MATH 1500-01, 02 PRE-CALCULUS, FALL 2024
ID: 000963, 000964 Pre-Calculus, 5 Credits
Prerequisite: College Algebra with a grade of C or higher
Required Materials: Sullivan et al (2019), MyMathLab Access code for Precalculus:
Concepts Through Functions, 4th E, Boston: Pearson. ISBN: 9780135874653
Instructor: Xiaosheng Li, : xiaosheng.li@normandale.edu
: 952-358-8792, Office: C3133
Office Hours: Wednesdays & Sundays 5pm – 8pm D2L Online; or by appointment
Course Description: Preparation for student success in a multiple-term calculus sequence. This is an accelerated
treatment of functions and trigonometry. All elementary functions are covered and trigonometry is developed
completely. Emphasis on graphing and problem-solving parallels algebraic skill development.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum: Goal 4 Mathematical/Logical Reasoning Course
objectives:
1. Demonstrate mastery of basic functions from College Algebra.
2. Use the unit circle definitions of the trigonometric functions.
3. Develop graphs of trigonometric functions as visual summaries of their
properties.
4. Solve triangles with sufficient information given, including applications.
5. Use trigonometric identities to simplify trigonometric expressions and prove new
identities.
6. Define inverse trigonometric functions and use them to solve problems.
7. Analyze equations and graphs of conic sections, and use them in applications.
8. Use algebraic and graphical methods to solve systems of nonlinear equations.
9. Write complex numbers in polar form, and use DeMoivre’s theorem to find
powers and roots of complex numbers.
10. Solve applied problems using vectors.
11. Use polar equations and parametric equations to describe curves in a plane.
Assignments, Expectations, Grading Criteria and Grading Scale:
A. In this online course, you are expected to have an open mind to explore, discover and learn. You are
expected to be self-motivated, independent and active learners to spend at least 12 hours weekly studying.
Read the text and watch videos on the MyLab Mathematics website. Study/review the posted
supplemental instructional materials on the D2L course website. Complete weekly assignments and
assessments on the MyLab Mathematics website at http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com/. Do online
homework with unlimited attempts allowed, take quizzes with 2 attempts allowed, take midterm exam
with 2 attempts allowed and take final exam with only 1 attempt allowed. No late assignments, no
make-up quizzes/exams, and no extensions for any grading components.
B. The average percentage of 10 online homework sets will be your homework score. But for this online
course, it is expected that students will not get less than 85% on the online homework since unlimited
attempts are allowed for at least 10 days for an online homework. No late homework is accepted.
C. All quizzes and exams are timed. You are allowed 2 attempts for taking each of 5 quizzes, with higher
score recorded. Students are allowed to take notes from their first attempt and review/rework the
problems from the first attempt to improve their performance for the second attempt. The average
percentage of 5 online quizzes will be used to calculate your score for quizzes. You are allowed 2
attempts for midterm exam (with higher score recorded) and only 1 attempt only for final exam. No
make-up quiz/exam is allowed. No extra work for more points. No extra work for extra credits.
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MATH 1500-01, 02 PRE-CALCULUS, FALL 2024
D. You have at least a week to finish each of the weekly assignments, quizzes and exams. Internet slow or
MyLab Mathematics server down is not an acceptable reason for any missed deadlines. You are expected
to start early and finish early on course work before the deadlines. Do not expect last minute assistance
or extensions for any of the course assignments and assessments.
E. No make-up quizzes/exams are allowed. No late assignments are accepted.
1. 10 online homework (due midnight Mondays): 100 Points (25%). 5 online quizzes (due midnight
Thursdays): 100 Points (25%). Midterm exam will be in week 9, no later than Thursday 10/24/24, 100
Points (25%). Final exam will be in week 16, no later than Thursday 12/12/24, 100 Points (25%).
You can earn up to 400 points in total. Bonus points: 5 points for submitted signed syllabus. All due dates
are listed in the course calendar and weekly checklist document. No extra work for more points. No extra
work for extra credits. Your total score points will not be rounded or changed in any way. No extensions
and no make-ups for any grading components.
2. Please review the course calendar and arrange your schedule accordingly if needed. The last day to add
this course is August 30, 2024. The last day to drop this course is August 30, 2024. The last day to
withdraw from this course is November 27, 2024.
