Learning Support for Technical Mathematics - MCR 3
https://courses.vccs.edu/courses/MCR3-LearningSupportforTechnicalMathematics
Effective: 2017-08-01
Course Description
Provides mathematical instruction for students who require minimum preparation for college-level but still need further preparation to succeed. Students in this course will be co-enrolled in college-level Technical Mathematics. Credits not applicable toward graduation and do not replace MTE courses waived. Successful completion of Technical Mathematics results in the prerequisite MTE modules being satisfied.
Lecture 1-2 hours. Total 1-2 hours per week.
1-2 credits
The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.
General Course Purpose
To enable qualified students to enter into credit bearing courses sooner, with the appropriate support, and with equal or better success than those students meeting course prerequisite requirements. The course provides support and enhancement of foundational and course content required of the credit course.
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites
Prerequisites: Completion of any four of the MTE units 1-6. Corequisite: MTH 131.
Course Objectives
- Communication
- Interpret and communicate quantitative information and mathematical and statistical concepts using language appropriate to the context and intended audience.
- Problem Solving
- Make sense of problems, develop strategies to find solutions, and persevere in solving them.
- Reasoning
- Reason and draw conclusions or make decisions with quantitative information.
- Evaluation
- Critique and evaluate quantitative arguments that utilize mathematical, statistical, and quantitative information.
- Students will engage in all course content described below in context to the technical fields being supported.
- Basic Skills
- Use a scientific calculator.
- Round-off numbers correctly.
- Identify significant digits.
- Use scientific and engineering notation
- Convert between units in both standard and metric
- Apply basic algebraic principles
- Geometry
- Apply and interpret line and angle relationships.
- Classify triangles by their sides/angles.
- Calculate the perimeter of a polygon
- Calculate the circumference and chord length on a circle
- Calculate the area of a polygon
- Calculate the area of a circle
- Apply concepts of sector and arc length of a circle
- Recognize various geometric solids such as cylinder, cone, pyramid, prism, sphere and conic sections.
- Calculate surface area and volume of various geometric solids
- Apply the concept of similar triangles
- Trigonometry
- Properly use terms related to an angle(s).
- Classify triangles by their sides/angles.
- Know/apply the radian as a measure of an angle, convert between degrees and radians
- Define the trigonometric functions and their values
- Solve right triangles and their applications
- Identify the signs of the trigonometric function of angles greater than 90?
- Determine trigonometric functions of any angle
- Vectors
- Describe vectors and their components.
- Solve applications involving vectors.
- Perform addition and scalar multiplication with vectors
- Complex Numbers
- Interpret complex numbers and perform basic operations
- Convert between forms of rectangular, and polar complex numbers
- Perform basic operations with polar complex numbers
- To achieve the above objectives, the support course will cover appropriate topics such as those suggested below in both planned review and just-in-time remediation:
- Student Skills Topics
- Class activities may include:
- Reviewing notes from class lectures
- Activities on taking good notes
- Analyzing personal time management
- Correcting textbook homework
- Predicting test questions
- Correcting tests
- Preparing for tests
- Asking good questions
- Exploring skills for using technology effectively
- Discussions may include the following topics:
- Using a planner/electronic device to keep up with assignments
- What work needs to happen outside of classes
- How does one use class notes?
- Why and when is it important to read the text?
- What does the instructor mean when he/she asks me to show my work?
- Math Skills Topics
- Operations with fractions, decimals, and integers
- Order of Operations
- Exponents involving positive and negative bases
- Laws of Exponents (including fractional and negative)
- Evaluating expressions/functions for given values of variables
- Excel or similar applications
- Formulas
- Ratios and Proportions
- Percents
- Solving basic algebraic equations and inequalities
- Factoring
- Radicals of positive and negative numbers
- Identifying components of graphs, graphing, equations of lines.
Major Topics to be Included
- Basic Skills
- Geometry
- Trigonometry
- Vectors
- Complex Numbers