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

Points will be assigned as follows for your grade in NCBM 0214:

Exit Exam: 80%

ALEKS Objectives 1-8: 15%

Participation: 5%

TEXT: There is no additional cost for a textbook for this course. The instructional materials are incorporated through the ALEKS software which was paid for through a course fee already added to the course.

Calculator: Students need either a scientific or business calculator. (Has log or ln key.) If a student cannot purchase one, calculators are available from the library.  Graphing calculators are not required, but you will use graphing technology in most sections of the book.  Graphing calculators are also available in the library.  Most ACC faculty are familiar with the TI family of graphing calculators. Hence, TI calculators are highly recommended for student use.  Other calculator brands can also be used.  Your instructor will determine the extent of calculator use in your class section. 

Other Technology:   Access to a webcam and microphone maybe required for this course. Eligible students can check out required technology at https://www.austincc.edu/students/student-technology-services.. Please contact your instructor for more information.

ALEKS: The majority of the course work takes place in the ALEKS software. Each Monday you are assigned an objective with a maximum number of 27 NEW topics. The objective is due on the Sunday evening of each week. 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 week starts, you are assigned a new objective and the previous topics cannot be accessed until you complete 100% of the objective for the current week. 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 in ALEKS in 8 hours. This requires you to access ALEKS outside of class time in order to complete your work. The recommended amount of time out of class to work in ALEKS is 6 hours. Combined with the in-class time of working in ALEKS, this is more than enough time to complete all ALEKS work for the course.

Exit Exam for NCBM 0214: You will be taking a Final Exam for NCBM 0214. This exam will be taken in the ALEKS program and will be over selected topics. You will be given two attempts in order to pass the final.  Any Additional attempts at the exit exam will have to be taken with notification to the instructor.

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

1. Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of properties of functions, which include evaluation, domain and range, related equations, and basic operations.
2. Simplify, factor, and perform basic operations on algebraic expressions, including polynomials, rational and radical expressions, complex fractions, and complex numbers.
3. Solve linear, absolute value, rational, and radical equations, quadratic equations by symbolic methods including completing the square, and linear inequalities.
4. Appropriately use forms and formulas, including quadratic formula, midpoint, distance, and equations of circles and lines.
5. Graph linear equations and inequalities, including systems of each, as well as quadratic functions, and circles.

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.