Total points: 400
x≥93% 93%>x≥83% 83%>x≥70% 70%>x≥60% x<60%
372-400 pts 332-371 pts 280-331 pts 240-279 pts 0-239 pts
A B C D F
Student Code of Conduct and Expectations:
1. Students are expected to abide by Normandale Community College student code of conduct. Please read
college catalog at https://www.normandale.edu/current-students/dean-of-students/code-of-conduct.html
for more details. Academic dishonesty is not accepted. Students are expected to be self-motivated,
independent and active learners who are willing to explore, discover and learn in this online course. This
online calculus course is a 4-credit course. Students are expected to spend at least 12 hours weekly
studying, reviewing and completing weekly assignments/quizzes/exams before due dates to maintain an
average grade.
Teaching Methodology:
1. In this online course, we use MyLab Mathematics website for course instructional materials, course
assignments and assessments; and we use D2L course content area for supplemental instructional
materials and D2L discussion forums for student questions and discussions. This course is not a selfpaced
course. All homework assignments and quizzes/exams are assigned on the MyLab Mathematics website,
for at least a week to 10 days before their respective due dates. No late assignments, no make-up
quizzes/exams, and no extensions for any graded components. Students are expected to read the eText
chapters/sections and watch the related video lectures on the MyLab Mathematics website. The
supplemental instructional materials are posted in the D2L content area. Students are expected to review
the PowerPoint slides and lecture notes posted in the D2L content area. There will not be personal
review/overview lectures in this online course. We use a D2L discussion open forum for student questions
about course content, weekly covered topics and homework questions. The open discussion forum is a
very good tool for class discussions and exchanges of mathematical ideas and
terms/formulas/graphs/expressions. Please post your specific questions with details in the D2L discussion
open forum to get help quickly from the instructor and classmates. Please note that questions from a quiz
or an exam can be posted in the open discussion forum only after its due date. On Wednesdays and
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Sundays from 5 - 8 pm during the office hours, I will be available live in the D2L discussion open forum
for student questions, postings and discussions.
2. No practice exams are planned/prepared for the midterm exam and the final exam of this online course.
But students will be given specific information and detailed guidelines to prepare for the final exam with
a preparation period of at least one week. Specifically, students will know, in advance of a week of the
deadline of the final exam, which sections need to be reviewed/practiced for the final exams, instead of
the overwhelming whole semester content. Students will be instructed to do practice problems using the
MyLab Mathematics study plan for any sections or topics they choose to. Students are encouraged to post
their specific questions on the D2L discussion forums to get help quickly.
Math 1500 orientation Zoom meeting:
1. There will be a Math 1500 orientation Zoom meeting from 11 am – 12 noon on
Tuesday 9/3/24. The Zoom meeting is optional. But this is the most important
meeting for this online course. We will discuss the syllabus, the course calendar and
weekly checklist and MyLab website for doing homework, taking quizzes and
exams. I will record/post the Zoom meeting on the D2L course homepage
afterwards.
2. Join Zoom Meeting https://minnstate.zoom.us/j/93466248469
Meeting ID: 934 6624 8469
Passcode: 814217
Policies on Make-up Quiz/Exam, Incomplete Grades, Late Homework and Attendance:
1. No make-up quiz/exam is allowed. If you miss a quiz or miss an exam, the score for the missed
quiz/exam will be zero. Incomplete grades cannot be offered in this course. Late homework will not be
accepted. Internet slow or MyLab Mathematics server down is not an acceptable reason for any missed
deadlines. No extra work for more points. No extra work for extra credits. Student grades cannot be
rounded or changed in any way. You have the opportunity to achieve 100% on all online homework in
this course.
2. Students are expected to participate in learning actively and completing weekly learning activities/tasks
on D2L and MyLab Mathematics websites on a daily basis. Students are responsible for all lecture notes,
study guides, assignments, discussions, quizzes, exams, due dates and announcements received via email
or posted on D2L or MyLab Mathematics course websites. If the campus is closed due to inclement
weather, this online course still proceeds as normal.
Communication and Instructor Response Expectations, Feedback Expectations:
1. I will check the D2L discussion forums and my college email account for student questions weekdays.
Students are expected to use their Normandale email accounts for all email correspondence. You can
expect my responses within 48 hours for your discussion questions and your emails.
2. Weekly online homework, quizzes and exams will be graded with scores recorded immediately on the
MyLab Mathematics website. The scores for online homework, quizzes and midterm exam will be posted
in the D2L gradebook near the end of the semester (in week 15). The final exam scores will be posted on
D2L course website within a week of the final exam due date.
