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BASIC MATHEMATICS - MAT-010 |
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Appendix |
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Students should be able to :
1.
add, subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers
writing proportions
Theorem
and circles WHAT TYPES
OF STUDENTS WILL BE IN THE BASIC MATHEMATICS CLASSES? The students in the Basic Mathematics course come
with a wide spectrum of abilities, diverse backgrounds, and motivations for
taking the class. There are some
students who, although stale in their computational skills, catch on very
quickly to the material presented, while others are lacking many of the
skills you will be teaching and need much more attention. There are students who are coming directly from
high school and are uncertain about their career plans and others who have
not been in school for ten to twenty years who are returning with very
specific goals in mind. There are
often students who are Project Connection Students (discussed in the College
Section of this manual) who will require special accommodations. It can be a
challenge to deal with this diversity in abilities and demographics. No matter what the student’s background is, many of
the students in the Basic Mathematics class have met with frustration and
failure in mathematics and suffer from “math anxiety”. They might appear very nervous or even
annoyed to be in class. Many times
some success works very well and the feelings of nervousness or
dissatisfaction dissipate. The
instructor serves as a cheerleader at times. BASIC
MATHEMATICS COURSE FORMATS Besides the structural variations (one-semester,
two-semester, combination) of the Basic Mathematics Mat-010 course, the
course is offered using a variety of approaches. Following the
descriptions, information that is common to all formats will be addressed
(i.e., testing, tutoring, homework, attendance, grading criteria) TRADITIONAL
FORMAT There are approximately one hundred sections of
Basic Mathematics taught each year.
Most of these are taught in a traditional way, in that the instructor lectures
on the material that is being taught and students are assessed using homework
assignments, in class and take home quizzes, in-class tests and a cumulative
final exam. The individual teaching
style of the instructor determines if group work is used during the session
or if students are encouraged to use software supplements that come packaged
with the text. Some instructors use
the chalkboard exclusively, while others make use of the overhead projectors
that are available in every classroom on campus. These Mat-010 courses are scheduled to meet for
either two sessions each week for one hour and twenty minutes per session or
for one session that meets for two hours and fifty minutes (allowing for a
ten minute break halfway through). Textbook The textbook for the Mat-010 course is selected each
year by the Mat-010 committee, chaired by the Coordinator. Publishers visit the campus and provide
textbooks and text supplements (resource manuals, test banks, suggested
project materials, etc.) to be reviewed to committee members. Often, technology experts sent by the
publisher demonstrate what is available online in software and management
programs that teachers and students can use with the proposed text. The
teacher resource material and clear directions for using software packages is
available in Center II. A decision
about adoption is made in April and all materials dealing with Mat-010,
(i.e., tests, reviews, finals, etc) are adjusted to reflect any changes in
the textbook. Calculator Calculators are not permitted in the Mat-010 course
except when indicated as special accommodations for Project Connections
students. Computers There is no requirement for the use of computers in
the traditional Mat-010 course.
