MTH 167 – Pre Calculus I (Spring 2015) 3 credits
Department of Mathematics at Cleveland State University
Section 1 - MWF 12:25pm – 1:15pm
MC 304 or RT 403. Prof. Feister
ALEKS course code: PHMDL-HHXJJ
Financial Aid code: 69E88-A96EC-6A2BC-502F3
(The financial aid code grants access to ALEKS for 2 weeks.)
Instructor: Brian Feister
E-mail: b.feister@csuohio.edu
SPT: Lindsay Pier
Office: RT 1539
Phone: 216-687-4652
Office Hours: TBA or by appointment.
E-mail: l.pier@vikes.csuohio.edu
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in MTH 115 or suitable placement-test score.
Textbook: PreCalculus: Graphs and Models, 1st edition by Coburn and Herdlick.
Content covered:
See end of syllabus for a complete list of topics and weekly schedule.
Required Software: ALEKS 360
(ALEKS access can be purchased with textbook online option).
You are required to purchase an access code for the ALEKS system by the second week of class.
This can be purchased directly from the website www.aleks.com or at the bookstore. ALEKS
stands for Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces. It is an artificial intelligence engine
that assesses each student individually and continuously and it is based upon work in a field of
study called Knowledge Space Theory. Your ALEKS course has 146 distinct topics divided into
chapter objectives with established due dates. If you master a chapter before the deadline, then
the system automatically moves your learning to the next chapter.
Required Work and Opportunities for Extra Credit.
Students will be required to work on the ALEKS learning system, to complete three in-class
written tests, to submit solutions to test reviews, to take a common final exam and to work on a
group project. Items are explained in detail below.
ALEKS Learning System:
While learning objectives in the ALEKS course, you will be given several assessments. You are
expected to complete each assessment in a timely manner in order to determine if you mastered
or not the objectives that you practiced on ALEKS.
Group Project:
Students will work in groups of 2 to 4 members on a project using MTH 167 content. Details of
the project will be given later in the semester.
Tests and Practice Tests:
Practice tests are available under the Assignments tab in ALEKS and a score of 90% or better is
expected one day before the test takes place. Each practice test has a quick retake option, which
allows you to retake the problems you did not answer correctly up a maximum of 3 times. The
practice tests can also be opened at any time in the weeks before the test and you can save your
work before submitting the test to continue to work on the pie. The first try for each practice test
should be submitted at least one week before that particular test date. If you have answered a
question incorrectly more than once seek help on that topic before submitting the final attempt.
Test will be held in class and are pencil and paper tests. Each test will be comparable to the
material covered on ALEKS and the topics will be chosen from the corresponding online
practice test.
Common final. Comprehensive. Bring a graphing calculator, a photo ID, pencils and eraser
to the final exam. The final is tentatively scheduled on Friday, May 8, 2015 from 10:15am to
12:45pm in MC 201.
Grading Scheme and Make Up Policy for Tests:
Make ups are for students who missed a test and have provided a documented valid reason for
doing so (such as hospitalization, policy traffic accident report or judicial mandatory court
attendance) and are arranged by the instructor.
Labs:
To use the labs on campus, you will need your CSU ID number and CSU password. You can call
X5050 and have your password reset if you forgot it.
Labs that have ALEKS plug-ins: RT 1501 and satellite lab, MC 435, RT 403. (Other labs might
have the ALEKS plug ins in some but not all machines).
Graphing Calculator Policy and its Integration in the Course:
TI 84 plus or equivalent. Calculators with algebraic capability such as TI 89 series, TI 92 series,
TI-Voyager 200 and TI Nspire CAS are not allowed. Cell phones are not allowed during tests.
You are expected to use calculators in various class situations, but you must be familiar with the
ALEKS built in calculator. Recall that all numbers in ALEKS must be exact (as a rule of thumb,
do not use decimal representation) unless it is specified otherwise.
ALEKS Gradebook.
All required and extra work scores as well as midterm and final grades will be calculated and
recorded on the ALEKS gradebook.
Special Accommodations.
Educational access is the provision of classroom accommodations, auxiliary aids and services to
ensure equal educational opportunities for all students regardless of their disability. Any student
who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should
contact the Office of Disability Services at (216)687-2015. The Office is located in MC 147.
Accommodations need to be requested in advance and will not be granted retroactively.
Required work
3 Tests
Practice Problems for 3 Tests (3 QR)
Written Final
Practice Final Exam (3 QR)
ALEKS system (pie and assessments)
Project
TOTAL WORK
percent
15 % each
1 % each
25 %
2%
15%
10%
Total
45 pts
3 pts
25 pts
2 pts
15 pts
10 pts
100 points
Extra credit
How to improve the grade?