3. You are welcome to post your specific questions about the course content or homework problems in the
D2L discussion open forum to get help from me or your classmates within 48 hours or we can make an
arrangement for a D2L discussion open forum live meeting if you prefer.
4. I expect and encourage students to be informed of their performance and grades in a timely manner. After
I post any grade on the D2L course website (Assessments >> Grades), you have one week to question the
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MATH 1500-01, 02 PRE-CALCULUS, FALL 2024
correctness/validity of the grade. You must email me your questions/concerns about your grade within 7
days after the grade is posted. I will assume that all grades are correct and valid after the 7-day period.
Discussion Board Posting, Communication Expectation and Netiquette:
1. Please post a brief introduction of yourself in the D2L course → Communications → Discussions →
Introduction forum to introduce yourself to the class (See my post for directions and my example).
2. Your posts/questions/comments in discussion forums and emails should always be professional in
college-level writing, specific with detailed information and respectful to the class. Please be polite and
courteous in any forms of communication in this online course.
3. Please post your specific questions in the D2L discussion open forum to get help quickly from me or from
other classmates; and if needed we can make an appointment in the D2L discussion open forum to get live
support on specific questions. Questions from quizzes/exams can be discussed only after their due dates.
College Technology Services and Pearson MyLab Mathematics Technical Support:
1. Normandale Information Technology Services website and Normandale ITS Help Desk:
https://www.normandale.edu/current-students/tutoring-and-support/it-support.html
2. Pearson MyLab technical support: https://support.pearson.com/getsupport/s/contactsupport
Technology and Technical Skills Needed for This Course:
1. You need to have a daily access to a desktop or laptop computer with high-speed Internet connection. You
need to have a back-up plan in case you cannot access Internet through your main computer. You can use
your own computer or computers in Normandale Computer Center or in the library.
2. You are expected to have basic computer literacy skills, such as being able to manage and organize
computer files efficiently, being able to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and
easily, and being able to do online homework, take online quizzes/exams, check/send emails, post in the
discussion forums etc.
3. You may need to download plug-ins for http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com/.
4. Generally, calculators are not needed in this course. But in case for complicated calculation and graphing,
you can use a free web program http://www.wolframalpha.com/.
D2L Course Webpage and Announcements:
1. Supplemental instructional materials such as PowerPoint slides, lecture notes and examples, will be
posted/updated regularly in the D2L content area on the D2L course website. Announcements will be
posted on an as-needed basis. You are expected to login into the course website at least every weekday to
study/review the course content, to finish weekly course learning activities and to obtain the most recent
information and updates to the course.
College Academic Support, Campus Library, Technology Support, Advising and Student Support Services:
1. This website https://www.normandale.edu/current-students/index.html lists various college resources for
students, such as academic resources, library services, tutoring and support, advising and counseling,
registration for classes, student support services, student resources center, campus resources for mental
and physical health and wellness, campus cupboard for free food and hygiene products to Normandale
students, office for students with disabilities, emergency financial assistance for current students, veteran
resource center and services, etc.
College Disability Services; Title IX, College, D2L and Pearson MyLab Privacy Policies:
1. Americans with disabilities act is described at https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/disability/ada
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MATH 1500-01, 02 PRE-CALCULUS, FALL 2024
2. Normandale Community College is committed to equal access for students with disabilities through the
services provided by the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). Please make an appointment with
the OSD director, Debbie Tillman, by calling 952-358-8623 or osd@normandale.edu to discuss how
accommodations may be implemented in your Normandale courses.
3. Normandale Community College private policy: http://www.normandale.edu/directory/privacy-statement
4. D2L privacy policy: http://www.d2l.com/legal/privacy/.
5. Pearson MyLab privacy policy: https://register.pearsoncmg.com/w3c/privacy.htm.
6. Title IX statement can be found at https://www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix-education-amendments-1972
College Accessibility, D2L Accessibility and Pearson MyLab Accessibility Policies:
1. The accessibility policies can be viewed at
https://www.normandale.edu/whynormandale/about/accessibility.html,
https://www.d2l.com/accessibility/standards/, and
https://www.pearson.com/en-us/legal-information/accessibility.html.