However, the publisher of the basic mathematics textbook provides
computer programs that are geared to the textbook. The text usually comes packaged with codes
that allow students to access the software program online. The programs are interactive, reinforcing
the skills learned in class and making exercises available to allow students
additional practice. Many of the
software programs offer video clips and e-books. All software packages come with a management
system that gives the instructor the ability to assign homework and quizzes,
track student performance and communicate with students via email and
bulletin boards. It is a good idea to remind students to check their
textbooks for access codes and CD-Roms before throwing out the packaging
material. If a student has purchased a
used textbook without a software access code, he or she is often able to buy
the stand-alone software access code that is sold in the Blue Colt Bookstore
on campus. Students should be encouraged to use the
software. It can provide students with
explanations via text and video, step-by-step solutions and practice
problems. Some instructors offer extra
credit points to student who use this computer-assisted instruction to give
them incentive for getting started, Once the student use it and are successful,
they are often hooked. If students
have difficulty using the software or are computer-phobic, the staff in the
Developmental Mathematics Lab/Tutoring Center in Main Hall 142 can assist
them. If you have never assigned work on the computer, you
might want to start slowly, just to get your feet wet. There are clear instructions on how to
register for the program for both instructors and students in the Appendix of
this manual. If you have any
questions, contact Susan Shulman. PROJECT-DRIVEN FORMAT This format was created
when the department was involved in a retention grant for the developmental
students. Although, most instructors use the traditional approach, there are a
few instructors who enjoy teaching this course using this more creative
format. The course consists of
some lecturing and some projects that are interlaced with the curriculum
throughout the semester. There are projects on whole numbers, fractions, percent,
geometry and descriptive statistics. Students are not permitted to use
calculators until after the whole number and fraction topics are
completed. After that, students are
allowed to use calculators in class, for tests and on projects. The syllabus and department outline, are
different from that used in the traditional approach and can be found in the
Appendix of this manual. Textbook The textbook that is used
for the project-driven basic mathematics course is the same as the textbook
used in the traditional sections. Refer to that section for more information. The Projects There are enough copies
for each of your students in Center II. Sample projects are included in
the Appendix. On a day that the students will work on a project, the instructor
will give a brief introduction explaining what it is about. Students work in groups that have been
assigned by the instructor. It is a good idea to select a group leader
(someone you might have noticed is a stronger student) and a group secretary
to write down notes. Even though al
the students will be working together, you might want to have each student
hand in his or her own project results for grading. The project grade should be one of the
components of the final grade in the course.
If this format is of interest to you, speak to Susan Shulman to get
more of the details. Calculator Students in these classes
do not use the calculator until after fractions have been tested. The only exception is for Project
Connections students who have special accommodations. Once fractions have
been taught and tested, the calculator may be used. The TI-34 is a good one
to use and it is helpful if all students have similar calculators, if
possible. Computers Information about using
computer software in the project-driven basic mathematics course is the same
as the information in the Traditional
Format section. Refer to that part
of the manual. Note: Some instructors, who do not teach the
project-driven course, make use of the projects to offer students a fun way
to apply math and an opportunity for group work. COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ON CAMPUS – ACADEMIC
SYSTEMS A very different approach
from the traditional and project-driven format is the basic mathematics
course that is taught using a multi-media interactive software program by
Academic Systems. This course is
scheduled to meet in JL 225 where computers are set up to access the software
and management programs online. The syllabus and outline
for this course are different from the traditional and project approaches and
can be found in the Appendix of this manual.
In this course there is a component of teacher lecture with much of
the work being done by the student using computer-assisted instruction, while
being assisted by the teacher. Students work from multi-media modules that
offer excellent lessons and exercise opportunities. There are online quizzes
that many teachers incorporate into the final grade, while testing is usually
done using pencil and paper. Tests for
courses taught in this way are available in the copy room in Center II. Students are not allowed to keep the
tests. Textbook The textbook used in this
course is an Academic Systems text called Interactive Mathematics,
PreAlgebra. In order for the students to get the text, they must go to
the bookstore and purchase the shrink wrapped package. At the top of the package will be a colored
sheet of paper (the color is different each semester) that verifies that they
have bought the book. The reason this
is important is that some students take a used book from another
student. This is a problem because the
buying of the book is really synonymous with buying the license from Academic
Systems. If the student doesn’t buy
the book with this verification paper, he or she is getting the license for
free and MCC has to pick up the tab.
Do not let any student who does not show you the verification sheet
remain in your class. This textbook is called a Personal Academic Notebook (PAN). It is not comprehensive and is intended to serve as a supplement to the online materials Calculator Calculators are not
permitted in the Mat-010 course except when indicated as special
accommodations for Project Connections students. Computer A great deal of work is
done on the computer for this course.
Students meet in the Computer Lab in JL 225 each session. Each
computer has a headphone so that each student can be listening to different
material at the same time. If the
instructor is not lecturing or testing, students work on their own, asking
questions and getting extra help as needed.
The management system is excellent and the instructor is able to track
student performance and time on task. NOTE: Although the profile of the students taking
this course is similar to those taking other basic mathematics courses in
many ways, this course is not for everyone.
