Greenville Technical College

Arts and Sciences Division

Mathematics Department
Course Syllabus

Course: Mat 109 online sections

Semester Credit Hours: 3.0

Course Title: College Algebra with Modeling

Instructor: see instructor information in course

E-Mail: Use WebCT private e-mail for questions that are not time sensitive. This mailbox will be checked 2-3 times a day Monday - Friday.

Prerequisite: MAT 102 (Intermediate Algebra) with a grade of C or better; satisfactory scores on ASSET or COMPASS placement tests; satisfactory scores on SAT or ACT.

Course Description: This course is an approach to algebra that incorporates mathematical modeling of real data and business applications. Emphasis on linear, quadratic, piece-wise defined, rational, polynomial, exponential and logarithmic functions. Includes inequalities and matrices.

Course Objectives:

Course Purpose: MAT 109 is a college transfer course for students who are majoring in non-technical fields to meet their core curriculum requirements in mathematics. It is the prerequisite course for MAT 130, Elementary Calculus.

Required Materials:

Required Trips to Campus:

Please refer to your section's required number of trips to campus. Generally, students will have to come to the Barton Campus of Greenville Technical College or an approved testing center at another college five times during the course. If your trip to the GTC testing center is 50 or more miles, the information about obtaining an alternate testing site can be found at this link: http://www.college-online.com/TestingCenter/ProcterInfo.htm You will need to have this alternate site secured within 2 weeks of the first day of this course.

If you have difficulty making your initial access to WebCT or MyMathLab, you will be required to meet with your instructor before the end of the first week of classes. However, this will not be necessary if you are able to access WebCT, read and post a bulletin message, send a private email in WebCT and register and log into MyMathLab by the end of the first week of class.

Grading Policies:

Math Dept. Grading Scale

A

90% to 100%

Outstanding performance, able to solve non-routine problems

B

80% to 89%

Good performance, and able to solve textbook problems very well

C

70% to 79%

Adequate performance, able to solve most textbook problems

D

60% to 69%

Not acceptable as a prerequisite

F

0% to 59%

Failing, not acceptable as a prerequisite

W

Student's responsibility to initiate before withdrawal date

WA

Administrative Withdrawal given by the instructor if 2 or more tests are missed prior to the last day to withdraw.

Important Dates: See specifics within course section in WebCT.

Grading Policy: Included are grades for unit tests, MyMathLab Homework and/or Quizzes, projects, and a final exam. See specifics within each course section in WebCT as these may vary slightly by instructor.

Testing Procedures:

Unit tests will be administered at the Distance Education Testing Center on the Barton (main) campus, please see specifics on testing in your course section in WebCT. The final exam will be administered in the Distance Education Testing Center on the Barton (main) campus. The unit tests and the exam will be administered only on the dates specified on the course calendar. No make-up tests will be administered. The final exam will replace any unit test not taken. If you miss more than one unit test, you will need to contact the instructor immediately. Each case will be handled individually but only in cases of EXTREME emergency will any other arrangement be made.

The Testing Center is open 9:00 am - 8:00 pm Monday through Thursday and 9:00 am - 1:00 pm on Friday. It is the student's responsibility to arrive in time to allow enough time to complete each unit test or exam. For more information about the Distance Education Testing Center, go to http://www.college-online.com/TestingCenter/index.htm.

The unit tests will cover the material in the sections designated on the calendar. The final exam will be comprehensive. Your instructor will specify the exact percentage.  Unless other instructions are given, all unit tests and the final exam are taken without the use of text or notes. Calculators may be used on all unit tests and the final exam. Tests will consist mainly of problems to be worked but may have a limited number of short answer or objective questions (multiple choice, matching). All work must be shown. NO WORK = NO CREDIT. Partial credit will be awarded for work that shows substantial progress toward a correct solution.