Sample Questions under Worth half of the value of a practice test.
the Assignment Tab
(unlimited full retake)
100% course completion Add 2 points to TOTAL WORK
through assessment
SPT Supplemental
If you attend at least 12 hours: 3 points, between 8 and 12 hours: 2
Instruction Sessions
points and between 4 and 8 hours: 1 point
Class Attendance
Up to two unjustified absences: 2 points added to TOTAL WORK.
More absences: deduct 0.5 point for each day of missed classes
If you obtain less than 50% in the final, your course grade is:
If you obtain at least 50% in the final exam and your Then your final grade is
TOTAL WORK is between
95 to 100%
A
90 to 95%
A87 to 90%
B+
84 to 87%
B
80 to 84%
B75 to 80%
C+
70 to 75%
C
60 to 70%
D
Below 60%
F
Resources for CSU Students
TASC Tutoring & Academic Success Center, MC 233, 687- 2012,
www.csuohio.edu/academic/tasc
Math Learning Center, MC 230, 216-687-4680, http://www.csuohio.edu/math/testingc.htm
The Writing Center, RT105, 216-687-6981, http://www.csuohio.edu/writingcenter/
College of Science Advising Center, Main Classroom 218B, 216-687-9321,
cosadvising@csuohio.edu. Visit http://sciences.csuohio.edu/advising/.
Tentative Course Schedule for MWF classes.
*Sunday
1/18
1/25
2/1
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1/12
Syllabus
Clarification
Section 1.1& 1.2
1/13
1/14
Section 1.2 continued
1/15
1/16
Section 1.3
Remind to buy
ALEKS!
1/19
Martin Luther
King Day
No Classes
1/26
Section 1.3
continued
Section 1.4
2/2
Section 2.1
1/20
1/21
1/22
1/23
Last Day to Drop
Section 1.3
continued
1/30
Section 1.5
continued
Ch1 Supp Topics
2/6
Section 2.2
continued
2/13
Section 2.5
Section 2.6
Ch2 Supp topics
2/20
LAB DAY
ALEKS Assessment
1/27
1/28
Section 1.4 continued
Section 1.5
1/29
2/3
Chapter 1
PIE Due
2/10
2/4
Section 2.1 continued
Section 2.2
2/11
Section 2.2 continued
Section 2.3
2/5
2/8
2/9
Section 2.2
continued
2 /15
2/16 President’s
Day
No Classes
2/17
Chapter 2
PIE Due
2/18
Test 1 Review
(covers Ch. 1 and 2)
2/19
Practice
Test 1 due
2/23
Section 3.1
Section 3.2
3/2
Section 3.5
Section 3.6
3/9
Closed
3/16
Section 4.2
Section 4.3
3/23
Section 4.5
Section 4.6
2/24
2/25
Section 3.2 continued
Section 3.3
3/4
Section 3.6 continued
Section 4.1
3/11
Break
3/18
Section 4.3
2/26
3/25
Test 2 Review
(covers Ch. 3 and 4)
3/26
Practice
Test 2 due
3/27
3/29
3/30
Section 5.1
4/6
Section 5.3
4/3
Section 5.2
continued
4/10
Section 5.4
4/12
4/13
Section 5.4
continued
4/20
Section 5.6
Ch5 Supp Topics
4/14
4/1
Section 5.1 continued
Section 5.2
4/8
Section 5.3
continued
4/15
Section 5.5
4/2
4/5
3/31
Chapter 4
PIE Due
4/7
4/22
Test 3 Review
(covers Ch. 5)
4/23
Practice
Test 3 due
4/26
4/27
Section 9.1
5/4
4/29
Section 9.1
continued
5/6
4/30
5/3
4/28
Chapter 5
PIE Due
5/5
Chapter 9
PIE Due
2/22
3/1
3/8
3/15
3/22
4/19
3/3
3/10
Spring
3/17
Chapter 3
PIE Due
3/24
4/21
2/12
3/5
3/12
No
3/19
4/9
4/16
5/7
Test 1
2/27
Section 3.3
continued
3/6
Section 4.1
continued
3/13
Classes
3/20
Section 4.4
Test 2
Last Day to
Withdrawal
4/17
Section 5.5
continued
4/24
Test 3
5/1
Final Exam
Review
5/8
Tentative Final
Exam Day
Ch.1-Relations, Functions, and Graphs (28 topics, due on 02/03/15)
Section 1.1 (1 topic)
 Graphing a line given its equation in slope-intercept form: Fractional slope
Section 1.2 (7 topics*)
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Graphing a line given its equation in slope-intercept form: Fractional slope
Graphing a line given its equation in standard form
Graphing a vertical or horizontal line
Finding x- and y-intercepts of a line given the equation: Advanced
Graphing a line by first finding its x- and y-intercepts
Finding slope given two points on the line
Writing an equation and drawing its graph to model a real-world situation: Advanced
Section 1.3 (10 topics)
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Vertical line test
Evaluating functions: Linear and quadratic or cubic
Evaluating functions: Absolute value, rational, radical
Variable expressions as inputs of functions
Domain of a rational function
Domain of a square root function: Advanced
Finding the domain of a fractional function involving radicals
Finding inputs and outputs of a function from its graph
Domain and range from the graph of a continuous function
Interpreting the graphs of two functions
Section 1.4 (8 topics*)
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Graphing a line given its equation in slope-intercept form: Fractional slope
Finding x- and y-intercepts of a line given the equation: Advanced