Online Homework, Quizzes, Exams:
1. Students can do the weekly online homework (due midnight Mondays) unlimited times before the due
date. When working on the homework, you are encouraged to use the learning aids (“Help Me Solve
This”, “View an Example”, “Get More Help”, “Video”, “Textbook”, “Print” or “Similar Exercise”) on the
homework webpage at http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com/. When working on a homework problem,
you have three attempts at getting the correct answer. If you get it wrong after three tries, you can still do
a similar exercise to get full credits. No extensions for assignments. Past due online homework cannot be
reopened for any reason. But you are allowed to review your old homework without changing the score
after due date. You have the opportunity to achieve 100% on all online homework in this course.
2. Online quizzes/exams (on the MyLab website) are not proctored, but timed. You have to complete the
quizzes/exams in one session after you get started. You have 2 attempts for online quizzes and midterm
exam. But you have only one attempt for online final exam. You are allowed to take notes from the first
attempt and review/rework the problems from the first attempt before you are ready to do the second
attempt to improve performance. No make-up quizzes/exams and no extensions. The learning aids will
not be available for quizzes and exams.
How to meet the course and module learning objectives:
1. Review the weekly schedule for covered topics in the syllabus, and review the course calendar and
weekly checklist document posted in the D2L content area. Read the MyLab eText for weekly assigned
chapters and sections and watch a few related videos on MyLab website. Use MyLab “Study Plan” to do
practice for individual sections and covered topics. Study/review the weekly posted supplemental
instructional materials on D2L course website.
2. Ten weekly online homework assignments (with unlimited tries allowed) are due Mondays. Five online
quizzes (two attempts are allowed), a midterm exam and a final exam are due Thursdays. The weekly
homework, quizzes and exams align with the course and the weekly module learning objectives. Use
MyLab “Study Plan” to do more practice for individual sections and covered topics. Earning at least 85%
mark or higher on the weekly online homework and quizzes meets the weekly learning objectives
adequately.
Instructional Materials, Specific Criteria for Students’ Work:
1. There are two parts of the instructional materials for this course: Pearson MyLab website
https://mlm.pearson.com/northamerica/mystatlab/ and course content (eText, video lessons, media, study
plan, online homework, quizzes and exams) and the instructor created content (lecture notes and
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examples) posted on the D2L course website. The course materials may not be reposted or shared
elsewhere.
2. From the MyLab course website, you need to study chapter contents/videos/media and do weekly online
homework, quizzes and exams. It is a good idea to use the learning aids on the MyLab homework screen
when doing the homework. Your goal is to finish the homework close to 100% correct, but no less than
85%. Maintain a notebook to take notes when doing the homework. The online homework problems are
multiple-choice questions and graded immediately. After completing the weekly homework, you may
need to take online quizzes (two attempts are allowed), midterm exam (2 attempts) or final exam (1
attempt only) due Thursdays. The learning aids will not be available for quizzes and exams.
3. From the D2L content area, you need to review weekly schedule for covered topics in the syllabus, to
review course calendar and weekly checklist document, to study/review the posted PowerPoint slides,
lecture notes and examples to reinforce your understanding of the course contents and also to help you
finish online homework assignments and assessments.
Some Important Tips:
1. Online learning needs a lot more time and effort, and is demanding for both students and the instructor. It is
very important to do practice often beyond the weekly homework assignments, use MyLab “Study Plan”
to do more practice for individual sections and covered topics, rework the examples in the text and the
examples from the D2L posted lecture notes and practice exercises. You are encouraged to use Internet
resources such as YouTube videos or the free web program http://www.wolframalpha.com/. Use the
discussion open forum to post specific questions to get help quickly.
Weekly Schedule for Covered Topics
Week 1 Functions and Their Graphs
Section 1.1 Functions
Section 1.2 Graph of a Function
Section 1.3 Properties of Functions
Section 1.4 Library of Functions
Section 1.5 Transformations
Section 1.6 Mathematical Models: Building Functions
Week 2 Linear and Quadratic Functions
Section 2.1 Properties of Linear Functions and Linear Models
Section 2.3 Quadratic Functions and Their Zeros
Section 2.4 Properties of Quadratic Functions
Section 2.5 Inequalities Involving Quadratic Functions
Section 2.7 Complex Zeros of a Quadratic Function
Section 2.8 Equations and Inequalities Involving the Absolute Value Function
Week 3 Polynomial and Rational Functions
Section 3.1 Polynomial Functions and Models
Section 3.2 Real Zeros of a Polynomial Function
Section 3.3 Complex Zeros; Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
Week 4 Polynomial and Rational Functions
Section 3.4 Properties of Rational Functions
Section 3.5 Graph of a Rational Function
Section 3.6 Polynomial and Rational Inequalities
Week 5 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
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MATH 1500-01, 02 PRE-CALCULUS, FALL 2024
Section 4.1 Composite Functions
Section 4.2 One-to-One Functions; Inverse Functions
Section 4.3 Exponential Functions
Week 6 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Section 4.4 Logarithmic Functions
Section 4.5 Properties of Logarithms
Section 4.6 Logarithmic and Exponential Equations
Week 7 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Section 4.7 Compound Interest
Section 4.8 Exponential Growth and Decay; Newton’s Law; Logistic Growth and Decay
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Week 8 Trigonometric Functions
Section 5.1Angles and Their Measure
Section 5.2Trigonometric Functions
Section 5.3Properties of the Trigonometric Functions
Week 9 Trigonometric Functions
Midterm is Due Midnight Thurs 10/24/24 on MyMathLab website.
