Syllabus for MAT-270-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Discrete Mathematics (MAT-270) is designed to meet the needs not only of students majoring in computer science but of a wider audience, especially students in mathematics and science. The course provides tools for formal reasoning. Topics include counting rules, propositional and first-order logic, set theory, functions (with an emphasis on recursive functions), partial order and equivalence relations, Boolean algebra, and switching circuits. Graphs and trees are also introduced.

With an emphasis on communication skills, students are required to interpret, describe, discuss, and justify conclusions based on logical reasoning. While the particular focus of the course is on reasoning related to computer programs, no knowledge of programming is required.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of the course is to assist you in acquiring high-level skills in formal reasoning and problem solving, particularly with respect to:

• applying fundamental principles of counting.
• using logical notation.
• developing inductive and noninductive proofs.
• designing switching circuits and finding logical expressions evaluated by these circuits.
• performing set operations.
• determining equivalence and partial order relations
• applying functions, especially recursive functions.
• using graphing theory.
• understanding computability.

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. Both texts are available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, 6th ed., by Kenneth H. Rosen (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007; ISBN-10: 0-07-322972-5).

Student's Solutions Guide to Accompany "Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications," 6th ed., prepared by Jerrold Grossman (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007; ISBN-10: 0-07-310779-4).

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COURSE STRUCTURE

Discrete Mathematics is a 3-credit online course, consisting of six (6) assignment modules.

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in four (4) online discussions, complete six (6) written assignments, and take two examinations—a proctored midterm and an unproctored, online final examination.

Assignment modules comprise learning outcomes, one or more study assignments, recommended self-check exercises, and a module-ending written assignment. Modules 1, 2, 3, and 5 also include an online discussion activity.

For the course's six assignment modules, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. (See also the course Calendar.)

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

Discrete Mathematics requires you to participate in four graded online discussion activities, in addition to an ungraded, but required, "Introductions" forum in module 1. Discussions take place over a one-week period, each in a separate forum on the class Discussion Board. You will have a group discussion activity in modules 1, 2, 3, and 5.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted activity and subsequent comments on each of your classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

The written assignments draw on even-numbered exercises from assigned sections in the textbook. For each assignment, answer all assigned exercises, and show all work.

Assignments must be prepared electronically using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. When preparing your answers, please identify each exercise clearly by section and exercise number. 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.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and attach your assignment file. Click to turn in the assignment.

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EXAMINATIONS

You are required to take two examinations: a proctored midterm examination and an unproctored, online final examination. Consult the course Calendar for the scheduling of these exams.

Midterm Examination
The midterm exam is three hours long and consists of twenty-five multiple-choice questions. It covers all material through module 3 of the course.

The exam is open book, but not open notes. In this regard you are permitted to bring only a scientific (nongraphing) calculator and the authorized textbook to the exam. The textbook must be an original bound hard copy; electronic textbooks (or printouts) are not allowed. You are also not allowed to bring any loose pages or notes, either typed or printed, or to consult a solutions manual or any other reference sources or sources of information. Programmable calculators are not permitted in examinations.

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

Final Examination
The final exam is three hours long and and consists of twenty multiple-choice questions. It covers material from modules 4, 5, and 6 of the course.

The exam is open book, but not open notes. In this regard you are permitted to use only a scientific (nongraphing) calculator and the authorized textbook. But you are not allowed to consult a solutions manual, notes of any kind (including graded or ungraded assignments), or any other reference sources or sources of information.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course site at the start of the last week of the semester. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the 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 your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and examinations are based on the following numerical grades:

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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 arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Arrange to take your midterm examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA). You must make arrangements to take your examination and send in your "Proctor Request Form" to OTA before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)



4. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard 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, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, 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. The most successful student is one who has the discipline to establish a regular study schedule. This schedule should include several short sessions per week rather than one marathon session each week. Plan to study from ten to twelve hours per week. Try to choose a time and place where you may minimize interruptions.



2. 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. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.



3. Begin your study session by reading the commentary notes for the assignment you are studying. The notes provide an overview of the textbook material and indicate areas of focus. Then proceed to the sections assigned in the textbook. The textbook presents the bulk of the course content, just as it does in the traditional classroom. Tasks to check off as you study include:



• As you read the text, write down key terms presented.
• Immediately after reading a section, write a short synopsis of each concept presented.
• Pay particular attention to the logic and calculations in the examples.
• Do the recommended self-check exercises, and check your answers.
• If you did not complete a problem correctly, identify the error in your thinking and write it down for future reference next to the problem.
• Do the assigned problems from the text at a different time, giving your subconscious time to absorb the ideas studied.



4. As you use the textbook for this course, try to:



• State the information in your own words.
• Develop examples of each concept.
• Recognize the concepts in various guises and circumstances.
• See connections between new concepts and other facts and ideas.
• Use the concept yourself in various ways.
• State the opposite or converse of each concept.



5. The six written assignments that you submit to the mentor (one assignment per module) should be considered the minimal assignment. In this regard, you will probably find it helpful to "practice" by working related odd-numbered problems in each of the assigned textbook sections. Solutions to these problems are in the Student's Solutions Guide and at the back of the textbook, and by comparing your answers with the solutions in Solutions Guide, you will be able to identify areas of understanding and misunderstanding. If an answer does not match, and you cannot determine why, be sure you ask your mentor. Your mentor, however, will only answer limited questions on the specific problems to be submitted for evaluation.



6. Remember, you will need to develop a study schedule that spans the week. Setting up one time frame as a marathon session will not be productive. Research has shown that when we study for a long period of time, we remember the first fifteen minutes and the last fifteen minutes only. We forget the middle. So, it is best to study for short periods of time several times a week, rather than just once a week for a long session. Many adults find that 15–20 minutes in the morning works best for comprehension and retention. Do not be alarmed if you do not grasp all of the concepts the first time you hear them or read them. The cognitive process for this type of material is different from the process for courses such as history, literature, or psychology. Concept development involves a "rest period" during which the subconscious works on the problem. This same type of learning takes place whenever we solve a puzzle. You may have had this experience when you worked a crossword puzzle. When you sit down with a crossword puzzle, you find that the first time you can fill in some of the words, but not all. If you stop and put the puzzle aside for a few hours or until the next day, you find that you can fill in almost all, if not all, of the words when you attempt the puzzle again. The same process takes place when you study mathematics.
   
   In learning new ideas and concepts, learning theory has shown that:
   
   
   • When we only hear about difficult concepts, we tend to forget them.
   • When we hear about and see the concept in print, we remember a little.
   • When we hear, see, and ask questions about or discuss a new concept with someone else, we begin to understand.
   • When we hear, see, discuss, and apply new ideas, we acquire knowledge and skill.
   • When we are able to explain a concept or idea to another person, we master it.
   
   
   The assignments in this course have been chosen with this last tenet in mind.



7. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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