Introduction & Land Acknowledgement

Before continuing with the course information, I would like to make a land acknowledgement. All campuses of College of the Desert reside on stolen land belonging to the Cahuilla people. Acknowledging this is only one initial step toward decolonization and one small but necessary part of showing respect to the culture s and history of the Indigenous people s whose land our government seized. Due to the numerous locations of the College of the Desert campuses and homes of College of the Desert faculty and students, it is impossible to list every Indigenous group of people on whose land we occupy and from which we otherwise benefit. Thus, if you have not already done so, you are encouraged to research the Indigenous peoples whose lands you currently occupy and have occupied in the past. You may find the information available at Native Land's Territory Acknowledgement page, Native Land's home page, and the US Department of Arts and Culture Honor Native Land page helpful in this endeavor.

Course Title and Section Number

Math 374: Beginning Algebra - Noncredit

Section: 8881

Units: 0

This course is a noncredit course.

Class Days & Times

This course is fully online. There are no set lecture times that require you to be online at any particular time, but you are still required to participate by reading the lectures, being active in discussions, and turning in assignments. If you are new to online learning please look through COD's online learning pageLinks to an external site. and the Are you Ready?Links to an external site. page.

Instructor

Chloette Tardy, Adjunct Faculty - Mathematics

Contact Information

E-mail: ctardy@collegeofthedesert.edu

You may contact me by e-mail or through Canvas Inbox (see the Inbox icon in the left-most menu bar). The fastest way to contact me is through Canvas messages.

Due to the volume of e-mails, please allow 24 hours for me to respond to messages on a weekday, and 48 hours on a weekend. When sending me any communication, please be specific and include all relevant information. If I get an e-mail from PurpleElephant@fakeemail.com that reads "How do I submit the assignment?" without telling me who the sender is, which course they're in, and which assignment they are talking about, it will be impossible for me to give them an accurate answer!

Office Hours and Location

Office hours will be held Thursdays from 12:00 - 1:00pm and by appointment using the TechConnectZoom link in the left menu.

To make an appointment, email or send me a message on Canvas with the days and times you are available. I will reply with a meeting day/time and the Zoom link.

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Course Catalog Description

This is a noncredit course on beginning algebra that focuses on the real number system and the use of algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities in problem solving. Topics include properties of the real numbers; square roots; arithmetic of algebraic expressions including polynomials and polynomial fractions (rational expressions); solving linear equations and inequalities in one variable; factoring polynomials; the Cartesian coordinate system; and equations and graphs of linear equations in two variables. The proper use of math notation and precise language is emphasized. Applications problems will include those using basic geometric formulas, the Pythagorean Theorem, and various phenomena that can be modeled with algebraic expressions, equations, and/or inequalities.

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, or Advisories:

Pre-requisite: none

Advisory prerequisite: none

Student Learning Outcomes (taken from course outline of record):

Upon successful completion of this course students should be able to:

Define and use variables to create linear expressions and equations to model change and patterns in a variety of applications.
Use the information obtained in application problems to estimate a reasonable solution, identify and execute methods of solution that involve algebraic computations, and evaluate the reasonableness of results.
Apply algebraic principles and deductive reasoning to solve linear equations and inequalities and represent solution sets using number lines and Cartesian planes.
Apply algebraic principles and deductive reasoning to solve quadratic equations.

Course Objectives:

You may view a list of topics we are supposed to cover by reading the Course Objectives that are taken from the official Course Outline of Record (COR). Every course at College of the Desert has a COR. That means that if you would like to see the Course Objectives for any other course(s), please let me know and I can send them to you.

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Required Materials

Access to the internet

If you do not have access to the internet at home, you may find the resources listed in the Connectivity Resources section of the Community Resources page helpful.
Some useful tutorials and links to Canvas guides are available on the COD Canvas Resources page.

Textbook: Elementary Algebra, 2nd Edition

The electronic textbook is free and can be accessed using the link above.

ISBN: 987-1-951693-19-0
Authors: Lynn Maracek, MaryAnne Anthony-Smith, Andrea Honeycutt Mathis
Publisher: OpenStax
Publication Date: 2023

Optional Materials

The following textbooks are free to view and download and may be useful as reference.

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Graded Components

This course is designed to hep you review and refresh the materials needed to prepare you for the next Algebra course. It is self paced. That means there are no due dates for the assignments or quizzes. You work at your own pace to review and refresh the materials as needed. Each module has an 'assessment' quiz to help you determine if you need to review the materials in the module or not. You need to have a score of 80% or higher to complete the module. You will start with Module 1 and need to completed Module 1 before you can work on other Modules.

