Course Syllabus

 

COURSE: MATH 1314 College Algebra                                                   SECTION: 0344

 

MEETING TIME and PLACE: Canvas/WebEx                                     MODALITY: Asynchronous Online

 

SEMESTER DATES: Start 8/22/22 – End 12/10/22                      SEMESTER: Fall 2022

 

SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS: 3                                                             LECTURE HOURS: 48

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 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.

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the successful completion of the 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.

 

CORE OBJECTIVES:

 X  Critical Thinking                ­ X  Communication                                     X  Empirical and Quantitative

__  Teamwork                           ___ Personal Responsibility                     __  Social Responsibility

 

 

COURSE PREREQUISITES: Meet TSI college-readiness standard for College Algebra or equivalent

 

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS: Registration in the course gives you the access code to the online learning platform and e-book needed for the course.  You do not need to purchase a separate access code.  Instructions can be found in a separate document in Canvas (see Follett ACCESS below for more info)

 

RECOMMENDED COURSE MATERIALS: Scientific Calculator (Graphing or phone calculators will not be allowed on exams.)  Recommended calculators are TI 30X IIS, TI 30 MultiView, and TI 36X Pro

 

OPTIONAL COURSE MATERIALS: College Algebra, Lial/Hornsby/Schneider/Daniels, 13th edition, Pearson, 2021

 

 

 

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

 

INSTRUCTOR:  Allyssa Kelley, Adjunct Instructor of Mathematics

EMAIL: ANKelley@nctc.edu          PHONE: 469-364-9055 (text message only)

 

OFFICE HOURS                                                 TIME AND LOCATION: Mon – Fri: 4-6pm, WebEx

Each week instructors have time set aside to meet with students outside of class. This is a time when a student may ask questions regarding the class or discuss a particular problem/topic with an instructor one-on-one.  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.

 

MATH LAB (TUTORING CENTER)

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 campuses at https://www.nctc.edu/math-lab

 

IMPORTANT SEMESTER DATES

• First Day of Classes: Monday August 22^nd
• Labor Day (Campus Closed): Monday September 5^th
• Drop Date (last day to drop courses): Monday September 5^th
• Withdraw Date (last day to withdraw from courses): Monday October 31^st
• Thanksgiving (Campus Closed): November 23^rd – 27^th   
• Last Day of Classes: Saturday December 10^th   

 

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class.  Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible.

 

GRADING CRITERIA:

 

# OF GRADED ELEMENTS                       COURSE ELEMENTS                         PERCENTAGE

32                                                Homework                                15%

10                                                Quizzes                                      15%

16                                                Participation                            5%

4                                                   Tests (12.5% each)                50%

1                                                   Final Exam                                15%

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

See Canvas for the complete course calendar, description of graded work, and other related material.

 

PET POLICY

If, during a video call, a pet comes into frame of the camera, the instructor reserves the right to stop the class discussion to say hello and virtually meet said pet.

COURSE POLICIES

 

HOMEWORK and QUIZZES

Homework and quizzes will be assigned for all sections and will be completed in MyLab Math, an online homework and course management system.  Each homework assignment will begin with a video lecture, which must be watched as a part of the assignment.  These videos will serve as the lecture/instruction for this course.  There will be no synchronous/live/video lectures with Ms Kelley, but there are plenty of opportunities to meet with her through WebEx for one-on-one instruction during office hours.

 

Homework and Quizzes will be due weekly, on Sunday evenings at 11pm.  You have an unlimited number of attempts for each homework problem and quiz, and 1 attempt for each test.  Extensions will not be given for any reason, including technical difficulties, but you may complete assignments late with a 25% deduction in grade. Please have an alternative plan for completing assignments should your computer fail, such as going to a public library and/or completing assignments early.

 

You may work at your own pace in this course, going as fast as you’d like, as long as you meet the due dates detailed in Canvas.  It is not recommended that you attempt to finish the course as quickly as possible, as this is already a VERY fast-moving course, but if you’d like to work ahead, the course is designed for you to be able to do so.