Graphing a line through a given point with a given slope
Finding the slope and y-intercept of a line given its equation in the form Ax + By = C
Writing an equation of a line given the y-intercept and another point
Writing the equation of the line through two given points
Writing equations of lines parallel and perpendicular to a given line through a point
Application problem with a linear function: Finding a coordinate given two points
Section 1.5 (2 topics)
 Solving for a variable in terms of other variables in a linear equation with fractions
 Solving a distance, rate, time problem using a linear equation
Chapter 1 Supplementary Topics (3 topics)
 Application problem with a linear function: Finding a coordinate given the slope and
a point
 Determining whether an equation defines a function: Basic
 Domain and range from the graph of a piecewise function
(*) Some topics in this section are also covered in a previous section of this Objective.
Topics are only counted once towards the total number of topics for this Objective.
Ch.2-More on Functions (26 topics, due on 02/17/15)
Section 2.1 (4 topics)
 Finding intercepts of a nonlinear function given its graph
 Finding where a function is increasing, decreasing, or constant given the graph:
Interval notation
 Finding local maxima and minima of a function given the graph
 Even and odd functions
Section 2.2 (12 topics)
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Graphing
Graphing
Graphing
Graphing
Graphing
a cubic function of the form y = ax3
an absolute value equation in the plane: Advanced
a parabola of the form y = (x-a)2 + c
a square root function: Problem type 1
a square root function: Problem type 2
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How the leading coefficient affects the shape of a parabola
Writing an equation for a function after a vertical translation
Translating the graph of a function: One step
Translating the graph of a function: Two steps
Transforming the graph of a function by reflecting over an axis
Transforming the graph of a function by shrinking or stretching
Transforming the graph of a function using more than one transformation
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Introduction to solving an absolute value equation
Solving an absolute value equation: Problem type 1
Solving an absolute value equation: Problem type 2
Solving an absolute value inequality: Problem type 3
Section 2.3 (4 topics)
Section 2.5 (2 topics)
 Evaluating a piecewise-defined function
 Graphing a piecewise-defined function
Section 2.6 (1 topic)
 Writing an equation that models variation
Chapter 2 Supplementary Topics (3 topics)
 Solving an absolute value equation of the form |ax+b| = |cx+d|
 Writing an equation for a function after a vertical and horizontal translation
 Classifying the graph of a function
Ch.3-Quadratic Functions and Operations on Functions (21 topics, due
on 03/17/15)
Section 3.1 (3 topics)
 Adding or subtracting complex numbers
 Multiplying complex numbers
 Dividing complex numbers
Section 3.2 (5 topics)
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Solving a word problem using a quadratic equation with rational roots
Applying the quadratic formula: Exact answers
Solving a quadratic equation with complex roots
Solving a word problem using a quadratic equation with irrational roots
Solving a quadratic inequality
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Solving a word problem using a quadratic equation with irrational roots
Graphing a parabola of the form y = ax2 + bx + c: Integer coefficients
Graphing a parabola of the form y = ax2 + bx + c: Rational coefficients
Finding the x-intercept(s) and the vertex of a parabola
Finding the maximum or minimum of a quadratic function
Word problem involving the maximum or minimum of a quadratic function
Writing the equation of a quadratic function given its graph
Section 3.3 (7 topics*)
Section 3.5 (3 topics)
 Sum, difference, and product of two functions
 Quotient of two functions
 Combining functions: Advanced
Section 3.6 (4 topics)
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Finding a difference quotient for a function
Composition of two functions: Basic
Composition of two functions: Domain and range
Composition of two functions: Advanced
(*) Some topics in this section are also covered in a previous section of this Objective.
Topics are only counted once towards the total number of topics for this Objective.
