Course Syllabus

Course Description:

[INSTRUCTORS: We have included a general description here as a place holder. As with all sections, feel free to keep this information, replace it with your local course description, or remove this section entirely.]

This course includes the fundamental concepts and operations of algebra with problem solving skills emphasized throughout. Topics include properties of real numbers, linear equations and inequalities, integer exponents, polynomials, polynomial factorization, rational expressions and equations, radical expressions and equations, rational exponents, systems of linear equations and inequalities, the rectangular coordinate system, graphs and equations of lines, and quadratic equations.

Student Learning Outcomes:

[INSTRUCTORS: We have included the C-ID outcomes here as a place holder. As with all sections, feel free to keep this information, replace it with your local Student Learning Outcomes, or remove this section entirely.]

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• demonstrate mastery in simplifying and performing basic operations on rational numbers and exponential, polynomial, rational, and radical expressions.
• classify polynomials according to type and apply appropriate factoring techniques.
• apply appropriate solving techniques to linear, quadratic, rational, and radical equations, linear inequalities, and systems of linear equations in two variables.
• graph linear equations in two variables and find equations of lines.
• apply algebraic methods and critical thinking skills when solving application problems.

Course Content:

[INSTRUCTORS: Insert course content]

• Review of Pre-Algebra Concepts: computing with integers and rational numbers; prime factoring; simplifying expressions using correct order of operations; translating from word to number expressions; reading graphs
• Equations and Inequalities in One Variable: combining like terms; using properties of equalities and inequalities; solving linear equations and inequalities; manipulating literal equations (formulas in several variables); applying these concepts to solve geometric, mixture, interest, distance-rate-time, and other problems
• Graphing Linear Equations and Inequalities in Two Variables: plotting ordered pairs; graphing linear equations; finding slopes of lines; finding the equations of lines using the point-slope form; writing the equations of lines in standard and slope-intercept form; finding the equations of horizontal and vertical lines; recognizing and writing equations of parallel and perpendicular lines
• Exponents and Polynomials: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing polynomials; applying the laws of integer exponents; using scientific notation to simplify expressions
• Factoring Polynomials: factoring out the greatest common factor; factoring by grouping; factoring general trinomials, differences of squares, sums and differences of cubes; solving quadratic equations by factoring; applying these concepts to solve area, right triangle, and other problems
• Rational Expressions and Equations: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing rational expressions; simplifying complex fractions; solving rational equations; applying these concepts to solve ratio, proportion, work, distance-rate-time, and other problems
• Functions: using function notation; evaluating functions; identifying the domain and range of functions; graphing linear and non-linear functions
• Systems of Equations in Two Variables: solving systems of linear equations using graphing, substitution, and addition; solving systems of inequalities in two variables; using systems to solve mixture, distance-rate-time, and other problems
• Radicals: adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing radical expressions; rationalizing denominators; solving radical equations; simplifying expressions with rational exponents; applying these concepts to solve right triangle problems using the Pythagorean Theorem
• Quadratic Equations: solving quadratic equations using the square root property of equality, completing the square, and using the quadratic formula; introduction to graphing quadratic functions

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Elementary Algebra from OpenStax, ISBN 1-947172-03-4 

You have several options to obtain this book:

• View online (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
• Download a PDF (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
• Order a print copy (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) 

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

Important Notes:

• All first week assignments need to be completed and submitted by the due date to avoid possibly being dropped from the class.

• Any student needing accommodations should inform the instructor. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) [link to your college's DSPS website] early in the quarter so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact the DRC by visiting the Center (located in room A205) or by phone (541-4660 ext. 249 voice or 542-1870 TTY for deaf students). All information will remain confidential.
• Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. "Ideas or phrasing" includes written or spoken material, from whole papers and paragraphs to sentences, and, indeed, phrases but it also includes statistics, lab results, art work, etc.  Please see the YourCollegeName handbook for policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc. [link to your college's academic honesty policies]