College Algebra Syllabus
Dallas College - Richland Campus
Contacting Your Instructor
Instructors typically respond to emails from students within 24 hours. However, over the
weekend and holiday periods responses may be delayed. Find more about contacting
your instructor (dallascollege.edu/instructor).
Instructor Contact Information
Name: Judi Nam
Dallas College Email: JNam@dallascollege.edu
Office Phone: 214-890-3816
Office Location: Richland Campus, Medina 132
Office Hours Schedule*
Day(s) of the Week
Meeting Location
Time
Wednesday, Thursday
Richland Learning Commons – L100
Monday, Tuesday
Office (Richland – M132)
8:15-9:15am
Friday
Virtual
8:15-9:15am
W 2:00-3:00pm
R 8:15-9:15pm
College Division Office and Phone: School of Engineering, Technology, Mathematics
and Sciences, AskETMS@dallascollege.edu | 972-238-6248
Course Information
Course Title: College Algebra
Course Number: MATH 1314
Section Number: 82007
Semester/Year: Spring 2024
Credit Hours: 3
Class Meeting Days/Time/Location: MW 9:30-10:50pm / M207
Course Dates: 001/16/2024 - 05/09/2024
Certification Date: 01/29/2024
Last Day to Withdraw: 04/12/2024
Final Exam Date: 05/08/2024
1
Course Prerequisites
(Required) College level ready in Mathematics algebra-based level.
Course Description
This course is an in-depth study and applications of polynomial, rational, radical,
exponential and logarithmic functions, and systems of equations using matrices.
Additional topics such as sequences, series, probability, and conics may be included.
Certification
Students must complete a graded assignment by the certification date to be certified for
attending this class. Certification primarily affects students who are on Financial Aid.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of properties of functions, including domain
and range, operations, compositions, and inverses.
2. Recognize and apply polynomial, rational, radical, exponential and logarithmic
functions and solve related equations.
3. Apply graphing techniques.
4. Evaluate all roots of higher degree polynomial and rational functions.
5. Recognize, solve and apply systems of linear equations using matrices.
Texas Core Objectives
The College defines essential knowledge and skills that students need to develop
during their college experience. These general education competencies parallel the
Texas Core Objectives for Student Learning. In this course, the activities you engage in
will give you the opportunity to practice two or more of the following core competencies:
1. Critical Thinking Skills - to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and
analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information
2. Communication Skills - to include effective development, interpretation, and
expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication
3. Empirical and Quantitative Skills - to include the manipulation and analysis of
numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions
4. Teamwork - to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work
effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal
5. Personal Responsibility - to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and
consequences to ethical decision-making.
2
6. Social Responsibility - to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic
responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global
communities
Required Course Materials
1. The learning materials (access to the online homework system, online version of the
textbook and other helpful features) are provided for you as part of the the IncludED
program (dallascollege.edu/included). You will access the materials online via D2L
Brightspace.
Textbook: College Algebra, 11e, Sullivan, ISBN: 9780136787358
2. A graphing calculator is required. A calculator in the TI-83 or TI-84 family is
recommended. Calculators used in this course must not have a computer algebraic
system (CAS) or algebraic manipulation ability.
Note: If you chose to opt out of the IncludED program, then you are responsible for
obtaining all your required learning materials before the first day of the class. For more
details, see Institutional Policies (dallascollege.edu/syllabipolicies). Opting out is
strongly discouraged.
Graded Work
The tables below provide a summary of the graded work in this course and an
explanation of how your final course grade will be calculated.
Summary of Graded Work
Assignments
MyLab Math Homework
In-Class Work
Exams (4)
Final Exam
Percentage of Course Grade
16%
4%
60%
20%
TOTAL: 100%
Final Grade
Weighted Course Average Percentage
90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
0-59%
3
Course Letter Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Description of Graded Work
MyLab Math Homework: Each homework assignment consists of media to review
and/or questions to complete. Homework is not timed and you can close and come
back, if needed. Students can utilize multiple attempts on questions and use Learning
Aids when completing homework. Work is not required.
In-Class Work: There will be some grop work/quizzes during class. Everyone will
participate and it will count towards your performance grade. There are no make-ups
for missed in-class work.
Unit Exams and Final Exam: There will be 4 in-class unit exams and one Final Exam
on the dates specified on the course calendar. Students are expected to be on-time for
exams and are not allowed to leave the classroom during testing without instructor
approval. Cellphones, additional devices, headphones, notebooks, notes, textbooks,
and any other resources are not allowed during testing. If the work cannot be read, is
unorganized, is not correct, or is missing, then the problem will receive little or no credit,
regardless of whether the solution is correct.
Attendance and Your Final Grade
In order to be successful, students are expected to be in class punctually and for the full
class period on the days that class meets. Attendance will be taken each class period.
Late Work Policy
MyLab Math homework questions not completed by their due date may still be worked
until the start of class on day to take the exam covering that material, which is the
deadline for those assignments. MyLab Math homework questions worked after their
due date, but before their deadline, will be subject to a 15% penalty. If a student
experiences an extreme circumstance which causes them to miss an exam, a makeup
exam may be made available at the discretion of the instructor.
