Math 1 Tentative Syllabus

Day 1 (Monday, January 30th):

• In class: Discuss Class Setup and any questions students have from the "Start Here" module, then Start Chapter 2 material [Lines, then we will go back to Chapter 1 - Functions]

• After class: Complete the "Start Here" Module (especially Quiz 1) and work on the online homework for sections 2.1-2.2 --First homework assignments due Thursday, February 2nd

Day 2 (Wednesday, February 1st):

• In class: Discuss more of chapter 2.

• After class: Continue working on the online homework for sections 2.1-2.3 (**Ideally you are starting on the homework for sections you saw in-class on the same day and then going to student hours to get your questions asked before the homework is due).

What assignments will you do in this class?

Homework will be given on MyOpenMath. You may try up to 5 different versions of a question in order to get 100% on each assignment. Expect to spend 3 – 4 hours three days a week on homework (in addition to reading the textbook and reviewing notes from class). Generally you will have multiple homework assignments due Thursdays and Mondays at 6pm. You are encouraged to attempt the homework the same day you see the material in class, or at the very least try to finish assignments at least 24 hours before they are due to allow time for questions and technical issues to crop up and be dealt with, but if something comes up the day an assignment is due you will also have 10 LatePasses. Students can redeem LatePasses on MyOpenMath for an automatic 48 hour extension to a homework deadline; meaning you can extend 10 different homework assignments for two more days past the original due date, o you could extend one homework assignment for 20 days past it's due date or some combination in between. Also, your two lowest homework scores will be dropped at the end of the semester.

There will be a test or quiz given every week. Other than the first week, when quizzes are online they will be opened on Wednesdays and due Thursdays at midnight--you should try to find a good 30 minute block of time for you to take the quiz within the availability window. Your one lowest quiz will be dropped at the end of the semester.

There will be three tests and one final exam all during the designated class times. The tentative dates for our tests are as follows, if anything changes you will be alerted in announcements on Canvas and/or in class.

Test 1: Wednesday, February 22nd (covering Chapters 1 & 2)

Test 2: Wednesday, March 22nd (covering Chapter 3)

Test 3: Monday, April 24th (covering Chapters 4 & 9)

Final Exam: Monday, May 22nd from 7:30-9:30am

MyOpenMath

As soon as possible you should sign up for MyOpenMath. If you are not signed up by Wednesday, February 1st you can be dropped from the class. MyOpenMath is completely free! The first assignment is due Thursday, February 2nd at midnight.

MyOpenMath registration:

1. Log into our course Canvas page

2. Go to Modules, Week 1

3. Select a homework assignment, this should direct you to the myopenmath website and prompt you to try logging in at which point you should follow the steps. You will be asked to provide:

• A username (I recommend your email address)

• A password

• Your First name and Last name (These should match my course roster)

• Your email address

• You’ll have the option to request an email notification when you receive a new message in the system (know that I will generally default to emailing you through Canvas

• Type in the Course ID: 175134 and Enrollment Key: Spring2023

4. Click “Sign Up” then you will be taken back to the Login page to log in and you will hopefully see the course.

How will you be graded?

I want to make sure you know how you’re doing in this class, so I’ll be updating grades regularly in Canvas. Please alert me if you notice any errors in the Canvas gradebook, specifically ones that lower your grade. This class must be taken for a letter grade. I will calculate your grade two ways at the end of the semester; whichever gives you the higher percentage will be the grade you receive.

Grade Breakdown:

1st Grade Calculation

• Homework = 20%

• Quizzes = 15%

• Lowest Test = 10%

• Middle Test = 15%

• Highest Test = 20%

• Final Exam = 20%

2nd Grade Calculation

• Homework = 20%

• Quizzes = 20% (Increased by 5%)

• **Lowest Test score dropped

• Middle Test = 15%

• Highest Test = 20%

• Final Exam = 25% (Increased by 5%)

Notice that one grading option drops your lowest test score, so barring any extreme circumstances there are no make-up exams. We will use the typical grading standard; in other words, 90% or above is an A, 80-89% is a B, 70-79% is a C, and so forth.

During class, we'll be working together to learn and practice math. You are all very busy people, and I promise to do everything I can to make our time together an active learning experience. After more than 15 years of teaching, the best way to learn math is by doing it, making mistakes, and ideally correcting those mistakes when you have access to an instructor who can assist in a timely manner.

