NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	Contemporary Mathematics
Course Prefix & Number:	MATH 1332	Section Number:	0320	Semester/Year:	Summer 2020
Semester Credit Hours:	3	Lecture Hours:	48	Lab Hours:
Course Description (NCTC Catalog): Intended for Non STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) majors. Topics include introductory treatments of sets and logic, financial mathematics, probability and statistics with appropriate applications. Number sense, proportional reasoning, estimation, technology, and communication should be embedded throughout the course. Additional topics may be covered.
Course Prerequisite(s): Meet TSI college-readiness standard for Contemporary Mathematics; or equivalent.
Required or Recommended Course Materials: Thinking Mathematically, Robert F. Blitzer, 7th edition, Pearson, 2019 Note: A physical copy of the text is not required.  The eText can be accessed through MyMathLab MyMathLab access (required) Scientific calculator, TI-30X IIS or TI-84 is recommended

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Ben Owens
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth 320 (Note: This summer I will not be on campus as we have been asked to work remotely due to the coronavirus. If you would like to meet we can schedule an online conference!)
Office Hours:	TBD – online office hours to be posted/communicated in Canvas
Telephone Number:	940-498-6295
E-mail Address:	bowens@nctc.edu

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
40	Homework (MyMathLab)	15%
12	Quizzes (MyMathLab)	15%
10	Online Discussion Assignments (Canvas)	10%
5	Tests (MyMathLab/Canvas)	60%

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

 

 

 

Late work policy:

For Homework Assignments in MyMathLab each problem may be attempted an unlimited number of times.  For problems submitted after the due date a 30% late penalty will be given.

For Quizzes in MyMathLab all problems must be attempted together and submitted at once.  There are three total attempts for the each quiz.  If a quiz is completed after the due date a 30% late penalty will be given.

Discussion Assignments must be completed in the time frame set for each assignment.  If a discussion assignment is not completed by the due date a 0 will be given.

Tests must be completed in the time frames listed below.  If you are unable to complete the test during that time frame, please contact your professor as soon as possible.

 

Dropped grade policy:

At the end of the semester the lowest 3 Homework Assignments from MyMathLab will be dropped.

At the end of the semester the lowest 2 Quiz grades from MyMathLab will be dropped.

At the end of the semester the lowest 2 Discussion Assignment grades will be dropped.

No Test grades will be dropped.  (Extra credit may be completed for bonus on tests.)

 

Extra Credit opportunities:

For each test there will be a “Practice for Test” quiz in Canvas.  This quiz is not counted as part of your grade, however if you complete the bonus quiz your highest score divided by 20 and rounded to the nearest whole number will be added as bonus to your test score. You may work the practice quiz as many times as you would like. The practice quiz must be completed within the testing time frame for each test.

 

See “START HERE” document / “Getting Started” Module in Canvas for more information!

 

Testing Information

 

Testing dates: There are 5 tests in this class that will be completed online.  Tests must be completed in the time frames listed below.  For more information on the tests see “Assignment Descriptions” on the Course Homepage.

Test 1:  July 22-24

Test 2:  July 29-31

Test 3:  August 5-7

Test 4:  August 12-14

Test 5:  August 18-20

 

 

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

Week	Topic
1	1.1 Problem Solving: Inductive and Deductive Reasoning 1.2 Problem Solving: Estimation, Graphs, and Mathematical Models 1.3 Problem Solving: Problem Solving 4.2 Problem Solving: Number Bases in Positional Systems 2.1 Sets: Basic Set Concepts 2.2 Sets: Subsets 2.3 Sets: Venn Diagrams & Set Operations 2.4 Sets: Venn Diagrams & Set Operations with Three Sets 2.5 Sets: Survey Problems
	Test 1 (Ch.1,4,2) must be taken from July 22-24
2	8.1 Finance: Percent, Sales Tax, and Discounts 8.2 Finance: Income Tax 8.3 Finance: Simple Interest 8.4 Finance: Compound Interest 8.5 Finance: Annuities, Methods of Saving, and Investments 8.6 Finance: Cars 8.7 Finance: The Cost of Home Ownership 8.8 Finance: Credit Cards
	Test 2 (Ch.8) must be taken from July 29-31
3	3.1 Logic: Statements, Negations, and Quantified Statements 3.2 Logic: Compound Statements and Connectives 3.3 Logic: Truth Tables for Negations, Conjunctions, and Disjunctions 3.4 Logic: Truth Tables for the Conditional and Biconditional 3.5 Logic: Equivalent Statements and Variations of Conditional Statements 3.6 Logic: Negations of Conditional Statements and De Morgan’s Laws 3.7 Logic: Arguments and Truth Table 3.8 Logic: Arguments and Euler Diagrams
	Test 3 (Ch.3) must be taken from August 5-7
4	11.1 Counting and Probability: The Fundamental Counting Principle 11.2 Counting and Probability: Permutations 11.3 Counting and Probability: Combinations 11.4 Counting and Probability: Fundamentals of Probability 11.5 Counting and Probability: Probability with Counting Techniques 11.6 Counting and Probability: Events Involving Not and Or; Odds 11.7 Counting and Probability: Events Involving And; Conditional
	Test 4 (Ch.11) must be taken from August 12-14
5	12.1 Statistics: Sampling, Frequency Distribution, and Graphs 12.2 Statistics: Measures of Central Tendency 12.3 Statistics: Measures of Dispersion 12.4 Statistics: Normal Distribution 12.5 Statistics: Applications of the Normal Distribution 12.6 Statistics: Scatter Plots, Correlation, and Regression Lines
	Test 5 (Ch. 12) must be taken from August 18-20

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog)

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
1	Apply the language and notation of sets.
2	Determine the validity of an argument or statement and provide mathematical evidence.
3	Solve problems in mathematics of finance.
4	Demonstrate fundamental probability/counting techniques and apply those techniques to solve problems.
5	Interpret and analyze various representations of data.
6	Demonstrate the ability to choose and analyze mathematical models to solve problems from real-world settings, including, but not limited to, personal finance, health literacy, and civic engagement.

 

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)

 

Last day to withdraw from a Summer II course with a “W” is Tuesday, August 6, 2020.

 

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 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)________      

o        Communication

x        Mathematics              

o        Life and Physical Science

o        Language, Philosophy & Culture

o        Creative Arts

o        American History

 

o        Government/Political Science

o        Social and Behavioral Sciences

o        Component Area Option

 

x         Critical Thinking

x          Communication

x          Empirical and Quantitative

o           Teamwork

o           Personal Responsibility

o           Social Responsibility