Syllabus: Math 111 College Algebra
Clackamas Community College – Spring 2008

Math 111

 course Math 111, 5 credit hours
meeting times 111-01 MWF 8:20-9:50 am RR204 (Oregon City campus)
111-05 TuTh 9:00 - 11:20 am OIT152 (Harmony campus)
prerequisite Math 95 or its equivalent, or an SAT Math score of 490 or higher
description Synthesizing concepts relating to linear and nonlinear functions and their graphs; together with Math 112 (Trig), this course fully prepares students for calculus

Course Necessities

 Calculator A graphing calculator is REQUIRED for the course; a TI-83 or TI-84 model is strongly recommended
Text Algebra and Trigonometry with Modeling and Visualization, 3rd ed., Gary Rockswold

Instructor Bruce Simmons

 Office Streeter 111 (OIT office hours held in OIT152 on TuTh mornings)
e-mail bruces at clackamas dot edu
website http://www.brucesimmons.com
office phone 503-657-6958 x 2387
office hours MW 10:00 am - noon (Streeter 111)
TuTh 8:00-9:00 am (OIT 152)
and by appointment.

Welcome to Math 111! In this course you will learn to apply the algebra skills you have cultivated in earlier coursework to the full set of parent functions (polynomial, radical, rational, exponential, logarithmic) and their graphs. The emphasis is on viewing functions as transformations of basic functions. The course also introduces sequences, series, and combinatorics.

Attendance: Students should plan on attending every class, on time. Students who miss one or more class, even for excellent reasons, almost always suffer in their understanding of the material and in their grades. If you must miss class, you are responsible for any and all material missed. You are also responsible for downloading handouts from http://www.brucesimmons.com/collAlg/handouts.htm and working them on your own.

Homework: Homework will be assigned every class. This is where you will cement your understanding of the material we cover. Any question on the homework is fair game for a test or the final exam. We will review questions from the homework at the start of every class. I encourage you to use the answers in the back of the book to assist you.

Worksheets: There will be 9 worksheets worth 20 points each. You will be working on these outside of class, so you are required to show your work and answer thoroughly. If you do not understand, get help. There are lots of resources: your book, the tutors in the Math Lab (S137), fellow classmates, and me. See the appropriate calendar (MWF or TuTh) for due dates.

Quiz, Tests, Exam: There will be one quiz worth 50 points, two 100 point tests, and a final exam worth 200 points. They are closed-book and closed-note (no cheat sheets). Tests and the final exam are to be taken at the scheduled times unless arrangements are made in advance. Contact me in advance if you are unable to take it as scheduled. Failure to take the tests at the scheduled time may result in a test score of 0.

Course Grade: Your grade for the course will be determined by the number of points you earn through homework, activities, a quiz, tests, and a final exam as shown in the table below. I don't offer extra credit or make-up work. Anything that allows you pass a class even though you aren't quite prepared for later coursework doesn't help you. It lands you in a course you aren't ready for, and it erodes the integrity of this course.

Component Points Approx pct of final grade
Worksheets 180 29%
Quiz 50 8%
Tests 100 each 16% each
Final Exam 200 32%
Total 630 100%

At the end of the course I will add up all the points you earned and divide the number of possible points. Your resulting percentage will correspond to a letter grade: 90% or higher for an A, 80% for a B, 70% for a C, 60% for a D, and less than 60% results in an F. Report cards are no longer mailed out; your final course grade will be available via Cougartrax (http://www.clackamas.edu/), usually within a couple of days after taking the final.

Please also note: Withdrawal from the class is the responsibility of the student. A grade of “I” (incomplete) will be given only if 75% of the work for the course has been completed with a grade of “C” or better, and by prior, individual arrangement with the instructor. An “audit” grade (“X”) implies attendance and participation and must be arranged with the instructor.

It is my intent that we stick to these grading criteria and follow the schedule outlined on the attached calendar, but I reserve the right to make changes, after soliciting students' input, as I see fit.

Other info and fine print:

Objectives & student learning outcomes See http://math.clackamas.edu/math/outlines/math111.htm.
Math Lab The Math Lab is an excellent resource. Student tutors are available (for FREE!) and no appointment is necessary. The Math Lab also has other materials that you may find useful. They keep ridiculously long hours and are located in Streeter 137.
In-class Conduct Needless to say, cell phones ringing in class is a big no-no. If you are expecting an important call, please set your phone to a vibrate setting and take the call outside the classroom.
Late Work In general, late work is not accepted. But if you know you are going to miss class, please check with me beforehand to discuss the possibility of making up the work you’ll be missing.
Accommodations If you have a documented disability or learning difference and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible.
Academic Integrity Academic honesty is expected from all of you. Violations of academic integrity undermine your own education, the hard work done by all your classmates, and my own efforts as an educator. Any violations of the college’s Guidelines for Acceptable Student Conduct will result in disciplinary action. See the Student Handbook. In other words, all of the work you submit for the course must be exclusively your own and completed according to the guidelines provided for each assignment.