OnRamps PrecalculusSyllabus 2015-2016
M 305G - Preparation forCalculus
Discovery Precalculus - A Creative and Connected Approach, students deepen and extend their knowledge of functions, graphs, and equations from their high school algebra and geometry courses so that they can successfully work with the concepts in a rigorous university-level calculus course. This course is designed to push students well beyond “drill and kill” exercises, emphasizing conceptual understanding ofmathematical definitions and developing logical arguments with theirpeers.
This course may be used to fulfill the mathematics component of the university core curriculum and addresses the following three core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication skills, critical thinking skills, and empirical and quantitativeskills.
Content
The course is organized around the following sevenunits:
1.Functions, Rates, andPatterns
2.Algebra andGeometry
3.Exponential and LogarithmicFunctions
4.Trigonometry
5.Limits and Rate of Change ofFunctions
6.Exploring Other CoordinateSystems
7.Sequences andSeries
CollegeCredit
Discovering Precalculus is a dual enrollment course, so in addition to high school credit, students may receive college credit through The University of Texas at Austin for M 305G: Preparation forCalculus.
Instruction and UT AustinSupport
The course is taught by a high school teacher who receives substantial support fromUT faculty and staff. In particular, UT provides curricular material, a teacher who has participated in extensive training by and who receives on-going support from UT Austin faculty and staff, in terms of pedagogy, learning technology, and contentmatter.
Inquire-BasedLearning
This course uses Inquire-Based Learning (IBL), a pedagogy designed to engage students in the educational process. Inquiry based learning is a student-centered methodology which stresses the importance of the active construction of learning. Therefore, students are expected to pose questions, make decisions, design plans and experiments, discuss, collaborate, communicate results and provide justified answers and explanations when engaged in the inquiryprocess.
Online Learning Environment
UT provides an online learning environment—based on the Canvas learning management software—that delivers content, enables online discussion, facilitates collaboration, and supports essential course administration and clericaltasks.
High School Grading
- Participation/Assignments/Learning communities – 30%
- 5 Exploration Presentations per six weeks
- Unit Exams & Quizzes – 70%
College Grading
- Explorations –10%
- Two perunit
- Unit Exams (7) –90%
- First Semester Exams: Units 1, 2, and3.
- A cumulative exam may be taken after Unit 3 to replace the lowest exam score up to a75%.
- Second semester Exams: Units 4A, 4B, 5 and6.
Additionally, high school grades for Unit exams may differ from UT Austin grades of the same exams, with only UT Austin grades being considered in such circumstances for thecollege-credit.
To officially enroll in the UT Austin course, students must obtain a grade of 75% or higher during the first semester on the UT Austin required assignments and/or assessments. Students who qualify for the college-bearing course may enroll in it as a pass/fail course or for a letter grade, using grades from the entire courseand the following gradescale:
100-90% =A
89-80% =B
79-70% =C
69-60% =D
59-0% =F
Attendance
Attendance is critical to the learning in this course. If an absence is expected then arrangements should be made with the OnRamps Instructor prior to the absence. If an absence is unexpected then their needs to be communication with the OnRamps Instructor as soon as possible to make arrangements to make up the missed work. If missed assignments are not made up in a timely manner the grade may result in azero.
Letter grade vs.Pass/Fail
You may elect in January to take the course for a letter grade or as pass/fail. Regardless of the option you choose, you may drop the course in May according to OnRamps late droppolicy.
If you enroll in the course for a letter and attend UT Austin, then your UT transcript will have a letter grade for the course and will factor into your GPA. If you enroll in the course as pass/fail and you pass M 305G, this will not be factored into your GPA should you enroll at UT Austin.
Courses taken for Pass/Fail designation at UT Austin do not fulfill core curriculum requirements at the University. The applicability toward a degree for Pass/Fail courses is entirely up to the UT Austin college, program, andmajor. Students are encouraged to contact their planned major departments whether M 305G counts toward that major at UTAustin.
If you plan to attend a university or college other than UT Austin, please consult with that institution to fully understand how letter grades and Pass/Fail designations are treated in terms of transfer. For many Texas institutions, OnRamps will transfer as credit without the lettergrade.
Claiming UTCredit
All students that successfully meet the college-readiness requirements and complete M 305G – Preparation for Calculus will be assigned a final college grade in May. You may elect to claim your UT credit or not once you know your final grade. We encourage you to discuss this choice with you high school counselor. If you accept your letter grade for UT credit, that credit is guaranteed to transfer to public Texas colleges anduniversities.This is a no-risk proposition. If you are not satisfied with your college grade, you do not need to claim it. If you are, take the credit wherever you go to school. Either way, you will have experienced what is expected in college, and you will be ready to handleit.
Students withDisabilities
Dual enrollment students who receive high school accommodations/modifications can also receive accommodations for Dual Enrollment courses. Accommodations should follow the students Individual Education Plan or 504 that have been provided by the high school. Accommodations are individualized and based on the students need and disability.
AcademicIntegrity
Academic integrity is highly valued and seriously regarded at the University of Texasat Austin. Infractions will be investigated and administered by UT Austin personnel as warranted by UT's academic integrity policy. Be safe; ask questionsfirst!