Syllabus

Transitional Math
Students mastering MATH014 content will have access to an introduction to the critical elements of algebra for linear equations and polynomials. This material will provide students with skills necessary to solve a variety of basic algebra problems with linear equations applying factoring, exponents, and graphical analysis. These are topics and skills which the student will need to master to be eligible for placement in college algebra.

Method of Instruction
This course is a self-paced MyFoundationsLab (MFL) course and may be completed in up to 8 weeks. Your Learning Path in the course will take you step by step through the topics you need to master. There are several Learning Aids available in the course, including videos, animations, and interactive examples. You can also access live online tutoring from your course homepage or via the Connect to a Tutor learning aid in each practice problem.

You are participating in a special New Start MFL course, and you will be assigned a personal mentor for the duration of the course. Your mentor will contact you regularly by telephone, and he or she will help you navigate the course and stay on schedule for successful completion. Because the course is individualized and self-paced, your mentor will be a valuable resource to help you keep on target. You will also be encouraged to utilize the online tutoring available in the course. Even though there is no classroom instruction, you will still have access to math experts who can help you to better understand the concepts and solve problems successfully. Even on topics where you feel confident, working with a tutor can help to further solidify your knowledge in preparation for your Final Exam.

Course Materials and Resources

MyFoundationsLab
Your self-paced course will be delivered through MyFoundationsLab (MFL). Check the Announcements in the course for a video tour or the features as well as a browser check you will want to run during your first access.

Your Learning Path in the course will take you step by step through the topics you need to master. There are several Learning Aids available in the course, including videos, animations, interactive examples. You can also access live online tutoring from your course homepage or via the Connect to a Tutor learning aid in each practice problem.

New Start Mentor
You have been assigned a Mentor for this course. Your mentor will help you to navigate MFL and can help you determine how to work most effectively through the self-paced course. Please watch the video in the first announcement in the course which explains the role of the mentor and other features of this New Start course. Your mentor will contact you by telephone in the first few days of the course.

Calculator
Most problems you will work on in this course can be solved "by hand" and will not require a calculator. There is a basic calculator utility available in MFL, but you will probably want to have your own to use in this course and others at DeVry. A graphing calculator is strongly recommended for courses beyond MATH 014 but not required. Additional materials are available for you in Document Sharing within MFL to print out.

Self-Paced MFL Course
This course is a self-paced MyFoundationsLab (MFL) course and may be completed in up to 8 weeks. There are four main aspects to this course.

• Determine your personalized Learning Path for the course by completing the Path Builder. Since this is a mastery-based course, you must demonstrate a solid understanding of all topics and modules in the course in order to complete the course. The Path Builder will determine if you already are working at a mastery level in one or more modules of the course. Your Learning Path will then only contain modules which still require study.
  
  
• You will meet regularly on the phone with your New Start Mentor to ensure that your progress stays on track. You also haveSmarthinking online tutoring available to you in this course. There are several ways to access the tutoring, and there is more information on this in your MFL course or you can ask your mentor.
  
  
• Achieve Mastery of topics and modules in the course. You are required to complete the first four modules, containing a total of 32 topics, in the MATH014 course. If time remains in the eight-week course, you may continue after that to complete part or all of the Transitional Math topics. The Transitional Math curriculum includes an additional 30 topics in 4 modules.
  Following the instructions in MFL, you will review instructional materials (written summaries, videos, interactive animations, etc.) To achieve mastery on a topic, you will need to score 80% or better on the topic post-test. Master a module by mastering all topics in that module.
  
  
• Take the Final Mastery Check. After you have shown that you have a solid understanding of the four modules in the MATH014 course, you may take the MATH014 Mastery Test as a confirmation of your successful completion and understanding of the course content. You must achieve a score of 80% or better on the MATH014 Mastery Test to satisfactorily complete the course. You may attempt a Final Mastery Check two times.
  If you successfully complete all 62 topics in the 8 modules available, you may take the Transitional Content Mastery Test. If you achieve a score of 80% or better on the Transitional Content Mastery Test you may be eligible for placement in college algebra.

Grades, Duration of Course, and Completion Requirements

The passing grade for MATH014 is A or B, which will convert to S (satisfactory). You will achieve at least a grade of B by completing the first four module post-tests and the MATH014 Mastery Test with a grade of 80% or better. Your participation in the mentoring and tutoring aspects of the course will also factor into your final grade assignment.

Students not achieving the required mastery levels in modules 1-4 and a score of 80% or better on the MATH014 Mastery Test will receive a grade of U (unsatisfactory).

If you successfully complete all of MATH014 and the Transitional Math curriculum, as evidenced by a score of 80% or better on both the MATH014 Mastery Test and the Transitional Math Mastery Test, you may be eligible for placement into college algebra.

All assignments, quizzes, and final mastery test(s) must be completed within the 8 week maximum duration of the course. After you have completed your Learning Path Builder to find out which modules you need to study, consult with your New Start Mentor to set the best schedule for your successful completion of the course and achievement of your goals for the course.

NOTE: Students are required to complete a learning activity in the course within the first two weeks of the course in order to meet the attendance requirement and stay enrolled in the course. The learning activity requirement is to take the Path Builder Assessment and to complete work in at least one topic, including taking the Post-test, by Friday of Week Two. Students who do not meet this attendance requirement will be automatically withdrawn from the course.

Navigating the Course

Announcements

Upon logging into the course for the first time, you will want to review all the posted announcements for important information about the course. Check back frequently for updates as the course proceeds.

Path Builder and Your Learning Path

Your first task in the MyFoundationsLab (MFL) course is to complete the Path Builder. This important assessment will determine which areas of the course you already know and which areas require further study for mastery. Once you have a Learning Path set, you can progress through the modules in which you still need to demonstrate mastery in preparation for the Final Exam.

