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.
UNE-compliant external webcam and whiteboard – To be used during proctored exams
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In week 8, students will complete a cumulative assessment in Brightspace. 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.
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 Brightspace. 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.
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 Brightspace; 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 Brightspace. Feedback on review guide page submissions will be provided by the instructor when appropriate.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
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 | 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 |
Week |
Topic |
Readings |
Assignments |
1 |
Polynomials and Rational Expressions |
Algebra and Trigonometry, Chapter 1: Prerequisites 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 |
|
2 |
Equations |
Algebra and Trigonometry, Chapter 2: Equations and Inequalities 2.2, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 |
|
3 |
Overview of Functions |
Algebra and Trigonometry, Chapter 3: Functions 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 |
|
4 |
Overview of Functions Continued |
Algebra and Trigonometry, Chapter 3: Functions 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 |
|
5 |
Trigonometric Functions |
Precalculus, Chapter 5: Trigonometric Functions 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 Unit Circle Chart |
|
6 |
Periodic Functions |
Precalculus, Chapter 6: Periodic Functions 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 |
|
7 |
Trigonometric Identities and Equations |
Precalculus, Chapter 7: Trigonometric Identities and Equations 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 |
|
8 |
Midterm Review and Assessment |
None |
|
9 |
Solving Trigonometric Equations |
Precalculus, Chapter 7: Trigonometric Identities and Equations 7.4, 7.5, 7.6 |
|
10 |
Non-Right Triangles and Polar Coordinates |
Precalculus, Chapter 8: Further Applications of Trigonometry 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 |
|
11 |
Parametric Equations and Vectors |
Precalculus, Chapter 8: Further Applications of Trigonometry 8.6, 8.7, 8.8 |
|
12 |
Sequences and Series |
Precalculus, Chapter 11: Sequences, Probability, and Counting Theory 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4 |
|
13 |
Exponential and Logarithmic Functions |
Precalculus, Chapter 4: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions 4.1, 4.3, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 |
|
14 |
Limits |
Precalculus, Chapter 12: Introduction to Calculus 12.1, 12.2 |
|
15 |
Continuity and Derivatives |
Precalculus, Chapter 12: Introduction to Calculus 12.3, 12.4 |
|
16 |
Final Review and Assessment |
None |
|
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you - they will monitor course progression and provide assistance or guidance when needed. Please don’t hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, course materials, billing, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Science Prerequisites page
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The Student Lounge Discussion Board is a designated support forum in which students may engage with each other and grapple with course content. Feel free to post questions, seek clarification, and support each other, but be mindful of UNE's Academic Integrity Policy.
Your instructor will monitor this forum. However, if you are seeking specific and timely answers to questions about course content or your personal grades, please contact your instructor via course messages. For questions about course materials, program policy, and how to navigate and proceed through the course, please contact your Student Service Advisor through the Student Portal.
The University of New England has contracted with ProctorU to provide students with the most convenient online exam proctoring system. This system provides a simple, no cost to the student, secure, online proctor for exams and allows the student to take all the exams at home and on their own schedule.
Upon enrollment into the course, each student will register with ProctorU and establish a login name and password. This will give the student access to all of ProctorU's services. When ready, students will schedule each of their proctored exams with ProctorU. Exams must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance to avoid fees. Prior to taking their exams, students must be sure that they have downloaded any required additional software. They must also be sure their testing site's connection meets the minimum requirements by using ProctorU's "Test It Out" utility.
Upon the exam day and hour, students will log in to ProctorU and click on "exams". After following the procedures outlined at ProctorU's website, the student will log in to Brightspace and locate their correct exam. The proctor will then allow student access to that exam.
Students must use ProctorU and must follow all proctoring requirements for their exams to be credited. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.
Students will receive two attempts at all proctored examinations. The higher score of the two attempts will be calculated into the final grade. Students can schedule their second attempt by following the same ProctorU instructions as with the original exam.
All students are encouraged to utilize a second attempt on their exams in order to improve their overall performance in the course.
Discussion topics cover events or materials related to this course that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. Each discussion topic may require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials, visit a specific webpage, AND/OR view a short video before writing a response following the specific guidelines in the discussion topic prompt.
To earn full credit you will need to post a response to the discussion topic, respond to the original posts of other students, and then contribute meaningfully to an ongoing discussion. You may need to post your initial response before you will see any posts from your classmates. For special cases where one or two students are accelerating faster through the course, the instructor will participate in the discussion so that everyone has the opportunity to interact.
Please see Brightspace for a full description, along with specific guidelines, for each discussion topic. Discussion board assignments should be completed, along with all other assignments in the course, in the order that they appear. Due to the course design, you may be unable to take a proctored exam if you do not complete all assignments that appear prior to that exam.
Please also refer to the Grading Policy/Grade Breakdown section of the syllabus to learn the percentage of your grade that each discussion is worth.
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements
A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus. This is, however a self-paced course and you can complete the course in less time.
Please visit the enrollment page to review the withdrawal and refund policies.
Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course. View the incomplete grade policy..
Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.
To view your unofficial UNE student transcript:
To request your official UNE student transcript:
Please review your Unofficial Transcript prior to requesting an Official Transcript.
After you click Submit Request, your official transcript will be put into the queue to be printed in the Registrar's Office.
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.
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