DE061-INTERMENDIATE ALGEBRA

COURSE DESCRIPTION

INSTRUCTOR- Ted Panitz

OFFICE- 213 Science building PHONE- 362-2131 ext 4421 HOME 428-7538

WHAT TO EXPECT- This course is designed to use a mastery approach to continue the study of algebra beyond elementary algebra. Students qualify to enter this course by one of two ways. Either they have completed elementary algebra (DE060) at 4C's or they have scored high enough on the computer placement test to qualify for DE061. In either case a basic algebra background is presumed. This means that students should be familiar with the materials covered in chapters 1-6 of the textbook. We will do a short review of this material to help bring everyone up to the same level prior to begining DE061, however it is recommended that each student review these chapters on their own.

The very mention of the word algebra often evokes anxiety in people. This course has been developed with those people in mind. While not exactly self paced, this course will attempt to accomodate the fact that not all students learn at the same rate. For those people who have completed DE060 it is hoped that your anxiety level has been reduced and your confidence in learning algebra increased proportionally. One purpose of this course is to help you become independent math learners by encouraging you to do math in class with your peers through collaborative learning activities. After you complete this class you will be qualified and competent to take any college level course with the exception of Calculus.

METHOD OF GRADING- Students may receive a letter grade or a pass/fail grade at their discretion. There are five mastery tests and a final exam. In order to obtain a P grade you need a minimum 0f 80% on all tests and 70% on the final. The final is cumulative. After you complete a test I will check it for you and indicate any incorrect answers and then allow you to correct any mistakes. If you get above an 80% on the corrected test I will continue to return the test until you complete all the problems correctly. If you do not reach an 80% mastery level after you have made corrections you will need to restudy the material, complete the chapter review section showing all your work and submit it to me before you take another mastery test following the same procedure as above. Makeup mastery tests will be done outside of class time. Past experience shows that students who work all the text problems for homework and participate in class and attend every class rarely need to do a retest.

CLASS PROCEDURES- Class attendance is very important. In addition to the class being fun we will cover important concepts in a way that will make algebra interesting and understandable. In addition you will meet nice people and make lifelong friends. Class participation is encouraged. We work problems in small groups and in pairs, on the board and on work sheets together. My main objective in this course in this course is to encourage you to learn how to learn algebra. I do not insist however that everyone participate publicly, such as going to the board. I want you to be comfortable with the process, so you may decline an invitation to participate any time you feel uncomfortable in doing so.

If at the end of the semester you have completed a majority of the material (all the chapter tests except the final exam) but for some reason are unable to complete the course you may obtain a grade of incomplete. This will allow you more time to complete the course during the next semester. Inc.grades must be completed prior to the final week of the next semester. I reserve this grade for people who have exceptional circumstance or personal situations in their lives that warrant this extra time. We will be optimistic and presume everyone will finish this course on time.

This class does not meet graduation requirements for math nor does it count toward graduation credits. It does count for institutional credits needed for financial aid, health insurance or other institutional requirements.