Course Syllabus

                            MATH 2021 - 3011 (Fall 2021)

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: 


Name: Michael Greenwich

Email:  Inbox on Canvas

IMPORTANT:  Do not use any other means, but Inbox on CSN Canvas, to contact the instructor of this course.

Office Location: West Charleston Campus, Building H, Suite 101, Office A

Office Hours: In-person office hour on Mondays & Wednesdays after the lectures in WC D-207 till 3:30 pm from August 30 to December 8, except for September 6.  Online live office hours on Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2:00 - 4:00 pm from August 31 to December 7, except for September 6, November 11 and 25 (the link to the office hour room on BigBlueButton is given in the course homepage, Home, on Canvas).

 

CLASS INFORMATION:


Title: MATH 120E, Fundamentals of College Math - Expanded

Description: MATH 120 is titled the Fundamentals of College Mathematics and is the required math component for many Associates of Arts (AA) degrees, as well as a few other degrees. For students who do not place into MATH 120, MATH 120E (the E stands for “Expanded”) is the open entry (no prerequisite) 3-credit MATH 120 with a mandatory 2-credit co-requisite MATH 20 supplemental course. Whereas students in a traditional MATH 120 class would spend time covering some extra topics, students in MATH 120E will utilize the extra time to focusing on a deeper understanding of the four core topics of the course - Geometry, Consumer Math, Statistics, and Probability – and improving on the skills that are necessary for success in those core topics.

Location: In-person classes with lectures in West Charleston Campus, Building D, Room 207 (WC D-207).  While the lectures are held in the classroom, D-207, all the coursework and assessments must be completed in CSN's Canvas.

Duration: Monday August 30, 2021 through Sunday December 19, 2021. 

Goals: Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

  • Participate in a mathematically relevant conversation.
  • Recognize and understand various topics of basic geometry.
  • Solve problems involved with the topics of consumer math.
  • Recognize and compute elementary statistical calculations.
  • Recognize and solve elementary probability problems.
  • Have an ability to apply and extend these concepts.

Required Textbook: This class will use the the First Edition of Fundamentals of College Mathematics, by Matovina & Yates. A full color PDF of the book can be found for free by following the corresponding link in Canvas.

 

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION:


Lectures:  You are required to attend the lectures while no attendance is taken.  The course materials, homework questions and quiz questions are explained in the lectures.  Attending the lectures will not only enhance your understanding of the course materials but also improve your homework and quiz scores.

Study: You are expected to read the text, do the suggested homework problems, study the indicated website materials, and ask questions when necessary. Answers to the Online Homework Assignment (HW Assignment) and Section Quiz questions will come directly, or be derived, from the content found in the textbook and/or presented in the class. DO NOT seek out alternative answers from resources not specified in the class. Answers from such resources that conflict with those presented in the textbook or through the class content shall be deemed incorrect.

Computer Labs: Most of you will probably complete the requisite work for this class at home. If you are having problems with your computer or do not have the required software, feel free to use any of the on-campus Computer Labs. Visit https://at.csn.edu/computerlabs for more information about the Computer Labs.

Online HW Assignments and Quizzes: The HW Assignments and the Section-based Quizzes for this class will be completed online in Canvas. When entering answers, you must provide a single answer, without any attempt to show work. It is also unacceptable to provide multiple answers in a single response and expect the extraneous or incorrect information to be ignored. Any attempt to show work or enter multiple answers (even if they are equivalent versions) into the same answer box shall be deemed incorrect.

Computer Grading: It is important to note that the computer will grade the online HW assignments and Quizzes. It is your responsibility to review your graded work. If you have an answer that you believe has been graded incorrectly, you should send me an email and let me know the specific assessment and problem number(s) you would like me to examine. I will either correct the grading or explain why a deduction was made. Do realize, however, no credit shall be awarded for deductions made because of ignoring or neglecting to follow any listed instructions.

Free Tutoring: Take advantage of the free tutoring offered at CSN. In addition to the free 1-on-1 tutoring offered through Tutorial Services, you could also utilize the free and unlimited group tutoring offered in the Math Resource Centers (MRC) on each campus. CSN also provides students with 24/7 online tutoring through Smarthinking.com. Visit https://www.csn.edu/centers-academic-success for in-person tutoring information, and, to access the Smarthinking.com services, follow the link found inside the CSN Canvas class shell.

Also, you have already been added to a math canvas course/shell, “Math 120E, 124E, & 126E Online Tutoring,” specifically for the co-requisite math courses, and you can access a math tutor in this shell.  Simply enter the canvas course, click on a tutor’s name that is listed at the time you enter, and you will be placed into an online room with a math tutor for your course.  You prepare your questions in advance, have your notes and book available as you begin the session, and let the tutor know how you need help at the very start of the session.  You can also find helpful videos and resources in this canvas course/shell. 