Projects:

One component of your grade will be based on your completion of projects on data analysis and regression. They will be made available for you to download, print, complete and return to your instructor. More complete instructions will be available with each project.  The project grades will count as a percentage of your final course grade.  Your instructor will specify the exact percentage.

Academic Honesty:

The full policy on academic misconduct is stated in the Greenville Technical College Catalog and Student Handbook. It is your instructor's assumption that you are familiar with this policy and agree to abide by the policy. Cheating, plagiarism and collusion cannot be tolerated in an academic community. It is the responsibility of everyone to foster academic honesty. A violation of this policy constitutes a violation of the Student Code for South Carolina Technical Colleges and may result in progressive disciplinary action up to and including requiring the student to withdraw from the course.

 
MyMathLab, MML:

MML is a tutorial program located at http://www.mymathlab.com/ A student access code for MML is included in your book package. Since MML also includes an e-book, you may go to the MML web page and purchase just an access code online for a reduced price. There will be homework sets and quizzes that are graded. These are set up in MML to give a single average for Homework and an average for Quizzes. Homework and/or Quizzes will be a percentage of your final course grade. Your instructor will specify the exact percentage.

Withdrawal from Course

Note on the Course Calendar in WebCT, the last date to withdraw from the course. It is the student's responsibility to initiate the withdrawal process by completing the Course Update form. No signatures are necessary. Return the form into the Student Records Office in order to accomplish official withdrawal from the class. For online students at a significant distance from campus, help with withdrawal process is also available through the Distance Education Office (call 864/250-8130 or e-mail the Distance Learning advisor ( https://www.college-online.com/contacts/contacts.htm.)

  1. Students who fail to complete/submit an assignment within three weeks after the last day to withdraw will be Administratively Withdrawn by the instructor.
  2. Students who stopped participating in the course prior to the withdraw date and do not withdraw, will be given a grade of FA (failure for non-participation) as required by financial aid.
Supplemental Services
  1. Student Support Services, located in the Student Center 206, will arrange tutoring appointments for qualified Greenville Tech students. Check on hours and availability of tutors.
  2. The Math Center is available to help Greenville Tech students in all math courses. No appointment is needed for the Math Center and a schedule of available times is posted on the Math Center door or at the Math Dept web site. The Math Center is part of The Learning Center located on the first floor of the University Transfer Building. The Learning Center will open the Monday after classes begin.
  3. Computer Labs at any Greenville Tech campus can be used to access MyMathLab.
Appointments

Individual appointments with your instructor are available and encouraged. Appointments may be arranged at any time that is mutually convenient. Please phone or email the instructor to arrange an appointment. If you make an appointment and cannot keep it, please notify the instructor.

ALL communication will be through WebCT private mail. These messages will be checked and answered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If you need to get a quicker response please call your instructor.

Students with Special Needs:

Students with special needs must provide written documentation verifying accommodations and special needs to a Student Services Special Needs Counselor, on the first floor of the Student Center.

Grievance

For grievance procedures, students are requested to look at the Student Code page under Academic Policies.

Academic Concerns

Please discuss any concerns with your instructor first. If further assistance is needed, please contact the department head and then the Dean of Arts and Sciences.

Patty Amick, Department Head
Phone: 250-8667
Office: Bldg 104, Office 281

Suresh Tiwari, Dean of Arts and Science
Phone: 250-8187
Office: Bldg 104, Office 104

Counselors are available for advice and guidance on personal matters or other situations of concern to students. See your A&S Related Studies counselor:

Steve Batson

Travis Gleaton

Office: Bldg 104, Room 355

Office: Bldg 104, Room 116

Phone: (864) 250-8131

Phone: (864) 250-8137

Greenville Technical College Online Support staff

Student Support Issues

Martha Duncan
(864) 250-8130
Martha.Duncan@gvltec.edu

Technical Support Form

Academic Advising

Chris Satterfield
(864) 250-8393
Chris.Satterfield@gvltec.edu

Technical Support for MyMathLab