Syllabus

Science Prerequisites for Health Professionals

MATH 1011: Precalculus – Spring 2024

Credits - 3

Description

Precalculus was intentionally designed to prepare students for subsequent college level Calculus courses. This course will review a variety of the prerequisite mathematical concepts necessary for Calculus. Topics include rational functions, trigonometric functions, polar coordinates, sequences and series, probability, and a brief introduction to continuity. Each of these topics will be applied to real-world situations that can be modeled mathematically. In this course, students will practice communicating the realistic applications of each of these topics. 

It is recommended that students have completed College Algebra, Algebra 2, or Intermediate Algebra within the last five years before enrolling in this course.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Course Objectives

• Interpret graphical information of rational and trigonometric functions. 
• Construct graphs of rational and trigonometric functions. 
• Solve trigonometric functions.
• Determine angle measures and side lengths of triangles using trigonometric identities. 
• Graph equations in polar coordinates.
• Communicate algebraic facility of trigonometric functions with respect to real-world applications. 
• Evaluate mathematical series. 
• Solve counting problems using combinations and permutations. 
• Compute probabilities of events using counting theory and probability models. 
• Find the limits of a function. 
• Identify the continuity of a function.

SELF PACED DESIGN

On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.

Assignments

Greetings Discussion Board

Before getting started with any material in the course, students will need to participate in the greetings discussion board. This is an opportunity for students to introduce themselves to their peers and instructor. Students are encouraged to read other students’ posts to get to know their classmates. Participation in this discussion board is worth 2% of the final grade. 

Desmos Interactive Activities (14)

Each week, excluding the midterm and final weeks, students will complete an interactive activity in the Desmos Classroom. These activities are designed to deepen students’ understanding of the concepts covered in the assigned readings and videos. Each activity consists of 10-20 questions. Grades for these activities are based on participation. Each activity is worth 10 points (1% of the final grade). Students must complete the entire activity to receive all 10 points. 

Homework Assignments (14)

Each week, excluding the midterm and final weeks, students will submit completed homework assignments. The problems in these activities will reference the material covered in the week of the submission deadline. The problems on these activities will focus on real-world applications of algebra, trigonometry, counting and introductory calculus concepts. Each activity is graded out of 20 points and partial credit is possible. Each activity is worth 2% of the final grade.

Reflective Discussion Boards (4)

In weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16, students will have the opportunity to showcase their knowledge of material they’ve learned up to that point as well as reflect on their understanding of the material. Two of the four reflective discussion boards will require students to write an explanation of how to complete a problem they initially found challenging (these are called Reflective Discussion Boards with a Written Teaching Component). The remaining two discussion board assignments will require students to create a short video in which they will teach an important problem covered in the course (these are called Reflective Discussion Boards with a Video Teaching Component). Each discussion board is worth 2.5% of the final grade.

Projects (2)

There will be two small projects in the course. The projects will give students the opportunity to showcase their understanding of the material covered in this course. The projects will wrap up the midterm and final weeks of the course. The midterm project is worth 10% of the final grade and the final project is worth 13% of the final grade. 

Midterm Assessment

In week 8, students will complete a cumulative assessment in Blackboard. This assessment will be made up of 20 multiple choice, true or false, and numerical answer questions. The assessment will be administered through ProctorU. Students should see UNE’s ProctorU page for information on proctoring logistics and scheduling. This assessment is worth 10% of the final grade. 

Final Assessment

The course will conclude with a cumulative assessment in week 16. Students will answer 26 multiple choice, true or false, and numerical answer questions in Blackboard. The assessment will be administered through ProctorU. Students should see UNE’s ProctorU page for information on proctoring logistics and scheduling. This assessment is worth 13% of the final grade. 

Review Guide Pages

At the end of each week, students will fill in the review guide page that corresponds to that week. This outline will help students reflect on and summarize the most important material covered throughout the week. Students are also encouraged to include examples of problems they find challenging. Students will need to submit their review guide pages to Blackboard; however, the content of the submissions will not be graded. The submission of each week’s review guide page is required to unlock the following week in Blackboard. Feedback on review guide page submissions will be provided by the instructor when appropriate. 

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment	Total Points	Percent of Final Grade
Greetings Discussion Board	20	2%
Interactive Desmos Activities (14 total)	140 (10 points each)	14% (1% each)
Homework Assignments (14 total)	280 (20 points each)	28% (2% each)
Reflective Discussion Boards (4 total)	Reflective Discussion Boards (4 total) 100 (25 points each)	10% (2.5% each)
Midterm Assessment	100	10%
Midterm Project	100	10%
Final Assessment	130	13%
Final Project	130	13%
Total	1000	100%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00