Course Syllabus

 

Kankakee Community College Syllabus

 

 

Course prefix and number:  MATH 1704                                                                                                                  Semester:  Fall 2015

 

Course title:  Contemporary Mathematics

 

Credit hours:  4                                                                                    Lecture hours:  4                                                                      Lab:  0

 

Catalog description: Prerequisite: Grades of C or better in both MATH 1424 and MATH 1453 (or one year of high school geometry) or appropriate assessment score; and a grade of C or better in ENGL 1413 or appropriate assessment score. This is a general education mathematics course that focuses on mathematical reasoning and solving real-life problems. Topics include counting techniques and probability, logic and set theory, the mathematics of finance, and statistics. Some of the topics may be substituted with geometry, graph theory, mathematical modeling, game theory, or linear programming. IAI: M1 904 Mathematics.

 Course ID: trippel53169

 

Faculty: Kevin Trippel

      Email: ktrippel@kcc.edu

 

Associate Dean

      Dr. Frederick Cooper

      R312

      815-802-8758

      fcooper@kcc.edu

 

Division Office: L355

      Phone: 815-802-8750

 

Textbooks and Materials

      Thinking Mathematically 6th ed., by Blitzer, published by Pearson.  

NOTE: MyMathLab access is no longer a course requirement

 

Relationship to academic programs and transferability

MATH 1704 was designed to meet specific student needs either individually or within a program and is designed to transfer to other colleges and universities. KCC participates in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide transfer agreement for general education courses. All colleges and universities participating in the IAI agree to accept a collective “package” of IAI general education courses; transfer of courses separately is not guaranteed. For more information about IAI, go to their website at www.itransfer.org and IAI. For the transferability of courses to specific four-year institutions, go to “MyCreditsTransfer” at www.itransfer.org.

 

Course goals and learning outcomes

      Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

 

  1. Construct and examine arguments based on inductive, deductive, and statistical reasoning
  2. Represent data and relationships using graphs and diagrams
  3. Use counting techniques and elementary probability to facilitate decision making
  4. Use exponential functions to analyze exponential growth and decay and compound interest

 

 

General Education Goals and Objectives

 

The general education program at KCC is designed to enable students to acquire communication and reasoning skills at a level reflecting college-level learning. Students who complete the general education program will be able to examine complex topics and apply systematic processes to form conclusions. The specific general education objectives addressed in this course are:

 

Communication: Students will communicate with precision, clarity, fluency, accuracy, and coherence through their reading, writing, and verbal communications. 

 

Quantitative Reasoning: Students will reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of contexts.   

 

Inquiry and Analysis: Students will examine complex topics and apply systematic processes resulting in formed conclusions.

 

Evaluation

This course will be evaluated by performance on homework, quizzes, tests, and a comprehensive final exam, with scores weighted as follows:

  • Homework: 10% of grade
  • Tests: 50% of grade
  • Quizzes: 20% of grade
  • Final Exam: 20% of grade (Must be taken as scheduled on KCC’s Final Exam Schedule.)

 

Homework: Homework for each chapter will be assigned and completed either by hand or using MyMathLab.  As many opportunities as necessary are granted to achieve full credit, thus, persistence is the key.  Homework is your opportunity to practice and master the material.  Homework is due on the time and date listed and is completed on your own time.  NO late work is accepted.  Your lowest single homework grade will be dropped.

Course ID: trippel53169

 

Quizzes: There will be one or two quizzes per chapter, some scheduled in the syllabus but others could be unannounced.  If you are absent for a class in which there is a quiz, you will receive a zero for that quiz.  Your lowest single quiz score will be dropped.

 

Tests:  There will be no makeup tests.  Exceptions to this will be at the discretion of the instructor.  Time has been allotted in the schedule to review material before each test, especially homework problems that students are encouraged to ask about.  I will increase your lowest single test score by replacing it with your final exam grade (if it is greater).  If you do miss a test, you will have this opportunity to replace the zero test score with your final exam grade.

 

 

Grading Scale: 

Percentage

Final Grade

90-100%

A

80-89%

B

70-79%

C

60-69%

D

0-59%

F

 

 

 

Course Policies

 

Attendance Policy: Attendance is expected and is recorded daily.  As with any class, attendance is vital to success.  It is understood that conflicts arise forcing students to miss class from time to time.  If a student must miss class, the student is responsible for the material covered during the missed period.  There will be no extensions of deadlines.  Since a large amount of material is covered in each class meeting, frequent absences, late arrivals, or early departures will affect performance.

 

Calculator Usage Policy:  You may use a calculator throughout the course.  Use of cell phone calculators or other electronic devices as a calculator is considered cheating and will result in a zero on any assignment or exam on which they are used.

 

Cell Phones and All Electronic Devises (including laptop computers):  Please turn off (or silence/put on vibrate) all cell phones and remove headphones before class begins.  No voice or text messaging is allowed during class.  If you receive a phone call that you must take please step out of the classroom.  If you use an electronic device during class, the electronic device may be taken away from you or you may be asked to leave the classroom.

