NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course title: College Algebra
Course prefix, number, and section number: MATH 1314 0340
Semester/Year of course: Spring 2025
Semester start and end dates: 1/21/2025 – 5/17/2025 (16-week session)
Modality: Asynchronous online
Class meeting location, days, and times: Online using NCTC Canvas and MyMathLab with scheduled proctored exams in an NCTC Testing Center (or other approved testing environment).
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.
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 access to the online learning platform 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 document on the Course Homepage or in the course Modules. (see * Inclusive Access below for more information)
Suggested course materials:
Scientific calculator, TI-30X IIS is recommended
Graphing calculators and phone calculators will not be allowed on exams.
Optional course materials: College Algebra, Lial/Hornsby/Schneider/Daniels, 13th edition, Pearson, 2021. (The ebook is included in your Pearson MyLabMath Subscription.)
Name of instructor: Dr Hernandez
Email address: cphernandez@nctc.edu
I have no on-campus office or phone number at any of the campuses.
Communicating with your instructor: The preferred method for communication is through NCTC email or Canvas messages. Emails sent from an address other than your NCTC email address may not receive a reply. Emails sent from your NCTC email address should include your course and section number in the subject line. I will endeavor to respond within 24 hours during the week. Emails received after noon on Friday (or the day before a College holiday) may not receive a response until the Monday morning (or the morning after a College holiday).
STUDENT HOURS (OFFICE HOURS)
Each week instructors have time set aside to meet with students outside of class. (Traditionally these times are 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.
In-person student hours: By Appointment Only. If you find that you need help one-on-one in person, please email me at least 3 weekdays in advance so that we may schedule a time that works for both of us. A campus meeting will occur at the Corinth campus only.
Online student hours: By Appointment Only. If you find that you need help one-on-one but online, please email me at least 2 weekdays in advance so that we may schedule a time that works for both of us. Online or virtual meetings will take place using Canvas Webex.
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 most campuses 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:
# of Graded Elements Title of Graded Element Percentage
33 Assignments in MyLabMath 15%
8 Assignments in Canvas 5%
4 Exams 60%
1 Final Exam 20%
Final grade scale: 90 – 100% = A; 80 – 89% = B; 70 – 79% = C; 60 – 69% = D; Below 60% = F
(Grades are rounded up to the nearest whole percent if the weighted average is within 0.5% of the next whole number. E.g 89.5 becomes 90, 89.4 stays 89.)
Please Note: Grades are based solely on your performance and the results you achieve on the graded activities for this course. I do not grade on a curve, as that would be a comparison of your outcomes to others. No extra work or assignments exist to raise your grade or to make up a grade. (This includes after final grades are submitted at the end of the semester.)
If you find you are not earning the grade you want or need, please ask questions of me by email, meet with a tutor or develop a study group, or contact me for a potential appointment.
Assignments in MyLabMath (15%): These are assignments that cover the content of the course and are completed in MyLabMath (MLM). These are accessed on the computer through Pearson. Homework is an important component in student success for this course. Homework reinforces the topics from each section. Most problems have multiple (but not always unlimited) attempts and the highest score is kept for each assignment. Most assignments contain videos that must be watched in order to continue on with the problems in the assignment. There are 38 assignments and the top 35 will be used for the assignment average.
Assignments in Canvas (5%) : There are 5 discussion boards, and 3 other activities that are located in Canvas. These provide engagement with fellow students and with the instructor directly throughout the course. All 8 will be used for the average.
Late work policy: Late work is not accepted. Assignments in MLM must be completed by the due dates on the calendar and in Pearson. However, MLM problems not completed by their due date may still be worked until the day before the exam covering that Unit, which is the deadline for those assignments. Problems on assignments completed after the due date may be finished with a 15% late penalty up until the night before the tests/final exam for that section/unit. There is no need to ask the instructor to modify due dates because of this policy. (Caution: If you finished a problem prior to the due date correctly and you rework it after the due date, it will accrue the 15% penalty. Use the Study plan to work on those problems, not the assignment. This is described further in Canvas.)
Exams: The Exams are in-person proctored exams administered at an NCTC campus testing center or another approved testing facility (with permission of instructor) according the schedule below and in the calendar. There is more information in Canvas concerning the exams. The exams are timed and only one attempt is allowed. A missed exam receives the grade of zero (0). There are no make up exams. See that policy below.
Final Exam: The Final Exam is a comprehensive departmental exam and required of all students. A missed final exam receives the grade of zero (0).
If you have taken all four exams, then the Final exam score will replace the lowest of the Unit exams, provided it is higher. This will only occur once; if two unit exams have the same lowest score, only one will be replaced.
If you missed a unit exam, then your score on the Final exam, up to a maximum of 75%, will replace the zero from the missed unit exam. This will only occur once; if you miss two exams, one of the zeros will remain in your grade.
There are no Make-up Exams allowed for the Tests or Final. These exams must be completed on (or before) their due dates. Students are given the test dates (below) on the first day of class, so please plan accordingly. If you find that you will not be available to take an exam on its scheduled date, please email me at least 1 week in advance so that we may schedule a date prior to the exam for you to take it.
TEST DATES:
Test #1: Week 4: Thursday, 2/13/2025
Test #2: Week 8: Wednesday, 3/12/2025
Test #3: Week 11: Tuesday, 4/8/2025
Test #4: Week 15: Wednesday, 5/7/2025
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday 5/13/2025 or Wednesday, 5/14/2025
After the final exam there is NO more work a student can do to improve their grade. The final exam marks the end of the course.
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, April 7, 2025
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.
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: Dr. C. Hernandez
E-mail address: cphernandez@nctc.edu
Name of Chair: 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