MTH 111 Syllabus

Introductory Video Notes.

Just like in a face-to-face lecture, taking notes on the video lectures helps students both comprehend and retain the information they’re learning. So go ahead and take notes that help you to learn the material well. Label your Notes and add them to your Binder. Bring your Binder to each of our Exams or submit your notes to D2L or show them to me during my office hours. The video notes are 5% of your grade.

Worksheets.

After you watched the videos and read the texbook, you are ready to complete that section's Worksheet Assignment. Make sure to write out the problems as you see demonstrated in the solution videos. These are examples where that you can try on your own and/or watch my colleague Carl Yao work through them. The worksheets are 5% of your grade.

You can work those problems out on your own paper or print out the given worksheets. It is really important to learn to write out how you solve the questions you are working on. Label each problem and section clearly and add it to your binder. That is how you build a great study guide. Bring your Binder to each of our Exams or submit your notes to D2L or show them to me during my office hours.

WeBWorK.

We will use WeBWorK to learn, practice, and take quizzes and practice exams. You can find each WeBWorK assignment in D2L Brightspace¹ You will be signed in directly into the software. No extra sign in will be needed. If you are idle for too long, then you will have to sign in through D2L again. You have to submit your WeBWorK assignments by the due date, which you can see in our Class Syllabus. You will submit your WeBWorK answers online. For each problem you solve, you will receive points. For most problems, you will receive one point for each answers. WeBWorK is 10% of your grade.

I highly recommend that you write each problem out on paper - how you found the solution - so that you can understand it when you review for the exams and final. Label each problem and section clearly and put it in your binder. That is how you build a great study guide

Discussion Postings.

All weekly Discussion posts consist of 3 parts - Explanation, Graphing, Read and Answer your classmates.

Most of the Explanations are designed for you to think about the material covered for the week in more detail and explain concepts in writing. Explaining concepts to your classmates can be very helpful in deepening your own understanding of the material and will support you in remembering the new concepts. Another great value is to read your classmates' postings and let them help you understand the material. The Discussions are 10% of your grade.

The Graphing part of the Discussions gives you the opportunity to graph different kinds of functions by hand on paper. By sharing your graphs and seeing your classmates' graphs, you will help each other build confidence in graphing.

Most non-exam weeks will have one discussion posting to complete. These discussions are set up so that you must make an initial posting before you can see the postings of others. If you post before Friday, you will have time to make changes to improve your score if needed because you will be able to learn from your classmates and their posts. If you post on Sunday, that won't be an option. So as you read the posts of others, feel free to reply to your own post fixing any mistakes. This can save time and improve your score. In order to receive full credit, you need to reply to at least one other posting, I encourage you to do so either with praise or with questions. You will find more details in each discussion post. Make sure you are respectful to your classmates at all times.

I will usually just give you this space to discuss with each other. However, I will participate here and there and answer questions as they come up. I also highly encourage you to use our Q&A discussion forum to post your questions. You can subscribe to each of them so you get an alert if someone posts a question or I post a hint or solution. I have already subscribed to them so that I won't miss your questions.

Quizzes.

There will be 7 Quizzes. You can take each quiz as often as you like and your highest score will be recorded. That is a great way to checck and improve your math skills.

For the quiz to count, you will need to write all your solutions out. Write on your own paper. After you are done, scan your written work into one pdf file and upload it to the corresponding assignment in D2L.

To scan your work, you can either use a traditional scanner or your cell phone. If you use your cell phone, however, you have to use a scanning app of which there are many. For instance there is the free app Adobe Scan². That way I will be able to read it easily.

Think of your Quiz as a knowledge check that allows you and me to give you feedback on your work, including notation and overall presentation. It is important that you receive this feedback before taking the exams. The written work of your Quizzes will be returned to the same Assignments folder. See the Course Calendar for the weeks that quizzes will be assigned. They are always due at 11:59 pm on Sundays.

You find the Quiz each week in D2L, which will bring you to WeBWorK. It will always be under that week's WeBWorK assignment list. You can start the Quiz as often as you like.

Exams and Final.

There will be two exams and one final. These are proctored exams, so each student will work on their exams and final by themselves during the exam. If you are eligible for time extensions on in-class tests or other accommodations, please talk to me during the first week of term.

If you cannot make it to the exam sessions outlined in our Course Calendar Details, you will need to make arrangements to take the exams at a proctored testing location (such as a local college).

If you live in the Portland Metro area and have a hardship preventing your travel to Sylvania Campus, you will likely take these exams at a PCC Testing Center.

If you live outside the Portland Metro area, you will need to have the testing location vetted by the instructor before being allowed to use it. You are responsible for making the alternate arrangements. Some locations may charge for their proctored testing service and any such fees will be the responsibility of the student.

Contact me immediately if any of this applies to you, as this must be arranged by the end of the third week of term.

Generally, points will be given for correct answers, showing your work, proper solution steps, and readability. No or one point will be given if work is not shown but the solution is correct unless otherwise noted on the test.

The exams and final are cumulative, which means that there can be problems of everything that has been covered up to that point.

Late Work & Make-up Policy.

• You may request extensions of WeBWorK assignments, Quizzes, and Exams anytime before their deadline.

• For all extension requests, email me and state clearly which new deadline you are requesting. Bear in mind that you still need to finish everything by finals week so don't push deadlines out too far. However, I will accept all requests you make before the deadline.

• If you make extension requests after the original deadline, email me your plan how you will get back on track with your assignments. You are always welcome to email me to set up an in-person, phone, or Zoom meeting so we can discuss that together. I will then be happy to give you the necessary extensions.

• The most important thing is that you communicate with me by emailing me if you are experiencing any challenges in your life and/or studies. I will work with you as best as I can to support you in finishing our class successfully.