Even though this format is not an independent study in that students
must meet the same deadlines and take tests on the same days, students who
benefit most from this course must be able to work somewhat
independently. They should not be
computer-phobic and should have the discipline to stick with the computer
tasks. Some students register for this type of course without knowing what
they are getting into. The instructor
should explain the course well on the first class meeting to give students
who do not feel it is an appropriate format to transfer to a different basic
mathematics section. DISTANCE - LEARNING FORMAT There is usually one Basic Mathematics section that is taught as a Distance-Learning course. Students use the Academic Systems multimedia software program and work from any computer off-campus. Naturally, the major difference between this course and the on-campus computer-assisted instruction course is that students do not put in class time. Mat-010A and Mat-010B Students who would benefit
from a slower paced Basic Mathematics course take Mat-010A followed by
Mat-010B over two semesters. There are
students who sign up on their own for this format, Project Connection
students who are advised to sign up for this format and students who started
out in a one-semester Mat-010 who realize that the one semester is too fast
for them. The students who were
originally in a one-semester Mat-010 course have three weeks from the first day of classes to transfer into the
two-semester version. After the first three weeks, no students will be
allowed to drop down to the two-semester version of the course. It was suggested in the Overview of the Developmental Mathematics Section of this manual that instructors should try to assess students early on in the semester to help them determine who might benefit from the two-semester version instead of the one-semester version. In order to help you do this, there is a short five-question problem set available for each of your students in Center II to be administered the first day of class. The questions cover operations with whole numbers involving zeroes and one word problem. Students should be told that this is just a way for you to get to know them and that it will not be used as part of their grades. If you have students who score between zero and two correct, you might want to speak to them about their mathematics backgrounds. In this way you can ascertain quickly if the two-semester Mat-010 would be appropriate for them. As mentioned in the Overview Section, a student cannot be required to take the two-semester version of a course, but at least you can identify the weaker students and keep an eye out for their performance. A sample of the five-question quiz can be found in the Appendix.
The tests for these
courses are not made up by the
Mat-010 Coordinator. Most instructors
give a test per chapter of the curriculum.
Many use the one-semester Mat-010 tests that are in the drawer in
Center as guidelines for making up the Mat-010A and Mat-010B tests. There are also test banks in hard copy and
computerized tests that will give the instructor sample questions from which
to choose. The final exam for the
Mat-010A course is written and ordered for all Mat-010A sections by the Mat-010
committee and will cover the first half of the Basic Mathematics
curriculum. The final exam for the
Mat-010B course is the same final that is given to the one-semester Mat-010
students. This means that the Mat-010B students have
to study for a final exam that covers all the material in Basic
Mathematics. It would be helpful to
intermittently review some of the Mat-010A material (especially fraction) in
the Mat-010B course and allow some time during the final review classes to
practice Mat-010A skills. Students who successfully
complete Mat-010A with a grade of ‘C’ or better will be allowed to take
Mat-010B the following semester in order to complete the Mat-010
requirement. Students who have
successfully completed Mat-010A should be reminded to register for Mat-010B. TEACHING A COMBINATION COURSE If you are teaching a
combination course, you will need to have some information about the
course. The following WebCT website is
available for you to view manuals (both instructor and student) for both the
Mat-009/013 and Mat-009/013A courses.
Included in these manuals are rationale and concept of the course, the
mechanics of the course, materials, and important websites. The website is http://online.middlesexcc.edu:8900/ This website is very comprehensive and
should guide you through the course.
Direct any questions you have to Susan Shulman, Ext 3734 or
Susan_Shulman@middlesexcc.edu.. TUTORING CENTERS ON CAMPUS Tutoring Center in JL 240 Tutoring by peer tutors
and faculty members is available throughout the semester in the Johnson Learning
Center Room 240. Tutors for all
subject areas are available throughout the day, evening and weekends.
