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Excerpts from the Finite Mathematics Syllabus

Assignments

Homework [100 points]: Homework is the most effective way to reinforce concepts learned in class. There will be weekly homework assignments in MathXL, generally due on Sunday. Often, questions will relate to material in the reading that will be covered in class. Answers submitted after the due date will NOT receive credit.
MathXL Quizzes [50 points]: Similar to homework, quizzes will be administered through MathXL, but with a narrower window of availability. In order to do well on these assessments, you must have sufficient practice solving the corresponding homework problems.
In-Class Exams [400 points]: There will be four closed-book exams according to the schedule below. You will want to bring your own calculator. For unit 2 (mathematical finance) and unit 4 (probability), you will have access to an instructor-provided reference sheet of commonly-used formulas and sample spaces.
ePortfolio and final exam [250 points]. The ePortfolio will help you take ownership of the course material and document your mastery of course outcomes for a general audience. The final exam will address all course outcomes from the beginning of the semester. If you put enough work into constructing your ePortfolio, you can earn all 250 points in this category and forego the final exam.

To compute your course average, divide the points you earn by the total points possible, and convert to a letter grade as follows:

90--100%=A; 80--89%=B; 70--79%=C; 60--69%=D; 0--60%=F.

Final exam options

Having trouble deciding between a comprehensive final exam, versus an online portfolio showcasing everything you've learned? More details on the requirements might help you make the right choice for your circumstances.

ePortfolio

The key aspect of this collection is your reflection on the artifacts chosen (one artifact for each unit, using self-created story problems or current affairs to illustrate your evolving mathematical proficiency). Your reflections should describe why you selected these artifacts and how they demonstrate your mastery of five standards (Connections to Experience, Connections to Discipline, Transfer, Written Communication, and Self-Reflection). More details and suggestions for this project (now in its third year at MC)are available at

MC Student ePortfolio resources.

Comprehensive Final Exam

This closed-book exam will take place according to the college's final exam schedule. It will be worth exactly as many points as are remaining after your ePortfolio is taken into account. You will want to bring your graphing calculator and a fresh supply of writing implements.

Sample calculation

Suppose you write up four artifacts, which receive the following scores on the General Education standards (CE, CD, T, WC, SR).

Artifact 1: (3,3,2,4,3)
Artifact 2: (4,2,2,3,4)
Artifact 3: (4,3,3,4,4)
Artifact 4: (3,1,1,2,1)

With these scores your ePortfolio is contributing 56*(25/8) = 175 points to the "final exam" category. Your score on the final exam will then be scaled to lie within the range [0,75], representing the remaining 75 points in this category. To make the final exam worth even less, you can keep revising your artifacts up until the start of finals week, using the tentative General Education scores as a guide to what can be improved. This method of assessment is an instance of *Mastery Learning*, pithily summarized as "fixed achievement in a variable amount of time." (In contrast, the usual practice of holding all students to the same calendar of assessments and seeing great variability among the scores might be summarized "variable achievement in a fixed amount of time.")

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