Instructor: Arline Norkin

Office: LGRT 1119

Office Hours: M 4:00-5:00, Th 4:30-5:30, other times-by appointment

Phone: 413-545-2838 (e-mail best)

email : norkin@math.umass.edu (please include –math 101---in your subject heading)

General Education Requirements: This is a 2 credit course that will not satisfy the R1 (Basic Math Skills) general education requirements for graduation by itself. Both math 101 and 102 are needed to satisfy the R1 requirement.

Topics: Math 101 covers the first half of the topics in Precalculus (Math 104). These include the set of real numbers, exponents, solving linear equations and inequalities in two variables, absolute value equations and inequalities, equations and graphs of lines, functions, systems of equations, polynomials, factoring, quadratic equations, rational expressions and equations, roots and rational exponents, radical expressions and equations, complex numbers.

Course Materials: This course uses a textbook, a calculator, and an online homework system, My Math Lab (MML).

Textbook: (optional) Algebra and Trigonometry by Robert Blitzer, fifth edition. Note that an electronic version of the text is included with your MML registration. If you prefer to have your own hard copy, you will need to purchase a used book, as this book is no longer in print.

My Math Lab: (required). To register for MML, go to mymathlab.com, and register as a student. You will need your UMass email address and the MML course ID, which is: norkin09201. Method of payment is not necessary for the registration process, as you can register using the free temporary access.

Note: If you have an MML account, for which you previously purchased long term access to the current text for this course (that is, you have previously taken math 101, 102, or 104 before, using this book), then you will likely not need to purchase access again. If this is the case, log into your existing MML account, click on “enroll in another course”, and enter the MML course number for this course.)

After entering your email address and the MML course lD, you will be brought to a payment page. There is an option to register, initially, with free temporary access. If you choose this option, you will need to purchase long term access and update your registration within 20 days to retain access to the assignments. (Work done on previous assignments will automatically be saved.)

DO NOT DELAY! It is important that you purchase and register for MML, and begin your assignments immediately, so that you do not fall behind and do not get overwhelmed by assignments that pile up.

Calculator: A calculator will be useful during class, and necessary for working through some of the homework problems. A graphing calculator is not necessary. A scientific calculator (has buttons for sin, cos, tan log, ln) will do. However, calculators will NOT be allowed for use on any exam.

Homework: Homework will be assigned after each class meeting, and completed by using MML. An assignment will open when we begin discussing the material contained in it. The due date is visible next to each assignment. You may continue to work on any assignment after its due date, BUT, the work submitted late (and only that work) will incur a 30% penalty. Homework assignments will remain available until one hour before the final exam. It is important to keep up with the assignments so that you will be better able to follow the material discussed in class. Again, DO NOT FALL BEHIND!

One of the benefits of using MML is that you have the opportunity to try homework problems multiple times. MML automatically saves all the work that has been done on a problem.

**************If you have any technical problems with MML, call the OIT (413-545-9400) or the MML student help line (1-800-677-6337)*

Practice Problems in My Math Lab: Your Homework Average is determined by the work you do on the assignments in MML. Once the due date has passed for a particular assignment, any work done will incur a 30% penalty. This includes work done on a question for which you originally earned full credit. So, if you want to do more problems for review to study for any exam, do not practice by using the “similar problem” button in your homework once the due date has passed. There are practice problems available to you through a different route, as explained in the next paragraph.

Each homework problem in each assignment is patterned after a specific problem in the textbook. At the end of each section in the book, there is a set of exercises. If you go into a particular assignment in MML and click on a problem, just below the word “score” you should see a number (for example 2.6.37). The first digit refers to the chapter, the second digit refers to the section, and the last digits refer to the problem number in that section. Whenever you try a problem (before the due date) and answer it incorrectly, you can get a similar problem to try by clicking on the “similar problem” button. This gives you a new problem patterned off the same problem from the textbook as the original problem you were given.

To get practice problems for review AFTER the assignment due date, do the following:

In your MML account, click on “Multimedia Library” in the left margin of your screen. Select the chapter and section in which you wish to do practice problems. Click the box that says “Multimedia Textbook.” This will bring you to the pages in the beginning of that section of the textbook. Use the arrows at the top center of your screen to navigate to the page that contains the exercise set at the end of the section. Locate the group of problems you would like to practice and click on the globe icon at the beginning and to the left of that group to access practice problems for that group.

*************Working on these problems will not affect your Homework Assignment scores. It’s a safe zone for practicing the concepts without penalty after a due date ****************.

Help Resources:

1. Precalculus Help Center (LGRT 146): Please take advantage of this free, helpful

resource if you're having difficulty with course material. It is staffed by TAs who sit in on other sections of Precalculus, but who work with all precalculus students. Again do not wait to do this until you get way behind! The complete Help Center schedule will be posted when it is finalized.

2. Learning Resource Center (LRC): The Precalculus Help Center will be open

during the day ONLY on weekdays. For help during the evening or on the weekend,

contact the folks at the Learning Resource Center on the tenth floor of the W. E. B.

DuBois University Library. These tutors do not sit in on the class, but they may still be a

good resource for help with the course material. The website for the LRC is:

https://www.umass.edu/lrc/index.html

Exams: There will be two semester exams and a final exam. All exams will follow a

multiple-choice format. Calculators will not be allowed on any exam. Please be sure to

arrive early to the exams so you’ll have as much time as possible to complete them. At

each exam, you will need to bring a #2 pencil and your UMass student ID card. Any student who fails to produce a UMass D card will not have his/her exam scored.

Dates for the in class exams, and the material to be covered on each exam, will be announced in class and by e-mail and/or MML announcement.

Semester Exams (in class): The two semester exams will be given in class. You are

responsible for knowing the date of each exam. Make-up exams will not be given

because of conflicting personal travel plans. Please plan accordingly. Please see below

for acceptable reasons for requesting a make-up exam.

Final Exam: The cumulative final exam has been scheduled by the Registrar’s Office and is posted in your Spire account (possibly under your course schedule). Check the Final Exam Schedule for the day, time, and location of our exam. Make-up exams will not be given because of conflicting personal travel plans. Please plan accordingly. If you find you have another final exam scheduled for the same time as ours, or if you have three or more final exams scheduled for the same day, then you should seek guidance from the Registrar’s Office on how to resolve these issues. Please provide me with documentation of your conflict from the Registrar’s Office at least two weeks in advance of the exam.

Exam Make-up Policy: The following are examples of acceptable reasons for missing a

scheduled exam. The proper documentation must be provided in the prescribed time

frame to be afforded a make-up exam.

Official University Travel: Personal travel is not an acceptable reason for missing a

scheduled exam. If you will be traveling for university business (e.g. athletic competition

or an academic conference), then you will need to notify me at least two

weeks before the exam and provide official documentation of this.

Medical Reasons: Absence from an exam due to medical reasons can be planned or

unexpected. If planned, you will need to notify me of this at least two weeks in advance

of the exam. If unexpected, you will need to contact me as soon as possible after the

missed exam. In either case, you will need to provide documentation from a medical

professional with a telephone number where the professional can be contacted if

necessary. You need not disclose any details of the reason for a medical excuse, but there

must be enough information to allow the absence to be excused.

Religious Observances: State law and University regulations require that a student be

excused from academic pursuits on days of religious observance. The regulations also

require the student to notify the instructor, in writing, at least one week before the

absence.

Course Grade: There are four graded parts to this course: the two semester exams, the final exam, and the homework. Each in class exam counts for 20% of your grade, he final for 30% of your grade and the homework for 30% of your grade. During the semester, exam grades and homework scores will be recorded on MML.

Bonus Points: Up to 2 points, added to your semester average, will be available. Details will be discussed in class.

Letter Grades: Course grades will be assigned based on the following scheme, where x is your percentage weighted average;

Student Success Early Alert Program: After the first exam, you may receive a

message from the Early Alert Program. This program was initiated to help students, who

are not on a path to successfully complete the course, to get in touch with resources that

can help them get back on track. The alert is just that. It’s not punitive. So if you

receive an early alert message from your academic dean’s office, please email me to set

up a meeting in which we can discuss a plan that helps you to do better in the course.

Student-Athletes: Student-athletes are required to provide a schedule of competition to

the instructor within the first week of class. Absences for students involved in a varsity

sport due to competition are excusable (absences due to practice, club sports, and

intramural sports are not). Be sure to highlight any dates on the schedule that conflict

with exam dates. Also, be sure to highlight your name on the schedule.

Students Needing Accommodations: If you have a documented disability, and you are

in need of accommodations, please talk to me as soon as the semester begins. You will be

asked to provide documentation through the Office of Disability Services. All exams will

be taken at the Disability Student Services testing location. You MUST sign up with DSS to take EACH exam at least one week prior to the date of each semester exam, and even (much) earlier for the final exam.

Attendance: You are not required to attend lecture, but I strongly encourage

you to do so. I believe it will help you greatly in understanding the material and

preparing you for the exams. You must attend class to be eligible for bonus points.

Disruptive Behavior: To ensure a distraction reduced learning environment for all students, cell phones, ear phones, laptops, newspapers, food, and private conversations are not welcome in class (unless otherwise determined by a conversation with me). A student who exhibits repeated disruptive behavior in class will be asked to leave.

Academic Honesty: Cheating will not be tolerated, and violators will be prosecuted

through the Provost's Office. Cheating is when you submit work that is not your own or

when you help others to do so. Penalties can be failure of the course, academic

probation, suspension, and expulsion.

Drops, Withdrawals, Pass/Fail Option, Incompletes: Check the official University calendar for the last day to drop the course with no record (end of add/drop) and the last day to

withdraw from the course (only a "W" will appear on your transcript).

Contact the Registrar's Office for information regarding how to take the course using the

Pass/Fail option.

A grade of "Incomplete" can be given only for a compelling reason (e.g. serious illness).

To receive an incomplete, you must be passing the course.