In-person services are also available for you. Please check out www.csn.edu/tutoring for details concerning services, locations, and ways to connect with Centers for Academic Success.

 

CLASS/COURSE POLICIES:


ADA Notice: If you qualify for "reasonable accommodations" in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act (https://www.ada.gov/), you must notify me in writing of such by the end of the first week of class. Visit https://www.csn.edu/drc for more information additional about the CSN Disability Resource Center (DRC).

Calculators: Calculators are allowed in this class. In fact, you will probably need one. A good scientific calculator can be purchased for about $10-15.  You may use free online calculators.  There are many of them, but the following are commonly used online calculators.

Scientific & Statistics, Other Calculators; https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators & https://www.desmos.com/scientific

Graphing Calculators; https://www.desmos.com/calculator

Withdrawal: CSN Policy prohibits an instructor from issuing a W grade. If you stop attending class or quit completing the required work, you CANNOT be assigned an automatic W (Withdrawal) grade; you will receive a grade based on the total points you have earned in the course, which, more than likely, will be an F to connote you failed the course. If you wish to be withdrawn from this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop the course by the drop date listed in the college catalog/schedule of classes.

Honesty: Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Any incident of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for the course, be reported to the College, and the most serious course of action will be recommended.

Disclaimer: As the instructor, I reserve the right to change the course syllabus, schedule, and policies as necessary. You will be given appropriate notification and justification in the event of any corresponding changes.  Also, as the instructor, I reserve the right not to change anything in the course.

 

GRADING:


Syllabus Quiz: You will begin the course by taking a quiz over the information and policies laid out in this syllabus. You MUST get a perfect score on the Syllabus Quiz before you are allowed to continue in the class. If you do not get a perfect score, review your answers and this Syllabus, and then retake the Syllabus Quiz. Any work missed due to a failure to take or get a perfect score on the Syllabus Quiz will be scored as a zero. As an added benefit, the 10 points earned on the Syllabus Quiz will be included as part of your class grade calculation.

Textbook Exercises: Unless directed otherwise, you are to assume every homework exercise in the covered chapters of the textbook should be completed. Or, at the very least, you should do enough of them so that you understand the corresponding materials/concepts. These exercises are there for your benefit, but no textbook exercise will be submitted for grading.

Online HW Assignments: Each covered section of the textbook will have an online HW Assignment associated with it. You will have 60 minutes to complete each HW Assignment, and they will consist of ten questions worth 0.5 points each, making each HW Assignment worth 5 points. Each HW Assignment can be attempted as many times as you want, provided they are completed by the posted deadline. If an HW Assignment is completed multiple times, only the highest score of all the attempts will count toward your grade.  Any HW assignment not taken before its deadline will receive 0. When determining your course grade, your three lowest scores for the HW Assignments will be dropped. Due dates and times for the specific HW Assignments are indicated in the schedule found at the end of this syllabus.  The due dates are the due dates (and the same of the due times).  They are define, and you are required to keep them.

Section Quizzes: Each covered section of the textbook will have an online Quiz associated with it. You will have 45 minutes to complete each Section Quiz, and they will consist of five questions worth 2 points each, making each Section Quiz worth 10 points. Each Section Quiz can be attempted online once, and must be completed by the posted deadline.  Any quiz not taken before its deadline will receive 0.  When determining your course grade, your single lowest scores for the Section Quizzes will be dropped. Due dates and times for the specific Section Quizzes are indicated in the schedule found at the end of this syllabus.

Self Evaluation Quiz: There will be a Self Evaluation Quiz offered at some point during the semester. This quiz is a survey about your study habits, and indicating you want to do well in this class will earn you 10 points. If you choose not to take this Self Evaluation Quiz, your lowest Section Quiz score will be counted toward your course grade in lieu of a 0 for this quiz.

Time Limits: Unless official alternative arrangements are made in writing and approved by the instructor prior to the posted deadline, each HW Assignments and Section Quizzes MUST be completed within the indicated time limit. You are not allowed to start an assessment (Quiz or HW assignment), and then return to it at a later time to complete it. Any assessment activated and then left unattended for more than the indicated time limit will be scored as is.

Date of Last Attendance: Due to financial aid guidelines, CSN instructors are required to record a “Date of Last Attendance” (DOLA) for any student issued a failing grade. Any student who receives an F grade in this class shall have the corresponding DOLA recorded as the date on which the last assessment was submitted. If an F is to be issued and all assessments are completed, the DOLA will be recorded as FULLY. If no assessments are submitted, the DOLA will be recorded as NEVER.

