MAT.116.W01 Syllabus

Business Mathematics IMAT.116.H01 (38953)Moodle

David Kedrowskidkedrowski@midmich.eduRoom 215, Harrison CampusOffice Hours: MW 11:30am to 12:30pm or by appt.Room 214, Mt. Pleasant Pickard CampusOffice Hours: TTH 12:15pm to 12:45pm or by appt.

A course designed to show students how algebra can be applied to solve a variety of problems encountered in business management. Topics covered include: mathematical models, mathematics of finance; functions; linear functions; systems of linear equations and inequalities; linear programming; simplex logarithms; quadratic functions; and exponential functions. Prerequisite: Grade of “C” or better in MAT 105 or equivalent.

MAT 116 Business Mathematics is a required course for degrees in Accounting, Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, Management and Marketing, and Small Business Management. The content is meant to strengthen and extend students' algebra and problem solving skills, introduce students to new mathematical techniques useful for solving business problems, and prepare students for MAT 217 Business Calculus.

The faculty at MMCC has identified three broad academic goals for all students:We expect students to be able to THINK critically about subject matter.We expect students to be able to DO various tasks as a result of their studies.We expect students to be able to SHARE their thoughts and work appropriately with others.This course meets the above stated goals as follows:Students must THINK to recognize problem types and choose appropriate solution methods, to convert application problems into mathematical problems, and to determine if their solution 'makes sense'.Students must DO problems using the solution methods they are shown correctly and in the right situation(s).Students must SHARE what they have done by writing out solution steps, making sure enough steps are present for others (instructor, fellow students, et al.) to follow, clearly communicating their final solution(s), and completely and appropriately communicating their results to application problems.

If you stop participating in this class without dropping, you will receive an ‘F’.

Friday, August 27 -- Last day to drop with a 100% refundMonday, September 6 -- No Classes: Labor DaySunday, September 19 -- MMCC Fall FestivalWednesday, November 24 -- No Classes: In-Service DayThursday, November 25 -- No Classes: ThanksgivingFriday, December 3 -- Last day to drop classesFriday, December 10 -- Last day of fall semester

Internet access and appropriate software. Please see the first block in Moodle for more about software.

A grade of “C” or better in MAT 105 Intermediate Algebra; or equivalent.

Applied Mathematics: For the Managerial, Life and Social Sciences5th editionS.T. Tan

A TI-83 Plus, TI-84 Plus, or TI-nSpire graphing calculator.I personally recommend the TI-84 Plus or the TI-nSpire. If you choose to purchase a TI-nSpire, make sure you get the one with the TI-83/84 keypad so you can follow the calculator help in the course.You must contact the instructor if you have a calculator other than one of the models listed above. Certain calculators, most notably the TI-89 and TI-92, are not allowed. Others may not have the functionality you need for the course. If you choose to use a different calculator, you will be responsible for learning how to operate it -- all course material is specifically geared toward the TI-83/84 family of calculators.You must have your own calculator. Calculators cannot be shared on tests. Cell phones, iPods, and similar devices may not be used as calculators for testing purposes.

NotepaperGraph paperPencilsErasersStraight edgeStapler or paperclips

More detailed explanations of these objectives, which align with the chapters covered in the textbook, can be found in Moodle.

Please contact me with any questions you may have about the course and its content. I am available at the email address provided above, as well as through the Moodle course shell (via email and discussion forum).I also encourage you to make use of the Math Lab, available at our Harrison and Mt. Pleasant-Pickard locations. You will find the Math Lab in the same location as the testing center on each campus. Please call ahead to get the Math Lab’s hours of operations, which are different than the testing center hours. You can also find out more about the Math Lab by following the Academic Support Center link on the left-hand side of the course under MMCC Resources in Moodle, as well as by reading the Math Lab section near the end of this syllabus.

David Kedrowskidkedrowski@midmich.eduRoom 215, Harrison CampusOffice Hours: MW 11:30am to 12:30pm or by appt.Room 214, Mt. Pleasant Pickard CampusOffice Hours: TTH 12:15pm to 12:45pm or by appt.

The Math Lab provides drop-in assistance with math problems from any course, not just math courses. You will find the Math Lab in the Academic Support Center in room 219 on the Harrison campus and room 135 on the Pickard campus. Please call ahead to check hours of operation.We ask that you do the following before coming to the Math Lab for assistance:attend class,read the textbook,review your notes,attempt the homework problems yourself,write down your questions before coming to the Math Lab, andbring a copy of your assignment and your textbook when you come to the Math Lab.Math Lab tutors will:help you as soon as they can for as long as they are able,answer your questions or direct you to where you can obtain answers,assist you in clarifying information,show you problem-solving methods, andwork through example problems with you.Math Lab tutors will not:substitute as a lecturer for classes you missed,always have the answer to every question, ordo your work for you.

Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor as soon as possible to discuss your individual needs. Before any accommodation is granted, you must register with Carol Santini, Director of Disability Services for MMCC. She can be reached at 989.386.6636 or at csantini@midmich.edu. More information is available via Disability Services.

The Writing & Reading Center at MMCC exists to help students become better writers and readers. The WRC is a comfortable environment where students receive individualized consultation to reach the ultimate goal of developing intellectual autonomy and constructive writing and reading habits. To this end, the WRC is not merely a proofreading service; consultants are available to assist students with their writing needs in any course, and at any stage of the writing process, including planning, focusing, developing, organizing, critical thinking, engaging sources in multiple ways, and editing. In addition, because of the symbiotic nature of reading and writing, WRC consultants can also assist students with their college-level reading needs for any course. ENG 098, a one credit reading course, is offered through the WRC. This student-centered, student-directed reading course gives students a chance to learn about and develop the strategies, skills, and attitudes important for reading college-level texts. The WRC is located in the Academic Support Center in Room 136 on the Mt. Pleasant Campus and in Room 219 on the Harrison Campus. In addition, students may opt to use the WRC Moodle or e-mail writing questions with or without writing drafts to a Consultant at write@midmich.edu.

If you feel you need assistance with your Math Study Skills, please talk to your instructor.There is also a course available, MAT 060 Math Study Skills. It's a 1.5 contact hour pass/fail course that looks in some detail at how to get the most out of a math course by improving their skills withtextbook reading,note taking,homework,effective studying, andtest taking.

There are many, many tips for how to do well in a math course. Here are a few.If you are interested in more, look in your textbook, look on Educator, communicate with your instructor, search on the Internet, etc.Set aside plenty of time each week for your math courseDon't fall behindRead the textbook, even if you don't understand everything, so you've seen the material once before the video lectureWrite down questions you have while working alone and make sure you get them answeredTake good notes, then reread and rewrite your notes laterBuild a toolbox of terms, principles, concepts, and theoriesWork example problems on your own, paying close attention to what happens at each stepDo the suggested homework problems (and more if needed)Ask questionsPractice, practice, practice!

Be respectful and courteous of your classmates and instructor at all times.

Make your best effort to log in to Moodle two or three times per week to read announcements, check your calendar, follow any discussions, watch videos, and more.Your attendance will be reported to MMCC as required for determining financial aid eligibility.

Do your best to stick to the suggested timeline, working at a steady pace throughout the semester instead of in large blocks of time close to the mandatory due dates. Make sure you stick to the mandatory due dates -- there are no exceptions to them.Plan on spending at least 7-10 hours per week on this course.

Ask questions when you have them. As noted above in the Assistance section, there are numerous ways for you to communicate with me.

Please be an active, respectful participant in all discussion forums.Do not share answers to any graded questions. It is okay to discuss and share answers regarding suggested homework.

Each chapter has an anonymous three-question survey at the end. Please take each one after you have completed all of the materials for that chapter, including the test. I use the feedback from these surveys to improve the course over time -- over the last five years, students have suggested many of the features and content items that you see today.

You will be expected to complete the following assignments:Tests: 6 @ 100 pts ea (drop the 1 lowest) = 500 pointsQuizzes: 33 @ 4 pts ea (drop the 6 lowest) = 108 pointsHand-in HW: 6 @ 15 pts ea (drop the 1 lowest) = 75 pointsDiscussions: 6 @ 6 pts ea (drop the 1 lowest) = 30 pointsThe PreAssessment counts as up to 10 extra credit points

MMCC Policy on Academic Dishonesty and PlagiarismAcademic Dishonesty: No student shall:Share or obtain exam questions or material not authorized by the instructor.Complete exams or performance elements of a course for another student or have someone else complete it for them.Plagiarism: Plagiarism is using another’s ideas as one’s own. Plagiarism has two forms, unintentional and intentional. Unintentional plagiarism is usually the result of students being unfamiliar with the academic conventions of citation and documentation. Intentional plagiarism is the result of students knowingly submitting the work of others as their own. This includes, but is not limited to:Copying someone else’s work.Using exact quotations without proper citation.Buying papers (e.g. on the internet).Including paraphrased material without acknowledging its source.All acts of plagiarism and academic dishonesty will first be dealt with by the instructor. Penalties may range from revision to failing the assignment or the course. Instructors must report all acts of intentional dishonesty or plagiarism, or any penalty resulting in failure of the course, to the Vice President of Academic Services and the Dean of Student Services. Repeated violations may result in further discipline, up to and including dismissal. Students may appeal any grade affected by a charge of academic dishonesty or plagiarism through the Grade Grievance Procedure.

Instructor Policy on Academic Dishonesty and PlagiarismIn this course, academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.First offense is a zero on that assignment.Second offense is a zero for the course.Offenses include, but are not limited to:Presenting other students' work as your own. This includes copying from another student.Using any testing aids that have not been approved by the instructor.Sharing calculators during quizzes and tests.Accessing a mobile phone for any reason during a quiz or test.

