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Algebra Illustrated
Test Results
About the Module
Background• Many students today enroll in
community colleges without having mastered the basic math skills needed to succeed
• Therefore, the Community College of Baltimore County offers a high-school level Algebra I course to prepare these students for higher-level math and science classes
Learners• Most of the students in the class have
taken Algebra I before, but had difficulty mastering the concepts
• Therefore, I decided to use technology to create a module that teaches algebraic concepts differently
• Although the module is designed for college students, it would also work for middle- or high-school students
Material Covered
• This module covers exponents and monomial and polynomial expressions
• The material in this module is covered toward the end of the semester and is designed to be used together with the course textbook
• The module is designed to be delivered over two 50- to 60- minute class periods
Purpose of this Module
The goal of this module is to enable students to understand exponents and polynomial expressions and apply these concepts when needed
Objectives of this ModuleBy the end of this module, the students will be able to:– Evaluate any exponent with an integer or fraction as its
base– Convert expressions from standard notation to scientific
notation and vice versa
– differentiate between monomial and polynomial expressions and between the different types of polynomial expressions
– state the degree of a monomial or polynomial expression
– accurately place the terms of a polynomial expression in descending order of degree and combine like terms
Method of Delivery
• This module is designed to be used in either a traditional classroom or synchronous e-learning environment
• It could also be easily adapted for use in an asynchronous e-learning environment
Materials Included
• Instructor’s guide– Includes instructions for both in-person and online use, a
copy of the PowerPoint slides with notes, and all handouts for students
• PowerPoint® slides• Student handouts• An extra-credit assignment
The Pilot Test
Method, Observations, Survey Results, and Conclusions
Method
• I delivered the module to a group of Algebra I students at the Community College of Baltimore County
• I provided the students with handouts and the extra-credit assignment
Observations• The students seemed to understand the lesson overall
• On the first day the handout I provided included only some of the slides and some students wanted more-detailed handouts
• I did not include enough opportunity for practice on the first day, but I did on the second
• I originally left scientific notation out of the first lesson, but I ended up having enough time to include it
• Some students talked during class, but according to their professor this class generally has more behavior issues than are typically found in college classes
• I ran out of time during the second day
Evaluation Results
• I performed a Kirkpatrick level 1 evaluation by distributing a feedback form to the students
• Most students liked the lesson, particularly the PowerPoint slides
• Some students did suggest that I slow down the lesson a bit and provide more explanation
Conclusions From Pilot Test
• Based on the results of the pilot test, I will:– Add the section on scientific notation to the first module– Add more interactive sections in the first module– Increase the suggested lesson time on each module from
50 minutes to 60 minutes• I would also modify the lesson plan in a manner that allows it to
be divided into three 40-minute lessons for colleges with shorter class periods or students who need more review
Some Sample Slides From the Module
Negative Exponents
When a number is raised to a negative exponent, you take its reciprocal, then solve the exponent as if it was positive
= ==
© 2010 Atara Stephanie Oliver. May be reproduced for non-profit educational
purposes with attribution
Coefficient of a Monomial
The coefficient is the numerical factor of the monomial
© 2010 Atara Stephanie Oliver. May be reproduced for non-profit educational
purposes with attribution
Coefficient = 12
Coefficient = 1
Coefficient = 3
Coefficient = 4
Your Turn!
If and , evaluate the following expressions:
© 2010 Atara Stephanie Oliver. May be reproduced for non-profit educational
purposes with attribution
Answer #1
Since and :
© 2010 Atara Stephanie Oliver. May be reproduced for non-profit educational
purposes with attribution
So, Why Do I Need to Learn This?
By substituting variables into polynomial expressions, you can find out the amount of time it takes for an object to fall a certain distance
© 2010 Atara Stephanie Oliver. May be reproduced for non-profit educational
purposes with attribution
Falling Objects
If we ignore the effect of air resistance, the equation for the distance that an object will drop in a given time period is:
© 2010 Atara Stephanie Oliver. May be reproduced for non-profit educational
purposes with attribution
New Height Number of Seconds
Original Height
Solving Problems
If a ball is dropped off the roof of a 28 ft tall building, how high up will it be after two seconds?
© 2010 Atara Stephanie Oliver. May be reproduced for non-profit educational
purposes with attribution
ft