MATH 1306 SYLLABUS (10-11:15 A.M. MW; A437; CRN 10162) -APPLIED CALCULUS-FALL 2009

 

Instructor: Dr. Linda Becerra           Office: S-707                                       E-mail:  BecerraL@uhd.edu

 

Office phone: 713-221-8643           Web Page: http://cms.uhd.edu/Faculty/BecerraL      

 

Office hours: 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. MW, 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. TR, and by appointment.

 

Course prerequisite:  Math 1301 (College Algebra) with a “C” or better; or placement by exam taken at UHD.

 

Textbook: College Mathematics, 11th edition, by Barnett, Ziegler and Byleen, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-513150-2. The textbook is optional; an electronic version of the text is available in MyMathLab. More information is given below.

 

Course grade: There are 600 total points: three tests (each counts 100 points); a comprehensive final exam (200 points); and

MyMathLab Online Homework (100 points). There will also be several Class Activities that will count 5 points

total for the semester and will be included as extra credit. Your total points will be converted to a percent (divide by 600) and

then course grades will be assigned based on that percent: “A” (90-100), “B” (80-89), “C” (70-79), “D” (60-69) or “F” (0-59).

Also, if you have 3 or fewer absences (3 tardies  = 1 absence) beginning with the official day of record, September 8, and take all

tests, then your final exam will replace your lowest test grade, if it is higher.

Class Activity # 1: Register in MyMathLab and in the UHD Math Portal during the first week of classes (by Aug. 30).

MML Algebra Review: If you score 80% or higher on the Algebra Review that is posted in the homework assignments of MML, you will earn 5 Bonus Points on Test 1 (3 attempts per exercise; due date is Tue. 9/21).

 

Homework Assignments: This course has two types of homework assignments.

• Online MyMathLab Assignments. These homework assignments must be completed online using MyMathLab (MML). Note: (1) A MML assignment does not have to be completed in one sitting. You may work on a MML assignment several times a day, or over several days, but, each MML assignment will have a specified due date by which it must be completed. After the final due date, you will no longer be able to access that assignment. Please do not put off the MML assignments! Instead, begin to work on these as soon as they are assigned. (2) In each MML assignment, you can continue trying each exercise over and over. This means you can continue to improve your grade on each MML assignment, up to 100%, and this should be your goal! (3) All of the MML HW assignments together will count 100 points towards your course grade.

 • Suggested HW Exercises. There will also be suggested exercises for you to do from the textbook or handouts. These suggested exercises are not to be turned in to be graded, but they give you an additional opportunity to practice the ideas and skills we are learning in the course and help prepare you for the tests.

 

MyMathLab: (1) You can purchase a MML access code at www.coursecompass.com, or use the code in the MyMathLab Access Kit that is included if you purchase a new textbook in the UHD Bookstore. (2) The entire textbook is viewable online once you register in MML, so buying a hard copy of the book is optional for this course. (3) If you used MML for Math 1305 or 1306, you do not need to purchase access again-see the class web page for more information. (4) After you have access to MML, you should register in the Math Portal for UHD. This website has been set up to aid you in the use of the many technology resources available for your math course and textbook. (5) You can use MML on any computer that has internet access. If you cannot do this from home, you can log in to MML from any UHD computer with internet access (Academic Computing Labs are in S800, C300, and B200), print out the MML assignment, work through the exercises on paper, and then enter the answers the next time that you log-in to MML.

To enroll in MML, besides an access code, you will also need a valid Email address – please use one that you check regularly. You must register in MML at www.coursecompass.com only the first time that you use it: (a) The course ID number is becerra90702. (b) The zip code for UHD is 77002. (c) You will then create a Login Name and Password which you will use to log in whenever you use MML. Make sure to record your exact login name and password for future log-ins. Please contact me immediately if you have any questions or problems with MML!

Once you are logged in, you should explore the site! You can:

• Complete the required MML assignments (Link – Do Homework);

• Check out your MML grades (Link – Gradebook);

• View an electronic version of the textbook and look at multimedia resources such as online video clips and PowerPoint presentations that accompany the textbook, and much more (Link – Multimedia Library).

 

Academy Honesty: As a UHD student, you are bound to observe the academic honesty code in all your coursework

(see the Student Handbook at http://www.uhd.edu/campus/handbook.htm). Please ask if you have any questions on the code.

A grade of 0 will be given on any coursework where cheating occurs; more severe penalties may result depending on the violation.

