NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course title: Calculus I
Course prefix, number, and section number: MATH 2413 0310
Semester/Year of course: Spring 2026
Semester start and end dates: 1/12/2026 – 5/9/2026
Modality: Asynchronous online
Semester credit hours: 4 (Lecture hours: 64)
Course description: Limits and continuity; the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus; definition of the derivative of a function and techniques of differentiation; applications of the derivative to maximizing or minimizing a function; the chain rule, mean value theorem, and rate of change problems; curve sketching; definite and indefinite integration of algebraic, trigonometric, and transcendental functions, with an application to calculation of areas.
Course prerequisites: MATH 2412 Pre-Calculus Math with a grade of “C” or better, or equivalent preparation
Name of instructor: Ben Owens
Office location: Corinth, Room 174
Telephone number: 940-498-6209
Email address: bowens@nctc.edu
Email or Canvas inbox is the best way to communicate with me. I am on the Corinth Campus most of the time, but I am often pulled out to different campuses for meetings, observations, etc. So, if you would like to meet in person or online via Webex, please email and so that we can arrange a time.
Required course materials:
Included in Lion Book Bundle
Derivita Courseware license - ISBN: 9780578804101 – This is the program that we will use for homework, test reviews, etc. If you are opted in to the Lion Book Bundle, that covers the cost of the license. If you are opted out of the Lion Book Bundle you will need to purchase a Derivita license either directly from Derivita (~$40) or from the bookstore (~$45).
Not included in Lion Book Bundle
Calculus, Volume 1 from OpenStax, ISBN 1-947172-13-1
Note: The OpenStax textbook is an Open Educational Resource (OER) which means it is free for anyone to use. Hence, it is not included in the Lion Book Bundle as it is a free resource.
Optional course materials:
Scientific calculator, TI-30X IIS is recommended
Note: Graphing calculators and phone calculators will not be allowed on exams.
Purchasing Course Materials
Starting in Spring 2026 NCTC is partnering with Barnes & Noble College (BNC) to make purchasing course materials easy and affordable. When students register for classes, they are automatically opted in to the Lion Book Bundle which will provide students first day access to course materials. In this program students are charged $24 per credit hour ($72 for a 3-hour class) as a fee on their NCTC student account. (These are labeled as “Book Fees” on NCTC invoice). Students may choose to opt out of this program, but would then be expected to purchase needed class materials on their own. If opting out, students would receive a refund on their NCTC student account. Students may choose to opt out starting one month prior to classes beginning through the first week of class. Students might benefit from opting out if they are enrolled in classes that use OER (free course materials). Note: The Lion Book Bundle applies to all classes a student is registered for in a given semester (both 16-week and 8-week). A student must either opt in or out for all classes—not each class individually. If you want to take advantage of the Lion Book Bundle, no action is needed as students are automatically opted in. If you would like to opt out of the program, you must go to the Opt-out page (click link below).
Click here for more information: Lion Book Bundle information
Lion Book Bundle for OER Courses
The Lion Book Bundle is a program NCTC has in partnership with Barnes and Noble College (BNC) where students are charged $24 per credit hour ($96 for a 4-hour course) for first day access to all required digital materials. This course uses OER (Open Educational Resources) which means there are no textbook associated with the Lion Book Bundle because the textbook is free for everyone online. There is a cost for the Derivita license, but the price of buying it is $40 which is less than the amount you are paying in the Lion book bundle for this class. Because you are enrolled in an OER course, you might be able to save money by opting out of the Lion Book Bundle program and purchasing required materials for each course individually. Note: A student must either opt in or out for all classes—not each class individually. Click here for more information and for a link to the Opt-out page: Lion Book Bundle information
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: Monday – Thursday 9:30am – 2:30pm, or by appointment
(If the timeframe above does not work, please email me and we can arrange a time to meet).
Online student hours: Monday – Thursday 9:30am – 2:30pm, or by appointment
Appointments for virtual meetings can be made by clicking this Cisco Webex Link in Canvas and selecting the “Office Hours” option at the top. Please make appointments at least a day in advance.
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. For on-campus tutoring no appointment is needed. For online tutoring, go to UpSwing tutoring in OneLogin to make an appointment.
Tutor schedules and more information: 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:
Homework Assignments (30) – Derivita (5%)
Weekly Quizzes (12) – Derivita – (5%)
Discussions (24) – Canvas (5%)
Tests (3) – In person at NCTC Testing Center or other authorized testing site – (60%)
Final Exam (1) – In person at NCTC Testing Center or other authorized testing site – (25%)
Final grade scale: 90 – 100% = A; 80 – 89% = B; 70 – 79% = C; 60 – 69% = D; Below 60% = F
Homework and quiz assignments will be submitted through Canvas using a program called Derivita. Students must submit photos of their work or points will be deducted from their grade. No late work will be accepted. You are welcome to work ahead in the course to avoid missing any due dates.
Discussion assignments will be submitted in Canvas. No late submissions are allowed for discussion assignments.
There will be 3 regular exams during the semester All exams will be taken with a proctor. There will be multiple times and locations offered on the NCTC campuses. Calculator use may be restricted on some tests or parts of tests. Graphing calculators with CAS (computer algebra system) may not be used on the exams.
The final examination will be comprehensive. Students who miss 2 or fewer homework assignments may use their final exam grade to replace their lowest test grade. Please note that the final exam will count as a grade, but may count twice if it replaces your lowest test grade.
Late work policy:
Late work will not be accepted and exams will not be rescheduled without approval of the instructor prior to the exam date.
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” for more details.
Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:
- Zero on the assignment
- Failing grade for the course
Canvas Access: All students must have complete access to Canvas and other online course materials for the entire semester. It is the student’s responsibility to have access to the internet, as well as all needed programs to complete both in-person and online courses. Students are not to give any other person access to his/her Canvas or online course platforms. Students can be removed from the course immediately upon violating this rule. Once a student his given another person access to his/her Canvas account, the credibility of any work completed becomes questionable.
Attendance Policy: Regular attendance is expected and necessary for student success in this course. For more information on attendance regulations please see the NCTC Catalog. (Attendance Regulations – NCTC Catalog)
In order to be counted as attending in this class students must complete at least one assignment during the week. If a student does not complete any assignments for more than 3 weeks, they may be dropped from the class for non-attendance.
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 Spring 2026 course with a “W” is: Monday, March 30, 2026
Student Learning Outcomes: At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
- Develop solutions for tangent and area problems using the concepts of limits, derivatives, and integrals.
- Draw graphs of algebraic and transcendental functions considering limits, continuity, and differentiability at a point.
- Determine whether a function is continuous and/or differentiable at a point using limits.
- Use differentiation rules to differentiate algebraic and transcendental functions.
- Identify appropriate calculus concepts and techniques to provide mathematical models of real-world situations and determine solutions to applied problems.
- Evaluate definite integrals using the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
- Articulate the relationship between derivatives and integrals using the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
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 NCTC Student Services page for those departments/programs and links to their sites.
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 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