INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

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.

GRADING CRITERIA

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

Homework will be due on Sundays and Wednesdays by midnight most weeks.  Homework assignments are accessible through the Thinkwell Content link in Canvas.  You will be allowed 3 attempts for each homework assignment.  The settings are fixed so that you will need to rework the entire homework assignment (not just the problems you missed).  The reason for this is because it is important to work the problems repeatedly and using different trigonometric functions and angles.  No late work will be accepted.  You are welcome to work ahead in the course to avoid missing any due dates.  There will be a couple of offline assignments which will be completed and submitted through Canvas.

Quizzes will be due at midnight on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday of each week beginning after we complete section 1.3.  These quizzes will be brief and should only take about 5 minutes to complete (as long as you are practicing with the material).  They are designed to keep some basic concepts fresh in the students mind all semester.  These concepts are vital to success in the class, hence the repetition you will see in the quizzes.  You will not be able to work ahead on these quizzes.  They will open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week giving you 2 – 3 days in which to complete the quizzes.  These quizzes will be housed in Canvas.

There will be 3 regular exams during the semester.  All exams will be taken on campus during our scheduled time (TBD) unless you have made other arrangements with the instructor.  Calculator use will be restricted on some tests or parts of tests.  No graphing calculators or cell phone calculators will be allowed during the exam.  Calculator use will be restricted on some tests or parts of tests.  Any student who misses 2 tests may be dropped from the course.

 The final examination will be comprehensive.  Students who miss 2 or fewer homework assignments may use their final exam grade to replace their lowest exam grade.  Please note the final exam will count as a grade but may count twice if it replaces your lowest exam grade.

Students who fail to log in to Canvas or register with Thinkwell by midnight January 23, 2021 may be dropped from the course.

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

Homework and Quiz dues dates will be shown on the calendar in Canvas

All due dates and test dates are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

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)

**For online students, this means that you are expected to log into and work on your course on a regular basis.  “Excessive absences” in this online course means a student has gone a long period of time (a week or longer) without submitting work in the course.  While attendance alone does not guarantee success in a math course, it generally contributes to a student’s ability to succeed in the course. 

ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN THE COURSE     

Students in this course should expect to spend at least 15 - 30 hours per week engaging with the course material in some way.  This could be watching video lectures, working through lecture notes, doing homework, taking quizzes, meeting with the instructor online to get help, using the online tutoring system if necessary, etc.  There are plenty things to do in this course to keep you busy (but it will be fun and interesting). 

Students are expected to have a strong foundation in Algebra and be willing to ask questions when they struggle with the material.  It may seem a bit awkward to communicate mathematically through email or virtual meetings, but the more you use it the more comfortable you will be with the tools you have.  In order to help familiarize you with the virtual meetings, you will have an assignment during the second week where you will meet with the instructor in Webex. 

Students are expected to work out a study plan and stick with it for the semester.  It does not have to be the same schedule each week, but make sure you are intentionally setting aside time every day to work on the course.  Limit distractions and try to study at times when you are not overly stressed or tired.  I realize for some this will be very difficult but do your best to block out anything that takes your focus off your studies during that time (especially negative self-talk).

The best way to succeed in any math class is through daily practice.  If you go long periods of time without using math, you tend to forget the intricate details.  Practicing 45 minutes every day works better for most students than spending 7 hours at one time working on a concept.  Try to take a 5 to 10-minute break any time you are studying for more than 45 minutes at a time.  Set yourself up for success!

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.  When possible, in-person proctored testing is preferred.  For in-person classes testing will occur during the designated class times.  For online classes in-person proctored testing may be required.  On site testing may be done in an NCTC testing center, at test locations provided by the math division, or at another authorized testing site.  If online testing is used students may be required to use a webcam while testing.  For online testing students will be required to scan and upload supporting documents.  Students may be asked to demonstrate knowledge/skills in a one-on-one conference if deemed necessary by the instructor. 

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.

Last day to withdraw from a 1^st 8-week course with a “W” is Monday, February 22, 2021.

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. 

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