 

Class attendance/Make-ups:  Please plan to attend every class meeting; you will find it difficult to successfully complete the course if you don't. Please be on time and plan to stay for the entire class, and let me know in advance when you cannot do this. If you miss roll, let me know right after class so you will be marked present on that day.

Cell Phones, iPods, Beepers: Please keep them off and out of sight during class. Thank you.

Missed a class? Whenever you miss class, you should first check the Class Journal on our class web page

(http://cms.uhd.edu/Faculty/BecerraL) to see what material was covered and what the HW assignment is.

Check the class web page regularly to keep up with assignments and for other course information. Missed classes, even for valid reasons, do not entitle you to turn in work late unless prior arrangements are made. Missed grades will be recorded as 0.

Make-up tests are not given. If you miss a test, that grade will be replaced by your final exam grade.

 

Important dates: August 24, Classes begin; September 7, Labor Day Holiday, university closed; September 8, Official Day of Record; October 29, Last withdraw date - if you stop attending class and do not officially withdraw, you will receive a course grade of “F”; November 25- 28, Thanksgiving Holidays, no classes; December 5, Last day of classes.

 

Role of technology: (1) Each student is expected to have a scientific calculator for use in this course throughout the semester; no cell phone calculators are allowed on any test.  (2) Computers with internet access are available in the UHD Academic Computing Labs: S800, C300, and B200.

 

Resource materials/Course success:

Where can you get help? Additional help for the course is available in the UHD Math Lab (N925). This is an excellent place to study and work on problems so that you can receive immediate help when necessary, and you can meet classmates here for study sessions too.  I strongly encourage you to get to know your classmates and form study groups to work together on homework and to study for the tests.

Troubles with HW? (1) HW is the most important part of the course. You should set up a regular schedule to do HW and stick to it. (2) Review your class notes often to keep on top of things, and read the textbook carefully and thoughtfully before you begin an assignment. (3) Your questions are welcome in class, and if there is not enough time to answer all of them, you can also get help with HW during my office hours as well as with anything related to the course. (4) There may be times when you will feel frustrated and lost in the course. Even if you understand the class lecture, this is only one part of the learning process. You may have troubles once you begin to try HW problems. Remember there are no shortcuts to learning; you must build your own understanding through patience and practice by wrestling with complex ideas by yourself. It takes time to see different sides of math ideas and to mentally develop linkages that will help you apply these in problem solving. This is what HW is for, to give you a chance to practice on your own and develop your own understanding, and why it is so important! So don’t be too worried when you struggle with HW, this is just part of the learning process. Students who participate in class and diligently work on their HW are usually sufficiently prepared for tests - there is no reason to think you are any different.

 

Statement on reasonable accommodations: UHD adheres to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.  Students with disabilities should register with the office of Disabled Student Services (S-409) and contact me in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate accommodations.

 

Course Description/Educational objectives: At the end of the course, a student should be able to: (1) calculate limits of polynomial and rational functions using tables, graphs or formulas and be able to use limits to check for continuity; (2) compute the average rate of change of a function over an interval; (3) interpret average rates of change in the context of application problems; (4) understand that the average rate of change of a function is the slope of a secant line;  (5) interpret instantaneous rates of change in the context of application problems; (6) understand that the instantaneous rate of change of a function is the slope of a tangent line;  (7) draw a tangent line to a curve at a given point, compute its slope and write the equation of the line; (8i) compute the derivative using the limit definition for simple functions such as linear and quadratic functions; (9) numerically approximate the slope of a tangent line using difference quotients; (10) apply shortcut derivative rules such as the constant rule, simple power rule, constant multiple rule, sum rule, product rule, quotient rule and chain rule; (11) determine key properties of a function from its graph such as the intervals where the function is increasing or decreasing, the intervals where a function is concave up or down, the coordinates of points that are local extrema or inflection points; (12) use derivatives to determine key properties of a function such as find the intervals where a function is increasing or decreasing, the intervals where a function is concave up or down, the coordinates of local extrema and inflection points; (13) calculate definite and indefinite integrals for functions such as polynomial and exponential functions; (14) use definite integrals to calculate areas between curves; and (15) be able to apply definite integrals in selected application problems.

 

Tentative Test schedule (test dates and test material will be confirmed at least one week in advance)

Most test questions will be similar to exercises in MyMathLab or in the textbook.

Test 1 September 23; Test 2 October 21; Test 3 November 23;

Final exam: Wednesday, December 9, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.