Welcome to Pathwayonnect!

Purposes of PathwayConnect

Course Overview

With the completion of GS 120L, you are prepared to take part in Math 100L. The two courses are similar, but Math 100L moves in a more academic style. Familiarize yourself with the course and its requirements to avoid being frustrated later if you were expecting the class to mirror GS 120L.

Course Description

MATH 100L in the PathwayConnect program is designed to help you recap, learn, and retain the fundamentals of basic mathematics and algebra. In addition, principles of provident living and personal finance will teach applications of math to daily life situations. English language development is also emphasized as math and everyday vocabulary, as well as mechanics and grammar, are applied in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Course Objective

  1. Gain confidence in math.
  2. Compute basic arithmetic operations.
  3. Solve algebraic problems with exponents, variables, formulas, and linear equations.
  4. Demonstrate the use of graphing lines, finding slope, and writing equations of lines.
  5. Apply arithmetic and algebraic concepts to financial matters.
  6. Demonstrate proficiency in using spreadsheets.
  7. Demonstrate study skills and behavior consistent with a BYU-Idaho disciple-leader.
  8. Analyze personal performance related to course requirements and discipleship.
  9. Apply established conventions of mechanics and grammar to support English speaking and writing proficiency.
  10. Use vocabulary related to assigned topics to improve English listening and reading comprehension skills.

Course Materials

Technology requirements:

  1. Reliable, consistent access to a computer (preferably your own computer)
  2. Reliable, consistent access to the Internet
  3. Microphone (may be included in your computer’s hardware, or you can have a separate microphone)
  4. Webcam (may be included in your computer’s hardware, or you can have a separate webcam)
  5. Spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Spreadsheet)

The course textbook is provided for free online. However, for some weeks, it may be necessary to print worksheets for assignment completion.

Provident Living materials and literature are required for certain assignments and are also provided for free as part of the online course materials.

A basic scientific calculator is needed to use in class and for assignments; throughout this course, you will be performing equations that require exponents and other functions not found on a regular 4-function calculator. A scientific calculator will have “sin,” “cos,” and “tan” buttons. Note: You do not need an expensive graphing calculator. Online calculators like www.calculator.com  can be a useful resource. The calculator may NOT be used in Chapter 1—the first four weeks of the semester—but it will be used throughout the remainder of the class (Chapters 2, 3, and 4).

Course Architecture

BYU–Idaho online courses are designed each week with 3–4 hours of activities for each academic credit received. Therefore, you will need to be able to devote at least 15–20 hours each week to this 5-credit course in order to do well. If you know you will not be able to devote this much time to the class this semester, please consider taking the course at another time when you can make such a commitment.

Lesson Architecture

“The Spirit of Ricks,” the traditional hallmark of BYU-Idaho, is maintained as we learn and grow together. As with all PathwayConnect courses, the students' knowledge and skills are very diverse. This is a great asset to the program, particularly as you help, support, and learn from each other to enhance everyone’s success. Learning together and supporting one another is a gospel-based learning method that will deepen your learning and help you grow spiritually.

You will apply the principles of the learning model in this course. Your personal prayers and scripture study are essential to learning by faith and will help you follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You will be asked to use both intellectual and spiritual learning tools in this course.

Each week, you will need to read the material provided and any supplemental materials. You will be asked to ponder and to prove your knowledge through various activities. You will also teach and learn from each other by participating in group activities. It is important that you help each other and participate fully in the group activities, as they are an essential part of this course.

Specific PathwayConnect & Online Information

The Lead Student Tools folder contains specific information related to PathwayConnect:

Each week is divided into the following folders:

PathwayConnect Gatherings will be held at the local institute or church building every week for about one hour. In addition to learning together, these meetings provide unique and important opportunities to develop leadership skills. Each student will be asked to periodically facilitate the class activities as the “Lead Student.” Students will also be expected to actively and positively participate in the lesson each week. The format of the meeting will be as follows:

Devotional: The class will meet as a group and the missionaries will assign the opening prayer and hymn and make announcements.

