GRADING POLICY

There will be 7 exams and a comprehensive final during the term, each of which will count equally towards your grade. Points will be assigned as follows for your grade:

MATD 0414 and MATH 1314 Grades

Students receive the same grade for both MATD 0414 and MATH 1314, with the following exceptions:

• If a student’s grade average on tests 1-5 is higher than the overall grade average, the student may be assigned the letter grade based on tests 1-5 for MATD 0414 only. This grade calculation is independent of homework and quiz scores.
• A student who does not have a passing average on tests 1-5 and has chosen not to attempt to successfully complete MATH 1314 may make arrangements with the instructors to work on Independent Study for developmental content. The student may then take an alternate MATD 0414 final exam covering only the content supporting tests 1-5 instead of the MATH 1314 final exam. A grade for MATD 0414 may be given at the instructor’s discretion solely on the basis of this final exam.

A grade of C or higher in MATD 0414 is sufficient for a student to be declared TSI complete (college ready) in math, and satisfies the prerequisite for College Algebra. That means that a student who earns a C in MATD 0414 but does not successfully complete College Algebra may register for College Algebra the next semester without a co-requisite.

What happens if I miss something?

Dropped Grade Policy: The lowest 5 Homework grades will be dropped. This applies to all categories of

Homework.

Late Work Policy: Homework submitted late (but before the next test), on ALEKS, will receive a 20% deduction in grade.

Missed Exam Policy: If you are going to miss an exam due to mitigating circumstances, it is important to communicate this with the instructor/s as soon as possible in order to try and make accommodations. Failure to communicate in advance may result in a 0 for that exam.  

ATTENDANCE

Daily attendance is mandatory. This co-requisite option covers material from three courses, and involves group activities on a daily basis. Your partners depend on you for group work, and your own success in the course depends on your full commitment.

There is no such thing as an “excused absence”. The end result of missing a class is the same regardless of the reason. You miss instruction. Your partners are let down. You miss an opportunity to turn in homework. The goal is to minimize these disruptions, and to take personal responsibility to make up for any missed class on your own time.

EXPECTATIONS

1. Attend all sessions

2. Arrive on time and stay for the duration of the session

3. Participate during that time and spend time outside of class working on homework

DAILY TASKS

1. Arrive to class with enough time to log into ALEKS and print out lecture notes before instruction begins.
2. Fill in the lecture notes during group instruction and ask QUESTIONS.
3. Complete the daily in-class objective.
4. Complete the ALEKS homework and written portion outside of class.
5. Relax

ALEKS HOMEWORK

In addition to the daily in-class objective, there is daily homework in ALEKS that will need to be completed outside of class. There are 8-12 questions that correspond to the daily topics to be completed. You have several attempts on the day the homework is assigned to get a perfect score.

WRITTEN HOMEWORK

There is a small written portion of the homework. This portion is simply a collection of a few ALEKS problems for which you neatly show your work for a grade. Written homework assignments, in the form of worksheets, correspond to daily topics.

To satisfy the written homework portion, complete the graded problems directly on the worksheet. Try to come up with a way of checking your answers without having solutions provided.

Written homework is graded by completion and correctness. In order to earn a perfect score, you must show all of your work, following an appropriate process, and obtain a correct answer. If you are uncertain about your answers, it is worth seeking help before turning in the assignment.

TEST POLICIES

Tests are taken every other Thursday in class. Tests cover the objectives from ALEKS and the homework assignments from the previous two weeks. A review is provided for each test. Tests are given through the ALEKS software and written work is tuned in upon completion of the test. Grades will be determined by correctness and written work.

QUIZZES

Quizzes will be given over the topics and lecture from the current week. These grades count toward 5% of your total grade in the course.  Quizzes will be taken in the ALEKS software.

REQUIRED TEXTS/MATERIALS/SOFTWARE

First Day Access

To enhance your learning experience and provide affordable access to the right course material, this course is part of an inclusive access model called First Day™. You can easily access the required materials for this course through Blackboard.

Austin Community College includes the discounted price as a course fee in your registration fees for this course.

ALEKS 

The majority of the course takes place in the ALEKS software. Each day after group instruction you are assigned an objective to begin work on in class with a maximum number of 5 NEW topics. The objective is due on the same day by midnight. In addition to the in-class objective, there are homework problems assigned to you in ALEKS that you will complete outside of class including a small written portion.

