Course Calendar

Note: Schedule changes may occur during the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and posted as a Blackboard Announcement.

Important Dates

Last day for 70% refund: Feb.9 (Mon).

Last day to withdraw: Apr.27 (Mon).

Holidays: January 19 (Mon) – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday (No classes, College closed);

Mar. 16 (Mon.) – Mar. 20 (Fri.) – Spring Break Holiday (No classes; College closed)

Making Time to Learn

We learn math by thinking about and working on mathematical problems, which takes time. Practice is crucial in a math course. To ensure that you have adequate time, set aside 8-12 hours per week outside of class time to practice and study for this course.  Ask for help immediately when something isn’t clear!

Getting Help

ACC provides several free resources for students who need help; descriptions and links are below: 

Office hours: Another name for office hours is “student hours.” This is the time your instructor has set aside to answer student questions, so feel free to drop by if you have questions. Office hours may be virtual or on campus; see information above.

Instructional Associates: Instructional Associates specific to the course you are taking are available for tutoring. To make an appointment, visit the Instructional Associates website and then click on your course.

Learning Labs: The ACC Learning Labs provide tutoring in math and other subjects. To schedule an appointment, visit the Learning Lab website. This site includes information about in person and virtual tutoring options.

Academic Coaching: Academic coaches offer extra support to students with study strategies; they want to help you learn to be an active participant in your own learning process. For more information or to make an appointment with an academic coach, visit the Academic Coaching website.

ACC Student Services: Services are offered in many areas, including Academic, Financial, Personal, and Technology Support.  For more information, visit the Student Support website.

Grades

Grade Components

Tests: 80%

ALEKS Homework: 10%

Quizzes: 10%

Course Grading Scale

A: 90 - 100

B: 80 – 89.9

C: 70 – 79.9

D: 60 – 69.9

F: < 60

What will we do in this class?

Class Structure: Most days the lecture will follow Class Notes which is posted in our Class Calendar. There will be regular opportunities during the lecture for you to attempt problems and discuss answers. Successful students take advantage of this opportunity to get immediate feedback on their learning.

ALEKS Homework: Homework will be assigned on the day the material is covered in class; it will be due at midnight of the next class day to allow time for questions.  Questions should be sent before class using the ALEKS Message Center.

Quizzes: A take-home quiz will be assigned each week and will be due the following Tuesday.

Late take-home quizzes are not accepted. To balance this policy, your lowest two take-home quizzes

grades will be dropped at the end of the semester provided you fill out the course evaluation.

●          Due dates hold even if you miss a class. If you are absent the day a take-home quiz is assigned, you

are responsible for accessing the take-home quiz via the calendar in Blackboard. If you are going to

be absent on the day a quiz is due, you are responsible for getting the completed assignment

to your instructor by the due date.

●          Take-home quizzes serve as a bridge between your ALEKS homework assignments and your

tests. Take them as if they were a test. No notes, no help. The purpose of the quizzes is to help

you figure out what you understand and what topics you still need to work on before the test.

●          If you do get help on the take-home quizzes, be sure to OWN the solution. Don’t just write down

correct answers to get the assignment done. That won’t help you on test day.

Tests: There will be three tests and a comprehensive final in this class. All tests will be given during class time and will include application/word problems.  The final exam is comprehensive and can replace your lowest test grade.  

What happens if I miss something?

Late Work Policy: Late ALEKS homework can be submitted until midnight on the day before the material is formally tested with a 10% penalty. Late quizzes are not accepted after the grace period. 

Dropped Grade Policy: Life happens, and even good students sometimes miss assignment deadlines. In order to account for this, the 2 lowest homework grades and the 2 lowest quiz grades will be dropped at the end of the semester.

Missed Exam Policy: If you miss a test, it is your responsibility to contact me before the next class meeting to see what arrangements can be made for a make-up test.  If you do not contact me, the missed exam will be recorded as a grade of 0.  

Attendance Policy: Regular and punctual class attendance is expected of all students.  If attendance or compliance with other course policies is unsatisfactory, the instructor may withdraw a student from the class. Four or more absences is unsatisfactory and may result in your withdrawal from the class. 

Required Materials 

This is a First Day™ class. The cost of required course materials, including an online version of the textbook and ALEKS, has been added to your tuition and fees bill.

Textbook: College Algebra & Trigonometry, 1st Edition by Miller & Gerken. McGraw-Hill (ALEKS software) ISBN: 9780078035623; ALEKS is required and is included in the First Day Access version of the text.

Calculator: ACC does not require a graphing calculator for this class. We will use Desmos when we need to graph in class or on homework.  A scientific calculator is required; I recommend the TI-30XS Multiview, which costs less than $20. It is superior to cheaper models because it allows you to see several lines of work, shows exponents as superscripts, shows square roots using the symbol, and shows fractions as fractions. You can also use a graphing calculator like the TI-84+ or the TI-84+CE in this course.

Course Description

Credit Hours: 4, Contact Hours: 4

MATH 2412 Precalculus: Functions and Graphs (4-4-0). A course designed to prepare students for Calculus I (MATH 2413). Content includes the study of algebraic, rational, logarithmic, exponential, and trigonometric functions, graphs, equations, and applications; trigonometric identities; parametric equations; conic sections; vectors; the polar coordinate system.

Course Rationale

This course is designed to teach students the algebraic and trigonometric modeling concepts needed for scientific/engineering calculus.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, a student should 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.
7. Graph and transform equations in polar coordinates and using parametric equations.
8. Apply vector operations and use vectors to solve applications.
9. Demonstrate knowledge of the graphs and applications of conic sections.

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 every SLO.
4. Written, Oral and Visual Communication: communicating effectively adapting to purpose, structure, audience and medium is covered in every SLO.