(Tutoring schedules can be picked up in JL 240 and distributed to your
students). Tutoring is on a drop-in basis. Tutors sit at tables
designated for the subject area they are tutoring. Students drop-in and sit down at a table
for tutoring. There are usually more
than one student and so students must realize that they might be sharing the
time the tutor has with another student. Sometimes a student might
feel that he or she is not getting the help needed and get discouraged with
the There are times that the
developmental mathematics students feel embarrassed to go to JL240 for
tutoring because there are credit course students who are way ahead of
them. There is a second option for
tutoring. Developmental Mathematics Lab/Tutoring Center The Developmental Mathematics Lab/Tutoring Center in Main Hall 142 is
another place students can get help.
This Center is solely for developmental students and therefore many
students feel more comfortable in this environment. Students can drop-in for help during any of
the designated hours. The tutoring center in MH 142
is designed to be a place where students can get 20-30 minutes of help from a
competent mathematics person on a homework problem or with a skill they
cannot master. It is also a place
where they can use one of the twenty computers so that they can access
publisher created software that is geared to their text or other interactive
software available for free to MCC students.
The staff in MH 142 is knowledgeable about the computers and can set
the students up for work. The tutoring center in MH
142 is not designed to be a place where students can get unending one-on-one
tutoring. The staff is small in number
and the number of students seeking help is great. It is not meant to be a place where
students can have entire chapters explained when they have been absent from
class for a week. The Center is not
designed to be a social meeting place.
While it is comforting to be surrounded by many other students who are
working on their developmental skills, it is a small space and students who
come to socialize will be asked to leave. The hours of the tutoring
center are posted each semester on the window of the Center and are also
available from the secretarial staff in Center II. The website of the Developmental
Mathematics Lab/Tutoring Center can be accessed by going to the MCC homepage,
click on Academics, click on Departments, click on Mathematics Department and
click on Developmental Math. This site
will be updated each semester and list staff, hours and other information. Homework Once again, there are many variations of how
instructors deal with homework assignments.
Most instructors assign homework following each session. The homework is often select exercises in the
textbook or worksheets that have been handed out in class. Most instructors go over homework questions in the
beginning of each class, taking questions and reinforcing skills that were to
be learned. Some instructors never
collect homework assignments, while others might collect it intermittently or
daily. It is a good idea to assign
enough homework to allow students to practice the skills taught, but not so
much that it becomes drudgery. Because time crunches are a reality for everyone, it
is often difficult to grade homework.
One way to deal with this situation is to use the Homework Packets that are available in Center II in the photocopy
and supply room each semester. These
packets include ten homeworks (corresponding to the chapters of the text) and
answer grids for students to use and submit.
Many instructors use the homework sheets from these packets as the
graded homework and do not grade other daily homework assignments. Other instructors count each of the
homeworks as ten points, or 100 points for the entire packet, using the
homework packet grade as a test grade.
Answer keys to this homework packet are available from Susan Shulman. Attendance While there is no formal attendance policy at MCC,
good attendance is critical to the success of students. Your expectations about student attendance
should be included in the outline you distribute the first day of class. Some teachers give quizzes frequently so
that students who do not attend class regularly are penalized in an indirect
way. If a student is ill or has had a personal emergency,
he or she should let you know. It is
up to the student to make-up the work he or she has missed. I suggest that my students have a buddy
system in class. If their ‘buddy’ is
absent, they make a copy of the class notes and have it ready for when the
‘buddy’ returns. Students often
exchange email addresses or phone numbers so that they can find out what
happened in class on the day they were absent. Lateness There are students who are never late to class and
then there are students who are always late to class. This can be distracting for you and the
students, not to mention that the late student has missed the beginning
material. On the first day of class,
you should stress punctuality. If a
student persists in coming late, you will probably want to speak with him or
her individually and read him or her the ‘riot act’.. Testing Tests for the one-semester Mat-010, the project
Mat-010 and computer-assisted Mat-010 are made up by the Mat-010 Coordinator and
are available in the file cabinet in the Center II photocopy and supply room.
