NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Title:		College Algebra
Course Prefix & Number:			MATH1314	Section Number:	876	Semester/Year:	Fall 2019
Semester Credit Hours:			3	Lecture Hours:	48	Lab Hours:
Course Description (NCTC Catalog): In-depth study and applications of polynomial, rational, radical, exponential and logarithmic functions, and systems of equations using matrices. Additional topics such as sequences, series, probability, and conics may be included.
Course Prerequisite(s): Meet TSI college-readiness standard for College Algebra; or equivalent
Required or Recommended Course Materials: College Algebra, Lial/Hornsby/Schneider/Daniels, 12th edition, Pearson, 2017 Scientific calculator, TI-30X IIS is recommended Pencil Notebook Paper or spiral for Notes Notebook Paper for Homework Laptop 3 ring binder Graphing calculators and phone calculators will not be allowed on exams.

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Sarah Kidd
Campus/Office Location:	Graham High School
Office Hours:	B Lunch Tutorials T, W, R
Telephone Number:	940-549-4030 x 1212
E-mail Address:	Sarah.kidd@grahamisd.com

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
20-25	Quizzes, Homework, and Note Checks	20%
3	Unit Exam	60%
1	Semester Exam	20%

Grade Scale:   90 – 100% = A;   80 – 89% = B; 70 – 79% = C;  60 – 69% = D;  Below 60% = F

1. 1. Expect to put in an average of 45 minutes of studying and homework every night for this class.
   2. Random note and homework checks will be done.
   3. There will always be a quiz on Mondays unless a test is scheduled.
   4. I will drop your lowest quiz grade each six weeks.
   5. The final exam is a departmental comprehensive algebra exam and must be taken by all students. The final exam may also be used to replace the lowest unit test grade. 

 

Class Rules

1.)   Follow directives.

2.)   Be prepared.

3.)   Be respectful.

4.)   Participate in class.

Consequences

1.)   Verbal warning

2.)   One-on-one conference in hallway and parent contact

3.)   Office Referral

 

Tardies

If you are tardy to class, it will be recorded in the attendance system.  Once you have reached 3-5 you will be assigned lunch detention, 6-7 will be 3 days of lunch detention, and 8 or more will be ISS.

 

Class Procedures

In order for the class to operate smoothly and to use time wisely, I have prepared a list of class procedures.

 

Food and Drink


No food or drink is allowed in class except for bottled water.

 

Agenda


The agenda for the day will be posted on the board along with the date and other important information.  It will always be in the same place. 

 

Quizzes


Be prepared for a quiz every Monday we meet unless a test is scheduled. Prepare by Annotating, Condensing, and Studying your notes and completing homework assignments. 


 

Make-up work


Students who are absent are responsible for looking up their notes on the classroom notes link. You will need to HANDCOPY any NOTES that were taken and study them. If you are absent for a quiz, you will need to see me to discuss the missed work. It is your responsibility to turn in work on time and to ask questions if you are unclear about your assignment or the notes. 

 

Borrowing Supplies


If you find yourself without the necessary supplies for class, first ask a friend if you can borrow, but I do have some available to you for in class use. To borrow supplies, you must leave a shoe at my desk and may get it back when you return the borrowed item. 


 

How to Be Successful

The homework is not a means of torture, but rather an opportunity for you to practice the skills you will be responsible for demonstrating on quizzes and tests.  To do well on quizzes and tests (80% of your grade), you will need to complete the homework.  Simply writing the problem and the answer, copying from a friend, or using a solutions app that shows you the steps and copying them down are not methods of “doing homework”.  Remember your effort is key to your success.  You have to focus your effort on being able to complete the problems on a quiz/exam without any outside resources.

 

Keeping Notebooks


**VERY IMPORTANT** DO NOT THROW AWAY ANY OF YOUR WORK, QUIZZES, HANDOUTS, TESTS, OR NOTES FOR THIS CLASS!!! You will need them to study for quizzes and tests.

• Date and Title all of your notes, homework, quizzes, tests, etc. to make organizing the notebook easier. 

• Put Titles and Subtitles on your notes as you are taking them. 

