MATH 300 FALL 2023 Introduction to Mathematical Ideas

American River College

Instructor Lana Anishchenko

Office Rm 146 Howard Hall or email and/or zoom

Office Hours MW 12-2pm, Tu 10:30am-11:35am, Th 12pm-12:30pm via email or by appointment via
zoom
Email [email protected]
When emailing me, write your class number (MATH 300) and your name in the subject line.
Please contact me about any questions, administrative, personal matters, or if you need to
discuss something in person.
Phone (916) 484-8097
Sections Math 300 sections 12128, 12151

Welcome! I’m looking forward to a good semester and hope that this class will meet your expectations. With
your support and commitment, I will be striving to provide you with a positive learning experience.
Involvement, interaction, and communication will be stressed daily – these are important elements of success.

Text: College Mathematics, 2nd, by Tracey Haynie, et al., 2017 and workbook by Sharleen
McCarroll (free for students)

Website canvas.losrios.edu
Course
Materials
MyOpenMath subscription (free for students)

Calculator Desmos online calculator (free for students) as well as additional free software.
Internet Connection and Browsers You need to have regular access to an Internet
connection with Google Chrome. This course will require cookies and JavaScript
Technology. Both features must be turned on in your browser and are usually turned on by
default. Turn on allow popup windows. See your browser Help for instructions on how to
view or change these settings.

Additionally Pencils & Eraser as well as colored pencils, pens, and/or highlighters for
notes; Binder (at least 1 ½”) and binder paper; A mini stapler

Positive Attitude!

This course makes fundamental concepts and processes more meaningful for non-
mathematics majors through a study of several mathematical topics, including the history
of mathematics, numeration systems, logic, geometry, algebraic modeling, combinatorics,
Course probability, statistics, sets, matrices, consumer mathematics, equations and inequalities,
Description functions and graphs, problem solving, graph theory, voting and apportionment, and
number theory. This course is not recommended for students entering elementary school
teaching or business administration majors.
 Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

 discuss several branches of mathematics, including their history and uses beyond
Learning mathematics.
Outcomes and  identify appropriate procedures and solve exercises from selected mathematical
Objectives topics.
 apply critical thinking skills to solve exercises in new settings.
 explain the process and results of several mathematical procedures.

Student Expectations
To be successful in this course, you are expected to:
 Complete the Orientation and submit the Orientation Verification form on time.
 Read the entire Syllabus.
 Consistently check Announcements, your school email account, and Canvas Inbox.
 Review the Calendar for due dates.
 Participate in Discussions (post weekly and response to your classmates).
 Turn in your own work that has been thoughtfully completed. Proofread for errors in
spelling and grammar.
 Communicate with your instructor about any problems or confusion well in advance of
Expectations the due date.
 Complete all projects, discussions, assignments, and/or exams on time.

What to Expect from your Instructor

As your instructor, I will
 Communicate to you via your school email address, announcements, and Canvas Inbox.
 Respond to your email or phone message within 24-48 work hours.
 Monitor all discussions and provide feedback to the entire class where needed at least
weekly.
 Provide individual feedback on assignments/papers/projects within one week of the due
date.
Work with you so you will have a successful learning experience in this course!

Don’t cheat. You can learn math and be proud of your accomplishment.
Some examples of cheating include but are not limited to the following:
• Receiving or providing unauthorized assistance on examinations or quizzes
• Using unauthorized materials during an examination or quiz
• Altering an exam, quiz or homework and submitting it for re-grading
• Using false excuses to obtain extensions of time or special privileges
Academic
• Copying work from another person, website, an answer key, or solution manual and
Honesty
turning it in as your own
• Helping someone else to cheat
• Using a cell phone, PDA, etc during a quiz or examination
 Cheating will earn you a score of zero for that test, quiz or homework and is sufficient
cause to fail you or drop you from the class. Learn more about the Expectations of Student
Behavior & Conduct - links to an external site for American River College students.
 Common decency and respect for one another dictate the following guidelines. Discussion
forums are used to communicate with other students on a specific topic or general course
question. Postings should be thoughtful and reflect your understanding of the subject matter.
You may be required to respond to your classmates each week. Please use proper Netiquette
when corresponding, posting, or commenting in the online environment. I will monitor all
discussion forums to make sure you are on the right track and will respond as needed. If
someone asks for help or posts a question in the Q&A section, please feel free to respond. I
will monitor that board as well.
Tips
Identify yourself: Begin messages with a salutation and end them with your name. Use a
signature (a footer with your identifying information) at the end of a message.
Include to clarify any misinformation when needed.