Ch.4-Polynomial and Rational Functions (27 topics, due on 03/31/15)
Section 4.1 (7 topics)
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Finding a polynomial of a given degree with given zeros: Real zeros
Polynomial long division: Problem type 1
Polynomial long division: Problem type 2
Polynomial long division: Problem type 3
Using the remainder theorem to evaluate a polynomial
The Factor Theorem
Using a given zero to write a polynomial as a product of linear factors: Real zeros
Section 4.2 (4 topics)
 Using a graphing calculator to find local extrema of a polynomial function
 Using a graphing calculator to solve a word problem involving a local extremum of a
polynomial function
 Using a graphing calculator to find zeros of a polynomial function
 Using a graphing calculator to solve a word problem involving a polynomial of
degree 3
Section 4.3 (5 topics*)
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Finding zeros of a polynomial function written in factored form
Finding x- and y-intercepts given a polynomial function
Matching graphs with polynomial functions
Inferring properties of a polynomial function from its graph
Using a graphing calculator to find local extrema of a polynomial function
Section 4.4 (7 topics)
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Finding the asymptotes of a rational function: Constant over linear
Finding the asymptotes of a rational function: Linear over linear
Finding the asymptotes of a rational function: Advanced
Graphing a rational function: Constant over linear
Graphing a rational function: Linear over linear
Matching graphs with rational functions: Two vertical asymptotes
Writing the equation of a rational function given its graph
Section 4.5 (2 topics)
 Graphing a rational function: Problem type 2
 Graphing rational functions with holes
Section 4.6 (3 topics)
 Solving a polynomial inequality
 Solving a rational inequality: Problem type 1
 Solving a rational inequality: Problem type 2
(*) Some topics in this section are also covered in a previous section of this Objective.
Topics are only counted once towards the total number of topics for this Objective.
Ch.5-Exponential and Logarithmic Functions (37 topics, due on
04/28/15)
Section 5.1 (5 topics)
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Horizontal line test
Determining whether two functions are inverses of each other
Inverse functions: Problem type 1
Inverse functions: Problem type 2
Inverse functions: Problem type 3
Section 5.2 (7 topics)
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Graphing an exponential function and its asymptote: f(x) = a(b)x
Translating the graph of an exponential function
The graph, domain, and range of an exponential function
Graphing an exponential function and its asymptote: f(x) = a(e)x-b + c
Evaluating an exponential function that models a real-world situation
Finding a final amount in a word problem on exponential growth or decay
 Using a graphing calculator to solve an exponential or logarithmic equation
Section 5.3 (6 topics)
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Converting between logarithmic and exponential equations
Converting between natural logarithmic and exponential equations
Translating the graph of a logarithmic function
Graphing a logarithmic function: Basic
The graph, domain, and range of a logarithmic function
Domain of a logarithmic function: Advanced
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Solving an equation of the form logba = c
Basic properties of logarithms
Expanding a logarithmic expression: Problem type 1
Expanding a logarithmic expression: Problem type 2
Writing an expression as a single logarithm
Change of base for logarithms: Problem type 1
Solving a multi-step equation involving a single logarithm
Solving an exponential equation by using natural logarithms: Decimal answers
Section 5.4 (8 topics)
Section 5.5 (7 topics)
Evaluating an exponential function with base e that models a real-world situation
Solving a multi-step equation involving natural logarithms
Solving an equation involving logarithms on both sides: Problem type 1
Solving an equation involving logarithms on both sides: Problem type 2
Solving an exponential equation by using logarithms: Decimal answers
Solving an exponential equation by using logarithms: Exact answers in logarithmic
form
 Solving an exponential equation by using substitution and quadratic factoring
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Section 5.6 (4 topics*)
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Finding
Finding
Finding
Finding
a final amount in a word problem on exponential growth or decay
the time to reach a limit in a word problem on exponential growth or decay
the initial or final amount in a word problem on exponential growth or decay
the rate or time in a word problem on exponential growth or decay
Chapter 5 Supplementary Topics (1 topic)
 Solving an exponential equation by finding common bases: Linear and quadratic
exponents
(*) Some topics in this section are also covered in a previous section of this Objective.
Topics are only counted once towards the total number of topics for this Objective.
Ch.9-Systems of Equations and Inequalities (7 topics, due on 05/05/15)
Section 9.1 (7 topics)
Identifying solutions to a system of linear equations
Graphically solving a system of linear equations
Solving a system of linear equations using substitution
Solving a system of linear equations using elimination with multiplication and
addition
 Solving a system of linear equations that is inconsistent or consistent dependent
 Solving a value mixture problem using a system of linear equations
 Solving a distance, rate, time problem using a system of linear equations
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