Intermediate Algebra

Reviewed by Ronnie Brown, Assistant Professor, The University of the District of Columbia on 3/15/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The depth and comprehensiveness of the text is awesome. There are even some concepts that are added which you don't find in most intermediate algebra textbooks. There is a connection shown between what has been added in the contents to the entire course.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text seems to be error-free. I have not found any inaccuracy in the content presented. This is very good for a text to have achieved.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The text is very relevant to what is learned in a course such as Intermediate Algebra. The additional concepts make a greater connection to how to apply the algebra in the real world which is refreshing.

Clarity rating: 5

I appreciate the clarity of the textbook. The terminology was very good for the intended audience. Sometimes, authors get caught up in technical jargon and forget who they are writing for. This text makes it easy for a student to read and understand concepts and then apply terms to it.

Consistency rating: 4

Very consistent in framework. The process in each section is repeated which allows students to know what will be happening (such as intro to the concept, warm ups, skills practice, and then applications). This consistency is vital in learning mathematics as well as in other STEM fields.

Modularity rating: 5

Based on the consistency explained previously, the text is easily readable. The sections are broken up into areas that have a goal in mind.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The textbook's topics are presented in a good order which allows for understanding of concepts. This is key in math. The logic in which the reader sees is important in the foundation that was previously presented.

Interface rating: 4

All charts and diagrams are clear. There are no images that are overly drawn or filled. Simple and straight forward are the displays.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors presented.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Examples are from the real world. They are not culturally insensitive at all. The text allows students to view the math in a context of actual applications that are free of racial, age, or ethnic bias.

Comments

I can appreciate the setup of the textbook. Presenting key definitions and terms in highlighted boxes are extremely helpful to students (and instructors). Also, the order of presentation in each section is done well. The author allows for a gradual start (after the concept is learned) and then takes them into more challenges, and lastly into how the math is applied in the real world. This slow progression is awesome!

Reviewed by Sara Patrick, Associate Professor, Goshen College on 6/23/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book is very comprehensive and thorough. At almost 900 pages, it may be too lengthy.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I did not notice any major accuracy concerns.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

There was a good mixture of current data with older data that focused on showing students the relevance of the mathematical concept.

Clarity rating: 4

Some definitions seemed unclear.

Consistency rating: 5

There was consistency in the book and a lot of scaffolding and review to make it easy for students to refresh their memories on concepts learned previously.

Modularity rating: 4

The formatting made the book difficult to read. If that was fixed, I think the text would be easy to read.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The order of some of the topics seemed strange to me. For example, introducing function notation and the idea of input and output several chapters into the book would not be my preferred order of topics. Also, discussing slope and intercepts after linear equations would frustrate my students since they have all had linear equations in previous high school level classes.

Interface rating: 2

Throughout the text there are multiple formatting issues with important text like equations and tables which would make it difficult for students to use. In general the margins and indentations feel off reading it in PDF form.
Also, I like that the text has a lot of check point questions, but the answers are too close to the question. There would be no way for a student to read the question without already seeing the answer.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

It seemed appropriate for a math textbook.

Comments

This book has a clear focus on applications and showing students the usefulness of the topics discussed. Yet it also scaffolds students from the basics to the more complicated topics.