• Netiquette
• A subject line. Give a descriptive phrase in the subject line of the message header that
tells the topic of the message (not just "Hi, there!").
• Avoid sarcasm. People who don't know you may misinterpret its meaning.
• Respect others' privacy. Do not quote or forward personal email without the original
author's permission.
• Acknowledge and return messages promptly.
• Copy with caution. Don't copy everyone you know on each message.
Online behavior
• No spam (a.k.a. junk mail). Don't contribute to worthless information on the Internet
by sending or responding to mass postings of chain letters, rumors, etc.
• Be concise. Keep messages concise—about one screen, as a rule of thumb.
• Use appropriate language:
Avoid coarse, rough, or rude language.
Observe good grammar and spelling.
• Use appropriate emoticons (emotion icons) to help convey meaning. Use "smiley's"
or punctuation such as :-) to convey emotions. View the list of emoticons at Netlingo
and SmugBook.
• Use appropriate intensifiers to help convey meaning.
Avoid "flaming" (online "screaming") or sentences typed in all caps.
Use asterisks surrounding words to indicate italics used for emphasis (*at last*).
Use words in brackets, such as (grin), to show a state of mind.
Use common acronyms (e.g., LOL for "laugh out loud").
• Be courteous to the other students in the class. You might find it helpful to read your
posting out loud before you submit it: the "tone" is a very important part of electronic
communication. When you read your message out loud does it sound the way you
would speak to another student in the classroom?
• Refrain from inappropriate language.
• Never make derogatory comments toward another person in the class.
You can disagree with ideas, but do not make personal attacks.
Expect to spend (on average) 2-3 hours at home for each unit of class. Since this is a three-
unit course, students can expect to spend: 3 hours of lecture + 6-9 hours
Time homework/studying = 9 – 12 hours weekly time commitment. Additional time
Commitment commitments for students taking support courses.
for Math 300
Online students can be flexible with the schedule of WHEN the homework happened
during
the week, but you MUST have the self-discipline to make sure it DOES happen!
 With an online class, it is very important that you pace yourself this semester. This course is
designed so that you can complete a reasonable amount of work each day, Monday – Friday,
to finish the required assignments for each module. Please see the class calendar for
suggested deadlines. However, I understand that many of you have other commitments and
do most of the work on weekends, each module is available on Saturday at 12:00:00 a.m.
(midnight) and extend the weekly assignment deadlines to the following Sundays at
Pacing/ 11:59:00 p.m. (nearly midnight). The Monday – Friday due dates that appear on the
Deadlines calendar are really “suggested pacing guidelines.” Students will not be penalized for turning
in regular weekly work on Sundays. The only exceptions are unit quizzes and exams –
please see calendar for deadlines. BEWARE: It will be extremely difficult for students to
successfully complete this course by working on the concepts only one or two days each
week. You will get much better results out of a smaller amount of work each day, rather
than one, long load each week. I enjoy math and I cannot do math for 6-8 hours in one day

An online class allows some flexibility as to WHEN you choose to complete the required
assignments. Community college funding from the State of California is based upon student
enrollment, and it is the responsibility of each instructor to verify our class roster reflects
“active” students in our courses. In this course, I will not take formal attendance, but I will
ensure that you remain an “active” participant in the course. “Active Participation” includes
but is not limited to: completing 2-3 assignments in Canvas or MyOpenMath each week,
actively participating in discussion board topics, and/or submitting quizzes and projects on a
Attendance/ weekly basis. Simply logging in to the course website throughout the week does not
Participation satisfy active participation. You must login AND complete assignments.
Any student whose online course assignment activity shows no completed work for 10
days or more can be dropped by the instructor as “inactive.”

It is your responsibility to notify me if you have any challenges as soon as possible. It is

also your responsibility to drop the course if you feel you can no longer participate and
complete the course.