Section 5.4 Graphs of the Sin and Cos Functions
Section 5.5 Graphs of Tan, Cot, Csc, and Sec Functions
Section 5.6 Phase Shift; Sinusoidal Curve Fitting
Week 10 Analytic Trigonometry
Section 6.1 Inverse Sin, Cos, and Tan Functions
Section 6.2 Inverse Trigonometric Functions
Section 6.3 Trigonometric Equations
Section 6.4 Trigonometric Identities
Section 6.5 Sum and Difference Formulas
Section 6.6 Double-angle and Half-angle Formulas
Section 6.7 Product-to-Sum and Sum-to-Product Formulas
Week 11 Applications of Trigonometric Functions
Section 7.1 Right Triangle Trigonometry; Applications
Section 7.2 Law of Sines
Section 7.3 Law of Cosines
Section 7.4 Area of a Triangle
Week 12 Polar Coordinates, Vectors
Section 8.1 Polar Coordinates
Section 8.2 Polar Equations and Graphs
Section 8.3 The Complex Plane; DeMoivre’s Theorem
Section 8.4 Vectors
Section 8.5 Dot Product
Section 8.6 Vectors in Space
Week 13 Analytic Geometry
Section 9.2 Parabola
Section 9.3 Ellipse
Section 9.4 Hyperbola
Section 9.6 Polar Equations of Conics
Section 9.7 Plane Curves and Parametric Equations
Week 14 Systems of Equations and Inequalities
Section 10.1 Systems of Linear Equations
Section 10.4 Matrix Algebra
Section 10.6 Systems of Nonlinear Equations
Final Exam is Due Midnight Thurs 12/12/24 on MyMathLab website.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
About Me: (This is also posted in the D2L “Introduction” forum.)
My name is Xiaosheng Li. I am a mathematics instructor at Normandale Community College. I live in Apple
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MATH 1500-01, 02 PRE-CALCULUS, FALL 2024
Valley, Minnesota. I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Master degree and a
PhD degree, both in mathematics. I love teaching and would like to share my mathematics/statistics knowledge
with my students. My brief teaching philosophy is that the instructor and the students are a teaching/learning team
in which the instructor is the team leader who will guide/help the students to achieve the learning goals for the
course by completing various learning tasks/activities over the whole semester. I have been teaching various
classroom and online math/stats courses. I check my current online courses every weekday and I am typically
available online 5-7 pm and may be reached then on D2L discussion forums.
Right to Revise:
While the overall design of this course is firmly established. Specific tasks, dates and components are subject to
change as a need may arise unexpectedly. The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus as needed and to
make revisions to any item in this syllabus, including, but not limited to any of the course-related items on the
D2L course website. Such changes would be communicated clearly in a timely manner.
This syllabus and the described class policies are written to provide fairness and transparency to the whole class,
and to outline the expectations and responsibilities of all students and the instructor. Your enrollment in this class
indicates your acceptance of all class policies. This syllabus is available in alternate formats by request.
Materials used in this course may be copyright protected. The eText and the PowerPoint presentations are
copyrighted by Pearson. All remaining instructional materials on D2L are created by Xiaosheng Li. Please do not
distribute any of the course materials without creators’ written permissions.
I have read the course syllabus and the course calendar and weekly checklist for this online course (either online
or in paper). I understand and agree to abide by all policies, expectations, requirements and due dates listed in the
course syllabus or in the course calendar and weekly checklist.
______Ashik Chaudhary________________________9/3/2024____________
Student Name (type) Date
____________________________________________9/3/2024____________
Student Signature Date
