Great Basin College, Fall Semester 2011

MATH 120, Online Class, Fundamentals of College Mathematics,

I01, Call # 93715 (1002-LEC), 3 credits

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Instructor: Xunming Du

Class Meeting Time: Please check Web Campus and http://www.webassign.com/ daily

Office: EIT 258

Phone: (775) 753-7081

E-mail: Please use Web Campus e-mail to contact me

Office Hour: Monday, Wednesday: 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Web Assign Site: http://www.webassign.com/ Class Key: gbcnv 8304 2144

CATALOG DESCRIPTION

Topics include real numbers, consumer mathematics, variation, functions, relations, graphs,

geometry, probability, and statistics. The course is broad in scope, emphasizing applications.

This course fulfills the lower-division mathematics requirement for a Bachelor of Arts Degree.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

We will be covering chapters 1- 5, part of chapter 7 and 10 in the text Mathematics, a Practical

Odyssey, 7h edition by Johnson. The class format will be Web Campus-based with Internet-

enhanced. The class key is gbcnv83042144. Students must enroll in the course with the class key

at http://www.webassign.com/.

PRERREQUISITE

Math 096 within two years, sufficient placement exam or SAT/ACT score. (3+0).

REQUIRED MATERIALS

Textbook: Mathematics A Practical Odyssey, 7th

edition, by Johnson

Studying tools: Calculators are allowed for all tests.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES, MEASUREMENT

Students should demonstrate their comprehension of materials in their assignments, quizzes, tests

and the final exam.

Objectives Measurement through Assessment

1. Solve a variety of applied problems

using problem-solving techniques from

a variety of areas including logic,

algebra, geometry, set theory,

probability, statistics, and number

theory.

Assignments: 1 – 10

Midterm: Chapters 1, 2 & 3

Final Exam: Chapter 4, 5, 7 & 10

2. Communicate mathematical concepts

in writing.

Essay: Effectively Address Prompt

Display well-written, easy to

understand sentences.

Show thoughtful consideration of the

material.

3. Use financial formulas to find interest,

future value, present value, monthly

payments, and construct an

amortization schedule.

Assignment: 11, 12

Final Exam: Chapter 4, 5, 7 & 10

4. Follow appropriate mathematical

format and use proper mathematical

notation in solving problems.

Assignments: 13, 14 & 15

Final Exam: Chapter 4, 5, 7 & 10

GENERAL EDUCATION OUTCOMES

Communication Skills: The students will be involved in discussions on Discussion Board in

Web Campus for the purpose of determining math outcomes.

Critical Thinking: Throughout the semester, the students will have opportunities to engage in

critical thinking through the process of determining various methods for solving math questions.

Personal/Cultural Awareness: By meeting the course outcomes, the students will gain personal

and cultural awareness by applying probability theory and financial mathematics to real-life

situations outside of the classroom, thus building confidence and personal awareness.

Technology: Students who enroll in the on-line version of Math 120 will gain skills in navigating

an on-line course via the Internet, thus enhancing their skills in technology.

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION

The course materials are delivered through recorded lectures. Homework assignments, tests and

the final exam are done on a computer with the Internet connection. Students also need to write an

essay.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Assignments, midterm test and the final exam are done through the web site

www.webassign.com. Students can stop taking an assignment and resume later. You must submit

your assignments at 11:59pm by Saturday evening weekly. You may complete and submit each

assignment five times. The final submission will be your grade of the assignment. If you choose

to submit once for your assignment, the score on that one attempt will be your grade for the

assignment.

Please be aware that you can only submit twice in midterm test and the final exam,

respectively. The duration of each test or the final exam is two hours. You can take these two

tests any time before the due day, Wednesday. The midterm test is due on October 26,

Wednesday. The final exam needs to be done by Wednesday, December 14.

The midterm test and the Final Exam must be proctored. Please note it is student’s responsibility

that students complete their test or the exam at the scheduled place by the deadline.

For students in Elko, you must take all of your tests and the final exam in the testing center,

located in Academic Success Center (ASC) of the new EIT building. The phone number is 775-

753-2149.

For students in different centers of GBC such as Pahrump, Ely, Winnemucca or Battle Mountain,

please contact the local administration office to take tests and the final exam.

If students plan to take the test or the exam elsewhere, such as TMCC, UNR, CSN, UNLV, the

students must let the course instructor know how to contact your proctor by Tuesday, October

11 for the test and December 6 for the final exam. So the proctor can get the access code for the

test and the final exam in http://www.webassign.com.

To take the test or the final exam, students must show their picture ID to proctors.

Essay

There is an essay due by Saturday, November 5th. The essay will be based on chapter three.

The topic will be given after chapter three is done. The essay should be about two pages long.

Even though this is a math class, you are being judged entirely on how well you write and

substantiate your opinion in English. The free-write is 30 points. Your grade will be based on how

well you do the following:

1. Display well-written, easy to understand sentences with the correct spelling words and

the English grammar.

