NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title:  Pre-Calculus Math

Course prefix, number, and section number:  MATH 2412.0402

Semester/Year of course:  Fall 2024

Semester start and end dates: 8/26/2024 – 12/14/2024

Modality:  Face to face

Class meeting location, days, and times: Corinth camus, room 264, TR 8:00 – 10:20 a.m.

Semester credit hours:  4 (Lecture hours: 80)

Course description:  In-depth combined study of algebra, trigonometry, and other topics for calculus readiness.

Course prerequisites:  MATH 1314 College Algebra with a grade of “C” or better, or the equivalent preparation

Required course materials:  We’ll be using a book from Openstax.org.  To access the book, go to https://openstax.org, choose “subjects”, then “Math”, then Pre-calculus 2e.  You can view the book online, download a pdf copy, print your own, or purchase a printed version. 

The TI-30X IIS is the required calculator.
Graphing calculators and phone calculators will not be allowed during exams.

Name of instructor:  Keith Bailey

Office location:  Corinth campus, room 207A

Telephone number:  940-498-6460

E-mail address:  kbailey@nctc.edu

Office hours for students: MW 12:30 – 1:30, TR 10:30 – 2:00, 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 (preferably in-person).  Please talk to me outside of class or message me in Canvas to set up a day & time.  If pre-arranged, I can meet with students via 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 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 GRADING POLICY

We will have 4 exams during the semester, and a comprehensive final exam.

Tentative Exam Dates:

Exam 1            Tuesday, Sept. 17

Exam 2            Thursday, Oct. 10

Exam 3            Tuesday, Nov. 5

Exam 4            Tuesday, Dec. 3

Final Exam     TBA (week of Dec. 9 – 12)

Your grade will be the average of the 4 highest of the 5 exams.

i.e. your lowest exam grade will be dropped – that exam can be the final exam.

The 4 exam grades used to compute your course average will all be weighted equally.

If you do not take the final exam, you will have no possibility of any curve of your grade.

Grading scale: A:  90-100     B: 80-89     C: 70-79     D: 60-69     F: 0-59

THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS.  If you miss an exam, regardless of reason, that will be the exam grade that is dropped.

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

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 which may not be dropped
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 the 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.
2. Recognize and apply algebraic and transcendental functions and solve related equations.
3. Apply graphing techniques to algebraic and transcendental functions.
4. Compute the values of trigonometric functions for key angles in all quadrants of the unit circle measured in both degrees and radians.
5. Prove trigonometric identities.
6. Solve right and oblique triangles.

Core Objectives:

X           Critical Thinking

X           Communication

X           Empirical and Quantitative Reasoning

Teamwork

Personal Responsibility

Social Responsibility

COLLEGE POLICIES

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”.

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.

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.

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.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS