MATH 1314 0504 - COLLEGE ALGEBRA

Introduction

 

NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

 

Course Title:

College Algebra     *Asynchronous Online course

Course Prefix & Number: 

MATH1314

Section Number: 

0504

Semester/Year:

Fall 2020

Semester Credit Hours:

3

Lecture Hours:

48

Lab Hours:

DNA

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 Course Materials:

  • Regular and frequent access to a computer (laptop/desktop) and dependable internet access.
  • Pearson MyMathLab access code (e-text included in MML) – mandatory purchase;

       Publisher: College Algebra, Lial/Hornsby/Schneider/Daniels, 12th edition, Pearson, 2017

  • Scientific calculator, TI-30X IIS is recommended or a Non-Graphing calculator with exponent and square root feature

Graphing calculators and calculator apps on phones, tablets or other devices will not be allowed on exams.
                 

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:

Cammy Boaz

Campus/Office Location:

Online office

Student Office Hours:

Cisco WebEx: M & W 9:00 am-11:00 am; 2:00 pm-4:00 pm; TH 9:00 am-11 am

E-mail Address:

cboaz@nctc.edu

 

STUDENT EMAIL

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.

 

**This email account will be used for CISCO WEBEX meetings.  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.

 

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements

Graded Course Elements

Percentage or Point Values

Approx. 33

Homework Units in Pearson MyMathLab

15%

6

                                    Unit Quizzes (10% each)

60%

weekly

Attendance Check-Ins

10%

1

Comprehensive Final Exam (required by all students)

15%

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

*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 quiz score. 

*There is no extra credit available in this course.  Take full advantage of maximizing assignments throughout the semester.

*Late homework will be accepted but a penalty may be applied, and NO make-up quizzes or exams will be given. 

*The grading policy may be amended during the semester at the instructor’s discretion.

*Students have 48 hours, after the return of each quiz, to contact the instructor with questions on grading.  After that point, the student forfeits the opportunity to contest a quiz grade.

 

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

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.

 

STUDENT OFFICE HOURS

All office hours will be held online this semester.  Students can schedule an appointment with their instructor by selecting the Cisco WebEx option in Canvas and navigating to the “Office Hour” tab.  The times that the instructor is available will be displayed there and a student may schedule a meeting by choosing a time and selecting “Confirm Meeting” at the bottom of the page.

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

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 completing assignments and exams.  Plan ahead -- Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence without prior authorization from the instructor. Student may 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)

How to Earn Attendance credit

Credit will be earned by completing each required assignment with a score of 60% or better. You will be considered 'absent' if you fail to complete the required assignments each week to the required level. I will record absences on Sundays for the prior week.  


 

HOMEWORK, QUIZZES, AND EXAMS (utilizing MyMathLab)

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

MYMATHLAB (MML Access Code): purchase required – register access code inside the Canvas course when it opens.  Used to deliver homework, quizzes and exams.

MyMathLab will provide you access to the E-textbook, multimedia resources, homework help resources, needed for this course.  All graded homework units will be completed online through Canvas in MyMathLab (MML). You will need an access code that can be purchased in the bookstore or online after you click the Canvas link for MyLab & Mastering. Read the Getting Started Module in Canvas for all instructions.

 

Learning New Content:

This is a hybrid course design.  The course meets once a week with an instructor, through WebEx, and the remainder of the learning occurs outside of class.  You are highly encouraged to watch all section video presentations in the MyMathLab multimedia library. These videos can be accessed from the Chapter Contents menu or in the assignments list in MML. This takes the place of going to class in a traditional course.  If you do not have a high-speed Internet connection, it may be difficult to view the videos. The videos contain instruction on each objective that is to be covered in the course. If you don’t watch the videos it will make the homework difficult to complete. There is also a power point presentation for each section.  In addition to the videos provided by MyMathLab, your instructor will frequently post short videos to give an overview of more difficult material you will be learning. 

 

Homework in MyMathLab:

All due dates are listed in MML. You can complete the assignments until 11:59 pm of the due date listed. The homework will have unlimited attempts in order to increase your homework grade.  You may return to improve homework grades after the listed due date, but any changes made to homework after the listed due date may receive a penalty.  Missing or un-attempted homework units will receive a zero.

Need homework help?  You have several options: A) MyMathLab offers guided question help resources such as View an Example, Watch a video, View the Textbook, B) Canvas offers FREE ONLINE TUTORING using Upswing– click the link from the left side bar to get started with an NCTC tutor, C) attend/participate in a regularly scheduled WebEx session with your instructor during the posted times, D)  send your instructor the homework question using ASK My Instructor link from MyMathLab.  Any of these options will get you a starting place for assistance.  The important part is ASKING and NOT WAITING!