Large Group: Led by the Lead Students (who should be in Sunday attire), the entire class will address questions about homework from Folder A.

Small Group Work: Students will break into their small groups to work on assignments in Folder B, led by individual Lead Students.

Every student will need to review his or her responsibilities before the first group meeting.

Courtesy Expectations

As you interact with others in various assignments, please remember to be kind, considerate, and respectful of differing viewpoints. You can differ in opinions (sometimes, the best learning comes when others challenge your thinking) but still be civil and loving. Respect one another’s opinions and avoid using racist, bigoted, homophobic, sexist, or aggressive language in class discussions, writing assignments, or in reporting problems or concerns. Any violation of basic common courtesy - including interaction with peers, the instructor, or others monitoring the course - will negatively impact your grade.


(1:07 mins, True at All Times Transcript)

Grading

This class is structured around gospel principles of learning (citizenship) that are just as important as your academic learning in mathematics and language. The work, participation, and grading in this course are divided into both academic and citizenship areas. Grades will be determined in the following way:

Academic (Math/Finance content focus)

Academic (English language content focus)

Citizenship (Learning Model focus)

In order to succeed in this course, you need to demonstrate proficiency in both the math and language requirements; therefore, your academic grade will be calculated as the average of the math and language grades, but may not exceed 4% above the minimum of the two.

On the other hand, as this grading breakdown demonstrates, although grades will be heavily based on academic performance, students must take the citizenship portion of their grades seriously. The citizenship grade, which will be heavily influenced by weekly gathering attendance, learning reports, and participation level, can actually negate some or all of the hard academic work at the end of the semester if students do not fully participate.

Final Grade Breakdown

A

94 – 100%

A-

90 – 93%

B+

87 – 89%

B

84 – 86%

B-

80 – 83%

C+

77 – 79%

C

74 – 76%

C-

70 – 73%

D+

67 – 69%

D

64 – 66%

D-

60 – 63%

F

0 – 59%

Attendance Policy

Weekly PathwayConnect gatherings are a source of spiritually and socially empowering experiences. As a PathwayConnect student, you are expected to attend all gatherings during the semester. Plan your schedule accordingly and make any necessary arrangements to attend the Thursday gatherings in person.

 Students who are traveling and are unable to attend their assigned gathering(s) may attend another gathering in the city they are visiting and still obtain attendance credit. Traveling students are encouraged to attend a gathering with the same course as their own; however, students who do not have that option may attend any PathwayConnect gathering. (This does not apply to institute courses.) Students should direct any attendance-related questions to their online instructors for BYU-Idaho courses or their institute instructor for institute courses.

If illness or another temporary issue arises and you do not attend a gathering, you will miss the opportunity to meet with your peers, engage in important coursework and assist in teaching one another. Because of this missed opportunity, your grade will be negatively impacted, so be sure to attend each gathering and then report your attendance using the Attendance Report located in each lesson. Also, be aware that attendance can impact grades differently from one PathwayConnect course to another, so please read the course grading section of this syllabus carefully.

If a rare circumstance arises such as a natural disaster, death in the family, medical emergency, birth of a child, or other serious or unsafe situation that prevents you from attending a gathering, contact your instructor immediately for more information and to discuss your situation.

 In very rare instances, your Pathway missionaries may cancel a gathering due to a holiday (U.S., national, or local), extreme weather, or other unsafe situation. If such a situation occurs, you will do the following:

  1. Review the week's gathering Lesson Plan. It may include information that will be helpful when completing your post gathering assignments.

  2. You are still required to complete, and report, all assignments in the week's lesson including this week's Part B Exercise. For this week, if any of the Part B questions state to work as a group, complete these problems, to the best of your ability, on your own.

  3. DO NOT complete the Attendance Report for the week. Instead, email your instructor to explain the reason for the cancellation. They will "exempt" your grade for this quiz in the gradebook. You MUST email your instructor in order to be excused from the assignment!  You will receive 0 points for your attendance until your instructor excuses the report. Your instructor should excuse the report within a few days of receiving your email.

  4. If you have any questions regarding the lesson material or assignment due dates, ask your instructor for further assistance.

