Advising Guidelines

About the Course

MA101 is a new way for students to learn the algebra concepts they need to be successful in logical systems courses and other courses that require algebra as a skill for success. This course is structured but individually tailored. Students receive instruction from computer software called ALEKS and have access to one-on-one assistance during class. This is not an on-line course. Through an attendance policy, students will be required to attend class as scheduled. Success in this course is dependent upon students committing to attending every class meeting and spending at least 3 hours every week outside of class working on the material. Students must have access to a computer with internet access to fulfill the ‘outside of class’ requirements of the course. This can be done at home or in any of the University’s open labs.

Costs and Materials

There is no paper textbook for this course, although an e-textbook is available. As part of the course fee, students will have an 18-week (for a fall or spring semester) subscription to ALEKS which they will use in class. Students will access ALEKS through the class website. Students will also be expected to keep a notebook of their work as they are guided through the topics by the software. This notebook will be graded.

How Students will be Assessed and Given Grades

Students enrolled in MA101 will work to master approximately 150 objectives. This material is divided into 10 units and there are deadlines for finishing each unit. Students may choose to work ahead, but the deadlines help to insure students stay on schedule to finish the course in the allotted time. The grade in the course is determined by the following:
30%    Final exam (instructor generated test).
20%    Midterm exam (instructor generated test).
10%    Pencil and paper quizzes over 8 units (8 quizzes).
10%    Notebooks (collected twice). 
20%    Two unit exams. 
10%    Completion of the ALEKS objectives. 

Course grade is CR, F or X. 

CR grade will be awarded for an overall percentage of 70% or above.

F grade will be awarded for an overall percentage less than 70%.

X  grade will be awarded for students not taking the final exam.

NOTE:  A grade of CR in MA101 does not get computed into the GPA, but a grade of F or X does.

Students enrolled in MA101 may and are encouraged to work ahead to complete the course early. When a student has notified the instructor that the course objectives have been completed, the instructor and student will work together to schedule the remaining quizzes in the course and a date for an early final exam. If the student passes all of the quizzes and gets at least a 70% on the final exam, the student’s ALEKS subscription will be transferred to the MA102 course. No transfer in the Southeast enrollment will occur until the end of the semester. Students who ‘transition’ to MA102 will merge into the course at its current unit and not be required to start over from the beginning (since the first part of MA102 is a fast-paced review of MA101 content). The student must work on the MA102 course content, take the remaining MA102 exams and quizzes, and complete the MA102 final exam with a 70%.  If the student meets these requirements, then the student’s Southeast enrollment will be transferred from MA101 to MA102 and the student will receive a letter grade for MA102 on the transcript.

Students in MA102 will work to master approximately 265 objectives.  The first part of the course content is a quick review of the MA101 material which prepares the students for more advanced objectives that are covered the second half of the semester. Mastery of course objectives will be determined by written quizzes, notebooks, a midterm exam, two unit exams, completion of ALEKS objectives, and a final exam as indicated below.  MA102 students have the option to work ahead to finish the course early.

How to Determine the Pre-Requisite for Logical Systems

Students who pass MA102 – Intermediate Algebra with a grade of 'C' or higher have the prerequisite for any logical systems course. Students who are currently enrolled in MA101 and are on track to complete both MA101 and MA102 by the end of a semester may have difficulty enrolling in a logical systems course. Students should contact the Department of Mathematics Administrative Assistant at (573) 651-2164 for enrollment assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions About MA101/102

• Does this course count for credit?
  Both MA101 and MA102 count as three hours of elective credit. Students who complete MA101 early and transition to MA102 will only receive 3 hours of credit for MA102.
• What about GPA?
  The grade for MA101 will be either CR or F. A grade of CR does not impact the student’s GPA, but a grade of F does. MA102 receives a letter grade and it will be computed into the student’s GPA.
• Will all students need both MA101 and MA102?
  All students start with MA101. Those students who have a good grasp on the content will be able to finish the MA101 content by the middle of the semester and transition to MA102, completing all of the content in one semester. The content was divided into two courses to allow students, who need extra time to master the content, two semesters to accomplish this.
• What if the student doesn’t master all of the objectives in MA102?
  Students enrolled in MA102 must receive a grade of C (70% - 79.9%) or higher to progress to a Logical Systems course. If the student receives a D or F, they will need to repeat the course.
• I’m still not sure whether to recommend to my advisees enrolled in MA101, who indicate they plan to finish both courses in one semester, which course to take next: MA102 or a logical systems course. Is there any other information I can use to make a good recommendation?
  Students will receive a midterm grade for MA101 and MA102. Advisors will be forwarded a midterm report from the MA101/102 instructors.

• A CR grade at midterm in MA101 means the student is on track to receive a CR grade in the course. A grade of F typically means the student is not putting in enough time with the program to be making adequate progress.
• Students in MA102 will receive a letter grade on the midterm report. A student with a grade of D or F needs to work to increase the amount of time and effort spent working on the ALEKS program.
• The ALEKS program tells the student how many objectives she has mastered, how many hours have been logged in and which topics still need to be covered.
• You may contact the instructor of the course and ask for his best judgment about placement for the next mathematics course.

You may contact the Department of Mathematics at (573) 651-2164 or Cheryl McAllister at (573) 651-2778 (cjmcallister@semo.edu) if you still have questions about MA101 and MA102.