Week 9 Developing an Online Class

This is my description for my online elementary algebra class at Riverside Community College.



The students in this class would be community college level students ranging in age from 14 yrs and older. The average age for the community college student in Moreno Valley is between 17 -23 years old. The students would be from all ethnic backgrounds and located primarily in the Moreno Valley and Perris community, but could come from other counties as well. About half of the students in the class would have been placed in the class according to the students' results on the placement exam, and the other half would have taken the prerequisite course which is Pre-Algebra.

The content of this course would be equivalent to the first year study in the area of algebra. Usually this would equate to 8th grade level mathematics. The main topics would be solving linear and quadratic equations, applying algebraic principles to expressions, factoring polynomial expressions, solving application problems and graphing linear equations on a rectangular coordinator system. The objectives that I would focus on in my class are:

1. Factoring polynomial expressions.


2. Evaluate algebraic expressions.


3. Applying algebraic principles and techniques to the solutions of applications.


4. Use the symbols and vocabulary of algebra to communicate mathematical concepts.

I would evaluate my students by examining their scores on the textbook web-based program called MyMathLab, their participation in discussion boards and chat room exercises and also their sharing of ideas and solutions through email. I would expect them to participate in a synchronous chat room, Skype, or IM discussion once a week at a specific time, probably in the evening. I would give them a choice of two times during the week in which they may participate. If either of those two times will not work for a student, arrangements would be made on an individual basis. The MyMathLab problems would have specific due dates and hopefully the students will not wait until the last minutes before attempting these problems. The idea of having a discussion forum would be to discuss the various problems throughout the week on MyMathLab using the discussion forum.

Session One Goal: Factoring polynomial expressions

Interaction: Student-Content; Student-Instructor

The interaction for my first goal of factoring polynomial expressions would take place using MyMathLab. The students would watch the online videos demonstrating how this process takes place. They may also look at the various examples that are already done for them in their online textbook. The primarily goal would be for the students to engage in the process of factoring polynomial expressions to their complete factored form. The students would work a variety of homework problems, submit their answers to MyMathLab, and get their results. If the students have questions on the validity of an answer, they can always contact me as their instructor and I can assist them in comparing their answer to the software's answer.

The students' evaluation for this exercise would be based on the number of homework problems they got correct from the homework from MyMathLab. The program will allow the student to attempt the homework more than once up until the due deadline. If the students does not get the correct answer, they have a variety of options to learn how to correct arrive at the correct answer. They could ask their instructor, view how to complete that particular problem, or watch a video of how a similar problem is correctly worked out. Then the program will ask them if they would like to attempt a similar problem for full credit. Of course, the similar problem would be the same type of problem with different values included.

Technology that supports this interaction:

• Computer
• Internet
• MyMathLab
• Online Videos

Session Two Goals: Evaluate algebraic expressions

Interaction: Student-Student; Student-Instructor

This goal would be satisfied through the use of an asynchronous discussion board. I would post an algebraic expression and the students would respond to the next step in the sequence on how that algebraic expression should be simplified. If the previous student response is viewed as incorrect, the student would respond by stating where the mistake was and how the mistake can be corrected. This would make sure that students followed the order of operations and that they read what the previous student posted for an answer. I would state a rule that students would only be able to post one step of the solution at a time and not be allowed to skip any steps. Each process of combining like terms, distributing factors or rewriting in descending order would be counted as one step. The goal would be the student who posted the final simplified answer.

The evaluation process for the discussion boards would be at least three postings during the week. The students who actually arrive at the final answer and post the correct final answer would receive a bonus (something small, but some type of encouragement to have the students log on everyday!). If the students have 3 or more postings of either correct next step processes or corrections to a previous post, the student would receive maximum points for that weeks' participation grade.

Technology that supports this type of interaction:

• Computer
• Internet
• Discussion Forum
• Online Videos

Session Three Goal: Applying algebraic principles and techniques to the solution of applications

Interaction: Student-Student; Student-Instructor; Student-Content

This goal would be to correctly identify, step-up, and solve an application type problem (AKA word problems!) using algebra skills learned in the class. I would be able to post a word problem using either a chat room discussion or Skype and the students as well as the instructor could talk about the problem and how to arrive at the correct solution. If Skype was used as the telecommunication media, I could message all of the students in a conference call a particular problem and we could all discussion how we can go about setting up the problem as well as arriving at the solution. If there is any discussions, we could discuss the problem easier using Skype rather than a chat room because we would not have to worry about each students' typing speed as a factor.

The evaluation for this exercise would be to participate in the discussion and provide input towards the solutions to the problems. As an instructor, I would not expect the same student to arrive at the solutions all of the time. I would try as much as possible to keep everyone participating in the discussion and make it as inviting as possible. If I can see that a particular student has been quiet for a while, I might ask that student a question or ask for their input on the next particular step of the process. I would do this not to embarrass the student, but to make sure that their participation is part of the discussion.

Technology that supports this type of interaction:

• Computer
• Internet
• Skype
• Chat room
• Online Videos

Session Four Goal: Using the symbols and vocabulary of algebra to communicate mathematical concepts

Interaction: Student-Instructor; Student-Student

This goal would be to have the student communicate with their instructor through the use of email the steps involved in solving an algebraic equation. The student would have to email the instructor a detailed step by step process of how the solution to a problem is solved. I would 50-80 problems that the students could choose from. When the student chooses a particular problem, they would email the instructor as well as the other students in the class so that other students would know they could not choose the same problem as well. I would also remove that problem from the potential list of problems to choose once a student has selected one. Then the goal would be to solve the problem but also email the instructor a detailed step by step process of how the solution to that one problem was arrived. The students would need to use correct terminology and vocabulary that is pertinent to that particular problem.

The evaluation for this goal would be as follows:

• Correct answer (1-10 points)
• Correct use of vocabulary (1-10 points)
• Detailed step by step process (1-30 points)

In the evaluation, 20% of the their grade would be based on whether the student arrived at the correct solution or not. I would expect that a majority of the students should receive full credit for this portion especially if they are able to ask for help from another student or the instructor. Another 20% would come from the correct use of vocabulary. This would be determined through the detailed step by step process of how to solve the problem. A majority of the grade would be based on the step by step process (60%). The student would only have one problem in which they can focus their attention to providing all of the details needed to solve that one problem. They should be using the correct terminology and symbols when they are detailing out the solution to the problem.

Technology that supports this type of interaction:

• Computer
• Internet
• Email
• Discussion Board
• Skype
• Chat Room
• Online Videos

James