Math 120E Course Notes and Syllabus Overview

Course Structure, Schedule, and Instructor Details

• Instructor Background and Experience:

  • The instructor holds a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education and a Master's degree in Education with an emphasis in Mathematics.
  • Instructional experience includes $17$ years as a public school teacher and university instruction at Nevada State University (NSU) since $2017$ ($9$ years total at the university level).
  • The instructor has taught Math $120$ and Math $120\text{E}$ in previous semesters.

• Course Identification and Credit Structure:

  • Course Title: Math $120\text{E}$ (Section $1$).
  • Classroom Location: Dawson Building, Room $108$
  • Credit Allocation: $4$ or $5$ credits.
  • Curriculum Purpose: Designed to bypass prerequisite remedial math courses, specifically Math $95$ and Math $96$
  • Initial Catch-Up Period: The first $4$ weeks cover foundational mathematical concepts (integers, fractions, exponents, scientific notation, linear equations, linear functions, and linear applications) to bring students up to speed with standard Math $120$ courses.
  • Class Demographics: Approximately $98\%$ of enrolled students are freshmen.

• Meeting Schedule and Class Durations:

  • Class Days: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
  • Daily Start Time: Class begins promptly at $9:30\,\text{AM}$.
  • Monday and Wednesday Class Duration: $1$ hour and $20$ minutes (ends at $10:50\,\text{AM}$).
  • Friday Class Duration: $1$ hour and $50$ minutes.
  • The extra Friday time enables the class to fulfill credit requirements and catch up to standard Math $120$ content.

• Communication Protocols and Office Hours:

  • As a part-time instructor, no permanent physical office space is maintained on campus.
  • Primary Contact Method: Direct messaging or email strictly through Canvas communication tools.
  • Email Monitoring: Emails are reviewed $2$ to $3$ times daily between reasonable hours. Emails sent late at night (e.g., at $1:00\,\text{AM}$) will not receive an immediate response.
  • Response Window: Messages are answered within $24$ hours under normal circumstances, up to $48$ hours during peak periods, and always prior to the next scheduled class session.
  • In-Person Consultation: Individual appointments for extra assistance, exam reviews, or course questions can be scheduled upon email request using dedicated part-time faculty meeting facilities.

• Course Schedule Adjustments and Attendance Notes:

  • Standard Quiz Schedule: Quizzes occur at the beginning of class ($9:30\,\text{AM}$) following every $3$ completed instructional sections.
  • Holiday Observance: No class is held on Labor Day Monday.
  • Instructor Scheduled Absence: No class is held on the Wednesday following Labor Day due to an instructor personal commitment (mother's surgery).
  • Attendance and Schedule Adjustments:
  • To balance the missed Wednesday session, linear functions instruction occurs on the following Friday.
  • The quiz covering this material takes place at the end of Friday's class session rather than the beginning, requiring full-session student attendance.
  • Linear applications (word problems), exam review, and Exam $1$ follow in sequence.
  • Catch-up time is embedded throughout October to align with standard Math $120$ schedules.

Grading Components and Course Assessment Policies

• Pre-Class Assignments:

  • Replaces traditional $30$-minute lectures in favor of interactive active learning.
  • Materials consist of textbook reading passages or video modules.
  • Submission Deadline: Must be submitted electronically before $9:30\,\text{AM}$ on the day of class (e.g., Wednesday's pre-class assignment is due by $9:30\,\text{AM}$ on Wednesday).
  • System Cut-off: Canvas automatically locks submissions at $9:30\,\text{AM}$.
  • Late Policy: Absolutely no late submissions or extensions are permitted for pre-class assignments.
  • Dropped Grades: The $2$ lowest pre-class assignment scores are automatically dropped at the end of the semester.

• In-Class Group Work Assignments:

  • Constitutes the main focus of classroom instructional time.
  • Students work in collaborative peer groups on assigned problem sets.
  • Instructor Interventions: Brief $7$-minute explanations or guided walkthroughs (e.g., reviewing difficult problems like question number $7$) are provided if instructional videos or readings prove insufficient.
  • Submission Deadline: Due on the same day as class by $11:59\,\text{PM}$ (midnight), providing time after class end ($10:50\,\text{AM}$) to complete remaining questions.
  • Late Policy: No makeups are granted for missed in-class group work assignments.
  • Dropped Grades: The $2$ lowest group work scores are dropped.

• Quizzes:

  • Total Frequency: $6$ or $7$ quizzes throughout the semester.
  • Format: Consists of $4$ to $6$ questions covering the preceding $3$ instructional sections.
  • Timing: Administered at exactly $9:30\,\text{AM}$ at the start of class (except for the post-Labor Day schedule exception where it occurs at the end of class).
  • Grading Method: Hand-graded by the instructor.
  • Late Policy: Strict start time at $9:30\,\text{AM}$ with no time extensions for late arrivals and no makeup quizzes permitted.

• Online Homework (MyOpenMath Framework):

  • Access: Direct integrated link via Canvas to the MyOpenMath automated system.
  • Features: Embedded video tutorials illustrating similar problem-solving steps are available for every item.
  • Grading Mechanics: Automated computer grading. Precision in rounding is strictly enforced; incorrect rounding results in zero points for the problem.
  • Submission Deadline: Due prior to $9:30\,\text{AM}$ on the subsequent class day.
  • Late Pass Allowance: Each student receives $15$ late passes for the semester.
  • Late Pass Function: Each late pass grants a single $48$-hour extension. Multiple late passes can be combined sequentially for longer extensions on a single assignment.