2. Effectively address the concept and the application with well organized paragraphs.

3. Show thoughtful consideration of the material.

GRADING POLICY

There are no make-up options for the assignments, tests and the final exam. There are 15

assignments. Each assignment is worth 25 points. Among assignments, two assignments with the

lowest scores will be dropped. So there are 325 points from these assignments. The midterm test

one and the final exam are 60 points each. You must get at least 21 points in both the midterm

test and the final exam. Otherwise, your grade of the course will be “F.” If the scores of your

final exam is 21 or above, then the possible grade of the course could be as follows:

92%- A 78%- C+ 60% D-

90% – A- 72%- C Below 60% F

88 %– B+ 70%- C-

82% – B 68%- D+

80% – B- 62%– D

For your convenience, here is a chart to help you keep track of your grades. Since this is a math

class, you should feel free to calculate your average at any point during the class.

Assignments/Tests/Exam Your Score Total Points

E-mail Assignment 10

Assignment One 25

Assignment Two 25

Assignment Three 25

Assignment Four 25

Assignment Five 25

Assignment Six 25

Assignment Seven 25

Assignment Eight 25

Assignment Nine 25

Assignment Ten 25

Assignment Eleven 25

Assignment Twelve 25

Assignment Thirteen 25

Assignment Fourteen 25

Assignment Fifteen 25

The Essay 30

Midterm Test 60

Final Exam 60

Total 535

ADA STATEMENT

Any student with a disability who is requesting accommodations should contact the Student

Services Office in Elko at 775-753-2279 as soon as possible.

ASSISTANCE TO YOUR STUDY

For math assistance, please visit the math lab in the Academic Success Center, located in the new

building. It is free of charge for you to see any tutors there. For more details, please visit the

website at http://www.gbcnv.edu/asc/

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY / PLAGIARISM STATEMENT

The university and Community College System of Nevada expressly forbids all forms of

academic dishonesty, including (but not limited to) all forms of cheating, copying, and plagiarism.

Students who are discovered cheating will be assigned zero points for the course, and will be

brought to the GBC academic officers for prosecution.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

The attendance will be tracked by if students have completed their assignments or tests through

the assignment website. It is highly recommended that students watch all video lectures in Web

Campus.

IMPORTANT WORDS

Be careful. Do not assume online courses are easier than traditional courses. There are actually

more difficult than regular courses. Online Mathematics requires consistent motivation on the part

of the student. You must motivate yourself to study, prepare, ask questions, and be organized.

There is not a teacher meeting with you every week with reminders about what is expected.

Deadlines are critical and late assignment is not accepted. The whole idea of an online course

revolves around a set schedule, and it is your responsibility to keep up with that schedule.

YOUR FIRST E-MAIL ASSIGNMENT (10 POINTS):

Please send me e-mail through web-campus by Tuesday, September 6. Please include the

following paragraph in your e-mail.

“I have read the class syllabus. Assignments, the midterm test and the final exam are done

through the website http://www.webassign.com. Deadlines of assignments, tests and the final

exam are written in the syllabus. I understand how to take the proctored test and the final exam.”

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, Class Key: gbcnv 8304 2144, Online

Week Date Sections Topic

1 August 29 – Sept. 3 1.1

1.2

Deductive vs. Inductive Reasoning,

Symbolic Logic

2 Sept. 6 – 10 1.3

1.4

Truth Table,

Conditionals

3 Sept. 12 – 17 1.5

2.1

Analyzing Arguments,

Sets and Set Operations

4 Sept. 19 - 24 2.2

2.3

Applications of Venn diagrams,

Introduction to Combinations

5 Sept. 26 – Oct. 1 2.4

3.1

Permutations and Combinations,

History of Probability

6 Oct. 3 – 8 3.2

3.3

Basic Terms of Probability,

Basic Rules of Probability

7 Oct. 10 – 15 3.4

3.5

Combinatorics and Probability,

Expected Values

8 Oct. 17 – 22 3.6

4.1

Conditional Probability,

Population, Sample, and Data

9 Oct. 24 – Oct. 29 4.2

4.3

Measures of Central Tendency,

Measure of Dispersion

10 Oct. 31 – Nov. 5 4.4

4.5

Normal Distribution,

Polls and Margin of Error

11 Nov. 7 – 12 5.1

5.2

Simple Interest,

Compound Interest

12 Nov. 14 – 19 5.3

5.4

Annuities,

Amortized Loans

13 Nov. 21 – 26 7.1

7.2

Place Systems,

Arithmetic in Different Bases,

14 Nov. 28 – Dec. 3 10.0A

10.0B

Review of Exponentials and Logarithms,

Review of Properties of Logarithms

15 Dec. 5 – 10 10.1

10.2

Exponential Growth

Exponential Decay

Dec. 12 - 14 The exam is available

Monday.

The exam can be done on Monday, Dec. 12

The exam is Due Wednesday, Dec. 14