Make Up Quizzes: You will be allowed up to four “Make Up Quizzes.” The Make Up Quizzes may be used to take a Section Quiz that was missed or to replace a low Section Quiz score that was earned earlier in the term. Make Up Quizzes may only be taken during the “Make Up Window” which will be the last week of the term (semester).

To be allowed the opportunity to take a Make Up Quiz, you must email your specific request(s) to me after the official announcement and prior to 11:59PM on the Sunday preceding the Make Up Window. In order to be considered, each request for a specific Make Up Quiz MUST be accompanied by an original excuse. Keep the excuses clean, but feel free to be creative; ANY excuse is sufficient, and there will be no attempt to gauge their truthfulness or validity. For example, an acceptable request/excuse may look like, “I am requesting a Make Up for Quiz 3.2. A couple hours before the deadline for that quiz, while I was making my 3-yr old pea soup for dinner he hacked my account and changed my password. Apparently, he does not like pea soup.”

A different and unique excuse must be provided for each Make Up Quiz that is requested. Excuses must be free of vulgar and offensive language. Any provided excuse that is deemed offensive will result in a forfeiture of the opportunity to take any and all Make Up Quizzes, and you will also be subjected to discipline in accordance with the Disruptive and Abusive Student Policy and any other applicable College policies. Any student submitting an excuse hereby agrees to allow the said excuse to be shared with others, without any claim of ownership. Once complied, a list of the excuses, with the students names being redacted, will may be presented in future classes or seminars, with the sole intention of making people smile.

Course Grades: There will be a total of 19, 10-point Section Quizzes, one 10-point Syllabus Quiz, and one 10-point Self Evaluation Quiz throughout this class. The lowest score from those 21 Quizzes will be dropped, resulting in 200 points available from Quizzes. There will be 23, 5-point HW Assignments throughout the class. The lowest three scores from the HW Assignments will be dropped, resulting in 100 points available from HW Assignments. The Quiz and HW Assignment totals will be added together, making a total of 300 possible points to be earned. Point totals will be rounded to the nearest whole point, and +/- grades will not be assigned.

Class grades will be assigned according to the following point scale:

270-300: A
240-269: B
210-239: C
180-209: D
Below 180: F

Important Note About Grades in the Active Learning Environment and Canvas: By default, Canvas displays percentage grades based on only upon completed work. Students who neglect to submit work (thereby earning 0s) are often misled into thinking they are earning a grade higher than their actual grade.

For example, if you submit the first two quizzes and earn 9/10 on both of them, Canvas will display your grade as 90% (18/20 = 90%). Then, if you neglect to submit the next quiz (earning 0/10), Canvas will STILL display your grade as 90%, instead of the correct 60% (18/30 = 60%).

At the end of every semester, I am contacted by at least one student who was issued a grade lower than what they thought they had earned. In every case, the student in question neglected to submit at least one quiz and, hence, was misled by Canvas. Keep in mind, not only are missed quizzes scored as 0's, but the grades in this class are based on point accumulation, instead of the percentage of points earned on completed quizzes.

 

IMPORTANT DATES:   https://www.csn.edu/semester-calendar-dates


  • 08/30:  First Day of The Semester
  • 09/06:  Labor Day - College Closed
  • 09/13:  Last Day for a 50% Refund
  • 09/13:  Last Day to Drop a Class WITHOUT a Grade of W
  • 10/29:  Nevada Day Holiday - College Closed
  • 11/11:  Veterans’ Day Holiday – College Closed
  • 11/05:  Last Day to Change from Credit to Audit
  • 11/05:  Last Day to Drop a Class WITH a Grade of W
  • 11/25-28:  Thanksgiving Break – College Closed
  • 12/19:  Last Day of The Semester

 

 

SYLLABUS ADDENDA BY CSN:


Academic Integrity:

Taking the words of others or presenting the ideas of others as your own not only limits your academic research skills, it also violates the CSN’s Student Academic Integrity Policy. Cheating on exams or other course work also violates the CSN Student Academic Integrity Policy. You can find more information about CSN’s Academic Integrity Policy at https://at.csn.edu/documents/student-academic-integrity-policy.  The minimum penalty for such offenses in this course is to fail the assignment. Failing the course will also be considered as an option. Infractions of the CSN Student Academic Integrity Policy may lead to suspensions, expulsion, transcript notations or other sanctions.

Please make yourself familiar with the CSN’s Student Academic Integrity Policy (https://at.csn.edu/documents/student-academic-integrity-policy).There will be zero tolerance for plagiarism and cheating. Copying and pasting from the Internet or paraphrasing a few words is not an acceptable practice in college. Not knowing the rules for plagiarism will not be an acceptable excuse. If you are unsure about what it is and is not plagiarism, you can learn more about it by speaking to staff at a CSN campus writing center or library or consulting the CSN Library Services’ Plagiarism guide: http://libguides.csn.edu/research-101/cite. The minimum sanction for plagiarism is an F on the particular assignment; repeated offenses carry an F for the class as the minimum penalty.