It is critical to your success in the course to stay on top of the work as we move through the semester. Your grade for the ALEKS Objectives in the gradebook is an average of the percentage of the topics completed at the end of each week. Once a new day starts, you are assigned a new objective and the previous topics cannot be accessed until you complete 100% of the objective for the current day. This is very similar to missing a class in a lecture course. If you miss a class day, we must move on and continue the course.

The average pace for work in ALEKS is 3 topics per hour. At this pace, it is expected that you should be able to complete all topics by working on objectives during the ALEKS work portion of class and by working up to 2 hours outside of class. This requires you to reserve daily time to access ALEKS outside of class time in order to complete your work.

Weekly Schedule

Please note that schedule changes may occur during the semester.  Any changes will be announced in class and posted as a Blackboard Announcement

MATH 1314 Course Objectives

Functions:

• Use and interpret function notation.
• Find the domain of polynomial, rational, radical, exponential, and logarithmic functions.
• Find a symbolic representation of the sum, difference, product, quotient, and composition of two functions.
• Evaluate the sum, difference, product, quotient, and composition of two functions at a given value of the respective domain for functions represented symbolically, graphically, and numerically.
• Find the inverse of a function represented symbolically, graphically, or numerically.
• Interpret the graphs of functions.

Graphing functions:

• Sketch the graphs of the following functions: Lines, x2, ax, and logax
• Identify and sketch transformations of the graphs of the following functions: x2, x3, x1/2, 1/x, 1/x2, |x|.
• Describe the end behavior of polynomial functions.
• Approximate the zeros of a function from its graph.
• Solve an inequality involving a function from its graph.
• Graph a piece-wise defined function.

Symbolic Adeptness:

• Solve polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic equations symbolically.
• Use the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
• Find the vertex of a parabola written in standard form by using the formula  h = -b/2a.
• Convert an exponential equation to logarithmic form, and a logarithmic equation to exponential form.
• Evaluate exponential and logarithmic functions using the change of base formula and a calculator.
• Use the properties of logarithms to expand a logarithmic expression, and to write an expanded logarithmic expression as a single logarithm.
• Solve a system of linear equations using Gaussian elimination.
• Evaluate the sum, difference and scalar multiplication of matrices.

Applications

• Recognize and use applications of linear functions.
• Recognize and use applications of quadratic functions, including falling object problems and extrema problems.
• Recognize and use applications of rational functions. 
• Recognize and use applications of exponential and logarithmic functions, including exponential growth and decay, doubling time, and half-life problems.
• Recognize and use applications of systems of linear equations.

MATH 1314 Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, a student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of properties of functions, which include domain and range, operations, compositions, and inverses.
2. Recognize and apply polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions and solve related equations.
3. Apply graphical, symbolic and numeric techniques.
4. Evaluate all roots of higher degree polynomial and rational functions.
5. Recognize, solve and apply systems of linear equations using matrices.

MATD 0414 Course Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course a student will be able to:

1. Perform operations involving integers, fractions, decimals, percents, signed exponents, scientific notation, ratios and proportions.
2. Evaluate and perform basic operations on functions, find the domain and range of functions, and solve equations involving functions.
3. Solve problems involving geometric figures.
4. Identify slope and intercepts from linear equations and graphs of lines. Find linear equations from given points and graphs of lines.
5. Graph linear equations and inequalities, systems of linear equations, and quadratic functions.
6. Simplify, factor, and perform basic operations on algebraic expressions, including polynomials, rational and radical expressions, and complex fractions.
7. Solve linear equations, linear inequalities, and quadratic equations. Solve introductory absolute value, rational, and radical equations.
8. Solve basic application problems using linear and quadratic models, direct and inverse variation, and 2x2 systems of linear equations.
9. Use mathematical language, symbols, and notation to communicate mathematical concepts, demonstrate reasoning, and solve problems.

General Education Competencies

1. Critical Thinking: gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information is covered in every SLO.
2. Quantitative and Empirical Reasoning: applying mathematical, logical, and scientific principles and methods is covered in every SLO.
3. Technology Skills: using appropriate technology to retrieve, manage, analyze, and present information is covered in SLOs # 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
4. Written, Oral and Visual Communication: communicating effectively adapting to purpose, structure, audience and medium is covered in every SLO.