The following scale will be used to assign letter grades at the end of the semester based on the total number of points you earn. There are 713 points possible. Points Percent Grade 663 or more 93% or higher A 642-662 90-92.9% A- 620-641 87-89.9% B+ 592-619 83-86.9% B 570-591 80-82.9% B- 549-569 77-79.9% C+ 520-548 73-76.9% C 499-519 70-72.9% C- 478-498 67-69.9% D+ 449-477 63-66.9% D 428-448 60-62.9% D- 0-427 0-59.9% F

All tests have specific mandatory due dates (please see the printable schedule and many other references to these dates within Moodle). You can take any test any time up to the mandatory due date. Tests not completed by the mandatory due date are given a zero. I will drop your lowest test at the end of the semester.Please read each test’s info at least one week prior to taking the test. You will find a brief explanation of each test as well as information about the testing process. If you do not follow the testing center procedures, they have the right to turn you away. You can also find out more about testing by following the Academic Support Center link on the left-hand side of the course under MMCC Resources.

You will be given one attempt to take each quiz. However, please note that the quizzes are adaptive -- you can answer each question more than once (even though you can submit the entire quiz only once). Each time you get a question wrong you will lose some credit for the question. Therefore, you should try to answer the question correctly on the first try, and, if you’re incorrect, continuing trying to answer the question correctly until you do answer it correctly.The adaptive scoring works as follows: For multiple choice, matching, true and false, etc., take the number of possible answers and subtract one, then each incorrect guess loses the fraction 1 over this value. For instance, consider a multiple choice question with 5 answer choices. Since 5-1=4, the penalty for an incorrect answer is 1/4, or 0.25 out of 1. These penalties are cumulative, so four incorrect answers in this case would result in a penalty of 1, or a score of 0, on the question (and the only remaining answer would be the correct one). Similarly, a true and false question has only 2 possible answers. Since 2-1=4, an incorrect guess will result in a penalty of 1 out of 1.Short answer and numeric questions will typically have penalties of 0.2 or 0.25, depending on the question.Quizzes must be completed by 11:55pm on the mandatory due date for the associated chapter’s assignments.

There will be one discussion forum per chapter. Discussions may be about specific topics you are covering in the course, general math topics, or articles about math in the so-called “real world.” For each forum you can receive up to six points. Points are assigned as follows and are based on satisfying the criteria given.Starting a discussion thread with your opinion(s) -- 2 pointsResponding to one of your classmate’s posts -- 2 pointsAsking a question, either of the class or of an individual -- 2 pointsIt takes a minimum of two posts to receive all six points as you could include a question in your thread starting post or your post responding to a classmate. In either case, your post should contain more than just the question. If you ask the question as a separate post, it is acceptable to only ask a question. Feel free to post as often as you like to generate and stimulate a discussion among your peers (your instructor will read your posts but does not take part in the discussions).

Hand-in homework assignments should be turned in at the testing center when you come to take the corresponding test. The details for each hand-in homework assignment are provided in the appropriate section of the appropriate chapter block in Moodle. Late homework, like late tests, will not be accepted.

Your hand-in homework assignments will not be particularly long in nature. They will typically consist of a few application/story problems. In addition to getting practice with application/story problems, a secondary purpose for having you turn in homework is to have you work on your communication and presentation skills.

Your homework will be graded based on the following criteria.The original problem is included, in its entirety, including any graphs, diagrams, and/or tables.Your work is clearly shown in a methodical step-by-step fashion.Your work is explained in short, clear English statements.Your answer is clearly stated in the context of the problem. This should be a complete and proper English sentence.See the examples in your textbook for a good idea of what is expected. Think of presenting each problem as a short report.Additionally, please pay attention to the following guidelines when working on your hand-in homework.If your assignment includes multiple problems, when you finish working on one problem, please begin the next problem on a brand new clean sheet of paper.Your homework should be neat, legible, and organized.Please staple, paperclip, or binderclip your homework.Homework should not have any uneven edges from spiral-bound notebooks.

Expect that your homework will be graded about 75% on mathematical content and accuracy, and about 25% on presentation and adherence to the criteria above. If you use technology to put together your homework, I would still like a printed copy turned in when you take your test.

If you are interested in using technology, Microsoft Word has a built-in Equation Editor (see the Microsoft Office website for help if you need it), and Texas Instruments offers free TI-Connect software that allows you to download screen captures from your calculator (if you have a TI-83 series calculator, you will need to purchase a Silver USB cable to connect the port that looks like a headphone jack on your calculator to a USB port on your computer; the TI-84 series calculators should come with a cable for connecting their mini-USB port to a USB port on your computer). The Internet has lots of additional software solutions as well.

Each chapter has a list of suggested homework. You are expected to practice the math you are learning on your own. I suggest you do the following to maximize learning.Read the section in the textbook first. Pay close attention to new vocabulary, concepts, formulas, etc.Have pencil and paper ready and try the examples in the textbook on your own.Watch the videos as needed.Look at the handouts and calculator help files.Work on the suggested homework problems in a deliberate and methodical way, making sure you understand each step. Remember, you won’t have access to your book or your notes during tests.Ask questions when you get stuck. You can post to the appropriate discussion forum or contact me directly. If you contact me directly, I may post your question and my response, but I will do so without mentioning who asked the question.Once you’ve had a decent amount of practice (this varies from student to student) you should consider beginning to work on the hand-in homework and take the quizzes.