3 absences

No final grade penalty beyond points lost for gathering assignments and participation

4 absences

Final grade will be reduced by one full letter grade, in addition to points lost for gathering assignments and participation

5 absences or more

Student will receive a failing grade (F) for the semester

For more information on the attendance policy, please read the Pathway Handbook, section 5.5. Contact your instructor or Pathway Support if you have questions.

Due Dates

There are two main due dates each week: Folder A activities are due on Wednesdays; Folder B, Folder C, the Speaking Partner Appointment, the Peer Discussion Appointment, and the Class Discussion activities are due on Saturdays. Occasionally, you will also see a Portfolio Assignment folder. Those activities will be due on Saturday. Please note that all due date time deadlines are 11:00 pm Mountain Standard Time. Despite the Saturday deadline for submission, Folder B activities will generally be completed during class. Exceptions to this pattern will be mentioned in the activity instructions, or the instructor will notify you of any change in the due dates for coursework. 

Speaking Partner Appointment Due on Saturday
Peer Discussion Appointment Due on Saturday
Class Discussion Due on Saturday

Folder A  Activities    

Due on Wednesday

Folder B Activities    

Due on Saturday

Folder C Activities    

Due on Saturday
Portfolio Assignment Activities Due on Saturday

Late Work Policy

The due dates used in the course encourage the development of good study habits such as punctuality in submitting your work. Submitting work on time is one of the ways in which you will meet the citizenship objectives of the PathwayConnect program as well as preparing you for success in future courses.

We understand that occasionally you may experience technical difficulty or experience a rare life emergency. Therefore, you may submit up to three late assignments for full credit. Your instructor will notify you of the details of the late work policy during the first week of the semester. If you have any questions about late work or need to submit an assignment late during the semester, contact your instructor right away and allow him or her 24 hours to respond.

Math Quizzes/Exam

Quizzes are a part of every lesson except in the conclusion, where students take a final exam. In addition, there are four exams throughout the semester. These occur in Lessons 4, 7, 10, and 13. The Final exam occurs in the conclusion lesson of the course. Retakes for the weekly quizzes and the exams are allowed and encouraged o improve a student's score, since they comprise a major part of the academic grade. For students who earn less than 75% on their first attempt of a quiz or exam, a retake will be required. The quiz is available to retake up to two times, if necessary. However, if you still score less than 75% after two retakes, you must email the instructor for permission to complete an additional retake. For students who earn less than 75% on their first attempt of an exam, a grade of 0% will be recorded in the grade book for that exam until the student meets with the instructor to review the exam and retake it. If a retake is never attempted, the score will remain a zero. Click here for an explanation of why your score will be recorded as a 0%. 

Once the retake(s) is completed, the final score will be recorded in the grade book will be the highest grade earned, regardless of whether it is a passing grade or not. Please note that the final exam may only be taken once; retakes will not be allowed for that exam. Notes should not be used on any of the quizzes or exams, except where specifically stated otherwise.

Resources

The Math Study Center on campus offers a live chat to answer quick questions. Please keep in mind that, although it is a live chat, tutor responses may take a moment as they will be helping multiple students.

Monday

9:00 AM – 6:30 PM

Tuesday

9:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Wednesday

9:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Thursday

9:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Friday

9:00 AM – 8:30 PM

Saturday

11:00 AM – 8:30 PM

Collection of 100G/L Supplemental Resources

Many wonderful instructors of Math 100G/L have created supplemental materials that may help to enrich the experience of some students. Though not intended to replace the core instructions or exercises of the course, these materials can be very helpful to students who need a different perspective to successfully connect with the material. Student should not feel that these activities are necessary, but can be accessed by students and teachers in those cases where they will be helpful. Click here to access them.

Khan Academy

The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the goal of providing free education through online resources to anyone anywhere. All of the materials and resources are free of charge, and students can make use of the extensive video library, interactive challenges, and assessments from any computer with Internet access. Students can practice math at their own pace in an adaptive assessment environment that randomly generates problems, providing plenty of authentic practice opportunities. If students encounter difficulties, they can break down problems with a click, and they can also watch related videos for additional support. For this course, you may find videos that interest or help you from both the math category and the financial category.