• Mini Projects (Consumer Finance Unit):

  • Subject Matter: Personal finance topics including savings accounts, simple/compound interest, personal loans, and mortgages.
  • Purpose: Replaces traditional written exams for the consumer finance unit mid-semester.
  • Completion Duration: Typically assigned with a $1$-week turnaround time, due at $11:59\,\text{PM}$ (midnight) on the specified date.
  • Late Policy: No makeups or late submissions accepted.

• Exams and Final Project:

  • Total Written Exams: $4$ exams throughout the semester.
  • Structure: $3$ standard Math $120$ exams plus $1$ dedicated exam covering the foundational material taught in the initial $4$ weeks.
  • Final Project and Presentation: Conducted over a $2$-week period following Thanksgiving.
  • Final Project Weight: Accountable for $12\%$ of the final overall course grade.

• Grading Scale System:

  • Implements the standard letter grade scale including plus ($+$) and minus ($-$) evaluation levels (e.g., $A$, $A-$, $B+$, $B$, $B-$).
  • Plus/minus designations affect overall grade point averages (GPA).

• Absence and Exception Policies:

  • Extended Absences ($7+$ consecutive days): Required to submit documentation via the Student Absence Notification System (SANS) for long-term military service, reserve deployments, hospitalizations, or major medical emergencies (e.g., ruptured appendix).
  • Short-Term Absences: Single-class illnesses (e.g., minor cold or cough) do not require SANS filing; notification should be sent directly to the instructor via Canvas email as a courtesy.

Course Materials, Calculators, and Classroom Guidelines

• Textbook and Digital Tools:

  • Math $120$ Foundations Textbook: Digital text used for the first $4$ weeks of foundational topics ($352$ total pages).
  • Desmos Scientific Calculator: Optional digital calculator tool linked via Canvas.

• Calculator Usage Restrictions:

  • First Four Weeks Policy: Calculators are strictly prohibited during the first $4$ weeks of foundational instruction (including integers and basic operations).
  • Approved Physical Calculator: Texas Instruments TI-30X IIs ($\text{TI-30X IIS}$).
  • Cost and Retailers: Costs approximately $\$10$ to $\$12$ through Amazon, Target, or Walmart (higher prices at Office Depot). Recommended over basic classroom calculators.
  • Compatibility: Suitable for all subsequent higher-level college mathematics courses.

• Submission Formatting and Paper Requirements:

  • Digital Submissions: Handwritten work must be digitized via photo or scan and uploaded to Canvas.
  • Approved Paper Types: Standard printed assignment templates, loose-leaf paper, or spiral notebook paper are fully acceptable.
  • Formatting Rule: All non-printed paper submissions must prominently display the exact assignment title at the top of the page for clear identification and grading verification.

• Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence Policy:

  • Policy: The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) generation tools is strictly prohibited across all course assignments, especially within consumer finance mini projects.

Platform Navigation and Step-by-Step Technical Instructions

• Canvas Course View and Module Structure:

  • Display Setup: Student view organizes content chronologically under Canvas Modules.
  • Controlled Access: Modules are made visible in $4$-week increments to prevent student overload.
  • Initial Course Tasks:
  1. Reply to the student introduction discussion thread.
  2. Acknowledge and sign off on the Academic Etiquette policy statement.
  3. Complete and submit the digital Course Questionnaire.
  4. Complete the assigned pre-class integer reading assignment.

• PDF Textbook Navigation Procedure:

  • Document Length: $352$ total pages defaulting to page $1$.
  • Manual Page Navigation Steps:
  1. Locate the page input box at the top of the embedded Canvas document viewer.
  2. Enter the target number suffix (e.g., type 62).
  3. Delete the default starting digit 1.
  4. Prepend the target leading digit (e.g., type 2 before 62 to make page 262).
  • Instructional Assignment Example:
  • Read foundational concept pages starting at page $262$ (covers whole numbers, positive/negative values, zero, and number line operations).
  • Complete required Worksheet Number $2$ located on page $266$
  • Capture a legible photo or screenshot of completed Worksheet Number $2$ and upload to Canvas prior to $9:30\,\text{AM}$ on Wednesday.

• MyOpenMath Technical Navigation Warning:

  • Interface Structure: Problem items display inside an embedded Canvas frame with problem links (Question 1, Question 2) and horizontal direction arrows (< >).
  • Video Assistance: Instructional videos demonstrating similar problem types are accessible directly within each individual problem interface.
  • CRITICAL NAVIGATION WARNING:
  • Students must ONLY use the internal problem selection menu or internal directional arrows (< >) inside the MyOpenMath interface to move between individual assignment questions.
  • NEVER click the external Canvas Next or Previous buttons at the bottom of the webpage while actively working inside a MyOpenMath assignment.
  • Clicking external Canvas navigation buttons causes Canvas to leave the assignment immediately, force-submitting incomplete work and automatically recording a score of $0$ for all unattempted questions.