INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

GRADING CRITERIA

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

*No late homework or quizzes will be allowed, and individual make-up exams will be given in rare cases and only with instructor approval.

*The lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the end of the semester.

*The final examination is a comprehensive exam and is required of all students. The final exam may also replace a low or missing test grade.

*Any student who accumulates in excess of 2 weeks of absence in the class may be dropped from the course.

*The grading policy may be amended during the semester at the instructor’s discretion.

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

See weekly calendar posted in Canvas

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

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).

HOMEWORK, QUIZZES, AND TESTS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

All homework and quizzes will be completed online in MyStatLab (MSL). You will need an access code that can be purchased in the bookstore or online after you log into MyStatLab. Read the announcements in Canvas for all instructions. 

Learning New Content:

Each week, your instructor will hold 1 or 2 webcasts  to give an overview of the material you will be learning that week. The webcasts will be held in Canvas in the Conferences tab of the course. If you miss a live webcast, you can watch the recording in Conferences for 14 days, or the link will be posted in eth weekly module.

In addition to the webcasts, you have access to the section video presentations in MyStatLab. These videos can be accessed from the Chapter Contents menu or in the assignments list in MSL. This takes the place of going to class in a traditional course. If you do not have a high-speed Internet connection, it may be difficult to view the videos. The videos contain instruction on each objective that is to be covered in the course. If you don’t watch the webcasts and/or videos, it is equivalent to not coming to class, and will make the HW difficult to complete. There is also a power point presentation for each section within MSL.

Homework:

All due dates are listed in MSL. You can complete the assignments until 11:59 pm of the due date listed. The homework may be attempted multiple times in order to increase your homework grade.

Quizzes:

Weekly quizzes will be due.  All due dates are listed in MSL.  Quizzes may be attempted three times, and each quiz attempt has a time limit.  Only the highest score will be counted. Students should attempt the quiz multiple times in order to be prepared for the unit test. At the end of the semester, the lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

Participation tasks:

Each week you will have 2-3 participation grades, which are based on you completing tasks that you are asked to do that week. This is an easy grade if you just follow directions and stay checked in from week to week. Participation tasks may include but are not limited to the following: weekly attendance, weekly check-ins in Canvas.

Tests:

Three unit tests are scheduled during the semester and a comprehensive final exam. Make sure to follow the deadline dates listed in MSL, and watch for the test announcements.  The tests will be given in a proctored setting. Students can take a test in the campus testing centers, or on the designated test dates on the Corinth campus. You will have only one attempt. Each test will have a time limit of 90 minutes. Students will be allowed to use a scientific or graphing calculator on the tests. No make-up exams will be given, but the final exam can replace your lowest test grade.

Final Exam:

The final exam will be comprehensive and is required of all students. The final exam will also be given in a proctored setting. The final exam may be used to replace your lowest regular exam grade. The final exam must be completed by Thurs Dec 12th. No exceptions.

The test dates for this semester are listed below:

Exam #1 – week 2 – Saturday November 2, 1 - 2:30 pm

Exam #2 – week 4 – Saturday November 16, 10 – 11:30 am

 Exam #3 – week 7 – Saturday December 7, 1 - 2:30 pm

FINAL EXAM – Monday December 9 through Thursday December 12, TBA

**If you are unable to take a test on the Corinth campus on the above dates, you are welcome to take a test in a campus Testing Center that is closer to you or in an alternate proctored setting. The dates above are the LAST DAY to take the test, so any Testing Center or alternate testing must happen prior to the dates listed for each unit test. Please contact me ASAP if you have concerns about the testing dates.

 Testing times are scheduled by availability, so please plan accordingly.  Students will be allowed to use a scientific or graphing calculator on the tests. No make-up exams will be given, but the final exam can replace your lowest test grade.

Gradebook:

The gradebooks in MML and in Canvas keep a running average of your grade. I will review all quizzes in order to assign partial credit where possible.  (*I look for answers that are technically correct but have not been submitted in ‘good form’. An example would be an answer of 14/16 that has not been simplified to 7/8. Your answers will be more complicated than this example, but you get the idea that I will be looking for answers that are technically correct.) I will NOT review HW answers because you have unlimited attempts for each problem. 

CLASS RULES

• Regular participation and attendance is VERY IMPORTANT in this class! You are enrolling in an 8 week math course, so expect to work on your Math work very frequently. Waiting to work on one day at the end of the week would be disastrous for this eight week course!! Assignments will be broken up into two units each week. Failure to complete work in each unit will result in an absence – see below.
• An absence in this online course is defined as the following:

Our typical ‘week’ will be broken into two units: Monday to Wednesday, and Thursday to Sunday.   All assignments for the week will typically open on Monday, and the first unit homework section(s) will close on Wednesday. The second unit homework section(s) will close on Saturday, and the weekly quiz closes on Sunday.

3. You must log in and complete required assignments at least once every unit (so at least twice a week) or you will be considered absent for the unit and/or week. Optional activities such as study plan or videos do not satisfy the attendance requirement. To be counted present, you must log in and complete at least ONE graded assignment per unit (e.g., homework, quiz, practice test, or test) with a score greater than 50%. If needed, seek help so that you can re-take quizzes or re-try homework in order to get your grade up.
4. To be clear: from the first day of the semester, even if you are ahead of the due dates, you must log in at least twice every week and work on assignments until you have completed all the assignments and taken the final.
5. Please do not ask me to extend the due dates. Work ahead on the assignments instead (remember… if something can go wrong, it will).
6. If you live close to one of the NCTC campuses, you are welcome to visit the on campus Math Lab during their posted hours for additional help. Students also have access to online tutoring through Upswing.
7. You are welcome to come to my office during my posted hours. We can talk by phone if necessary. The best way to contact me is via email, ehowell@nctc.edu.

 TENTATIVE  SCHEDULE

The schedule posted in Canvas is tentative and may change slightly 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 2^nd 8-week course with a “W” is Monday, November 25, 2019.

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