 

Quiz/Exam Policies:

A unit quiz after each Chapter, and a comprehensive final exam are scheduled during the semester. Tentative testing dates will be listed in Canvas and the syllabus, make certain to highlight these important dates in your reminder system.

Students will have 1 timed attempt at each unit quiz and 1 timed attempt at the final exam. Students will submit handwritten work to mathematically support their choices in each quiz/exam.  This handwritten work will be submitted within 15 minutes of completing the exam. The handwritten work will be converted to one multi-page PDF document by the student and uploaded into a Canvas assignment.  Students will be allowed to use a non-web based, course approved calculator on the quizzes and exams. No make-up quizzes or exams will be given after the scheduled date. 

               Final Exam:   The final exam will be comprehensive and is required of all students. The final exam will be given online. Students will submit handwritten work to mathematically support their choices in each quiz/exam.  This handwritten work will be submitted within 15 minutes of completing the exam. The handwritten work will be converted to one multi-page PDF document by the student and uploaded into a Canvas assignment.  Students will be allowed to use a non-web based, course approved calculator on the quizzes and exams. The final exam may be used to replace your lowest quiz score, if better. Nothing replaces the final exam!  The final exam must be taken on Tuesday, Dec. 8 or Wednesday, Dec. 9.  No exceptions.

 

Gradebook in Canvas (official course grade):

The gradebook in MML and in Canvas are sync’d and refreshed approximately every 12 hours to give you the most current end of course grade standing possible for completed assignments. 

Canvas has a "what-if" function in the student grade book that will allow a student to temporarily plan future max/min scores on published assignments to see the impact on the end of course grade. (this function is not available in the Canvas app)

The grading policy laid out in this document may be amended during the semester at the instructor’s discretion.  Students will be notified in advance of any amendments to grading policy through an Announcement or Canvas message.

 

 

TESTING POLICY

All testing will be online this semester except for classes that meet face to face.  Testing may be administered in a variety of ways and the mode of testing may change during the semester as deemed appropriate by the instructor.  Students may be required to use a webcam while testing.  Quizzes/Exams are not group activities but a measurement of an individual student’s mastery of the course concepts.  Academic honesty is implied and expected! (Refer to definition of Academic Dishonesty according to the Student Handbook below) 

Students may be asked to demonstrate knowledge/skills in a one-on-one conference if deemed necessary by the instructor. 

Students will submit handwritten work to mathematically support their choices in each quiz/exam.  This handwritten work will be submitted within 15 minutes of completing the exam. The handwritten work will be converted to one multi-page PDF document by the student and uploaded into a Canvas assignment.

 

 

TENTATIVE TEST SCHEDULE

This schedule is tentative and will most likely change as the semester progresses.  It is provided so that you have a general idea of the order and speed with which we will be covering the material.  See the tentative course schedule.

 

LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW

Last day to withdraw from a 16-week course with a “W” is Monday, November 2, 2020.

 

 

MATH LAB

Students who need help with any math class can visit the NCTC Mathematics Lab to receive assistance. Sign up for an appointment or see the most current tutoring hours for all campuses at http://www.nctc.edu/student-services/student-success/tutoring/mathematics-lab.html

TENTATIVE COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE         Asynchronous Course

The schedule posted in Canvas and in this syllabus is tentative and may change slightly as the semester progresses.  It is provided so that you have a general idea of the order and speed with which we will be covering the material.

 

MATH 1314 College Algebra (Hybrid Schedule)

QUIZ DUE DATES

Week 1

Chapter 1.1, 1.2, 1.3

 

Week 2

Chapter 1.4, 1.5, 1.6

 

Week 3

Chapter 1.7, 1.8, QUIZ 1

9/14/2020 by 11:59 pm

Week 4

Chapter 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

 

Week 5

Chapter 2.4, 2.5, 2.6

 

Week 6

Chapter 2.7, 2.8, QUIZ 2

10/5/2020 by 11:59 pm

Week 7

Chapter 3.1, 3.2, 3.3

 

Week 8

Chapter 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, QUIZ3

10/19/2020 by 11:59 pm

Week 9

Chapter 4.1, 4.2

 

Week 10

Chapter 4.3, 4.4

 

Week 11

Chapter 4.5, 4.6, QUIZ 4

11/09/2020 by 11:59 pm

Week 12

Chapter 5.1, 5.5

 

Week 13

Chapter 5.3, 5.7

 

Week 14

QUIZ 5, Chapter 7.1

Thanksgiving Holiday 11/25-27

11/24/2020 by 11:59 pm

Week 15

QUIZ 6 (FE Review)

12/7/2020 by 11:59 pm

Week 16

FINAL EXAM

12/8 & 12/9

 

DISABILITY SERVICES (Office for Students with Disabilities)

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

 

 

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)

 

  •                Critical Thinking
  •                Communication
  •                Empirical and Quantitative

 

  •                Teamwork
  •                Personal Responsibility
  •                Social Responsibility

 

COURSE TYPE

  •                Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)
  •                Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course
  •                WECM Course

 

 

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook. https://www.nctc.edu/_documents/academics/student-handbook.pdf. 

