Janet Bickham's Online Elementary Algebra

NOTE: Distance Learning Math students should scroll down the page, click on all links, and read through all posted materials. All information and course materials for Fall 2011 are now posted on the web. Materials for next semester will be posted before the next semester begins. If you would like to view or print the handouts for this course, they will all be posted at http://www.austincc.edu/jbickham/handouts as soon as they are ready. Just click on "MATD 0370 Elementary Algebra" and scroll down the page to find them all. Be careful not to scroll into the Basic Math Skills and/or Intermediate Algebra sections. The sections are clearly divided. Until the updated information and handouts for your semester are posted, to get a good idea about how the class will be conducted, you may read through this web page and everything linked to it, including the current semester handouts. Almost everything (such as the course materials, including MyMathLab access with or without a book) will be the same. The main changes will be the dates and deadlines. Some handouts may be changing slightly and there may be some minor changes in grading policies, but you may get your course materials now. Thanks in advance for your patience while I am updating all materials for your semester.

All information for the Fall 2011 semester is now posted and students may begin working in the class and in the MyMathLab computer software as soon as this course becomes available to you in Blackboard, which should be shortly before the semester begins. Be sure to submit both your Online Orientation quiz and Pretest to your instructor as soon as possible. More information about that may be found below. This class begins Monday, August 22, 2011, and all work must be completed and turned in and the final exam must be taken no later than Tuesday, December 6, 2011. Please be aware that this class is a computer math class that uses the MyMathLab computer program to enhance your math learning experience. You will be doing your work off campus but will be coming to campus to take tests either in the ACC Testing Center that you select on your Online Orientation quiz, or in an ACC Office for Students with Disabilities upon submitting to me an appropriate ACC accommodations letter. If you want to take your tests at a different proctored Testing Center, you should email me as soon as possible to discuss this.

For information about the book and computer program/software, please begin by reading through the MATD 0370 Elementary Algebra section of http://www.austincc.edu/jbickham/mmltextbooks. More information about the MATD 0370 Elementary Algebra book and software is found in these web pages and handouts.

The prerequisite for Elementary Algebra (MATD 0370) is a grade of C or better in Basic Math Skills (MATD 0330) taken in Spring 2000 or later, or its equivalent knowledge. You should verify now that Elementary Algebra is the correct level class for you by completing the Review for the Elementary Algebra Pretest. This review will help you prepare for the Elementary Algebra Pretest, which you will be taking in Blackboard at the beginning of the semester in order to verify that this is the correct level math class for you. I realize that you may have taken a placement test which indicated that this is the correct level for you, but the Math Department has determined that these placement tests do not always place students into the correct math class, which is one reason we give these Pretests. The Pretest covers math topics you are expected to know when you begin this class, so another reason we give these Pretests is to help you review the math concepts you are expected to know. You should score at least 70% correct on the Pretest, or else you probably should enroll in the previous math course, MATD 0330 Basic Math Skills. If you are able to understand and work correctly at least 30 out of the 42 problems on the Review for the Elementary Algebra Pretest, then you are probably ready to take Elementary Algebra, but you will still take the Pretest at the beginning of the semester to verify this. If you cannot work correctly and understand at least 30 of these 42 problems, then you should probably enroll in Basic Math Skills (MATD 0330). If you have any questions about which course is the correct level course for you, please contact your instructor.

Elementary Algebra is designed to prepare you for Intermediate Algebra (MATD 0390) and to help you pass the math portion of the THEA or T-COMP (Compass) test. It also offers you one way to prepare for MATH 1332 College Mathematics, MATH 1342 Elementary Statistics, or MATH 1333 Mathematics for Measurement, if you have completed your remediation by passing the THEA or T-COMP test. Elementary Algebra covers topics normally covered in the first year of algebra in high school.

Please note that once you have begun taking math classes at ACC, you may NOT skip math classes. Therefore, this paragraph applies only to those students who are trying to determine the correct initial placement into a math course. Please be aware that if (1) you do not complete your remediation by passing the THEA or T-COMP (Compass) test before taking your next math course after passing this course with an A, B or C, and/or if (2) your degree plan requires any math course(s) other than MATH 1332 College Mathematics (not MATH 1314 College Algebra), MATH 1342 Elementary Statistics, or MATH 1333 Mathematics for Measurement, and you begin in this math course, then you will have to take one other developmental math course (MATD 0390 Intermediate Algebra) before taking your other math course(s), such as MATH 1314 College Algebra or MATH 1324 Math for Business and Economics (if you need either of these math courses for your degree or as prerequisites for higher level math courses or for other courses required for your degree). Therefore, after completing the Review for the Elementary Algebra Pretest, if you think that Elementary Algebra may be too easy for you, you may want to try doing the Review for the Intermediate Algebra Pretest. If you are able to understand and work correctly at least 43 out of the 61 problems on this review, then you may be ready to take Intermediate Algebra. However, please be aware that it is never a good idea to begin at a level of math that is too difficult for you, so you will not be allowed to move up unless you prove you are ready for Intermediate Algebra by passing a Pretest as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester to verify that you truly are ready for the course. After completing the Review for the Intermediate Algebra Pretest, if you want to take an actual Intermediate Algebra Pretest, please contact your instructor. Schedule changes ("adds and drops") must be handled very early in the semester, so please take care of this right away. If you have any questions about which math course is the correct level course for you, please contact your instructor.

So how do you begin in this class?

1) Verify now that Elementary Algebra is the correct level class for you by completing the Review for the Elementary Algebra Pretest. Then take the actual Pretest in Blackboard as soon as this course becomes available to you in Blackboard, shortly before the semester begins. You should pass this Pretest with a score of at least 70% correct. Otherwise, you should email me at jbickham@austincc.edu because it is likely you should enroll in a previous course: MATD 0330 Basic Math Skills. If you have not completed the Pretest with a score of at least 70% by the Friday of the first week of classes, you may be dropped from the course. Be sure that you understand the importance of taking the correct level math class by reading the TSI and class expectation requirements at http://www.austincc.edu/jbickham/tsi. Do this and the next 3 steps as soon as possible because the schedule change ("adds and drops") period is short, but is slightly longer for developmental classes.

2) To help determine whether this is a reasonable type course for you, complete the following two handouts posted at http://www.austincc.edu/jbickham/handouts:

a. Is Computer-Mediated Math Right for You?

b. Is Distance Learning Math Right for You?

3) Make sure that you have the minimum computer requirements posted at http://www.austincc.edu/jbickham/rightclass#Minimum. You will also need reliable high-speed internet access in order to participate in this course. ACC now provides email addresses for students, and all ACC faculty are required to send class correspondence to students using those email addresses. Therefore, you MUST activate your ACC email account now. Your ACC email address is firstname.lastname@g.austincc.edu, unless another ACC student has your same first and last name. Then your last name may have a number immediately following it, such as firstname.lastname2@g.austincc.edu. To find out for sure, go to Online Services at http://www.austincc.edu/. Click on Current Students. Then log in with your ACCeID and password, and click on ACCmail to find your ACCmail user name, initial password, and a link to activate your new ACCmail account. Unless it has changed, your initial password will be ten digits: the last 4 digits of your ACCeID or ACC ID (both ACCeID and ACC ID have the same last 4 digits), followed immediately by your 6-digit birthday in MMDDYY form. If you want to have all email automatically forwarded from your ACCmail to your regular email account, follow these instructions to set up your ACCmail to forward email automatically. Note: the only difference between your ACC ID and ACCeID is that your ACCeID has 8 digits: the first initial of your official first name followed immediately by your full 7-digit ACC ID number, which is in the upper right part of your ACC Photo ID.

4) Read through all of the links here and on the left side of the page, and please let me know if you find any bad links or errors. Please also read through the handouts posted at http://www.austincc.edu/jbickham/handouts and let me know if you find any mistakes in those, particularly in the Syllabus and Weekly Schedule. Be sure to get the handouts for MATD 0370 Elementary Algebra, and not for my other 2 developmental math courses.

5) If after doing all of this, you are sure that this is the correct class for you, then buy your MyMathLab access (with or without a printed copy of the book because the MyMathLab access comes with the book and solutions online) as soon as possible. Register for MyMathLab by following the instructions at http://www.austincc.edu/jbickham/mymathlabinfo.pdf. For students with short-term financial issues, such as waiting for financial aid to arrive, brief temporary access to the MyMathLab computer program is available. The method for obtaining this temporary access has changed, so you should contact your instructor if you need temporary access to MyMathLab. You will also need notebook paper, pencils (or pens) with erasers, and an inexpensive scientific (non-graphing) calculator. You may get rectangular graph paper if you want it for graphing lines, but you may also print graph paper from here.

6) All information necessary to complete the online orientation is now posted, so please submit your online orientation quiz in Blackboard as soon as this course becomes available to you in Blackboard, shortly before the semester begins. You do NOT need the MyMathLab access or book in order to complete the online orientation. Just read the information in the web pages and handouts, and you should be able to answer the questions. After you have completed the online orientation quiz and have received feedback explaining what you missed and where to get that information, you should retake the orientation quiz as many times as necessary to get a perfect score (10 correct out of 10 possible because the Testing Center question does not count in your score). After taking the orientation quiz and reviewing your results, which tell where to find the correct answers to each question, if you still are unable to find the information you are looking for, please contact me. If you have not completed the orientation with a perfect score by the Friday of the first week of classes, you may be dropped from the course.

7) Get started in the Weekly Schedule right away because the first assignments are due by the beginning of Week 2.

8) For more information about what to accomplish no later than the first week, please refer to http://www.austincc.edu/jbickham/0370firstweek.pdf.

9) I will be emailing the entire class with more information regularly. These emails sent to the class will also be posted as announcements in Blackboard at http://acconline.austincc.edu/ for easy reference. Please keep in mind that I have many students I am dealing with, and the beginning and end of the semester are my busiest times because that is when most students contact me by telephone, by email, and in person, wanting help. Except for possible minor changes, all reviews have been created and are posted at http://www.austincc.edu/jbickham/handouts. I will be distributing tests to all of the Testing Centers and Offices for Students with Disabilities, and I will be emailing you to notify you as soon as those are ready for you to begin taking. I am working as fast as I can to assist everyone, so please be patient until you hear from me. I will be returning your messages as soon as I can and I will also be contacting the entire class with more information soon.

My goal is for my students to achieve victory over the math concepts and therefore succeed in my classes!

You have to do your part in order for this to occur!