Student Readiness.

• The prerequisite for this course is a C (73%) or better in Math 11010 (Algebra for Calculus), Math 11011 (College Algebra), Math 12001 (Algebra-Trig), or appropriate placement test scores. In particular, Math 11009 (Modeling Algebra) is not a sufficient prerequisite for this course.
• Please insist that students have earned at least a C in the previous course. Students who received a lower grade in algebra are unlikely to pass this course. Even those who received a C and/or have waited several semesters to take this course will struggle.
• Students in this course tend to have very weak algebra skills and a poor understanding of important concepts such as "function." Although there is little time for a comprehensive review, you will need to review algebra as you go along throughout the semester.

Course Content.

Note: Each "day" in the schedule below is one 50-minute class period. Each class period of a 2-day-per-week class counts as 1.5 days.

Syllabus.

• You must hand out a syllabus the first or second day of classes with your name, office number, office and voicemail phone numbers, office hours, and final exam time. It should also spell out your grading, exam make-up and other course policies.
• The syllabus must contain the statements about students with disabilities:
  University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Disability Services (contact 330-672-3391) or visit www.kent.edu/sds for more information on registration procedures.

• The syllabus must contain the following statement about registration for courses:
  Registration Requirement: The official registration deadline for this course is September 7, 2008. University policy requires all students to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course. Each student must confirm enrollment by checking his/her class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashFast) prior to the deadline indicated. Registration errors must be corrected prior to the deadline.

• The syllabus must contain either the first page of the university policy on academic dishonesty (Word document) or else this condensed version of the cheating and plagiarism policy (pdf document).
• Complaints from students (and their parents) are becoming more frequent. Students often go to the chair of the department or even to the dean of the business college with their complaints. However, they are best served if they first take their complaints to the instructor and then, if that does not satisfy them, to the coordinator. I suggest that you include on your syllabus the following statement, or something similar.
  Students with concerns about any aspect of this course, including grades, should discuss them with the instructor. If the instructor cannot answer their questions, they should then contact the course coordinator, Dr. D. L. Kracht, room 336 MSB, (330) 672-9093, dkracht@kent.edu.

• Please leave a copy of your syllabus in my mailbox.

Office Hours.

• University policy is that each instructor must hold at least 5 office hours per week. (Preferably on several different days.)
• You must be available by phone during your office hours.
• You should post your office hours on your office door and list them on your syllabus.
• Please also try to accommodate the schedules of your students by arranging to meet them at other times, if necessary.
• Encourage your students to come to your office hours for extra help and make sure you are there to meet them!

Calculators.

• Students will need a scientific calculator for some of the work in this course. You may require students to use a graphing calculator, if you wish. (The department standard at this time is the TI-82 or 83. However, many students will already own a different one.) Please let the students know the first day of class whether you will require a grapher.
• By the same token, there are some things that students must be able to do without a calculator. For example, they must be able to find exact values of solutions of algebraic, exponential, and logarithmic equations. (I usually ask for both an exact answer and an approximation rounded to a certain number of decimal places.) In addition, they should be able to sketch graphs without a calculator.

Attendance and Daily Homework.

• You must take attendance daily. We have just gotten word from the Dean's office that
  it is an expectation of the college that all faculty members will begin keeping accurate attendance records....This will enable us to track those students who are not attending and intervene in ways that can help them to remain successful at Kent State University.

  Also, The federal government is requiring KSU to assign "Stopped Attending F" (SF) to students who attend for part of the semester and then quit attending class. When you submit this grade you must also submit the student's last date of attendance.

  Please do not tell students that attendance is not required!

• Specific exercises in MyLabsPlus (or a hand-out) should be assigned regularly. It is reasonable to expect an average student to spend 6 hours a week on homework (and weak students to spend more time). Communicate this expectation to your class clearly from the beginning of the semester. A few minutes (say 10) of each class should be allocated to go over these exercises (or other student questions). Students with more questions should be encouraged to meet with you outside of class.

Exams, Quizzes and Graded Homework.

• I suggest that you give 3-5 mid-term exams.
• Entirely multiple-choice tests are inadequate for this course. Students must learn to write complete solutions to mathematical problems.
• Old exams from my classes are posted on the web. Please feel free to use these for ideas. However, these exams are available to students, so you should not use them as-is.
• Please leave a copy of each exam in my mailbox.
• I also suggest that you give occasional quizzes or graded homework assignments (perhaps weekly).

Final Exam.

• There is no block final for this course. You must write and grade your own final exam.
• You must give the final exam at the day and time indicated in the schedule of classes booklet (and on the web). You may not cancel the final exam or schedule it for another time.
• Please include the time and day of the final exam on the syllabus that you distribute to your students at the beginning of the semester. Also remind your students of the time and place of the final exam daily for the last two weeks of the semester.
• All students are expected to take the final exam; please do not excuse a student from the exam without discussing it with the coordinator (or Jack Neuzil or Andrew Tonge).
• Please turn in your students' graded final exams as well as a copy of your grade sheet to me after you complete your grades at the end of the semester. Students (and their parents) often call the office during break with concerns about final grades. I will be better able to address those concerns properly if I have that information at hand.

Evaluations of Teaching.

• I may observe instructors' classes during the semester. I will let you know which week I will attend your class.
• You are required by the university to have your students fill out the student evaluation of instruction forms at the end of the semester. You may not be in the room while the students fill out the forms and you may not handle the forms until after the grades have been turned in. If you absolutely cannot get a student to volunteer to carry the completed evaluation forms to the departmental office, I suggest the following options:
  1. Have a student turn in the forms to an academic department office in the building that your class is in.
  2. Have a student seal the envelope and sign his/her name across the seal and then give it to you to carry back to the Math and Computer Science Building.

Problems.

• If you have discipline problems or other problems in class, please speak to me so that I can help you to resolve them as soon as possible.

KSU links

• Department of Mathematical Sciences
• Flashline
• Blackboard
• Libraries
• Phone directory
• Calendars (including final exam schedule)
• Advisories (snow days)
• Kent State University