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Learning Support Services

Academic Achievement Centers

The Academic Achievement Centers (AACs) located on each campus offer free faculty tutoring with no appointment needed. The AACs also provide DMACC students a supportive place to complete homework and study with peers.

Faculty provide support with the following areas:

  • College course work in English, math, writing, and sciences, with other subjects available depending on the DMACC location.
  • Study strategies and test taking
  • High school programs through HiSET or high school completion
  • Individualized learning goals and plans

Locations & Contacts

Ankeny AAC
515-965-7004
1-800-362-2127 ext. 57004
Bldg. 6, Room 19

Boone AAC
515-433-5096
1-800-362-2127 ext. 55096
Room 102

Carroll AAC
712-792-8307
1-800-362-2127 ext. 58307
Room 157

Urban AAC
515-697-7809
1-800-362-2127 ext. 57809
Bldg. 1, Room 126

Newton AAC
641-791-1730
1-800-362-2127 ext. 51730
Room 109

Southridge AAC
515-287-8713

W​est AAC
515-633-2472
1-800-362-2127 ext. 52472
Room 119W

Biology and Chemistry Preadmission Courses

The Academic Achievement Center offers two pre-enrollment courses: Biology and Chemistry. Although the courses are independent study, help from the instructors is available during the hours they are on duty in the center. The curriculum is similar to a typical high school course without a lab component. Credits are not assig​ned to these courses nor do they count towards the GPA. The course will not necessarily transfer to meet prerequisite requirements at other colleges. If you want to enroll in the biology or chemistry course, contact Stacy Vaughn on the Ankeny Campus at slvaughn@dmacc.edu

Pre-admissions Biology Course Description

Structure and Function of the Body is a noncredit, independent study course. It is designed for students with little or no high school biology background who are planning to enter a health science or science career.

The full course is divided into two parts: Biology I and Biology II. Biology I is equivalent to the first semester of a high school biology course. Biology II is equivalent to the second semester of a high school biology course. Each part contains seven chapters, with a test after each chapter. All seven test scores are averaged together and a minimum 70% average must be obtained. ​

While the course concentrates upon the structures and functions of the human body, it also provides many clinical applications of the biological information.

The course content includes studies of cells, mitosis, tissues and each of the systems of the human body. Two major unifying themes are stressed. First, structure (anatomy) and function (physiology) complement one another. Second, the structures and functions of the human body can be explained as working to keep the internal environment in a relatively constant, but dynamic, condition, known as homeostasis. ​

Pre-admissions Chemistry Course Description

The pre-enrollment chemistry course is in two parts. Each part contains six chapters, with a test after each chapter. All six test scores are averaged together and a minimum 70% average must be obtained.

Major topics covered:

Chemistry I:
  • Systems of Measurement
  • Significant Figures
  • Scientific Notation 
  • Matter and Energy
  • Atoms and Molecules
  • Atomic Theory 
  • The Periodic Table 
  • Bonds
Chemistry II:
  • Chemical Nomenclature
  • Balancing Chemical Equations
  • Stoichiometry  
  • Solutions 
  • Molarity
  • Molality​
  • Acids, Bases, and Salts

​Preadmission Course Policies​

Fees

The pre-admission Biology and Chemistry courses are divided into Biology I and Biology II and Chemistry I and Chemistry II. ​The fee for each part of each course is $30. The student has four months from the date of enrollment to complete the course. A one-time extension for another four months may be granted for medical or other emergencies. This extension requires an additional payment of $30.

If the course has not been completed within 8 months, including the 4-month extension, the student will be required to repeat the entire course by reenrolling and repeating the exams. There are no course refunds.

Tests​

An average of 70% on all tests is required for successful completion. Sixty percent is the minimum acceptable score on any one test in a course. A student who scores less than 60% must retake that exam. A minimum waiting period of at least 24 hours is required before retaking the test. The score on the first test will be averaged with the score on the retake.

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