 

College Policies

 

      Email

To ensure a student's privacy under all applicable education laws and to facilitate timely interactions, two College-authorized methods of electronic communication exist:  KCC-issued student email accounts (using the domain name of .student.kcc.edu) and the Canvas Learning Management System.  Students are expected to regularly check their KCC email accounts and Canvas for important incoming communication from the college or from individual instructors.  Students understand that emails they send from personal email accounts (other than those listed above) may not be delivered to the KCC recipient, and students should have no expectation that such messages will be answered. 

* Instructor’s note: email is my preferred method of contact and I will make every effort to respond next day during the weekdays.

 

 

Withdrawals
When it is necessary to withdraw from a course or from the college, a student may do so on or before the withdrawal date without receiving a punitive final grade.  Students should use Change of Schedule forms which are available in Student Services. Students may submit Change of Schedule forms to Student Services or through the mail, but they must be postmarked no later than the withdrawal date. No withdrawals are allowed by phone. To determine the last date to withdraw with a grade of “W” in this course, log into KCConnect and click on “my registration statement” under Academic Profile.

 

Code of Conduct

Students need to adhere to the Code of Conduct located in the college catalog.

College Resources

 

Academic Skills Center

Tutorial Assistance – The center offers free tutorial services on a walk-in basis to support students enrolled at KCC in a wide range of college courses and individual skill development activities. The Learning Assistance Center, L335/339, is the location of most tutorial services. For a current tutoring schedule, go to:

http://www.kcc.edu/students/tutoring.

 

Learning Laboratory – The Learning Lab, located in Room L329, uses instructional technology to provide individualized learning for students enrolled at KCC. In the lab, students can review and practice math, writing, reading, basic sciences, study skills, word processing, and other basic skills. For a current tutoring schedule, go to:

http://www.kcc.edu/students/tutoring.

 

Office of Disability Services – KCC offers advisement and special instructional support for students who are physically and learning disabled, as well as those with academic deficiencies. Students will receive appropriate academic instructional support, including preparatory courses, tutorial assistance, study skills assistance, and self-instructional programs. For disability services, go to room L326, Tel: 815-802-8632.

 

 

Miner Memorial Library

      The Miner Memorial Library provides a variety of services free to students, including books, computer access, WiFi access, and numerous research databases available online.  Reference librarians are also available to assist in locating information.  The library is open Monday through Saturday and online resources are available 24/7.  For additional information go to http://www.kcc.edu/library

 

Copyright

The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at http://www.kcc.edu/copyright.

 

Syllabus

 

Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change; consider this as a time-management guide.

 

 

Tentative Course Calendar: Math 1704: Subject to change as semester progresses.

 

 

Date

Material

Mon. Aug. 17

Course Syllabus, 1.1

Wed. Aug. 19

1.2-1.3

Chapter 1 QUIZ

Mon. Aug. 24

2.1-2.2

Chapter 1 homework due

Wed. Aug. 26

2.3-2.4

Chapter 2 QUIZ

Mon. Aug. 31

2.5, Review

Chapter 2 homework due

Wed. Sep. 2

Review, Test 1

Mon. Sep. 7

LABOR DAY – Class does NOT meet

Wed. Sep. 9

3.1-3.2

Mon. Sep. 14

3.3-3.4

Wed. Sep. 16

3.5 (and 3.6, time permitting)

Chapter 3 QUIZ

Mon. Sep. 21

Extra topic: Game Theory

Chapter 3 homework due

Wed. Sep. 23

Review, Test 2

Mon. Sep. 28

7.1-7.2

Wed. Sep. 30

7.3-7.4

Mon. Oct. 5

7.5-7.6

Chapter 7 QUIZ

Wed. Oct. 7

Chapter 7 homework due

In-class portion of TEST 3

Mon. Oct. 12

No Class - work on take-home portion of test

Wed. Oct. 14

Turn in take-home portion of TEST 3

8.1, 8.3, 8.4

Mon. Oct. 19

8.6, 8.7

Wed. Oct. 21

Chapter 8 Quiz

8.8

Chapter 8 homework due

Mon. Oct. 26

other topics in personal finance

including budgeting, buying decisions

Wed. Oct. 28

Test #4

11.1

Mon. Nov. 2

11.2 - 11.3

Wed. Nov. 4

11.4-11.5

Mon. Nov. 9

11.6 

Chapter 11 QUIZ over sections 1-5

Wed. Nov. 11

VETERAN’S DAY – Class does NOT meet

Mon. Nov. 16

11.7 - 11.8

Wed. Nov. 18

Chapter 11 TEST and homework due

12.1

Mon. Nov. 23

12.2-12.3

Wed. Nov. 25

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY – Class does NOT meet

Mon. Nov. 30

12.4 - 12.5

Chapter 12 homework due

Wed. Dec. 2

Chapter 12 QUIZ ONLY - NO CHAPTER TEST

Week of finals

FINAL EXAM as scheduled

 

Final exam must be taken as scheduled on KCC’s Final Exam Schedule.

 

REMINDER: This schedule is subject to changes, both in content and date.  Use this as a guide to plan your studies and time management.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due