Course Support

If you ever have a question, problem, or concern about the course, you can get help in resolving it in one of two ways. Your instructor will inform you of the method he/she wishes to use:

    1. Post any general course questions/problems/concerns, etc. to the Questions and Conversations discussion forum. Using this forum will inform class members, the instructor, and others of the issues you find and allow the proper people to correct them for everyone. Please check this board frequently throughout the semester. If you are experiencing the same problem as another student who has already reported it, you can make an additional post so others know the seriousness of the problem. If you know the answer to a question, please post solutions. Helping to solve your classmates’ problems is another way to teach one another. Additionally, your instructor is monitoring this board and will inform you of fixes and solutions here.
    2. You can also contact your instructor through email. If your question or concern is of a personal nature, please contact your instructor through email rather than posting it to a public place such as the Questions and Conversations board. Your instructor will let you know which method your course is using.
      • Note: Regardless of the method your course uses, you should only email your instructor directly if the problem is of a personal nature or in the way your instructor has indicated he/she would like to be informed of problems. Unless specifically asked to do otherwise, please report any questions, problems, or concerns in one of the two methods above.
      • If you contact your instructor through email, it could take up to 24 hours to receive a response (excluding Sundays and holidays). Please state your question clearly, include sufficient detail, and allow enough time when communicating with your instructor in an email.
    3. If you have been unable to resolve your questions, problems, or concerns you can report a concern by contacting the Pathway Support Center.

Course Helps

Welcome Module

There are many resources available to you in the Welcome module such as computer tutorials and free websites which can help you improve your typing skills. Open the module from the navigation menu on the left side of the screen and browse the available resources.

Note-Taking

Write down notes in each lesson to help you remember what you learn and the revelation you may receive. This is one way to learn by study and by faith (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:118). Spend a few minutes each week to review your notes. This will help you remember most of your learning. You will also be able to use your notes when you take the final exam.

PathwayConnect Policies

Student Honor

The Student Honor Code is based upon principles of honesty and integrity. As a PathwayConnect student, you are required to maintain standards of academic integrity and student conduct and encouraged to live by the CES Honor Code.

Academic Integrity

You should complete your own work and be evaluated for that work as you seek to be completely honest in all your dealings. You must avoid academic dishonesty in all its forms, including, but not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, and fabrication/falsification. The most common examples of academic dishonesty are copying another person’s work or not acknowledging a source of information.

The use of any language translation software, apps, or online programs, such as Google Translate, in order to translate sentences, paragraphs, or whole essays is not permitted in this course. However, the use of these translation programs to look up a single word or short phrase, is generally allowed.

Student Conduct

You are to avoid misconduct such as disruptive behavior, abuse of administrative processes and any other inappropriate actions. All forms of harassment(verbal, physical, mental, or sexual), hazing, intimidation, exploitation, or aggressive behavior that threaten or endanger the physical or emotional health and safety of others is prohibited. Behavior such as using profane or abusive language will not be tolerated. Participants behaving in such ways are subject to BYU-Pathway Worldwide disciplinary action including suspension and/or dismissal from PathwayConnect, as well as referral to law enforcement.

Assistance for Students with Disabilities

While BYU-Pathway Worldwide is not legally required to provide accommodations to students with disabilities, it endeavors to provide reasonable assistance to students who need it. Such assistance is provided voluntarily and in BYU-Pathway Worldwide’s sole discretion. BYU-Pathway Worldwide will provide, upon request, speech-to-text or text-to-speech software for students with disabilities. If you are interested in using this software please contact Pathway Support. If you need other types of assistance, you should communicate directly with your online instructors, missionaries, or local leaders, as appropriate. For more information please read the Pathway Handbook, section 8.3.

Disclaimer Statement

This syllabus is subject to change by BYU-Pathway Worldwide or the instructor. Any changes will be communicated via email or the course site. Continued enrollment in this course assumes that you have read and understood the information outlined in the syllabus.