To be successful in this course, you need to have had a good deal of exposure to introductory algebra. You will be required to take one quiz approximately every four weeks, and there are no makeups. Upon taking the final examination, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. These quizzes will contain anywhere from 15-20 questions, some of which will be multiple choice or short answer. You should be able to complete quizzes in anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes.
Many people choose to get a week or two ahead of schedule with their quizzes. For instance, you can take the first quiz during week three, study for the second quiz over the next two weeks, and take quiz two early in week five. A number of students have successfully completed this course with an "A" grade in eight weeks or less! I encourage you to do the same if you are so inclined.
Quizzes will be taken at a GCC testing center, in person, with paper and pen/pencil.
It is your responsibility to know the testing hours at your particular campus center.There will be a final examination. You should plan on spending a minimum of two hours completing this comprehensive exam. More details will be provided later on in the semester. You may take the final exam early with permission from the instructor.
Final grades are assigned according to the following scheme, with the final average rounded to the nearest integer (in %):
92 or higher = A, 90-91 = A-, 88-89 = B+, 82-87 = B, 80-81 = B-, 78-79 = C+, 72-77 = C, 70-71 = C-, 68-69 = D+, 62-67 = D, 60-61 = D-, 59 or less = F.
Grades will be weighted as follows:
There will be a total of 4 quizzes during this semester. You must take the quizzes on or before the due date! These quizzes must be taken on the main campus in the testing center or at one of the campus centers. It is your responsibility to know the testing hours at each testing location! In certain situations where a student lives outside the Genesee region, a proctor may be identified to give exams. The responsibility of locating a proctor lies entirely with the student. For more information regarding proctoring requirements, please contact your instructor.
As a favor to my students, I will allow each of you to have a total of four (4) "late passes" to use during the semester, One late pass = One day late (weekdays only), and, if you wish, you may use multiple passes on a single quiz. However, once you use up all your late passes, no more taking quizzes after the due date. This is not negotiable! Please do not ask for an exception!
* If you finish the semester with an average of 90% or better on your four quizzes and homework, you will be exempt from taking the final exam and will earn a grade of A or A- in the course (depending on average - see above). If not, and unless notified otherwise, you'll be required to take the final exam during the final exam period. Upon taking the final exam, your lowest quiz grade gets dropped and replaced with the final exam grade. If you are required to take the final and don't, or if a grade was reduced due to improper behavior, then your second lowest quiz grade gets dropped and replaced with a zero.
To summarize, you will be required to take at least four quizzes, approximately one every four weeks, at your local campus center or at the main campus. See syllabus supplement for hours and locations. It is YOUR responsibiltiy to know the testing hours of your testing site.
You will have online homework assignments that will be graded, and paper/pencil homework that will not.
The last day to withdraw with a grade of "W" is aligned with the middle of the semester plus one week (usually at the end of the ninth week during the fall and spring semesters).
Cheating is obtaining or intentionally giving unauthorized information to create an unfair advantage in an examination, assignment, or classroom situation. Plagiarism is the act of presenting and claimingwords, ideas, data, programming code or creations of others as one’s own. Plagiarism may be intentional – as in a false claim of authorship – or unintentional – as in a failure to document information sources using MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association) Chicago or other style sheets or manuals adopted by instructors at the College. Presenting ideas in the exact or near exact wording as found in source material constitutes plagiarism, as does patching together paraphrased statements without in-text citation. The purchasing or sharing of papers or projects between students or the re-use of papers or projects submitted for more than one assignment or class also constitutes plagiarism.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated: a grade of zero will be given on the assignment or exam under these circumstances. In certain extreme cases, including multiple offenses, the student will receive a grade of F for the semester. In any instance where a grade is reduced due to improper conduct by the student, it will NOT be replaced by the score on the final exam.
You might find that the testing hours offered at your local campus center just don't mesh with your busy schedule. Or, you might live far from the nearest testing center. If either of these conditions fit, then by all means find yourself a proctor!
Your proctor should work at an educational facility or local library, and exams should be administered at the proctor's place of employment during regular business hours. We have had quite a bit of success with individuals volunteering from local school districts and, especially, local libraries. Please look into this!
The proctor's responsibilities include receiving tests from the instructor, administering the quizzes (approximately 60 minutes) and returning the quizzes to the instructor via U.S. Mail.
If you find an individual or institution willing to serve as your proctor for this course, please send me a message with the vital information about this individual: Name, Title, Mailing Address, Phone, FAX, email, place of employment, and when and where you plan to take your quizzes. You need to do this at least 8 business days before the due date for the first quiz!
If you are unable to locate a proctor, or otherwise cannot take your quizzes in a traditional proctored environment (including GCC's testing centers), you have the option of taking quizzes through a paid proctoring service. Currently, GCC partners with ProctorU for this purpose. The cost per quiz is approximately $20 for up to two hours, assuming the quiz is scheduled 72 hours or more in advance. There are strict hardware requirements in order to take quizzes in this environment. Please visit http://www.proctoru.com for details.
If you plan to use ProctorU for any of your quizzes, please let your instructor know at least two weeks prior to the date you plan to take the quiz. All costs associated with online proctoring services will be borne by the student.
As mentioned above, course topics will be broken down into 4 evenly divided modules, each covering approximately 1/4 of the semester, or about 4 weeks each. Module 1 covers sections 1.1-1.5, 2.1-2.4, and 3.1-3.2. Module 2 covers sections 3.3-3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.5, and 5.1-5.3. Module 3 covers 5.4-5.8 and 6.1-6.5. Module 4 covers 6.6-6.7, 7.1-7.5 and 8.1-8.3.
Embedded in each module, there will be three (3) online homework assignments with due dates spaced evenly throughout. Each module will culminate with a quiz. All due dates will be posted inside myGCC at the beginning of the semester.
The instructor reserves the right to make any reasonable and necessary modifications to the statements above. This document is subject to change.