• Every day after taking notes annotate them before you start on homework assignments
  • Write possible quiz questions in the margin of your notes.  Highlight their answers in the notes.
  • Write your own questions about things you do not understand from the notes in the margin with a checkbox to be checked when you get the question answered.
  • Finally, annotate and reflect over the class/video notes BEFORE starting on the homework problems.  To annotate your notes, you will fill in needed missing words, complete your thoughts in writing, and clarify your abbreviations.  It includes adding on to the notes the ideas you remember having discussed that you didn’t have time to write.  THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE THE SAME DAY BEFORE YOU FORGET THOSE IDEAS!!!  Finally write a 3-5 sentence reflection of the topics covered at the end of your notes. 

 

 

Where to Get Help:

• Me!!!! – I am happy to help during “office hours” which would be during lunch and tutorial period.
• Each other!!! – I strongly recommend forming study groups so that you can work with others.  Networking is an essential tool both in the classroom and in the workforce.
• Your book is a great resource.
• You can also seek videos from www.patrickjmt.com  and www.khanacademy.org.

 

 

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

Unit 1 Test	Week 6 of Class	Over Weeks 1-5
Unit 2 Test	Week 11 of Class	Over Weeks 6-10
Unit 3 Test	Week 16 of Class	Over Weeks 11-15
Final Exam	Week 17 of Class	Cumulative Final

 

 

 

 

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog)

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
1	Demonstrate and apply knowledge of properties of functions, including domain and range, operations, compositions, and inverses.
2	Recognize and apply polynomial, rational, radical, exponential and logarithmic functions and solve related equations.
3	Apply graphing techniques.
4	Evaluate all roots of higher degree polynomial and rational functions.
5	Recognize, solve, and apply systems of linear equations using matrices.

 

All students at NCTC are assigned a student email address, also known as Lion Pride email. Lion Pride email can be accessed on the NCTC home page by clicking on MyNCTC, then the link “Lion Pride Email” to the left. After clicking the Lion Pride Email link, the Microsoft Office 365 window will open.
1. Enter your NCTC student e-mail address. (for example, Smithj123456@student.nctc.edu)

2. Enter your password (your NCTC Student ID Number, either 7 or 9 numbers).

3. From the list of Microsoft icons, choose MAIL.

4. You will be asked to set your language and local time zone (Central Time). Your account is now activated.

 

**It is the student’s responsibility to activate and regularly monitor the assigned NCTC (Lion Pride) e-mail account. Important announcements and notifications from the Admissions office, Financial Aid, or other college staff will be sent via the Lion Pride student email system.

 

For communicating with classmates and instructors, students also have an option to communicate through Canvas. Canvas messaging is NOT the same as Lion Pride e-mail. Failure to read and/or receive NCTC e-mails (either in Lion Pride or in Canvas) is no excuse for not complying with any school policy. Be sure to regularly check BOTH the Lion Pride email as well as the Canvas inbox for important messages and information.

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies. It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval by the faculty member. Approved college-sponsored activities are also excused absences. The instructor is responsible for judging the validity of any reason given for an absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work. Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless the absence is documented and excused by the instructor. Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Last day to withdraw from a 16-week course with a “W” is Friday, November 1, 2019.

 

 

MATH LAB Students who need help with any math class can visit the NCTC Mathematics Lab to receive assistance. No appointments are necessary. See the most current tutoring hours for all five campuses at http://www.nctc.edu/student-services/student-success/tutoring/mathematics-lab.html.    TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON TUTOR AVAILABILITY: Corinth Math Lab – 186 All other campuses Monday – Thursday          8:30 am – 6:30 pm Check the Math Lab/tutoring hours Friday                                    8:30 am – 12:00 pm on the website listed above. Saturday                             10:00 am – 1:00 pm

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209.  Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-498-6207.

North Central Texas College is committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112).    https://www.nctc.edu/catalog/student-services/office-students-with-disabilities.html  

 

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)________      

          Communication

          Mathematics             

          Life and Physical Science

          Language, Philosophy & Culture

          Creative Arts

          American History

 

          Government/Political Science

          Social and Behavioral Sciences

          Component Area Option

 

          Critical Thinking

               Communication

               Empirical and Quantitative

 

               Teamwork

               Personal Responsibility

               Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

STUDENT HANDBOOK

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

 

CAMPUS RESTRICTIONS