Mathematic and Writing Policy

The minimum criteria for courses under the policy:

• Designated writing and mathematics courses must be identified as such in the catalog and course syllabus.
• Syllabus will include a statement on the University’s policy regarding academic integrity as stated in the Student Handbook.
• Writing assignments must be incorporated into the designated course curriculum and must be computed in the course final grade in such a way that the writing component will have a significant impact on the course grade.
• Faculty must provide feedback (strengths and weaknesses of the students’ writing) conforming to standard writing practices as expressed in the syllabus for all writing assignments under the policy.
• All writing assignments must be the students’ original, independently produced work and demonstrate college-level proficiency.

Writing assignments used to fulfill this policy requirement may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Essays.
• In-class writings with clearly stated performance criteria.
• Critical analyses of course readings, presentations or discussions.
• Research papers.
• Creative writings appropriate to the course.
• Academic journals.
• Case Studies o Portfolios.
• Speech outlines and scripts.

Assignments that are not acceptable in meeting the Mathematics and Writing Policy requirement are:

• Resumes.
• Note-taking.
• Free-writing or brainstorming.
• Class notes.
• Emails.
• Writings with extensive quotations or paraphrases.
• Personal writings unrelated to course content.
• Homework assignments with responses copied from textbooks or reading materials, with no evidence of analysis, comparison, interpretation, or other critical thinking applications.

Writing assignments in the designated courses in this policy must be graded according to effective writing standards as expressed in the syllabus, such as organization, coherence, grammar and mechanics.

At least one-third of the writing assignments used to meet the “multiple assignments” requirement of the Mathematics and Writing Policy must be polished, edited pieces written outside of regular class time. All these formal academic writing assignments must conform to standard writing practices including the following:

• The writing will have a clearly defined thesis or central idea.
• The writing will include adequate evidence to support the thesis or idea.
• The writing will reflect the awareness of the conventions of standard written English such as grammar, punctuation, spelling and word usage.
• The writing will use a clear and logical organization.
• The writing will demonstrate the ability to synthesize and apply discipline content at the course-specific level.
• The writing will demonstrate the ability to discriminate between credible and unreliable sources of information.
• The writing will be formatted or presented in a manner appropriate to the assignment.
• The writing will conform to style standards appropriate to the course or discipline (APA).

ENC 120 COLLEGE COMPOSITION I (3 Credits)

Courses Description: College Composition I introduce learners to the types of writing and thinking that are valued in college and beyond. Students will practice writing in several genres with emphasis placed on writing and revising academic arguments. Instruction and exercises in grammar, mechanics, research documentation and style are paired with each module so that writers can practice these skills as necessary. College Composition I is a foundational course designed to help students prepare for success at the college level. (There are no prerequisites for College Composition I).

This course covers the following competencies:

1. The graduate integrates credible and relevant sources into written arguments.
2. The graduate uses appropriate writing and revision strategies.
3. The graduate composes an appropriate argumentative essay for a given context.
4. The graduate composes an appropriate narrative for a given context.
5. The graduate appropriately uses a given writing style.
6. The graduate selects appropriate rhetorical strategies that improve writing and argumentation.
7. The graduate applies appropriate grammatical rules, sentence structure, and writing conventions.

Topics include: Development of essay form, including documented essay; instruction and practice in expository writing. Emphasis on clarity of central and support ideas, adequate development, logical organization, coherence, appropriate citing of primary and/or secondary sources, and grammatical and mechanical accuracy.

ENC 121 COLLEGE COMPOSITION II (3 Credits)

Courses Description: English Composition II introduces undergraduate students to research writing. It is a foundational course designed to help students prepare for advanced writing within the discipline and to complete the capstone. Specifically, this course will help students develop or improve research, reference citation, document organization, and writing skills. English Composition I or equivalent is a prerequisite for this course.

This course covers the following competencies:

1. The graduate applies steps of the writing process appropriately to improve the quality of writing.
2. The graduate composes an argumentative research paper.
3. The graduate evaluates the quality, credibility, and relevance of evidence in order to integrate evidence into a final research paper.

Prerequisite: ENC 120

Topics include:  Emphasis on style; use of the library; reading and evaluating available sources; planning, writing, and documenting short research paper.

MAC 105 COLLEGE ALGEBRA (3 Credits)

Courses Description: This course provides further application and analysis of algebraic concepts and functions through mathematical modeling of real-world situations.  Topics include:  real numbers, algebraic expressions, equations and inequalities, graphs and functions, polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, and systems of linear equations.

This course covers the following competencies:

1. The graduate simplifies and factors polynomial expressions and solves polynomial equations.
2. The graduate solves systems of linear equations and their related applications.
3. The graduate simplifies rational, radical, and quadratic expressions, solves corresponding equations, and extends this knowledge to the study of functions.
4. The graduate combines functions, finds inverse functions, solves exponential and logarithmic equations and functions.
5. The graduate classifies and performs operations on real numbers; solves linear equations and inequalities; connects a linear equation to its graph; and identifies a function.

Topics include:  Graphing, the linear, quadratic, and exponential families of functions, and inverse functions. Students will be required to solve applied problems and communicate their findings effectively. Technology tools will be utilized in addition to analytical methods.

MAC 114 COLLEGE Algebra II (3 Credits)

Courses Description: Examines higher degree polynomials, rational, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometry and matrix algebra needed for more specialized study in mathematics, computer science, engineering and other related fields. Computer and/or graphing calculator use is highly recommended.

This course covers the following competencies:

1. Graph and extract information from graphs of polynomial, rational, exponential and logarithmic, and trigonometric functions. Use symmetry and translation of axes.
2. Graph polynomial functions and use the graph to approximate irrational roots.
3. Understand the concept of a matrix, solve systems of linear and non-linear equations and inequalities using techniques of graphing, Cramer’s Rule, determinants, matrices.
4. Use calculators or tables to find trigonometric values for any angle. Make radian conversions. Solve any triangle, using the laws of sine and or cosine and find the components of vectors. Solve applied problems is which several forces are acting at a point are in equilibrium.
5. Perform basic mathematical operations with complex numbers. Find complex solutions or certain equations.
6. Identify, use notation and calculate sums and terms or arithmetic and geometric sequences.
7. Represent situations and solve problems using algebraic equations and inequalities

Prerequisite: MAC 105

Topics include: A symbolical, graphical and numerical analysis of trigonometric functions; solutions of plane triangles and vectors. Applications emphasizing connections with other disciplines and with the real world will be included. Technology tools will be utilized in addition to analytical methods.

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