Course Contract

Math 100

Quantitative Reasoning

Spring Semester, 2021

INSTRUCTOR:  Erik Sorensen 

OFFICE:  223 Whitt Hall

PHONE:   540-831-5667

VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS: I will be available Monday-Friday upon request via Zoom and Facetime. Please send an email to set up an appointment.

E-MAIL: esorensen2@radford.edu (please check your email early often for this course as this will be the main mode of communication).

Course Website: This is where the course content is located. Schedule, quiz due dates, videos, PowerPoints. The website will be updated each Sunday afternoon/evening with the next week’s sections and quiz assignments. https://www.radford.edu/~esorensen2/Math100_Fall2020_Online.html

OPTIONAL TEXT: Quantitative Reasoning by C. Case, W. Case, Corwin, Mistele, and Sorensen (Kendall Hunt Publishing). To purchase a copy of the e-textbook, please visit: https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/quantitive-reasoning-0

COVID-19

Student Health: Students are expected to complete the University’s Daily Symptom Tracker.  The guidance provided upon submission of the survey should be used to determine and guide actions related to monitoring one’s health. The Daily Symptom Tracker is available on RU Mobile and the MyRU Portal 

Face Coverings: Under Governor Northam’s Executive Order 63 and Radford University’s Fall 2020 Campus Reopening Plan, all campus community members are required to wear a face mask or covering when in close proximity to others.  This includes all instructional spaces (classrooms, labs, studios, etc.), as well as non-instructional ones, such as public areas of residence halls, dining halls, Radford Transit and while conducting business on campus. Radford University is providing faculty, students, and staff members with two washable cloth face masks. 

The strength of our community rests on trust and care for one another. During this public health emergency, we expect students to abide by the required public health guidelines of our community by appropriately wearing a mask/face covering (i.e., covering both your mouth and nose), while in our academic spaces, including classrooms, computer labs, centers, and departmental suites. Students not wearing a mask in instructional spaces (classrooms, labs, studios, etc.) will be asked to leave. Students who have specific concerns or questions about the masking requirement should contact Dr. Corey Cassidy, Executive Director of the Academic Success Center. For the health and safety of our community, those who do not wear face masks/coverings may face disciplinary action.

Grading: Your course grade will be based on the following:  Tests: (60%); Homework (15%), Final Exam: (25%). 

 Letter grades will be assigned based on the following scale:                                               

89.5 - 100 A

87.5 - 89.4 B+

                                                                         79.5 - 87.4 B

77.5 - 79.4 C+

69.5 – 77.4 C

59.5 – 69.4 D

                                                                          0 – 59.4 F

Course Content and Goals: For the semester, the will be a virtual class. For much of the class, we will be exploring and refining your knowledge for the assigned chapter content. 

The course will cover approximately the following sections/topics from the text:

       Chapter 1 (Scientific Notation and Math Modeling)

Chapter 2 (Financial Math)

Chapter 3 (Descriptive Statistics)

Chapter 4 (Voting Methods)

Tests: There will be three tests given during the semester.  Each test will count for 20% of your course grade. Dates, format, and location (in person or online) TBA.

Final: This course has a common final exam; in other words, all sections take the same final. The final is comprehensive and counts for 25% of your course grade. The date and time of the final exam to be announced, but will be at the end of the semester.

Make-up tests: There are no make-up tests with the only exception being for Radford University sanctioned events. If you miss a test, the final exam will count for the test(s) you missed. For example, if you miss one test, the final exam will count for 25% plus the percentage of the test (20% more) you missed.

Student Goals and Objectives of the Course: Intended primarily as a quantitative literacy course for students whose professional interests and pursuits require them to be able to understand and analyze the social and physical world in its many quantitative aspects. Students will acquire knowledge and techniques that permit them to understand and employ mathematical methods for measuring, assessing, modeling, and forecasting. Additionally, students will be able to comprehend quantitative claims and data, and be armored against the intentional or unintentional use of statistics or argument to deceive and distort. Students will be able to use the tools of mathematics and quantitative reasoning to conceptualize and solve problems.

Students will be able to:

a. identify and interpret relationships among numeric, symbolic, and graphical information

b. generate mathematical models using numeric, symbolic, and graphical information for use in real-world applications

c. solve problems using numeric, symbolic, and graphical information

Quizzes:  Quiz problems will be assigned for each class meeting via WebWork, an online quiz delivery platform. Each section will have quiz problems. You have unlimited number of attempts to take each quiz. Your three lowest quiz grades will be dropped!! You will have until Friday at 3pm of each week to submit all homework assignments for that week.

Materials/Calculators:  Students are encouraged to use calculators. You will need at least a scientific calculator or graphing calculator for the course. No restrictions are placed on the use of calculators in homework, in class, or on tests.

Additional Help: The Harvey Knowledge Center (HKC), supports students in achieving academic success. Using a learner-centered approach, the center offers free academic consulting and seminars to support students’ skills and confidence in navigating the opportunities and challenges of their coursework. Our focus is to help students develop and leverage their own strategies for learning that can extend beyond the questions that bring them to our center. They have tools and resources to support any student’s academic goals. The center offers one-on-one assistance and small group academic coaching for writing, math, science courses, and more. For more information, visit the Harvey Knowledge Center https://www.radford.edu/content/harvey-knowledge-center/home.html

Students with Disabilities: Students seeking academic accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act must register with the Center for Accessibility Services (CAS) to determine eligibility. Students qualified for academic accommodations will receive accommodation letters and should meet with each course professor during office hours, to review and discuss accommodations.  To begin the registration process, complete a Student Registration Form and submit documentation to PO Box 6902, Radford, Virginia 24142, or deliver to the Russell Hall, Room 325, by fax to 540-831-6525, or by email cas@radford.edu to see documentation guidelines.  For more information, visit the Center for Accessibility Services (CAS) website or call 540-831-6350.

Radford University Honor Code Policy:  By accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations of this academic integrity will not be tolerated. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code. Refer to your Student Handbook for details.