Intermediate Algebra

Reviewed by Karla Kull, Adjunct Mathematics Instructor, Bristol Community College on 6/19/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers all the topics common to an Intermediate Algebra course: Functions, Linear Systems, Radical and Exponential Expressions, Graphing Lines and more. There is a complete table of contents with links to the desired chapter.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The chapters that I reviewed were free of errors.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

This text was prepared in 2012. It is in need of some updating. For example, in Chapter 7 in a lesson on Compound Interest, the interest rate for a CD was 5.2%. While 5.2% is more "interesting" than the current 1.1%, it isn't accurate for our present economic conditions. The content and structure of the book makes it adaptable for either a synchronous classroom or asynchronous online course. The course only requires a standard scientific calculator so no expensive additional technology is required.

Clarity rating: 4

The book is well written in a easy to follow format. All the steps for the sample problems are shown. Students can clearly see how the steps follow from one another. When you scroll over a vocabulary word, the definition appears. The book is primarily in black and white for easy reading. Red and blue are used to highlight steps or in parenthetical notes.

Consistency rating: 5

Each chapter follows the same progression of topics and style of presentation with a clear objective, new content, examples and practice exercises. All the chapters I reviewed were of consistent quality of content.

Modularity rating: 5

The chapters can be rearranged or omitted entirely.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The objective for each lesson is clearly stated at the beginning. The KEY TAKEAWAYS provide a helpful summary of what was covered in the section. I appreciate the inclusion of DISCUSSION BOARD questions in the practice sets. The odd answers are included after the exercises, but I was unable to locate the even solutions. Each chapter includes a review and a practice exam. The sections and chapters flow smoothly from each another, building on previous knowledge.

Interface rating: 4

I was able to navigate the textbook easily, but I was unable to access the embedded videos. (404 not found; this page is not available)

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

In 2020 we are more aware of inclusion and a desire for students to see themselves in the course. The names chosen for the people in the application problems were primarily Joe, Billy and John with an occasional Mary, Raul or Omar. There needs to be more references to women and minorities. There are references to famous mathematicians, but they are all primarily white males. I realize that the choice of historical figures is relative to the topic, but perhaps there are modern mathematicians who have added to the classical theory.

Comments

In general this is a well developed textbook that is adaptable to different modalities. It is organized in a manner to promote success for the Developmental Mathematics student with its clear objectives and many examples and practice exercises. However, it could use some minor updates to make it more relevant in 2020.

Reviewed by D Bobzien, Mathematics Instructor, Central Lakes College on 1/7/16

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The textbook covers all of the chosen topics very well.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

All of the problems I checked were correct and well presented.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

It is hard to be outdated in general math problems and the application exercises will stand the test of time. It is written using traditional notation as well as textual notation allowing for easier emailing. This helps a great deal so students don't need extra technology to use the book effectively. I will use and reuse the book as long as I am assigned courses that align with the objectives.

Clarity rating: 4

It is well written. Some of the presentation of the math work and problems might confuse some students but overall ok. I did love how ALL the steps were included in examples and exercise answers when there were multi-tiered problems. Students will clearly see how one step flowed to another.

Consistency rating: 5

Consistency is well done.

Modularity rating: 5

Chapters can be rearranged and skipped as needed without compromising the upcoming lessons. The book is very malleable as well. This book can fit many different Instructors' needs.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

I loved having objectives. It is easy using given objectives to plans lessons to meet course objectives and have students know immediately what is expected in that lesson. I have had expensive textbooks that didn't have written objectives. The organization is similar to his other book Elementary Algebra and I like the sequence in both. The author also sets students up for success with an eased in and early approach to concepts that are the foundation of future lessons (square root simplification for one). Embedded videos are nice but the reinforcement of the necessity of hand working math problems is clear.

Interface rating: 5

I had no issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I saw no grammatical issues, but I am also better at math than grammar.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I saw no cultural relevance concerns.

Comments

Key Takeaways and Tips charts are so helpful to students and instructors. If student questions interrupt an instructor's flow these extras will help ensure no point goes unmentioned. The Try This! option gives immediate extra exercises too. As I mentioned, listed objectives are so useful. Students need to know what they are expected to learn from any given lesson. This book helps increase student success by having multiple application problems from the get go so students can become comfortable with word problems--well as comfortable as developmental math students usually become. Also, exercise summaries have problems split by topic so students can easily find which examples of problems they need to work on. And there are a ton of homework problems for both the students and the instructor. this is a nice book that can easily be adapted to fit many needs. I appreciate all the effort John Redden put into this textbook--especially as an OER book. If you are new to OER, give John Redden a try. I suspect he will make you a fan.