Course Syllabus

COURSE SYLLABUS

Distance Learning Fall 2017 
COURSE DELIVERY METHOD - ONLINE
 

This course is an online course. 
An online course does not require face-to-face meetings. 

All learning activities will take place online. 

Course:	POLYN101 Introduction to Polynomials
Semester Hours:	1
Semester / Year	Fall 2016
Instructor	Mrs. Tammy Hotchkiss
Email	thotchk1@my.westga.edu

 

Website:	Professor's Journal
Office Telephone:	678-763-4737
Office Location:	On Campus - Math Building
Office Hours:	Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm (in-person)
Online Hours:	Monday - Thursday, 8:00am - 11:00am
Online Support:	Canvas  https://guides.instructure.com

COURSE PREREQUISITES 

A student enrolling in this course should have basic algebra concept skills such as operations with integers, fractions, and decimals.   An introductory course in algebra which includes the study of the fundamental algebraic operations, factoring, algebraic fractions, equations and inequalities, exponents and radicals or an adequate mathematics proficiency assessment with a satisfactory score on a mathematics placement exam better would be beneficial.  

COURSE DESCRIPTION  

This is an introductory course to assist students in learning the basic Principles of Polynomials. This course will introduce students to a basic level of understanding in adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and various methods of factoring polynomials.  

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 

The conceptual framework of the College of Education forms the basis on which programs, courses, experiences, and outcomes are created. With the goal of Developing Exemplary Practitioners, our programs incorporate ten descriptors (knowledgeable, reflective, inquisitive, decisive, adaptive, proactive, leading, collaborative, culturally sensitive, empathetic), clustered into three interrelated and overlapping themes, that demonstrate our commitment to (a) Professional Excellence; (b) Field-Based Inquiry; and (c) the Betterment of Society. These themes and descriptors are integral components of the conceptual framework and provide the basis for developing exemplary practitioners who are prepared to improve schools and communities. 

National and state standards (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards [NBPTS], International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE], American Association for School Librarians [AASL], and Georgia Professional Standards [GaPSC]) also are incorporated as criteria against which candidates are measured. 

The mission of the College of Education is to provide excellence in the initial and advanced preparation of professionals for a variety of settings, to foster an innovative learning community, and to empower a faculty committed to teaching and the dissemination of knowledge. This course’s objectives, activities, and assignments are related directly to the conceptual framework and national standards, as identified below. 

APPROACHES TO INSTRUCTION  

A variety of instructional strategies will be employed in this course including readings, evaluative analysis and review, small group discussion, individual and small group hands-on production, and self-reflection and assessment. A variety of interactive technologies will be used for communication, discussion, instruction, and sharing of resources, projects, and other information. 

As such, you will be required to complete the following online activities during this course (times are approximate): 

Discussion posts/blogging	160 minutes
Audio/video instruction	40 minutes
Other online assignments/activities	160 minutes
Total	360 minutes

Additionally, it is anticipated that students will need to work independently for twice the number minutes listed above to complete the online activities. 

Instructor Note:  

What the above is trying to say is that you have to work about 6 hours (360 minutes) per week. The verbiage is required for our SACS accreditation, and it is awkward because we are using the old face-to-face “seat-time” trying to quantify “online seat time”. It satisfies the needs of administrators to count things. Just try to schedule in 3 hours per week for this course. If you struggle with technology, add a few more hours to that number. If you require assistance with Canvas, please try Canvas Help at https://guides.instructure.com. 

COURSE OBJECTIVES  

Upon satisfactory completion of this course, students should be able to perform the following: 

• Communicate effectively through discussion board assignments
• Demonstrate understanding of the basic skills necessary to complete math equations containing polynomials such as add, subtract, multiply, divide, and factor
• Identify the proper method to use when factoring polynomials
• Define basic math terminolgy related to polynomials through homework assignments
• Demonstrate their understanding of basic math concepts through discussion board assignments, successful completion of homework and satisfactory completion of testing
• Develop skills necessary to identify and complete mathematical equations with Factoring Polynomials, Add-Subtract Polynomials, Multiply Polynomials, FOIL, and Divide Polynomials
• Develop skills necessary to identify and complete mathematical equations with Greatest Common Factor, Factor Polynomials, AC Method, Factor by Grouping, and Difference of Square/Perfect Squares 

TEXTS, READINGS, AND INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES  

Required Text: 

Martin-Gay, E. (2015). Pre Algebra & Introductory Algebra, 4th Edition. Berkley, CA:Pearson. 

ISBN-10: 032195579X ISBN-13: 978-0321955791

Students will need: 

Access to the Internet, through Internet accessible devices such as a computer, notebook, standard web camera, and standard microphone. 

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS	Minimum	Recommended
Web Camera	640 x 480 resolution	1280 x 720 resolution
PC Users	Windows Vista	Windows 8
iMac Users	Mac OS X 10.5 or higher	Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite
Internet Download Speed	.768 Mbps	1.5 Mbps
Internet Upload Speed	.384 Mbps	1 Mbps
RAM	1024 MB	2 GB
Ports	1935, UDP/TCP	1935, UDP/TCP

ASSIGNMENTS, EVALUATION PROCEDURES, AND GRADING POLICIES  

Class Participation  

Participation is expected and necessary. You need to participate in the course regularly. Lack of participation, failure to complete work in a timely manner, or other noted absence of participation may lower a student’s cumulative point total by 10 points. 

You will find a discussion forum named “Q & A Discussion” in Canvas under the Pinned Disucssions. This forum will serve to post all your inquiries related to the class, as well as a channel to communicate course related announcements. Please post your general questions about the class here. Monitor this board often, as updates are made when questions are asked and answered. This is a general questions forum; however, in order to benefit the class as a whole, please limit your posts to questions relevant to this class. All students are encouraged to help others, if you know the answer. Check it often!

Discussions  

You will have daily discussion assignments. You are required respond to the discussion prompts provided by the instructor. With a few exceptions, you are expected to make an initial posting on each evening. You are expected to read and participate in ALL online discussions. In some of the discussion, you will be required to post your initial thoughts and respond to other postings. Please make certain to read each instruction. In order for a discussion to be considered complete you must respond to the postings in a meaningful manner. 

(“I agree” or “this is interesting” are not proper responses). 

• Note that I may add/delete discussions in addition to the ones listed in the syllabus and class schedule. If this is the case, you will be promptly notified of this addition.
• The topic of the discussion is subject to change, so check often. 

Student Work  

All student work submitted during the course is required to be original. All projects must be complete in order to be graded. It is strongly recommended that you begin work on ALL of the assignments as soon as you begin the course. You are allowed to work ahead. Do not rely solely on the suggested schedule to tell you when to start and finish these assignments. 

Due Dates  

All products/assignments/discussions will be due on the due dates posted. Due Dates are located on the course schedule. Do not fall behind in the class. Late assignments will not be accepted and will be assigned a score of zero. Missed assignments may be made up only in the event of valid emergencies. If you know you will have any issues submitting any of your assignments on time, contact me PRIOR to the deadline to make possible arrangements. 

Submitting Assignments  

Students are expected to submit assignments on time. Valid reasons for submitting work late must be cleared by the professor in advance. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the professor when extenuating circumstances take place. Ten percent of the total grade might be deducted for each day an assignment is late up to 50%. Without exceptions, late discussion board postings/replies will result in a grade of zero. All Canvas assignments are due by midnight on the date due. Any assignments posted after midnight are considered late. Each assignment in Canvas has a due date and a cut-off date. No late assignments more than 2 days late will be accepted. 

Assessments/Assignments: 

Students will have daily reading assignments, daily homework assignments, daily discussion board assignments, weekly video tutorial assignments, weekly tests, and a final exam at the end of the two weeks course.  

1. Math Reading Assignments 

The second module, Week 1, Chapter 10, consists of five daily topics:

• Monday - Introduction to Polynomials
• Tuesday - Adding and Subtracting Polynomials
• Wednesday - Multiplying Polynomials
• Thursday - FOIL Method *
• Friday - Dividing Polynomials 

The third module, Week 2, Chapter 11, consists of five daily topics:

• Monday - Factoring Greatest Common Factor
• Tuesday - Factoring Trinomials
• Wednesday - AC Method **
• Thursday - Factor by Grouping
• Friday - Difference of Squares and Perfect Square Trinomials 

* Contains Piktochart infographic created by Tammy Hotchkiss
** Contains Moovly video created by Tammy Hotchkiss 

Above, you will see references to the math assignments; full instructions for each of the assignments will appear in the proper Canvas modules for each week and each day. Upon completion of each week’s assignments, students will be provided an online review test of topics covered. 

Note: To receive full credit, all assignments, tests and final exam must be completed by the prospective due dates. 

2. Video and Reading Assignments for Participation

Week 1 & Week 2 daily lessons consists of:

• Instructions the daily topic with a Khan Academy tutorial video related to the lesson
• Homework reading assignment from the required textbook *
• Homework vocabulary questions
• Weekly discussion post on the students choice of daily topic
• Weekly test covering the material taught 

* Required Text: 

Martin-Gay, E. (2015). Pre Algebra & Introductory Algebra, 4th Edition. Berkley, CA:Pearson. 

ISBN-10: 032195579X ISBN-13: 978-0321955791

3. Discussion Boards. 

Throughout the course, students will be given discussion assignments communicating with peers about topics related to mathematical methods. Class assignments of this nature will be evaluated according to the quality and appropriateness of the information retrieved and posted to Canvas. Instructor reserves the right to change or delete topics. Complete submission instructions are provided in Canvas. (Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4; knowledge, skills, disposition; teacher observation)

IMPORTANT: You need to take your writing in this class very seriously. In addition to the criteria delineated above, structural, grammar, and/or mechanical errors will result in a loss of points. Discussions with numerous structural, grammar or mechanical errors, or missing the writer’s name and the date of submission will result in a lower grade. If you are concerned about your writing proficiency, please make use of the College Writing Center or a personal tutor. 

