Syllabus for MAT-119

QUANTITATIVE BUSINESS ANALYSIS

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Quantitative Business Analysis is an applications-based course that continues with the mathematical inquiry that began in high school and intermediate algebra. This course prepares students for further study in business, finance, and management science. The underlying teaching philosophy is that students who study mathematics should develop alternate means of critical thinking and apply those means to the applications in the everyday business world. To this end, active participation is fostered by means of a variety of assignments.

Quantitative Business Analysis provides the student with sophisticated computational skills while stressing the ability to think critically and objectively. These computational and thinking skills will be applied to a wide variety of business applications. Students are encouraged to explore and solve realistic applications in business, finance, and management science.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. manipulate elementary algebraic expressions using basic mathematical knowledge
2. solve and graph linear equalities and inequalities
3. solve inequalities
4. evaluate functions using functional notation, domain, and range
5. solve applied problems using linear and quadratic functions
6. apply exponential and logarithmic functions to a variety of problems
7. calculate interest, discount, annuities, amortization payments, and balances
8. manipulate matrices
9. solve maximization and minimization problems.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbook

1. Finite Mathematics with Applications, 10th ed., by Margaret L. Lial, Thomas W. Hungerford, and John P. Holcomb, Jr. (Boston: Pearson/Addison-Wesley, 2011).

ISBN-13: 9780321645548

Solutions Manual

1. Student's Solutions Manual to Accompany Finite Mathematics with Applications, 10th ed., Margaret L. Lial, Thomas W. Hungerford, and John Holcomb.  (Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2011).

ISBN-13: 9780321645821

Minimum System Requirements

To participate fully in course assignments, you need to have daily access to a personal computer and command of certain basic computer skills, including the ability to send and receive e-mail with attachments.

In addition, your computer system must meet the following minimum specifications:

1. Windows 2000.

1. Personal Internet access.

1. A full-featured Internet browser like Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or Firefox 1.X or higher. (Note: The publisher's InterAct tutorials support IE 6.)

1. Java enabled. (Note: If you need to install Java, go to www.java.com. The download is free.)

COURSE STRUCTURE

Quantitative Business Analysis is a three-credit online course, consisting of seven (7) modules. Modules include learning objectives, study materials, activities, and quizzes. Module titles are listed below.

1. Module 1:  Review of Basic Concepts

2. Module 2:  Linear Equations and Inequalities

3. Module 3:  Functions and Their Linear and Quadratic Applications

4. Module 4:  Exponential and Logarithmic Equations

5. Module 5:  Business and Finance Applications

6. Module 6:  Systems and Matrices

7. Module 7:  Maximization and Minimization

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take quizzes, and a proctored online final examination. See below for more details.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

You will have (7) seven discussion forum assignments in this course.  One per module.  You are required to enter an initial response to the Discussion Question. In addition, you must post at least two responses to the initial response of other students and these two responses must be on different days during the module. This standard is a minimum requirement. It is suggested that you participate on a daily basis during the course.

Participation consists primarily of discussion the topic under consideration or other topics of interest regarding mathematics and its business applications. Participation is measured by a student’s meaningful contribution to the virtual classroom discussion. Only substantive contributions will be considered for grading. Notes such as “me too” and “I agree” and other notes not related to the course are not considered substantive notes for participation. A note is determined to be of substance by containing information that supplements, contradicts, questions, or furthers discussion on a subject area contained in the course.

Submitting assignments through the Assignment links, logging on and reading messages, posting messages in the “Lounge” or in the “Introduction,” and emails do not count towards participation.

Participation grading will, by necessity, be a combination of objective grading (number of postings) and subjectivity (quality of postings).

Written Assignments

You are required to complete seven (7) written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.

Assignments must be prepared electronically with a word processor (e.g., Microsoft Word) and, preferably, whatever equation editor integrates with your word processing software. Since this is a course in mathematics, you are recommended to use an equation editor to place mathematical symbols in your work. (Important: Use the equation editor only to insert equations into your word-processed document and not to create the document itself.) However, if your word processor is not compatible with your mentor's word processor, you will need to save your document as a rich-text format (.rtf) file before submitting it. Check with your mentor first to determine file compatibility.

When preparing your answers, please identify each exercise clearly by textbook section and exercise number. Be sure to include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled. To receive full credit for your answers, you must show all work and include complete solutions. If you choose not to use an equation editor to write mathematical symbols, you'll need to use the Insert > Symbols menu of your word processor to find the appropriate symbols. Exponents can be inserted as superscripts using the Format > Font menu.

Quizzes

There will be a quiz for each of the seven modules. The quizzes should be taken after you complete the practice exercises and the written assignment. There will be five (5) problems on each of the quizzes.  You have up to 30 minutes in which to complete the quiz and may take it only once.

Final Exam

The proctored, online final exam covers all reading and assignments from the course. The exam is three hours long.

You may use a scientific calculator and the textbook; however, the textbook may not have any loose inserts. You are not allowed to bring your solutions manual, notebook, notes of any kind, any practice or written assignment problems, or any other reference sources or sources of information. Programmable calculators are not permitted in examinations.

For the final, you are required to use the College's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.

Online exams are administered through the course Web site. Consult the course Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks.

Statement about Cheating

You are on your honor not to cheat during an exam. Cheating means:

1. Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find an answer.
2. Copying and pasting or, in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your exams. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
3. Plagiarizing answers.
4. Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take an exam.
5. Copying any part of an exam to share with other students.
6. Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at an exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in an exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

1. Discussion Forums—20 percent
2. Written Assignments—30 percent
3. Quizzes—20 percent
4. Final exam (proctored online, modules 1-7)—30 percent

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a nonarea of study course), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.

3. Arrange to take your examinations by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Online Student Handbook.

4. Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.

1. Read the module objectives. The module learning objectives provide a road map of sorts for your studies. As you complete each module, check that you have covered and achieved all the objectives.

2. Read the study notes, and follow the examples. Study notes review, highlight, and summarize key concepts, terms, and applications from the module assignment. They are written with classroom notes in mind, the type of notes you would take if you were in a face-to-face classroom environment. The language is easy to understand, and the notes include examples that show problem solving step by step.

3. Remember, practice makes perfect. The textbook has odd-numbered exercises very similar to the even-numbered exercises in your assignments. Answers to odd-numbered exercises are at the back of the textbook (solutions are in the optional Student's Solution Manual). It is good practice to solve some of the odd-numbered exercises before working on the written assignments.

4. Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly assignment free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:

1. Cheating
2. Plagiarizing (including copying and pasting from the Internet without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources)
3. Fabricating information or citations
4. Facilitating acts of dishonesty by others
5. Unauthorized access to examinations or the use of unauthorized materials during exam administration
6. Submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the mentor
7. Tampering with the academic work of other students

Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.

A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.

If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.

Plagiarism

Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using

quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.