You may have technical difficulties with your computer and/or internet connection which
will require you to do some problem-solving. This is to be expected! A server goes down,
the course management system locks you out or does not process your submission, hard
drives crash and e-mail get lost, etc. To avoid technical problems: Do not wait until the
last minute to begin your online homework assignments. If you are having any
technology problems such as your computer crashed or no connection to the Internet, I will
not be able to help you. Make sure you have a backup plan just in case if something happens
and find a working computer to complete your course work on time. The various ARC
campuses have computer labs and you can always check with your local library for their
Technical hours. Please do not expect or ask for any extensions unless it is a site-wide problem that
Problems lasted longer than a day.
Canvas Help:
Use help button on the lower left corner of the navigation bar or call (916) 568-3199 for
direct access to Canvas. Review Canvas Student Guides and Help Materials located on the
class website page.

Student Tech Center:

• Webpage: ARC Student Tech Center
• Phone: (916) 484-8667
• Location: Learning Resource Center (LRC) Room 117.
 MyOpenMath Support:
https://www.myopenmath.com/help.php?section=usingimas

Please see the weekly Announcement Board in Canvas for reminders and heads ups. Please
check your subscription settings in the Canvas Notification tab under your account
Announcements
information. To check your settings: Login to Canvas > Click Account > Click
via Canvas
Notifications.

Email should be reserved for more personal or individual questions. Content questions
should be posted on the Help Me! Discussion boards first. I read and respond to email
and/or discussion board posts on a regular basis during the “email hours” listed on the first
page. I will make every effort to respond to your email messages within 24-48 hours,
excluding weekends and school holidays. (Note: I might not read or respond to email during
the weekends and school holidays.) Please resend your message if you do not hear from me
within 48 hours.
When emailing me, please include the following information in the subject line:
1) Your Name,
2) Course Information and
Questions and
3) Day(s)/time(s) in which you are enrolled. Example: Alberto Smith, Stat
Emails
300, Online
Please note that due to the large amount of spam emails that I receive, I do not open emails
with subject line “untitled message” from addresses that are outside the Los Rios email
system.
In addition to responding to email you send me, from time-to-time I may send email
messages and/or post announcements on an as-needed basis. You are responsible for all
emailed information transmitted by me to you or posted on the announcement page in
Canvas. To ensure that you receive the email I send to you, you need to: Activate your Los
Rios Gmail account and check it daily. Or, if you wish, you can forward this e-mail to
another e-mail address you plan to check daily. You can set your announcement preferences
in Canvas.
We have many topics to cover, and it is important to stay ahead of the schedule and not get
behind!
The Learning Resource Center, LRC, offers free Individualized and Drop-In tutoring
services to ARC students. You do not need a referral to receive tutoring services. Please
see the tutorial center’s web page for more information
Need help? http://www.arc.losrios.edu/tutorialcenter
Post your questions on corresponding Discussion Boards. Other students might have the
same questions as you.
Contact me by PHONE or EMAIL. I will get back to you as soon as I can. This isn’t the
best way to get math help, but it can be useful.

Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office 365* or other word processing

software. If you are using Pages on a Mac, export the file as .docx or .rtf
Software *Microsoft Office 365 is available for all ARC students. Follow these
resources and steps: Enter this link in your search bar: https://products.office.com/en-
tools us/student?=students
1. Enter your losrios Gmail (w + ID number @ apps.losrios.edu)
2. Click on Get Started
 3. Confirm that you are a student, reply to the email, and create your account
4. Install!

Additional Software/Tools
• Los Rios Google Apps: unlimited online file storage, create, collaborate on,
and publish text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms and drawings.
• Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to open PDF Documents
Download PowerPoint Viewer to open PowerPoint Files

This course includes weekly modules. Each weekly module includes media lessons (videos),
homework, practice quiz, and module exam. There are two additional modules for midterm
exam and the final. Each module structure is designed around learn, practice, review, then
assess principle.
Discussions and Surveys 5%
Media assignments 5%
Homework 12%
Module exams 48% total or about 4% each
Midterm exam 15%
Final Exam 15%
Extra Credit – can add up to 3% total on top of possible 100%. Extra Credit will be counted
Grading:
at the end of semester. See Canvas for details.