Topics and Modules

Each module of the course contains several topics for you to study. Each topic begins with an Overview, consisting of a written summary and some short videos or interactive examples. After you have viewed these, you will be able to begin work on practice problems in the Getting Started and Practice areas. You must show at least 80% mastery of these areas to continue progressing through the topic. You have an unlimited number of attempts to do this. After the Practice areas are complete, you will have access to the Apply area, which poses problems of a more applied nature. You must score 70% or better on these applied problems to gain access to the topic Post-test.

Topic Post-Test Prep Assignments

Before you attempt the topic Post-test, you should complete the Post-test Prep assignment. These optional exercises contain three problems very similar to the most challenging problems in the Post-test. Post-test Prep allows you to solidify your knowledge and skills for the Post-test. You should also find that these assignments will help you to work more independently, without most of the Learning Aids in MFL. You will still be able to use the Connect to a Tutor or Ask My Instructor buttons if you need assistance. You will have an unlimited number of attempts on each Post-test Prep.

Topic Post-Tests and Module Mastery

To achieve mastery of a module, you must complete all topics contained in that module by scoring 80% or better on each topic Post-test. You will have three attempts on each Post-test. Before doing a retake of any Post-tests you should review the missed problems and be sure you can reach the correct answers. In review mode you will have access to Learning Aids, such as Connect to a Tutor, which were not available while you were taking the test. It may also be a good idea to repeat the Post-test Prep assignment or some earlier Practice or Apply problems. There is no penalty for repeating any completed material, as your highest scores will be retained in the system. If you use up your three attempts without achieving mastery, contact your instructor to re-open the Post-test to you.

Module Skills Checks

If you use the Study By Module option in your Learning Path, you will find a Skills Check for each module. Completing the Skills Check is optional, but it may allow you to show mastery in some of the topics within a module by scoring 80% or better on questions on those topics. You will still need to complete the remaining topics in the module before moving on to the next one.

Mentoring and Tutoring

This is a special New Start MFL course, and you will be assigned a personal mentor for the duration of the course. Your mentor will contact you regularly by telephone, and he or she will help you navigate the course and stay on schedule for successful completion. Because the course is individualized and self-paced, your mentor will be a valuable resource to help you keep on target for completion and success.

You will also be encouraged to utilize the online tutoring available in the course. Even though there is no classroom instruction, you will still have access to math experts who can help you to better understand the concepts and solve problems successfully. Even on topics where you feel confident, working with a tutor can help to further solidify your knowledge in preparation for your Final Exam.

Final Exam (MATH 014 Mastery Test)

The Final Exam can be taken up to two times. Additional attempts require the approval of the instructor and will require additional practice before the new attempt is granted. The Final Exam is a graded component of the class. Only the highest grade counts. You must successfully complete all Practice areas and Post-tests in the course before you can attempt the Final Exam. Regardless of your performance on the separate modules of the course, you must show mastery-level success on the Final Exam to pass the course.

Course Content

Course Learning Objectives
During your progression through the MyFoundationsLab-powered course you will cover the following objectives:

Given the various sets of numbers, identify their elements and the relationships between those sets (Natural, Whole, Integer, Rational, and Real numbers).Complete arithmetic with numbers in decimal form, fractional form, and as mixed numbers.Given an integer, determine all factors as well as the prime factorization.Given a mathematical expression with a mixture of rational numbers combined with operators and grouping symbols, properly evaluate the value of the expression.Given a description of an algebraic expression in words, provide the proper expression.Complete arithmetic with real numbers as well as absolute value.

Students completing the additional Transitional Math content will also cover the following objectives:

Given a problem involving percentages, properly convert percentages to decimal or fractional form and vice versa, and evaluate.Given a linear equation in one variable, properly determine the solution. Also, solve linear equations involving multiple variables for a specified variable.Given a linear inequality in one variable, properly determine the solution and state the solution in set notation as well as graphically.Given a linear equation in two variables, graph that equation.Given data concerning a linear relationship, determine the equation of the line.Given numeric and algebraic expressions involving integer exponents, simplify and/or evaluate those expressionsGiven one or more polynomials, identify those polynomials and simplify expressions involving the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division (by monomials only) of those polynomials. Also, evaluate algebraic expressions involving one variable.Given fixed decimal values and expressions, convert the values into scientific notation.

Topics and Skills Coverage

The following topics are covered in the MATH014 Mastery Test. Since this is a mastery-based course, you must demonstrate a solid understanding of all of these topics. Your personalized Learning Path will indicate in which of the modules you will need further study before attempting the final Mastery Test. Because the course is individualized and self-paced, you may want to consult your mentor about the pacing and schedule that will keep you on target for completing the course successfully.

Successful completion of the Foundations (014) course content will enable a student to meet the math entry requirements into MATH062. There are a total of 32 topics in the four modules of the MATH014 course. You should aim to complete about 5 topics a week to allow time to finish the MATH014 and take the MATH014 Mastery Test.

MATH014 CURRICULUM:

Students successfully completing MATH014 within the eight-week period of the class may continue working through topics from the Transitional Math curriculum with the support of the same mentor and tutoring options. Using this time to gain exposure to these concepts and skills will enable students to work more quickly and confidently in the subsequent course. If a student completes all the course content associated with the Transitional Math curriculum and also completes the Transitional Math Mastery Test with a score of 80% or better within the eight weeks, then that student may be eligible for placement into College Algebra. The additional four modules and 30 topics are shown in the table below:

TRANSITIONAL MATH CURRICULUM: