Instructional Methodology:

Classroom Section: This course is taught in the classroom primarily as a lecture/discussion course.

Prerequisites: MATD 0370 with a C or higher. Or appropriate score on math TSI Assessment test. Corequisite(s): MATH 1314.

Paired Course Policy: This is a paired course.  Students who withdraw from NCBM 0214 will automatically be withdrawn from MATH 1314.

Required Materials 

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. 

Important Dates

Test Days: Test 1: February 18th, 2026, Test 2: April 1st, 2026, Exit Exam: April 27th, 2026, Test 3: May 6th, 2026, Final: May 13th, 2026

Last day to withdraw: April 27th, 2026. You will incur a 30% tuition fee for changing courses after add/drop.

Holidays: January 19th, 2026 (MLK Day), March 16th-22nd, 2026 (Spring Break)

(Please note these are the ONLY holidays this semester).

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. 

Grades

Grade Components

Points will be assigned as follows for your grade in MATH 1314:

• Tests: 70% (Tests 1, 2, and 3 are 17% each; Final Exam is 19%)
• Quizzes: 10%
• ALEKS Objectives 1-15: 10%
• Written Homework: 10%

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

• Exit Exam: 60%
• ALEKS Objectives 1-8: 30%
• Quizzes/Homework 1-8: 10%

Grading Scale

A: 90 - 100

B: 80 – 89

C: 70 – 79

D: 60 – 69

F: < 60

W: Withdrawal prior to deadline

Where can I find my grades?

Grades will be posted in Blackboard.

What will we do in this class?

ALEKS: The majority of the course 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 5 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.

Tests: There will be 3 exams, each of which will count equally towards your grade (17% each). The final exam (worth 19%) will be a comprehensive exam over Objectives 1-15.  Tests will be administered through the ALEKS program, and a time limit will be imposed on each test.

*IF YOU HAVE A GOOGLE CHROMEBOOK AS YOUR MAIN COMPUTER, PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR INSTRUCTOR.

Exit Exam for NCBM 0214: You will be taking an Exit Exam (similar to 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 one attempt to pass the exit exam. The score you earn on the exit exam will be used in the overall grading scheme to compute your grade in NCBM 0214.

60% of a student’s 0214 grade comes from the Exit Exam category. This component can be satisfied in one of 2 ways.

1. Students who are earning 80% or higher in MATH 1314, can forgo the departmental exit exam. Instead of the exit exam, the grade input for this category will be the student’s 1314 overall grade.
2. Students who are not earning 80% or higher in MATH 1314 will take the exit exam in the ALEKS software.

Written Homework: Each week you will be given written work in addition to the work in the ALEKS program. This work is to be graded for completeness and will be due by 11:59 pm Sunday each week. These homework assignments will constitute 10% of your total grade. Late work will be accepted(with a 20% penalty) up until the day of the Test for which the material on the homework is covered on.

You may complete the Written Homework by:

• Printing the PDF and writing your answers directly on it,
• Writing on the PDF using an iPad or tablet, or
• Handwriting your own version of the written Homework, ensuring that you copy each problem exactly as written and maintain the same problem layout per page.

Your completed written homework must be submitted as a single PDF file. You may use the Files app (iPhone/iPad) or the Google Drive app (Android) to scan and combine your pages into one document. Multiple files will not be accepted. Quizzes will be graded based on completion and correctness. To receive

partial or full credit, you must show clear and detailed work for each problem. If little or no work is shown, you will receive no credit for that question.

Quizzes: Quizzes may be over a current week or previous week's material. Quizzes over a previous week's material will be administered in class on Monday and may be taken as a group if all the previous weeks ALEKS Modules and written Homework are complete. These quizzes will cover the topics and lectures from the previous week. These grades count toward 10% of your total grade in the course.

What happens if I miss something?

Dropped Grade Policy: I will drop one written assignment and quiz at the end of the semester.

Late Work Policy: The only late work accepted will be written homework assignments and those can not be submitted after the test day for which the material in that homework is covered.

Missed Exam Policy: Exams may not be made up for except for extenuating circumstances, and I must be emailed prior to the exam. Your Final exam grade can replace your lowest or missing test grade.

Attendance Policy:

Attendance is critical to the success in any of your classes. Regular and punctual class attendance is expected of all students. Students are required to be present for the entirety of the scheduled class time. Attendance is taken by submitting an exit ticket that I will pass out at the beginning of class and have a practice problem for you to turn in at the end of the class.

Expectations:

• Attend all classes
• Arrive on time and stay for the duration of the class
• Participate by working on ALEKS during class time and spend time outside of class working on homework.
• Refrain from any inappropriate use of cell phones or other technology during class.

What AI Resources are allowed?

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) Policy: Generative AI (GAI) is a useful tool for exploration and learning. Use of GAI on unproctored work such as homework and independent learning is permitted, but caution is advised as not to become dependent on it. The purpose of assessments is to demonstrate what students are able to do independently. In this course, GAI includes Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) and any electronic tools that solve problems for students. Violations to GAI use policies are considered scholastic dishonesty and will be handled according to established departmental and college procedures. GAI may not be used on major assessments other than in cases where permissions are explicitly stated.

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.

Course Description

Credit Hours: 5, Contact Hours: 5

NCBM 0214 – Support for College Algebra (2-2-0). This course is designed to support students concurrently enrolled in MATH 1314 by providing additional focus on MATH 1314 topics and just-in-time review of prerequisite topics, as needed. Topics include review of properties of real numbers, functions, algebra of functions, inequalities, polynomials and factoring, rational expressions and equations, radical expressions and equations, quadratic functions and their graphs, solving quadratic equations, and exponential functions. This course is not for college-level credit.

NCBM 0214 Course Rationale

This course is intended to provide support to students who are taking MATH 1314.  It should be taken along with MATH 1314 and is required for students who do not meet the prerequisites to take MATH 1314 as a stand-alone course.  Upon completion of NCBM 0214 with a C or higher (with concurrent enrollment in MATH 1314), a student will be considered TSI complete in mathematics.

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.

NCBM 0214 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 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.

General Education Competencies

1. Communication Skills: Develop, interpret, and express ideas and information through written, oral, and visual communication that is adapted to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.
2. Critical Thinking: Gather, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and apply information for the purposes of innovation, inquiry, and creative thinking.
3. Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Apply mathematical, logical, and scientific principles and methods through the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.