 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion.  The use of online math solvers with submitted work is considered academic dishonesty.  Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty.  See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”. 

Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:

  1.  Zero on the assignment
  2. Failing grade for the course

 

Division Chair:

Ben Owens

Office Location:

Corinth 236

Telephone Number:

940-498-6209

E-mail Address:

bowens@nctc.edu

Instructional Dean:

Mary Martinson

Office Location:

Gainesville 1404

Telephone Number:

940.668.7731 ext. 4377

E-mail Address:

mmartinson@nctc.edu

 

 

 

INFORMATION FOR ONSITE (FACE-T0-FACE) CLASSES

Potential Conversion of Onsite Classes to Online/Remote Format: North Central Texas College students should be aware that in the event of a college closure due to COVID-19, onsite classes will be converted to an online/remote format. Students should plan ahead to ensure they have access to the computer equipment (either PC, MAC, or tablet), webcam, and internet connectivity to continue their classes in an online/remote format. Please read all your official North Central Texas College student emails as the transition from onsite to online/remote might require a reorganization in your personal situation. Students will be granted a 72-hour transition and grace period. Online classes will continue as scheduled without disruption. Wear a mask, stay safe, and contact your Instructor as the situation arises. These policies and procedures were updated on July 30, 2020 and are subject to change.

 

Face Coverings: Per the North Central Texas College guidance on face coverings on campus, in the instructional setting, faculty and students must wear face coverings, such as masks or face shields. Students without coverings, or those who do not comply with the rules relating to face coverings, will not be able to participate in on-campus classroom activities. To request an exception to this requirement, students should contact the NCTC HR Office of Enrollment Management (ccove@nctc.edu). Failure to comply with the face coverings requirement may result in the Instructor directing the student to leave the classroom. Any student asked to leave the classroom may be referred to the student conduct officer. These policies and procedures were updated on July 30, 2020 and are subject to change.

 

Temporary COVID-19 Attendance Policy for Face-to-Face Meetings: We are facing an unprecedented situation in which all of us must be flexible and make prudent decisions in the best interest of our families, our campus, and our community. In light of this, North Central Texas College is temporarily establishing the requirement that faculty keep records of student attendance for face-to-face course meetings as well as a documented seating chart. In addition, students who are sick or need to quarantine should not attend classes. Students will not be required to provide formal documentation from a health care provider and will not be penalized for COVID-19 related absences when proper notification to campus health officials is made in accordance with the guidelines stated below.

 

Faculty will:

  • Notify students about important course information and delivery changes through Canvas and campus email.

 

Students should:

  • Provide notification to campus officials (via NCTC Daily Health Check protocol through Canvas) if they have tested positive for COVID-19 or have to quarantine so we can confirm reported absence with instructors, monitor, and assist the campus community.
  • Notify instructors in advance of the absence.
  • Connect with that class through Webex if the class session is being transmitted in a hybrid fashion.
  • Keep up with and/or make up missed classwork or assignments.
  • Submit assignments digitally through Canvas or other means as announced by your instructor.
  • Work with their instructors to reschedule exams, labs, and other critical academic activities described in the course syllabus.
  • Check Canvas and campus email daily to receive important announcements pertaining to the course.

During this period, faculty with face-to-face meetings will establish assigned seating/work stations to facilitate roll-taking, and, if necessary, contact tracing. Additionally, we ask all members of the College community to be attentive to their health, and safeguard others, by following the CDC’s guideline to “stay home when you are sick.” You should stay home if you have symptoms. More information on what to do if you are sick is available at the CDC’s website.

Additional NCTC information is available at http://www.nctc.edu/coronavirus/index.html

 

CAMPUS POLICIES

Tobacco-Free Campus:  NCTC restricts the use of all tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco, on campus property.

 

Campus Carry: Effective August 1, 2017, a license holder may carry a concealed handgun on or about the license holder's person while the license holder is on the campus of an institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education in this state. For more information, see the website at https://www.nctc.edu/campus-safety/campus-carry.html.

 

Parking Permits: The North Central Texas Community College District has managed traffic and parking regulations in order to ensure the safety of the campus community related to the operation and parking of vehicles on campus. These regulations apply to all operators of motor vehicles on campus. For parking permits and more information, see the website at https://www.nctc.edu/campus-safety/transportation-parking.html.