Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

MTH 111 is a fun class!  I really enjoy helping students understand the topics we cover.  I hope you will join the class.  I look forward to working with you.  

MTH 111 (Precalculus I: Functions) Topics:  We will focuses on functions and their properties, including polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, piecewise-defined, and inverse functions. These topics prepares you for trigonometry and calculus.

Free textbook and homework system: This class will use a free online textbook and a free online homework system. Textbook and homework access will be given in D2L when the class starts.  We will go over how to access them on the first day of class.

Course Structure: This class will meet face-to-face on the Cascade Campus twice per week at the times and locations listed in the schedule.  The material will be presented in a mix of lecture and activities during our class sessions, with an emphasis on active learning.  In particular, our class will contain a lab component where students work together with other students to engage with the material and develop a deeper understanding of the material.  

Grading:  The grade for the class will be based mostly on homework, lab written assignments, and exams.  

• Online homework will be assigned for each section covered in a week and be due at the start of the next week.  We will use a free online math homework system, called MyOpenMath.  The online homework will be accessed through our D2L shell.  So you'll need to have access to a computer either at home or at a computer lab on campus. 
• A short, 1-2 page written lab assignment (3-6 questions) will be assigned each day we have a lesson.  It will be due at the start of the next class session. 
• There will be three required exams during the term, two midterms and a cumulative final exam.  All exams will be closed book, no notes and take place during class. The final exam score can used to replace one of the two midterm scores if you either miss a midterm or do poorly on a midterm.
• We will also have regular lab activities during class that you will be graded on based on participation.  

• A scientific calculator
• Ability to scan written documents to PDF format using a scanner or scanner phone app
• Access to a printer is extremely helpful.  PCC has computer labs where you can print documents if you don't have one at home.
• Access to a computer with which you can access our D2L shell which contains our online homework.  PCC has computer labs if you don't have a computer at home.