Other Course Policies



4
Students will earn 3 extra credit points on their unit exam if every MyLab Math
homework from that unit is completed with a minimum score of 80% by the start of
class on the exam date. This only applies to Exams 1-4.
The Final Exam score will replace the score of the lowest of Exams 1-4, if it is
higher, as well as being used as the Final Exam score. If two (or more) unit exams
have the same lowest score, only one will be replaced by the Final Exam.
At the end of the semester, the lowest 4 homework assignment scores will be
dropped before calculating your homework average.
Institutional Policies
Institutional Policies (dallascollege.edu/syllabipolicies) include information about
tutoring, Accessibility Services, class drop and repeat options, Title IX, and more.
Tentative Course Schedule
Week
1
Monday
Jan 15
No Class
Wednesday
Jan 17
Intro, R.5
Assignments Due Dates (Due 11:59pm)
Sun 1/21: Success in Mathematics
2
Jan 22
1.2, 1.4 (start)
Jan 24
1.4 (finish), 1.5
Tues 1/23: R.5, 1.2
Thurs 1/25: 1.4
Sun 1/28: 1.5
3
Jan 29
1.7, 2.3 (start)
Jan 31
2.3 (finish), 2.1
Tues 1/30: 1.7
Thurs 2/1: 2.3
Sun 2/4: 2.1
4
Feb 5
2.4, Review
Feb 7
Exam 1
Tues: 2/6 2.4, Review for Exam 1
5
Feb 12
3.1, 3.2 (start)
Feb 14
3.2 (finish), 3.3
Tues 2/13: 3.1
Thurs 2/15: 3.2
Sun 2/18: 3.3
6
Feb 19
3.4, 3.5 (start)
Feb 21
3.5 (finish), 4.1
Tues 2/20: 3.4
Thurs 2/22: 3.5
Sun 2/25: 4.1
7
Feb 26
4.3, 4.4 (start)
Feb 28
4.4 (finish),
Review
Tues 2/27: 4.3
Thurs 2/29: 4.4
Sun 3/3: Review for Exam 2
8
Mar 4
Exam 2
Mar 6
5.1, 5.2
Thurs 3/7: 5.1
Sun 3/10: 5.2
Mar 11
No Class
Mar 13
No Class
9
Mar 18
5.3, 5.4 (start)
Mar 20
5.4 (finish), 5.5
Tues 3/19: 5.3
Thurs 3/21: 5.4
Sun 3/24: 5.5
10
Mar 25
R.6, 5.6 (start)
Mar 27
5.6 (finish), 5.7
Tues 3/26: R.6
Thurs 3/28: 5.6
Sun 3/31: 5.7
5
Week
11
Monday
Apr 1
1.6, Review
Wednesday
Apr 3
Exam 3
Assignments Due Dates (Due 11:59pm)
Tues 4/2: 1.6, Review for Exam 3
12
Apr 8
6.1, 6.2 (start)
Apr 10
6.2 (finish), 6.3
Tues 4/9: 6.1
Thurs 4/11: 6.2
Sun 4/14: 6.3
13
Apr 15
6.4, 6.5
Apr 17
6.6, 6.8 (start)
Tues 4/16: 6.4
Thurs 4/18: 6.5
Sun 4/21: 6.6
14
Apr 22
6.8 (finish),
Review
Apr 24
Exam 4
Tues 4/23: 6.8, Review for Exam 4
15
Apr 29
8.1, 8.2 (start)
May 1
8.2 (finish),
Review
Tues 4/30: 8.1
Thurs 5/2: 8.2
Sun 5/5: Final Exam Review
16
May 6
May 8
Final Exam
Specific Content Coverage
Section
R.5
R.6
1.2
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
2.1
2.3
2.4
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
6
Section Title
Factoring Polynomials
Synthetic Division
Quadratic Equations
Radical Equations; Equations in Quadratic Form; Factorable Equations
Solving Inequalities
Equations and Inequalities Involving Absolute Value
Problem Solving: Interest, Mixture, Uniform Motion, Constant Rate Job
Applications
The Distance and Midpoint Formulas
Lines
Circles
Functions
The Graph of a Function
Properties of Functions
Library of Functions; Piecewise-defined Functions
Graphing Techniques: Transformations
Section
4.1
4.3
4.4
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.8
8.1
8.2
7
Section Title
Properties of Linear Functions and Linear Models
Quadratic Functions and Their Properties
Build Quadratic Models from Verbal Descriptions and from Data
Polynomial Functions
Graphing Polynomial Functions; Models
Properties a Rational Function
The Graph of a Rational Function
Polynomial and Rational Inequalities
The Real Zeros of a Polynomial Function (omitting Descartes’ Rule of Signs
and the Bounds on the Zeros Theorem)
Complex Zeros; Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
Composite Functions
One-to-One Functions; Inverse Functions
Exponential Functions
Logarithmic Functions
Properties of Logarithms
Logarithmic and Exponential Equations
Exponential Growth and Decay Models
Systems of Linear Equations: Substitution and Elimination
Systems of Linear Equations: Matrices