Our initial plan will be to meet in person for each scheduled lecture, but realistically we know there will come a time when one or all of us cannot meet in person. What happens if our class cannot meet on campus during our regularly scheduled day and time?

• If you cannot be on campus for a lecture it will be your responsibility to reach out to me via the Canvas Inbox [ideally before or at least within a day of your absence] to check in with me. You should also reach out to someone from class to get a copy of their notes. Hopefully you will leave the first day of class with contact information for at least one classmate.

• If I as the instructor cannot be on campus for a lecture I will let the class know via a Canvas Announcement as soon as possible and a minimum of an hour before lecture. Ideally the campus lecture will instead meet at the same time via Zoom (meeting information available on Canvas). If you haven’t already done so, in your Canvas Account>Settings, set up message forwarding to an email address that you check regularly. See How to Manage My Canvas Notification Settings.

• For more information specific to COVID please checkout COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) Advisory | West Valley College.

According to the West Valley Catalog, instructors may drop any student who does not attend the first class or who has missed more than ten percent of the total class hours for the semester which equates to about 5 hours or a little over one week of class.

This semester, like the last two, is still a little bit weird due to the pandemic, so I will be flexible, but participation is important to learning the subject matter. Specifically, if you're not in class regularly and not passing the class with a C or better, I'll talk to you about dropping the class because this might not be the best semester for you to take it.

Sunday, February 12th is the last day to drop a class and qualify for a refund.

February 12th is also the last day to drop the class without getting a grade.

Friday, April 28th is the last day to drop the class with a W.

Other Important Dates:

There will be no class on Monday, February 20th for President's Day or the week of March 27th through March 31st for Spring Break. You may also want to be aware of the following holidays, but they should not affect our class meetings: March 31st is Cesar Chavez Day and May 29th is Memorial Day.

I realize there are a variety of religious celebrations that you all observe. Please inform me within the first week of each semester about such holidays so we can work out an accommodation.

Our community goals

What you can expect from me

• I will treat you with dignity and respect and be flexible to support your individual needs.

• I will provide you with a clear, organized course that is designed to ensure you meet our course outcomes in a meaningful manner.

• I will provide a variety of assignments to ensure your learning needs are met.

• I will grade assignments in a timely manner to facilitate your success on future assignments.

• I will be actively present in your learning.

• I will provide a supportive and safe environment for you to share and discuss ideas with your peers.

• I will reach out to you when I sense that you need support.

What I will expect from you

• Treat me and your peers with dignity and respect.

• Strive to be an active participant in this course.

• Maintain an open line of communication with me so I understand how to support you.

• Aim to meet due dates. Contact me if you have a concern with meeting a due date.

• Do your best to have patience with technology. There will be hiccups; expect them. We will get through them together.

What we can expect from each other

• We won't be perfect. We are human and will make mistakes at times. We will view mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow.

• We will all strive to contribute regularly in collaborative activities to ensure all members of the community have ample opportunity to read/listen, reflect, and respond to all ideas. Disagreements are part of learning and growing, but we will always treat one another with dignity and respect. If you sense a negative emotion surfacing within yourself, step away for a while; reflect on what is happening; then return and respond by focusing on the issue, not the person.

• ...

Is there anything else you would like to add to any one of these lists? If so, you will have the opportunity to add your suggestions during the first week of school. Please see the Student Code of Conduct for more information.

Sources of Help:

You are encouraged to ASK QUESTIONS! If not in class please use one of the following resources:

Academic Counseling

West Valley College wants you to succeed! If you have not made an educational plan with a counselor or if you have other questions about your academic pathway, make an appointment with a counselor right away to explore your academic future. Find more information about the counseling services available, including online appointment booking by going to Counseling Services. You can also see an embedded counselor, special program counselor, or a learning community counselor.

Accommodations for a Disability

West Valley College is here to support you, and we want to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you think you may run into academic barriers because of your disability, such as a learning disability, ADHD, mental health, or chronic or temporary medical condition, please let me know so we can privately discuss your options. Registration with the Disability and Educational Support Program (DESP) is also highly recommended. West Valley College’s DESP program is known for going the extra mile to support students, and they will work with you to establish reasonable accommodations to further your success. Find out more about their services by going to Disability and Educational Support Program (DESP).

Classmates

The other students in the course are one of your best resources and likely people you will have classes with in the future. I highly encourage you to exchange contact information with someone so you have a person to call if you need notes, or just someone to text you if he/she notices you missing from an exam.

