NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

 COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title:  College Algebra

Course prefix, number, and section number:  MATH 1314 0620

Semester/Year of course:  FALL 2024

Semester start and end dates: 8/26/2024 – 12/14/2024 (16-week session)

                                      

Modality:  Face to Face

Class meeting location, days, and times: 

Course:  MATH 1314.0620                                 Support Course:  NCBM 0214.0620

         Tuesday/Thursday                                                    Tuesday/Thursday

          8:30am – 10:50am                                                   8:30am – 10:50am

          Denton Campus                                                       Denton Campus

          Room 211                                                                   Room 211

 

Semester credit hours:  3 (Lecture hours: 48)

  All class notes, lecture videos, and assignments are online and posted through Canvas and   

  MyMathLab. 

Quizzes and Testing including Unit Exams and the Final Exam are on paper and will be given during class on the scheduled dates posted below (the dates can also be found in the weekly schedule posted in the “Homepage” and Modules in Canvas).

UNIT 1 EXAM - Week 4:    In class on Thursday 9/19 UNIT 2 EXAM - Week 8:    In class on Thursday 10/17 UNIT 3 EXAM - Week 11:  In class on Thursday 11/7 FINAL EXAM: In class on Tuesday 12/10

       QUIZ DATES:                                                      TESTING DATES:

 

QUIZ #1:   In class on Thursday 9/5

QUIZ #2:   In class on Thursday 9/12

QUIZ #3:   In class on Tuesday 10/1

QUIZ #4:   In class on Tuesday 10/8

QUIZ #5:   In class on Tuesday 10/15

QUIZ #6:   In class on Tuesday 10/29

QUIZ #7:   In class on Tuesday 11/5

QUIZ #8:   In class on Tuesday 11/19

QUIZ #9:   Due by Tuesday 11/26

 

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.

Course prerequisites:  Meet TSI college-readiness standard for College Algebra or equivalent

Required course materials: 

 

• Registration in the course automatically adds a textbook fee to your NCTC tuition and fees which gives you the access code to the online learning platform (MyMATHLab) and e-book needed for MATH 1314 (MyLab Math).  You do not need to purchase a separate access code.  Instructions  on how to get your access code can be found in a separate document on the Course Homepage or in the course Modules. (see * INCLUSIVE ACCESS below for more information)

           Scientific calculator (TI-30X IIS Multiview or TI-36X Pro are the recommended            calculators, but any basic calculator that has log/ln function will work).

            *Graphing calculators and phone calculators will NOT be allowed on exams OR quizzes.

• Optional course materials: College Algebra Textbook, Lial/Hornsby/Schneider/Daniels, 13^th edition, Pearson, 2021 (MyMathLab will provide an e-text so you do not need the hardcopy)

 

 INSTRUCTOR INFO

 

Name of instructor:  Lori Blagg

Office location: Denton/Rm 214

E-mail address: lblagg@nctc.edu

 Office hours for students:

• On Campus Office Hours - Denton Campus/RM 214: 

 Monday/Wednesday 9:00am-9:30am      

 Tuesday/Thursday 11:00am-11:30am

• Online/Virtual Office Hours - via Email/Canvas/WebEx:         

Monday/Wednesday 6:00pm-7:00pm       

Tuesday/Thursday 12:30pm-2:30pm and 6:00pm-7:00pm  or by Appointment

 

 STUDENT HOURS (OFFICE HOURS)

Each week instructors have time set aside to meet with students outside of class. (Traditionally these times have been called “office hours”.) 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.  Student hours may be held in-person or online.  See below for instructions on where/when/how instructors will offer student hours in this class.

 << For online office hours, students can schedule an appointment 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 TUTORING LAB

 Students who need help with any math class can visit the NCTC Mathematics Lab to receive assistance.  There are math tutors available on every campus and online.  This service is free for all students enrolled in an NCTC math class. Sign up for an appointment or see the most current tutoring hours for all campuses at https://www.nctc.edu/math-lab.  

 

 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 in person and/or writing.

 

 SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

 List of graded assignments: 

 

 28  MML  Assignments                         20%

 (Homework and Practice Quizzes)

  9  In - Class Quizzes                               25%

  3   Unit Exams                                         40%

  1   Final Exam                                         15%

 Final 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 exam grade.*

 Late work policy: Homework and Practice Quizzes(Online in MML) may be worked past their due date with a 10% late grade penalty.  No Make-up Exams for Unit Tests or the Final will be allowed.  They must be completed on their scheduled date.

After the final exam there is NO more work a student can do to improve their grade.

 SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

 

 

 

 COURSE POLICIES

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
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 2024-2025 NCTC Catalog. (https://www.nctc.edu/catalog)

 

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 16-week course with a “W” is: Monday, November 4, 2024

 

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.

Core Objectives:

X           Critical Thinking

X           Communication

X           Empirical and Quantitative

                Teamwork

  Personal Responsibility

  Social Responsibility

 

 

COLLEGE POLICIES

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.

 

AI STATEMENT

Absent a clear statement from a course instructor, use of or consultation with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other similar technologies shall be treated analogously to assistance from another person, agency, or entity. In particular, using generative AI tools to substantially complete an assignment or exam is not permitted. Students should acknowledge the use of generative AI (other than incidental use) and default to disclosing such assistance when in doubt.

 

When students use generative AI to replace the rigorous demands of personal engagement with their coursework, it runs counter to the educational mission of the college and undermines the heart of education itself. Artificial Intelligence, large language models, and other such technologies hold promise for deploying knowledge in service to others and accelerating the discovery of new knowledge. However, such technology poses new challenges to pedagogy and to integrity. Within the context of the teaching mission of the college and consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, the authority to define the appropriate use, study, and deployment of these technologies rests with the faculty.

 

Individual course instructors, in coordination with their divisions, set policies regulating the use of generative AI tools in their courses, including allowing or disallowing some or all uses of such tools. Course instructors will set such policies in their course syllabi and clearly communicate such policies to students. Students who are unsure of policies regarding generative AI tools are encouraged to ask their instructors for clarification.

 

AI MATH DIVISION STATEMENT

Many online calculators, equation solvers, and graphing tools exist that may aid students in computing and visualizing math problems. These tools are a great resource for helping better understand how to work problems and can be a huge help in studying. However, these tools can be misused/overused. Math classes require students to develop a certain level of skill that a student must be able to demonstrate without the aid of these tools. Often a student may become reliant on these tools or have false sense of confidence in their knowledge and skills. Generally, if a student is using tools or resources to help learn material, eventually they must take away those resources to ensure they are able to work problems with only the tools allowed in the class. In short, we encourage students to use whatever tools they find useful in developing their knowledge and skills. But, these tools must be used thoughtfully so that true understanding and proficiency are developed. 

 

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

• To access Student Handbook go to NCTC homepage (www.nctc.edu), scroll to bottom and click “Student Handbook”.

STUDENT SERVICES

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.

 

 * Inclusive ACCESS

The NCTC Bookstore and Pearson Education have partnered to provide the best learning resources on the first day of class so that 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 purchase 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.

 

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

 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 Instructor:  Lori Blagg

Office location:  Denon/214

E-mail address:  lblagg@nctc.edu

Name of Chair/Coordinator:  Ben Owens

Office location:  Corinth 174

Telephone number:  940.498.6209

E-mail address:  bowens@nctc.edu

 Name of Instructional Dean:  Mary Martinson

Office location:  Gainesville 1403

Telephone number:  940.668.7731 ext. 4377

E-mail address:  mmartinson@nctc.edu