other words, the assignment due dates/deadlines presented in the schedule below can be tentative; the assignment due dates/deadlines presented in ALEKS are final. In case of any conflict, always defer to the dates you see on the ALEKS course calendar.

Tentative Date Distribution of Lecture Topic(s) and Assignments Sunday, Jan 03, 2015 Week 1

Monday 1/4 Class begins. Get your ALEKS access code—purchase a code directly, or refer to the “welcome to the class” email sent by me (contains free two week access code)—and get started on ALEKS as soon as you can. Take the initial Knowledge Check and start working on the green slices of the pie. You must earn 30 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. Check your progress by clicking on the REPORT link (top of your browser window when logged in to ALEKS) and then clicking on the Time and Topic tab. In the “Topics Mastered” column you can see how many topics you have mastered during a given session.

Tuesday 1/5 Work on the green slices of the pie. You must earn 30 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Wednesday 1/6 Work on the green slices of the pie. You must earn 30 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. 30% of the ALEKS pie must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight. You can monitor your progress by looking at the grade book when logged in to ALEKS. Notice there is a column which reads “Master 30% of Pie.” The number below will show the percentage you have earned to-date.

Thursday 1/7 Work on the green slices of the pie. You must earn 30 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Friday 1/8 Mock exam 1 due by 8:59 a.m.; Exam 1, covering the green slices of the ALEKS pie (Real Numbers, Linear Equations & Inequalities, Lines & Functions) will be available in B116 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. Work on the green or bluish slices of the pie. You must earn 30 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Saturday 1/9 Work on the blue slices of the pie. You must earn 30 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. The ALEKS “Time and Topic” report must show that you have completed a total of 25 hours in the software. This must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

Sunday, 1/10 Week 2

Work on the bluish slices of the pie. You must also earn 25 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. 45% of the ALEKS pie must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

Monday 1/11 Work on the bluish slices of the pie. You must also earn 25 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Tuesday 1/12 Work on the bluish slices of the pie. You must also earn 25 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. 55% of the ALEKS pie must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

Wednesday 1/13

Work on the bluish slices of the pie. You must also earn 25 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.


Thursday 1/14 Work on the bluish slices of the pie. You must also earn 25 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Friday 1/15 Mock exam 2 due by 8:59 a.m.; Exam 2, covering the bluish slices of the ALEKS pie (Systems of Linear Equations, Exponents & Polynomials, Factoring Polynomials) will be available in B116 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. Work on the bluish or purplish slices of the pie. You must earn 25 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. 65% of the ALEKS pie must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

Saturday 1/16 Work on the purplish slices of the pie. You must also earn 25 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. The ALEKS “Time and Topic” report must show that you have completed a minimum of 25 hours THIS WEEK in the software. This must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

Sunday, 1/17 Week 3

Work on the purplish slices of the pie. You must also earn 20 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Monday 1/18 Martin Luther King Day Holiday, college closed. Tuesday 1/19 Work on the purplish slices of the pie. You must also earn 20 topics (mastery candidates in

learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. 75% of the ALEKS pie must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight. Wednesday 1/20

Work on the purplish slices of the pie. You must also earn 20 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Thursday 1/21 Work on the purplish slices of the pie. You must also earn 20 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. 85% of the ALEKS pie must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

Friday 1/22 Work on the purplish slices of the pie. You must also earn 20 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Saturday 1/23 Work on the purplish slices of the pie. You must also earn 20 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. 90% of the ALEKS pie must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight. The ALEKS “Time and Topic” report must show that you have completed a minimum of 20 hours THIS WEEK in the software. This must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

Sunday, 1/24 Week 4

Work on the orange & yellowish slices of the pie. You must also earn 15 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Monday 1/25 Mock exam 3 due by 8:59 a.m.; Exam 3, covering the purplish slices of the ALEKS pie (Rational Expressions, Radicals) will be available in B116 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. Work on the orange & yellowish slices of the pie. You must earn 15 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m. 95% of the ALEKS pie must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

Tuesday 1/26 Work on the orange & yellowish slices of the pie. You must earn 15 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Wednesday 1/27

Work on the orange & yellowish slices of the pie. You must earn 15 topics (mastery candidates in learning mode) by 11:59 p.m.

Thursday 1/28 Mock Final Exam due by 7:59 a.m.; the Final Exam, covering every slice of the ALEKS pie, will be available in B116 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. About 25% of the material on the Final Exam will be taken from the last three slices of the pie (Quadratic Equations & Functions, Function Operations & Inverses, Exponential & Logarithmic Functions). The other 75% will come from the other eight slices, covered in Exams 1-3. ALEKS access ends at 11:59 p.m., but in order to facilitate rapid reporting of your course grade, no work done after 12:00 p.m. (i.e., 12:00 noon) will be considered for credit. 100% of the ALEKS pie must be earned by 7:59 a.m. The ALEKS “Time and Topic” report must show that you have completed a minimum of 17 hours THIS WEEK in the software. This must be earned by 11:59 p.m. tonight.


Friday 1/16 No class meeting. Since we have taken the final exam, we have no class meeting today NOTE: I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE ANY OF THE ABOVE POLICIES OR ITEMS AS NEEDED DURING THE COURSE OF THE CLASS. In addition, please be aware that Rio Hondo College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities upon request of the student (in a timely fashion) and upon verification of disability.

syllabus: intermediate algebra (math 070) winter...

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