Your class grade will be based on the following breakdown:

A: 90% and higher
B: 80-89.9%
C: 70-79.9%
D: 60-69.9%
F: 59.9% and below
After the semester ends, you can log in to Canvas to find your class grade or log in to
eServices about two weeks after the semester ends. Please do not email the professor about
your grade. Federal laws prohibit your professor from emailing your grades.
Media Short videos, and problem-solving examples. Please make sure you take notes as you would
Assignments in an on-ground class. Click “Submit” button to receive feedback. You can retake these
assignments before the due date.

Homework
After finishing media assignments, work on your homework. Each problem gives you 3
attempts, and you can try again for a new problem if needed to get 100% on your
homework. Feedback is given for each homework problem after submitting or checking the
answer.

Unit Exams Each unit exam is about 12-15 questions and access your understanding of the unit. You get a
90 min time limit to complete. I strongly recommend taking an optional practice quiz before
the unit exam. It will help you prepare for the unit exams. On unit exams, you may rework a
problem if it was wrong (one time only, and for 80% of the credit) during the given time for
the exam.
Midterm and
Both exams are timed, 90-180 mins, and only available for a few days – make sure you
Final Exam
check the class calendar for the availability window for each. Each exam is located in its
own module and includes prep and practice materials. Please make sure you have a stable
and fast internet connection. If needed, you may take your exams at the learning resource
center computers.
If you suddenly loose internet connection, as long as you restart your computer/browser,
you should be able to continue within your allotted time.
Make-ups
While I hope that each of you have a smooth semester and do not experience any personal
issues or technical troubles outside of this class that may impact your ability to successfully
finish, I understand that sometimes life tends to throw you a curve ball at the wrong time.
Perhaps your computer crashes or one of your children may get sick or you must take an
unplanned business trip at the last minute. This course has been created with a safety net in
mind to account for such unpredictable circumstances. At the end of the semester, before
calculating your final grade, I will drop your two (2) lowest discussions/surveys and 2 of your
lowest module exam scores. Note: The dropped scores may come from the same module or
they may come from different modules. This dropped score policy will be applied to all
“active” students’ scores at the end of the term, regardless of circumstance. Please note that
the midterms or the final exam scores cannot be dropped. Students are still required to
maintain “active” participation as previously outlined.
In addition to that, two late passes may be redeemed for submitting a regular assignment up
to 2 days late (48 hrs). Click on “Redeem Late Pass” on the upper right corner to redeem.
Not all assignments are eligible for late passes.

Extra help:
Tutoring: Individual, free, drop-in tutoring at the Learning Resource Center is available as
an aid to students who may need some help. For more information call 484-8695 or visit
http://web.arc.losrios.edu/~parsonc/tutoring.html

Learning Resource Center (LRC): If you need computer assistance or internet access,
you may visit LRC either at main campus or at Natomas. For hours and location visit
http://web.arc.losrios.edu/learnres/lrc.htm or
http://web.arc.losrios.edu/offcampus/natomas/index.html

Study Group: Join a study group. Study groups help solidify what you learned and
increase student understanding.

Student hours: I will answer your questions via email or can meet you via zoom. I am here
to help you be successful in this course so please let me know when you need help.
If you let unanswered questions accumulate, you run the risk of becoming very discouraged
about your progress. If you think about this, it is similar to building up massive credit card
debt and failing to pay the balance every month. After a while, with growing debt and
outrageous finance charges, one can become financially depressed. On the other hand, if you
“pay as you go” (as challenging as that may seem at times), you do not build up debt, and
the future looks much brighter. In this course, the best way to “pay as you go” is to do
homework consistently and ask questions regularly so you can keep your “learning debt” as
close to zero as possible.
MyOpenMath: includes textbook, videos, exercise help, animations and other helpful
resources.
 Students with health issues or disabilities: extra help is available; please discuss these
issues with me or ARC Disability Center.

Note: The professor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus, as necessary. All changes will be
announced via canvas messaging and/or posted on canvas

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed
is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison.

MATH 300 Fall 2023 - Tentative Semester Calendar-Google Doc link.