SCHEDULE

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
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TEXTBOOK
Intermediate Algebra, 4th Edition by John Tobey and Jeffrey Slater. Prentice Hall, 2002.

COURSE CONTENT AND PACE
This course will cover chapters 1 through 8 in your textbook. You will be responsible for learning an entire year of high school algebra in just 14 weeks. This means that the pace of this course is very fast. There is no extra class time that can be devoted to review sessions and extra practice. It is the responsibility of the student to keep up with the class work and with the homework assignments.

If you feel the pace of this course is too fast for you, the alternative is to transfer into the algebra module sequence. The algebra mods will cover the same material at a much slower pace. You begin with mod 1 and end with mod 4. It takes 2 semesters to complete the module sequencing.

CHALLENGING YOUR PLACEMENT
If your score on the COMPASS Placement test placed you into Intermediate Algebra and if you feel that this does not represent your algebraic abilities, within the first week of classes only, you may challenge your placement. This option is available to you only if you have completed Algebra II in high school and if you are enrolled in Intermediate Algebra for the first time. Re-testing can be done in the Testing Center for a small fee.
 

CALCULATORS
While there may be times that your instructor will require their use, CALCULATORS MAY NOT ALLOWED BE USED ON THE FINAL EXAM. If you are a documented LD student the following applies Calculator use for LD Students
 

ATTENDANCE POLICY
Students are expected to attend all classes. Attendance will be taken every day and will also be taken into consideration when calculating final grades. If a student misses more than 1/5 of all class meetings, the student may be administratively withdrawn from the course without prior notice or refund.
 

COURSE ORGANIZATION
This course meets four class sessions per week. Three sessions are set aside for lecture and one session for lab work. The material to be covered in the lecture portion and the associated homework assignments are arranged on a week-by-week basis.
 

GRADING SYSTEM / METHOD OF EVALUATION
Student grades are based on successful completion of homework, quizzes, lab work, and tests. There will be a comprehensive departmental final examination at the end of the semester. The final exam time will be announced.

Your grade scale will be calculated as follows:
90% - 100%= A
80% - 89% = B
70% - 79% = C
Below 70% = F

Students will earn points on successful completion of:

1. Tests at least 40%
2. Comprehensive final exam 30%
3. Lab work or projects at least 15%
4. The specific percentages will be provided by the individual instructors.

Final Exam: The departmental final exam is comprehensive. If you must be absent from the final exam, advance notice is mandatory. The final exam time will be announced at least two weeks before the final exam is given.NO CALCULATORS ARE ALLOWED DURING THE FINAL EXAM.

GETTING HELP:
If you experience difficulties at anytime during the course, there are many ways of getting help.

1. Textbook supplements. There are videotapes available that correspond to specific topics in the textbook. These videotapes may be viewed in the Math Lab or Media Center. The videotapes cannot be removed from the Math Lab or Media Center, but there is no viewing time limit.
2. Office Hours. The purpose of these office hours is to provide time for the instructor to help and interact with all of her/his students. If the office hours are not convenient for you, see your instructor to set up an appointment.
3. The Math Lab. RVCC provides its students with mathematics tutors, free of charge, in the Math Lab located in Room S-20 in the basement of the South Building. Tutoring at the Math Lab generally begins in the second week of classes. When you go to the Math Lab, make sure you sign in at the front counter. Tutors will be at the front counter and also working at the tables. Also available by request at the front counter are supplements for your textbook. The telephone number for the Math Lab is 908-526-1200 Ext. 8393. Hours of operation for Math Lab will be posted each semester on its double glass doors and another schedule will be posted for final exam week.
4. A study group. Students can form study groups to motivate themselves and each other. Study groups can work on homework or study for tests and quizzes.
5. Testing Skills and Math Anxiety Workshops. The RVCC Counseling Center offers workshops on many topics and concerns, including test-taking skills, math anxiety, time management, stress management. The schedules and locations of these workshops can be obtained from the Counseling Center.
6. Tutoring. Appointments with private tutors can be made at the Math Lab with a prescription from your instructors.


MANAGING YOUR TIME
This course will help you to prepare for college-level mathematics and mathematics-related courses. In order to develop your skills properly and to thoroughly understand the concepts, you may need to put in at least two hours of study time for every hour spent in class.

This course moves very fast and covers a variety of algebraic topics. The second half of the course is more difficult than the first half. Many students assume that because they do well with the simpler material at the beginning of the semester, they will have no problem at the end. This assumption leads some students to adopting poor study habits and gets them into trouble at the end of the semester. Be careful! To be successful in this course, you need to maintain solid study habits throughout the entire semester.

WHAT IS NEXT?
This course prepares you for Precalculus I, Statistics I, Number Systems, Finite Math with Business Applications, Problem Solving Strategies in Mathematics, and Foundations of Calculus. The following listing will give you some idea of the sequencing of the mathematics courses.

Intermediate Algebra -> Statistics I (3 cr) -> Statistics II (3 cr)
Intermediate Algebra -> Number Systems (3 cr)
Intermediate Algebra -> Finite Math With Business Applications (3 cr)
Intermediate Algebra -> Problem Solving Strategies in Mathematics
Intermediate Algebra -> Precalculus I (3 cr) Precalculus II (3 cr) -> Calculus
Intermediate Algebra -> Foundations of Calculus (5 cr) -> Calculus