Health Services

West Valley College Health Services is here to help you with a range of services and resources. In addition to clinical assessment and intervention, other services available include mental health support, personal counseling, and specialty support for issues like alcohol and substance use disorder and sexual assault. Many services are covered by enrollment fees and are free of charge to students. For a comprehensive list, go to Health Services.

Learning Support

Are you having difficulty with your classes? Do you feel shy or uneasy about asking questions in class or even when attending student hours for extra help? Or has life just gotten in the way, due to trouble managing home duties with school responsibilities? We are here to help! West Valley College’s Success Center offers FREE tutoring, no matter what your challenges are! Visit the Success Center website for more information about tutoring support available to you both in-person and online.

Math Resource Center

Free tutoring through Zoom! In order to use the service you will need to enroll in an extra math course: LRSV 110M, Section #71461 (this is a 0 unit course so it costs nothing extra). This is also a nice place to just hang out and do homework.

Student Hours

I encourage you to attend my student hours (formerly known as office hours) whenever possible and as soon as you have a question that cannot be answered in class. No prior notice needed when you plan to stop by consider bringing a classmate with you.

Student Needs

• Food: If you need help affording food while attending West Valley College, you are not alone, and West Valley College can help. A mobile food pantry provides free food on campus weekly.

• Housing: West Valley has resources to help you deal with housing instability or homelessness. West Valley also has on-campus showers Monday -Thursday.

• Finances: If you are having difficulty paying for your classes, there is help.

See Student Needs for information about the services listed above and more.

Textbooks ‘n’ Technology

The college Library has textbooks for many courses available to loan out for the term as well as laptops, Surface Gos, hot spots and graphing calculators. Go to the library’s Textbooks ‘n’ Technology page to find out which courses have books available for loan this term and complete the forms to check out technology.

Honesty is the foundation of academic work

Occasionally, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to accomplish. If you cheat, you may get a warning, receive no credit for the assignment or be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for disciplinary action. You would also be de-valuing your resulting degree or certificate when you enter the workforce or transfer and cannot meet the expectations that your degree or certification requires.

Here are some examples of what you should and should not do:

What not to do

• Pay someone to take a test or quiz for you. Recent reports show that people who sell papers or take exams for pay by students may end up "blackmailing" those students in a variety of situations. For example, if the student defaults on the agreed amount of compensation, does not purchase additional services, etc., these people have been known to notify the college of the misbehavior of students caught in this kind of trap.

• Use applications like Photomath to find answers on tests or quizzes. If I suspect that your work is copied from an application, I'll set up a meeting with you and ask you to do a similar problem with me.

• Copy answers or work from another student.

• Ask another student to do your work for you.

What to do

• Trust the value of your own intellect.

• Demonstrate your own achievement and abilities.

• Ask for help from the instructor, or for more time if you need it!

West Valley College nondiscrimination statement

The District, and each individual who represents the District, shall provide access to its services, classes and programs without regard to national origin, religion, age, sex or gender, race, color, medical condition, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, or because he/she is perceived to have one or more of the foregoing characteristics, or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

Emergency information

Be prepared! Please review the college’s Emergency Preparedness information. It is recommended that you:

• Download the WVC Go App

• Put WVC emergency numbers into your phone (also available at the above website)

• Register for WVM Alert

Course Description:

This is a college level course in algebra for majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Topics include polynomial, rational, radical, exponential, absolute value, and logarithmic functions, systems of equations, theory of polynomial equations, and analytic geometry.

Prerequisite:

Math 106 or 106R or qualifying score on West Valley College Math Placement Test and proof of Algebra II.

Acceptable for credit:

To University of California and California State University systems; 4 semester units.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to analyze and investigate properties of functions, synthesize results from graphs and/or equations of functions, apply transformations to the graphs of functions, recognize the relationship between functions and their inverses graphically and algebraically, apply techniques for finding zeros of polynomials and roots of equations, solve and apply linear, polynomial, rational, radical, absolute value, exponential, and logarithmic equations and solve linear, nonlinear, and absolute value inequalities, solve systems of equations and inequalities, analyze conics algebraically and graphically, use formulas to find sums of finite and infinite series, apply functions and other algebraic techniques to model real world STEM applications, and finally solve application problems involving the above topics.

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Evaluate a function, and determine the characteristics of a function, represented graphically, symbolically, or numerically.

2. Form a mathematical model when given an application involving polynomial, rational, radical, exponential, or logarithmic function.