ATSC 110L Syllabus

This is an Essential Studies Math, Science, & Technology course. It therefore fits into the following subareas:

Mathematics: Mathematics is a body of knowledge based on patterns, abstraction and logical reasoning, often involving quantity, structure, space, or change. Mathematics uses formal reasoning to investigate relationships between abstract patterns.

• Many courses in mathematics involve numerical skills and quantitative reasoning.

• ES courses in mathematics should give students some experience in abstract reasoning as well as the use of such reasoning to reach conclusions about the world.

Natural Sciences: Pure science is concerned with the production of knowledge about the natural world. As such, it is often based on natural observation, experimentation and analysis.

• Courses in the natural sciences make use of inductive and deductive reasoning, in conjunction with the scientific method, to investigate how the natural physical, chemical, and biological world operates.

• ES courses in the natural sciences should give students experience in asking questions about the natural world and the chance to use observation and experimentation to formulate answers to those questions.

Engineering and Technology: Engineering and technology are concerned with the construction or production of tangible items. They often involve application of mathematics or science to produce useful products, and they make use of mathematics and the natural sciences to design, create and alter the human environment and our interactions with that environment.

• Courses in engineering teach students how engineering/technology projects are initiated and carried out.

• ES courses ask students to think carefully about societal and cultural consequences of the use of engineering and technology.

This course is an Essential Studies Special Emphasis course in Quantitative Reasoning, which means it must emphasize improving your confidence with mathematics, your ability to interpret data, your ability to make decisions using data, your ability to use mathematics in academic and practical contexts, and your number sense.

Assignments in this course should help you become comfortable with quantitative ideas and at ease in applying quantitative methods. They should help you reason with numbers, data, and graphs, including being able to make inferences based on this type of information. This includes being able to use these quantitative skills to make decisions and solve problems in everyday life, thereby making mathematics and mathematical proficiency a powerful tool for living, as engrained in your intellectual toolkit as reading and speaking.

ES Quantitative Reasoning courses should also help you by requiring you to use mathematical and quantitative tools in context – and not just as part of abstract problem solving. This may include civic, professional, or personal situations that you may be likely to encounter. Assignments should help you build accurate intuition about the meaning of numbers, confidence in estimation, and common sense about employing numbers to measure things.

This course was developed and will be facilitated utilizing Blackboard. To get started with the course, please go to: http://blackboard.UND.edu and log in with your NDUS.Identifier, Username and Password. If you do not know your NDUS Identifier or have forgotten your password, please visit Your NDUS Account page on the UIT website.

Around the third week and middle of the semester, we will complete a formative assessment to see how the course is going. Near the end of the semester, you will be asked to complete an online course evaluation form (SELFI). Your feedback on the course is extremely valuable to me and your TA. We read our students’ comments carefully and use them to improve the course.

• When the time comes, please let us know which aspects of the course helped you learn—and which aspects might be modified to help future students learn more effectively. 

• Please note that the course evaluations are anonymous and that we won’t see the results until after the grades for the course are submitted, allowing you to provide honest and constructive feedback. 

• If you have feedback to offer before the end of the semester, please let us know.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a serious matter, and any deviations from appropriate behavior will be dealt with strongly. At the discretion of the professor, situations of concern may be dealt with as a scholastic matter or a disciplinary matter.

As a scholastic matter, the professor has the discretion to determine appropriate penalties to the student’s workload or grade, but the situation may be resolved without involving many individuals. An alternative is to treat the situation as a disciplinary matter, which can result in suspension from the University, or have lesser penalties. Be aware that I view this as a very serious matter, and will have little tolerance of or sympathy for questionable practices. A student who attempts to obtain credit for work that is not their own (whether that be on a paper, quiz, homework assignment, exam, etc.) will likely receive a failing grade for that item of work, and at the professor’s discretion, may also receive a failing grade in the course. For more information read the Code of Student Life.

Access & Opportunity, Disability Support and Medical Services

If you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need accommodations in this course because of a disability, please visit with me as soon as possible. My office hours are at the top of this syllabus. If you plan to request disability accommodations, you are expected to register with the Disability Support Services (DSS) office online, (180 McCannel Hall, 701.777.3425).

If you have a temporary medical condition such as a broken arm or recovering after surgery, you may be able to arrange for courtesy services. In most cases, it is expected that you will make your own arrangements for these services. Examples of courtesy services include access to a test scribe if the student has a broken hand; lift equipped van transportation when the student has a broken leg or temporary accessible parking for a student using crutches for a short period. If you are unable to make your own arrangements, please contact DSS (777-3425). Unlike services and/or accommodations provided to eligible students with disabilities, the University is NOT obligated to provide courtesy services.

Notice of Nondiscrimination

It is the policy of the University of North Dakota that no person shall be discriminated against because of race, religion, age, color, gender, disability, national origin, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, veteran’s status, or political belief or affiliation and the equal opportunity and access to facilities shall be available to all. Concerns regarding Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, ADA, and Section 504 may be addressed to: Donna Smith, Director of Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Title IX Coordinator, 401 Twamley Hall, 701.777.4171, UND.affirmativeactionoffice@UND.edu or the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Dept. of Education, 500 West Madison, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60611 or any other federal agency.

Reporting of Sexual Violence

If you or a friend has experienced sexual violence, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking, or sex-based harassment, please contact UND’s Title IX Coordinator, Donna Smith, for assistance: 701.777.4171; donna.smith@UND.edu; or visit the Title IX webpage.

Faculty Reporting Obligations Regarding Sexual Violence

It is important for students to understand that faculty are required to share with UND’s Title IX Coordinator any incidents of sexual violence they become aware of, even if those incidents occurred in the past or are disclosed as part of a class assignment. This does not mean an investigation will occur if the student does not want that, but it does allow UND to provide resources to help the student continue to be successful at UND. If you have been the victim of sexual violence, you can find information about confidential support services on the Title IX webpage.

UND Cares Program

The UND Cares program seeks to educate faculty, staff and students on how to recognize warning signs that indicate a student is in distress.

How to Seek Help When in Distress

We know that while college is a wonderful time for most students, some students may struggle. You may experience students in distress on campus, in your classroom, in your home, and within residence halls. Distressed students may initially seek assistance from faculty, staff members, their parents, and other students. In addition to the support we can provide to each other, there are also professional support services available to students through the Dean of Students and University Counseling Center. Both staffs are available to consult with you about getting help or providing a friend with the help that he or she may need. For more additional information, please visit the UND Cares program Webpage.

How to Recognize When a Student is in Distress

The term “distressed” can mean any of the following:

• Student has significant changes in eating, sleeping, grooming, spending, or other daily activities.

• Student has cut off or minimized contact with family or friends.

• Student has significant changes in performance or involvement in academics, sports, extracurricular, or social activities.

• Student describes problems (missing class, not remembering, destructive behavior) that result from experiences with drinking or drugs.

• Student is acting withdrawn, volatile, tearful, etc.

• Student is acting out of character or differently than usual.

• Student is talking explicitly about hopelessness or suicide.

• Student has difficulty concentrating or difficulty carrying on normal conversation.

• Student has excessive dependence on others for company or support.

• Student reports feeling out of control of one’s emotions, thoughts, or behaviors.