Algebra is a cumulative subject that requires frequent practice to develop your skills.  If one topic is confusing, then the next topic is likely to be more confusing.  To avoid this, do not procrastinate on working your assignments.  Allow yourself the opportunity to work through unexpected difficulties in understanding the material.  Your proficiency with calculus and success in this course will depend on active practice, i.e., working homework problems

 

EXAMS

The math department at NCTC has a “pen and paper test” policy, meaning that even if it’s on online class tests must be taken in person on pen and paper, and will not be given online.  Formula sheets, index cards, and memory enhancers are not allowed on any of the exams, but scientific calculators will be allowed.

Exams may be taken at any time, as long as they are completed and returned to the instructor by the due dates listed below.  I am aware that some students take online classes because they are a long distance from the college or have work hours and family obligations that don't lend themselves to typical college hours.  Therefore, you have the option for where and when you would like to take your test, as long as it is under the supervision of an instructor, an approved Proctor, or the NCTC Testing Center.  Students will also need to communicate the way they wish to test through a google form for each test by a certain date.

More information about testing can be found in Canvas.

Late exams will not be accepted unless under extreme circumstances.

It is up to the student to communicate with the instructor if a testing issue arises.

 

Exam Dates

Test One: Sun September 18^th

Test Two: Sun October 9^th

Test Three: Sun October 30^th

Test Four: Sun November 27^th

Final Exam: Wed December 7^th

 

 

 

PARTICIPATION

Participation will be assessed in this course based on your timely completion of the course requirements. To hit each weekly mark and be counted as "Present", you simply have to complete the majority of the assignments in each group by their due date.  Failure to complete a majority of the assignment will result in you being marked as "Absent".  The attendance marks can be found below.

 

Wk1: HW1-2, Q1           Wk2: HW3-5, Q2         Wk3: HW6-8, Q3           Wk4: Test One            

Wk5: HW9-12, Q4         Wk6: HW13-16, Q5         Wk7: Test Two

Wk8: HW17-19, Q6      Wk9: HW20-22, Q7         Wk10: Test Three

Wk11: HW23-26, Q8    Wk12: HW27-29, Q9  Wk13: HW30-32, Q10 Wk14: Test Four

Wk15: Meet with Ms Kelley in Office Hours at least once during the semester               Wk16: Final Exam       

 

 

FOLLET ACCESS

Follett ACCESS is a partnership between the NCTC Bookstore and Pearson Education to provide the best learning resources on the first day of class. Students can gain access to Pearson’s adaptive online platform with the latest version of the eBook at a discount. If students would like to purchase a physical copy of the textbook, they can order it through the bookstore.

 

Students who drop before the add/drop date will have their book fees credited back to their student account, and students who remain in the course will be charged a materials fee by the school to have continued access of the online platforms.  If you remain enrolled in the course but wish to opt-out of access to the book please email the NCTC Bookstore within the first two weeks of class with your name and student number to 1263mgr@follett.com.

 

 

 

 

NCTC POLICIES and STATEMENTS

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

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 Code of Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”.   Consequences for academic dishonesty may include: 1. Zero on the assignment, or 2. Failing grade for the course.

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular attendance is expected and necessary for student success in this course.  For more information on attendance regulations, please see the 22-23 NCTC Catalog. (https://www.nctc.edu/catalog: click on 22-23 CATALOG and find the Attendance Regulations on page 138)

 

WITHDRAWAL POLICY

A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.  Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Monday, October 31, 2022.

 

STUDENT HANDBOOK STATEMENT

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.  To access the Student Handbook, go to the NCTC homepage (www.nctc.edu), scroll to the bottom and click “Student Handbook”.

 

ADA STATEMENT

NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.

 

STUDENT SERVICES STATEMENT

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

 

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/CONCERNS

The student should contact the instructor to deal with any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class.  If the student and faculty are not able to resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division.  If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may proceed to contact the instructional dean.

Name of Chair/Coordinator:  Ben Owens                   Name of Instructional Dean:  Mary Martinson

Office location:  Corinth 175                                           Office location:  Gainesville 1403

Telephone number:  940.498.6209                              Telephone number:  940.668.7731 ext. 4377

E-mail address:  bowens@nctc.edu                              E-mail address:  mmartinson@nctc.edu