Resources for Writing: 

formatting: http://www.apastyle.org

Purdue Online Writing Lab OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

for Citations: https://www.zotero.org is a free, open source, web-based tool for managing citations, organizing pdfs, and creating bibliographies. 

for citations: http://endnote.com is citation management software produced by ISI. A free 30-day trial is available through the EndNote website. The software can be purchased at the Campus Store. 

Resources for Math: 

https://www.khanacademy.org

File Naming Protocol:  

Follow this file naming convention FOR ALL SUBMITTED DOCUMENTS in this course are: 

• Your last name followed by an underscore ("_") - with NO SPACES - (e.g., Hotchkiss_) 

• The initials of your first and middle names followed by an underscore ("_") - with NO SPACES - (e.g., TR_) 

• The Assignment Title (a concise version - keep it short) and an underscore ("_") - with NO SPACES - (e.g., InitialReflection_) 

• The course number (i.e., for this course, 1111) 

Use the order as described above and assemble the 4 elements into a string with NO SPACES (e.g., Hotchkiss_TR_InitialReflection_1111.docx). 

*REMEMBER: You do not need to add the final extension to the file name (e.g., ".docx") when using MS Word.
MS Word does this for you. 

GRADING POLICY 

The following grading scale will be used:

A = 181 - 200 points

B = 161 - 180 points

C = 141 - 160 points

F = Below 140 points

EVALUATION PROCEDURES 


Activity	Points Available	Assessment Tools
1. Meet & Greet	5 points	Graded Assignment
2. WEEK 1	10	Graded Assignment
a. Intro Polynomials Homework	( 2 points )
b. Add Subtract Polynomials Homework	( 2 points )
c. Multiply Polynomials Homework	( 2 points )
d. FOIL Homework	( 2 points )
e. Divide Polynomials Homework	( 2 points )
3. WEEK 2	10	Graded Assignment
a. Greatest Common Factor Homework	( 2 points )
b. Factor Homework	( 2 points )
c. A C Method Homework	( 2 points )
d. Grouping Homework	( 2 points )
e. Difference Squares     Perfect Squares	( 2 points )
4. Weekly Discussions	10	Graded Assignment
Week 1 Discussion	( 5 points )
Week 2 Discussion	( 5 points )
5. Project	30	Graded Assignment
6. TESTS	135
a. Assessment Test	( 5 points )	Assessment Test
b. Week 1	( 10 questions - 4 pt/Q )	Test 1
c. Week 2	( 10 questions - 4 pt/Q )	Test 2
d. Final Exam	( 10 questions - 5 pt/Q )	Final Exam
TOTAL	200

CLASS, DEPARTMENT, AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES  

Academic Honesty: All work completed in this course must be the individual students original work developed during this course. 

Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty. Plagiarism occurs when a student uses or purchases ghostwritten papers. It also occurs when a student utilizes the ideas or information obtained from another person without giving credit to that person. If plagiarism or another act of academic dishonesty occurs, it will be dealt with in accordance with the academic misconduct policy as stated in the Connection and Student Handbook, Undergraduate Catalog, and the Graduate Catalog. 

Attendance: This course is taught completely online. Students are expected to log in to the Canvas course daily to check the course modules, email, contribute to discussion boards, etc. 

Disability: All students are provided with equal access to classes and materials, regardless of special needs, temporary or permanent disability, special needs related to pregnancy, etc. If you have any special learning needs, particularly (but not limited to) needs defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and require specific accommodations, please do not hesitate to make those known, either yourself or through the Coordinator of Disability Services. Students with documented special needs may expect accommodation in relation to classroom accessibility, modification of testing, special test administration, etc.

Any student with a disability documented through Student Services is encouraged to contact the instructor right away so that appropriate accommodations may be arranged. In addition, certain accommodations (which will be discussed in class) are available to all students, within constraints of time and space. 

Extra Credit:  

Extra credit activities are not available in this course. 

Late Work:  

Work submitted after the due date may be subject to penalties to be determined by the instructor. This policy MAY be waived if the student has an emergency situation (illness, death, etc.) AND discusses the situation with the instructor BEFORE the due date. 

Student Email Policy:  

Students are provided an email account through the University, which is the official means of communication between the University and student. It is the student’s responsibility to check this email account for important University related information. 

Disciplinary procedures described in the latest University Handbook, Undergraduate Catalog, and Graduate Catalog, will be followed when violations take place. Infractions may include cheating, plagiarism, disruptive behavior, and disorderly conduct.

Professional Conduct:  

Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally. This is an essential quality for all professionals who will be working in the schools.  

Professionalism includes but is not limited to the following:

• Participating in interactions and class activities in a positive manner. 
• Collaborating and working equitably with fellow students in the class. 
• Actively participating in class each week. 
• Turning in assignments on time (late assignments will result in a loss of points).
• Treating class members and colleagues with respect in and out of the virtual classroom. 
• Eliminating interruptions in campus classrooms. This includes cell phones and beepers.

Should you have any questions about the syllabus please feel free to contact me.

I look forward to a rewarding two weeks with you. 

Take Care,
Professor Hotchkiss
thotchk1@my.westga.edu
678-763-4737
Professor's Journal
Office Location: On Campus - Math Building
Office Hours: Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (in-person) and Monday - Thursday, 8:00 am - 11:00 am (online)