You are expected to complete your own work in this class. Cheating on exams or lab exercises is not fair to students who are honestly studying. Cheating is also subject to penalties, which can include getting a zero for the exam or lab exercise or failing the course. The full list of possible penalties is listed in the CSN Student Academic Integrity Policy. Please make yourself familiar with this policy (https://at.csn.edu/documents/student-academic-integrity-policy).

Disability Resource Center (DRC):

The College of Southern Nevada is committed to making physical facilities and instructional programs accessible to students with disabilities. If you have a disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC) so that such accommodations can be considered. All discussions will remain confidential. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) has offices at all three campus locations as the focal point for coordination of services for students with disabilities. If you have a physical, emotional, or mental disability that “substantially limits one or more major life activities (including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working),” and will require accommodation in this class, please contact the DRC at WC (702) 651-5644 , or email at WCDRCStaff@csn.edu at NLV (702) 651-4045, or email at CYDRCStaff@csn.edu and at HNC (702) 651-3795, or email at HCDRCStaff@csn.edu. For Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services contact (702) 651- 4448, or email at Deaf.HH.Services@csn.edu. Students that receive accommodation letters, please meet with me to discuss the provisions of those accommodations as soon as possible.

Students’ Rights & Responsibilities:

When you choose to become a student at CSN, you accept the rights and responsibilities of membership in CSN’s academic and social community.  You can find policies covering students such as the Student Conduct, Students’ Right to Know, Students’ Academic Integrity, and Disruptive and Abusive Student in the following locations:

CSN Libraries:

CSN Libraries provides support for students completing assignments that require research and the use of information. Librarians are available to students for one-on-one assistance locating and citing quality information either online (https://library.csn.edu/ask/) or at one of our campus libraries. Find more information on our website (https://library.csn.edu/).

Objectionable Materials & Behaviors:

Some students may find some material presented in class to be objectionable. The instructor has the discretion to choose to remove it or not.

Instructors have the responsibility to set and maintain standards of classroom behavior appropriate to the discipline and method of instruction. No objectionable materials or language will be used during this class. This includes all possible modes of the class: online and in person. The instructor will make the final determination regarding any objectionable materials or language. Students may not engage in activity the instructor deems disruptive or counterproductive to the goals of the class. Instructors have the right to remove offending students from class.

Public Health Directives (COVID-19):

Students must follow all active CSN public health directives (if any) while enrolled in this class. CSN public health directives are found at https://at.csn.edu/covid-19. Students who do not comply with these directives will be asked to leave the classroom. Refusal to follow the guidelines may result in further disciplinary action according to the CSN Student Conduct Code https://www.csn.edu/sites/default/files/documents/student_conduct_code_policy_1.pdf, including being dropped from the course.

Recording Class:

There are no recordings of the class allowed without the explicit permission of the instructor.

Centers for Academic Success:

Centers for Academic Success (CAS) provides quality DROP-IN academic assistance to all students enrolled in for-credit courses at CSN. CSN CAS Tutors are available online through Smarthinking, which is accessed in the Canvas online learning management system. View a tutorial video on how to access CSN Tutors/Learning Assistants online at the following site.

How to Access CSN Tutors in Smarthinking

You may choose “Submit a Question” if you don’t have time for a live session. A Tutor responds to offline questions within 24 hours. Contact us at one of campus phone numbers, and we will assist you with accessing all learning support. Academic learning support includes assistance with placement test preparation, learning strategies, Canvas, Smarthinking online tutoring, Microsoft Office, reading, writing, oral presentations, math, and science. CAS Tutors also provide support in facilitating study groups. You may experience embedded learning assistance in one of your first-year courses. Professors and CAS Staff will make you aware of how to access services as part of your course curriculum. CAS is open Monday through Sunday to be more accessible to all students – Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday – Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Smarthinking tutors are available 24/7. You may visit www.csn.edu/centers-academic-success for more details or contact us at one of our offices during our regular operational hours: Charleston Centers (702-651-5732), North Las Vegas Learning Commons (702-651-4232), Henderson Learning Commons (702-651-3125).

*Students will receive notification as on-ground tutoring services resume.

Early Alert Syllabus Statement:

Early Alert Referral Program (MyCoyotePLAN) – A referral program to connect students with college resources when assistance is needed to achieve success.  Referrals may be initiated by faculty and staff as well by students through MyCoyotePLAN. After a referral is submitted, students will receive an email notification and will be contacted by the department to which they were referred to offer assistance.

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due