There are two forms of each test. Form A and Form B. Some instructors use both forms when
administering the test, alternating rows with each form to discourage
cheating. Some instructors use one
form and use the second form if there is a make-up test to be given. Students may write on the tests. Students are not allowed to keep the
tests! Instructors do hand back
the tests and go over them in class, but they then collect them. Answer keys for the traditional format
Mat-010 are available from Susan Shulman. Make-up
Tests Instructors handle make-up tests in different ways.
In general, if a student is ill and presents documentation from a doctor or
hospital or if there is a death in the family, the student is permitted to
take a make-up exam. This can be
arranged in a few ways. The instructor
might proctor the exam in Center II or the instructor might have to student
take the test in the The mechanics for using the Some instructors do not give make-up tests. They might change the weight of the tests
and final exam to make up for the missed test or extract the questions on the
final exam that come from the chapters of the missed exam and use those
questions to form a test grade. The
way make-up tests are handled is individual.
However, if there is a student who has missed so much of the work that
it would be almost impossible to make it up, the instructor might advise the
student to withdraw from the course by the withdrawal deadline date and take
the course the next semester. It is a good idea to have your students contact you
when they know they will be missing an exam or as soon after the missed exam
as possible. In this way, you know
what is happening with that student and arrangements for make-up work can be
set in place. Quizzes Quizzes are given at the discretion of the
instructor. Some instructors give few
quizzes and others give daily quizzes.
Because there is no attendance policy at MCC, the use of daily quizzes
is an indirect way of making attendance count. If the student is not in class, the daily
quiz grade is zero. Some instructors
give short quizzes at the beginning of the class to encourage students to get
to class on time. There are probably
as many variations as there are instructors.
In general, giving quizzes in between tests is a good idea so that you
assess student performance frequently and so that students are encouraged to
study and practice in between testing times. Final Exam The Mat-010 final exam is a multiple-choice,
cumulative, departmental exam and must comprise 30% of the final grade. It is written by the Mat-010 Coordinator
and committee and is ordered for all sections of Mat-010. Packages containing finals and scantron
cards are stored in Center II by the last week of the semester. There is a separate final exam for the
project-driven Mat-010. The final exam
consists of two parts; part one is taken without using the calculator and
part two is taken with a calculator.
Students take part one, submit it and are then given part two. Day sections take the final exam during the special
final days that follow the last day of class.
Students should be reminded the first day of class that the day of the
final exam will be later than the last day of class. Evening and Saturday classes take the final
exam on the last session of the class.
Students who miss the final exam, will get an F in
the course. If a student has a
documented illness or family emergency, he or she will be allowed to take a
make-up final exam. Once the student
who has missed the final contacts the instructor, arrangements should be made
for a make-up. The instructor may use
the services of the Final exam
review packets are available in Center II in the photocopy and supply
room. There are enough copies for each
of your students. Grading Instructors submit Early Warning Grades, Midterm
Grades and Final Grades during the semester. There will be instruction sheets
in your mailbox telling you the beginning and ending times for entering these
grades. There will also be instructions
on how to enter the grades using WebAdvisor, which is accessed through Campus
Cruiser. The process for entering
these grades is described in the College Section of this manual. As a reminder; when grades are entered for
developmental courses, the only the
final grade entry must have a ‘Q’ in front of the letter grade. For example, if a student is getting an ‘A’
in Mat-010, the final grade should be
entered as ‘QA’.
Final grades are comprised of quizzes, tests, a
cumulative final exam and any other components the instructor wishes to
include. The final exam must comprise 30% of the final grade. The breakdown of the remaining 70% of the
course is at the discretion of the instructor. Many instructors count tests anywhere from
50-60% of the final grade, using quizzes and homework for the remaining
components. The grading criteria must
be included on the outline which is distributed the first day of class. (A
sample outline will be included in this manual). Students
must achieve a final grade of ‘C’ in Mat-010 to be able to go on to Algebra I. Safety Net
Program Some students complete Mat-010 with a grade of ‘D’
and will not be allowed to go on to Mat-013, Algebra I. It is often the case that these students do
not need an entire repeat semester of the course. For whatever reason, they may have been
attending class and fulfilling the requirements, but were not able to bring
their grade up to the ‘C’ level.