You can choose to work on any module from Module 1 to Module 9. You need to have a score of 80% or higher on the exit quiz of the any module to complete the module. If you score below 80% on the exit quiz, I recommend that you work on the assignments in the module to help you review and refresh the materials before taking the quiz again. You can retake the quiz in any module as many times as you like until you have a score of 80% or greater.

Grade Calculation

Since this is a Pass/No Pass noncredit course, you will pass as long as you complete at least 4 modules. Successful completion of a module means earning an 80% or higher on the exit quiz given at the end of the module.

Calculators:

Calculators will not be allowed on assignments or quizzes unless instructions explicitly state otherwise.

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Instructor Drop Policy:

You must make contact with me by 11:59pm on Friday, April 5 by posting on the Introductions - Discussion Post. If you do not do so, you will be dropped from the course as a "No Show". After that, you must be regularly engaged in the course (at least one course interaction every 3 days) unless you notify me; if extenuating circumstances (e.g., an illness, a death in the family, military service, etc.) cause you to not participate for an extended period of time (3 days or more), contact me so we can discuss your options.

For more information, read the enrollment policies section and the student and faculty attendance responsibilities section of the College of the Desert Catalog.

Academic Integrity:

In accordance with College of the Desert’s Student Code of Conduct, cheating (not following the rules for an assignment) and plagiarism (presenting an idea or product that already exists as your own and/or new) will not be tolerated. Incidents of cheating and/or plagiarism may result in earning a 0 on an assigned problem, earning a 0 on an entire assignment, and/or a report filed with the Office of Student Life.

Classroom Conduct:

During live meetings over Zoom and non-live conversations with me and your fellow students (via e-mail, discussion boards on Canvas, or any other method of communication), you must be respectful. Disrespectful interactions may result in students being disciplined. Repeated conduct violations may result in a report to the Office of Student Life.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

College of the Desert views disability as an important aspect of diversity and is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. The Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) office is the office that collaborates with students with disabilities to provide reasonable accommodations. Please contact the DSPS office at (760) 773-2534, dspsinfo@collegeofthedesert.edu. Once registered with DSPS, students will be provided with an Authorized Academic Accommodations form that can be shared with faculty.

International and Multilingual Students

Studying mathematics in a foreign language is challenging. If English is not your first language you may use language-only translators. Cell phones and mathematics dictionaries cannot be used as translators unless approved by the professor. Also, if you have any questions about language (definitions, other course content, or even content not from this course) please send me a message.

Additional Student Resources

Tutors are available through the Tutoring and Academic Skills Center (TASC).
- If you would like help with writing, the TASC has many writing tutors. They are not just for English classes!
If there is something you need to talk about that you do not think I will know the answer to, often a College of the Desert counselor can help.
College of the Desert offers many resources for all kinds of student needs. Some of them are below, but there are still many others. Please talk to me or a counselor to learn more about the many resources available or visit the COD student services page.

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Important Dates:

Spring 2024 Important Dates can be found on the COD website.

- March 25-29: Spring Break
- April 8: Last Day to Add
- April 11: Last Day to Drop without a grade of "W"
- May 13: Last Day to Drop with a grade of "W"
- May 24: Last Day of Class

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Keeping up with Course Material:

I want you to be successful in this course. Each week you will have reading, assignments and quizzes to complete. There is a temptation to think in-person activities are more urgent than your online work. The problem is, then your online assignments pile up and you fall behind. It is a good idea to follow a weekly schedule and stay on top of your assignments.

The important thing about this course is that you learn. It is not important to do anything in this course "fast". One of the most (if not the most) important assets of a mathematician is that of perseverance. Learning mathematics is synonymous with what educators call "productive struggle". Mathematics is challenging, and it is impossible to learn mathematics while avoiding struggle. In fact, when learning a complicated subject like mathematics feels easy, it's likely that one of the following is true: you actually already learned the material and are not learning anything new or you're not actually learning the right material. In the video below, note that one of the key causes of misinformation is oversimplification.

So, this class (and probably most classes you take in college) will involve a lot of struggle. The key is to make sure that struggle is productive. This means that you should not hesitate to ask for help, because struggling with no direction can be quite unproductive. In particular, if you have trouble keeping up with material, please talk to me as soon as possible.

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