Instructors may recommend these students for the Safety Net
Program. Following the fall and spring
semesters, a one-week course Basic Mathematics course is held for students
who earned a ‘D’ in Mat-010. This
course is Mat-009 and is an intense Mat-010 course. It is held in January and then again in
May, before pre-summer session begins.
If the student receives a ‘C’ or better in the Safety Net course,
necessary paperwork and a change-of-grade form is filled out by the
department and the student is allowed to continue on to Mat-013. A memo about the Safety Net Program and a
recommendation form will be distributed to instructors toward the end of the
semester. It is probably not a good idea to announce the
Safety Net Program to the class or mention it in your outline. Students may see it as a ‘net’ that allows
them to slack off. Mat-010 Department Outline for Instructors (Including Syllabus)
There is a department outline for every course taught in the Mathematics Department. The outline includes the goals and objectives of the course, a day-to-day syllabus, testing, final exam and grading policies and other useful information. For Basic Mathematics there is a Department outline for the traditional one-semester course, the traditional two-semester courses, the project-driven course, the computer-assisted instruction taught course and the one-week and combination course. The instructor of each course picks up the outline
in Center II or downloads it from the Mathematics Department website. This website can be accessed by going to
the MCC website, clicking on Academics,
clicking on Departments and
clicking on Mathematics Department
and then Course Outlines. There is also a copy of the Department
outline for each of the Basic Mathematics courses in the Appendix.
Once the instructor has a course outline, he or she
will make up a student outline to distribute the first day of class to the
students. This will contain the
day-to-day information and anything else you want to tell your class. The Student Outline section below will
give you an idea of what should be included in the outline you distribute to
your students. Mat-010
Student Outline The outline that is given to the students the first
day of class should contain the day-to-day syllabus and other information you
want to present to your students. The outline should contain at least the following
information: · Course Title (Basic Mathematics), Course Code
(Mat-010) and Section · Instructor’s Name · Means to reach the Instructor · Text book title · Available student supplements · Test and Quiz information · Homework requirements · Grading Criteria* · Student disability information · Academic integrity procedures · Cell phone and eating in class rules · Anything else you want your students to know Sample Mat-010 outlines for the various formats can be found in the Appendix, as well as sample student outlines that instructors have distributed on the first day of class. STUDENT
PERFORMANCE – WHAT TO EXPECT Records of student performance in the Basic
Mathematics course have been kept for many years. For the last few years, the statistics have
been fairly consistent. Most of the data available is for the one-semester
traditional classes, day and evening, and the Basic Math/Algebra Of course, it is always the aim of those coordinating and teaching the developmental courses to improve the performance of the students. We have an eye out for strategies and innovations that increase the success rate in Basic Mathematics and the Combination classes. Please share your successes with others in the Department and feel free to discuss any concerns you have about student performance in the course with your colleagues.
Mat-010 –
Day - Traditional –One-Semester Approximately 45% - 55% of the students on the
10-day roster, taking Mat-010 in a one-semester traditional format during the
day successfully complete the Basic Mathematics course with a grade of ‘C’ or
better. Mat-010 –
Evening and Saturday – Traditional – One-Semester Approximately 60% of the students on the 10-day
roster, taking Mat-010 in a one-semester traditional format in the evening or
Saturday successfully complete the Basic Mathematics course with a ‘C’ or
better. Combination
– Mat-009 Students who take the Mat-009, one-contact-hour
Basic Mathematics course in combination with Mat-013A or Mat-013 perform very
well in this version of the course.
Approximately 85% - 95% of students on the 10-day roster successfully
complete this course with a grade of ‘C’ or better. Combination
–Mat-013A Approximately 70% of the students on the Mat-013A
10-day roster taking this course in combination with Mat-009 successfully
complete the course with a grade of ‘C’ or better.
Combination
– Mat-013 There is a wide variation of success rates in Mat-013 for students who take it as part of the combination course. Anywhere from 40% - 70% of the students taking this course successfully complete it.
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