Course Policies

Contents

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Course Information
MATD 0370, Elementary Algebra
Distance Learning Format (Open Campus)

Synonym 09265, Fall 2003

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Software Technical Support phone number
(M-F 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Central Time):
1-800-681-4357

Textbooks and software - IMPORTANT

1. The textbook/license can only be found at the official ACC bookstore (not at Bevo's or other bookstores). Those are on campus at all campuses except for RGC, where it is located at 817 W. 12th. (See the ACC bookstore website for more information.) Also, please be sure to get the version for your semester (sometimes the edition changes from summer to fall).
   
   Materials purchased from any other source will not have the correct stickers and will not meet the requirement. The main cost is for the license to use the software and you cannot buy that "used." The entire cellophane wrapper with all stickers attached is your proof that you have bought the official license. After you unwrap it, the textbook/license is NOT RETURNABLE. Do NOT buy a book that is not packaged in cellophane.
   
   If you have any question about whether you have the correct materials, don't unwrap it. Send me an email message telling me the title, where you bought it, and what the sticker(s) say. I'll tell you whether it is correct.
   
   Note: If you have already taken this course, using these materials, in the last two semesters, check with me to see if your license is still in effect, so that you don't have to buy another copy of the materials.
   
   
2. Allow yourself time to get started. It is common that students need a few days from the time they buy the materials to get started. (Sometimes students go to the wrong bookstore or find that their computer's hard drive is full, or have other problems.) However, you must work on the software at least twice during the first week for a couple of hours, even if you started late. If necessary, you can go to one of the Learning Labs to work until you get the software installed and working on your computer at home. All you need there is your username and password, which you should receive from me on or before the first day of class. Ask to be placed at a computer that already has the software installed.
   
   
3. When you are sure you have the right materials, send me (via official mail) the entire cellophane wrapper, including all stickers it has on it. Include your name and the campus at which you bought the book. Put that and the entire wrapper in a sealed envelope and mail it to the address below by US mail. Make sure your name and return address is on the outside of the envelope. Send it to:
   
   Marcus McGuff
   ACC Northridge Campus
   11928 Stonehollow Drive
   Austin, TX 78758
   
   
4. If I don't receive your entire cellophane wrapper by Friday of the second week of classes, your user account will be deleted from the software, erasing all work you have done so far. You should mail it by the Monday of that week to be sure that I receive it in time.

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Username and password

Before you can use the software, you must receive your username and password from me for the online software. I will assign them on or before the first day of class. I will send them at that time to each student on my official roll sheet for whom I have a working email address from Orientation Form 1. If you want to start early, you must contact me in advance. After contacting me, you must purchase the book and make sure I receive the wrapper before I will create your user account.

You can work in the campus Learning Lab for the first few days until you purchase your materials, if necessary. You should work enough in the first week in order to not get behind. If you don't have a username and password by the day classes begin, please email me right away and ask me for it. If you enroll after classes begin, please send me your Orientation Forms 1 and 2 immediately.

Don't forget to bring your username and password with you if you go to use the software in a Learning Lab.

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Minimum Computer Requirements*

In order to use this program, you will need a computer with the following minimum requirements:

Computer (PC): Windows 95, 98, SE, ME, 2000**, or Windows NT Workstation 4.0

[NOTE: The math program will not run on Macintosh computers. I have seen a few scattered reports that the software can be run on a Mac using Virtual PC, but you are completely on your own if you decide to try this. The publisher will not provide technical support for this and I will not be able to help you make this work.]

CPU: Intel Pentium Processor

RAM: 32 MB Minimum (64 MB Recommended)

Video Card: Capable of High Color (16-Bit) with 800 x 600 Minimum Recommended Resolution

Sound Card: Amplified, Windows Compatible [NOTE: Must be amplified]

CD-ROM: 4X CD-ROM Drive (or Higher) with 32-Bit Drivers

Hard Drive: 150 MB Uncompressed Free Space

Internet Access: Internet Dial-Up (Minimum 28.8 Modem) or 10 BaseT Ethernet Connection

[NOTE: ACC does not provide internet accounts for students. You must have your own.]

Browser: Netscape Navigator 4.x or Higher, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x or Higher

[NOTE: Netscape 6 is currently not supported.]

*For Free Technical Support (M-F 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Central Time), please call 1-800-681-4357 or go to http://support.academic.com/

**REVISED NOTE ABOUT WINDOWS 2000: The new Installer CD (Version 9) works with all versions of Windows. If your computer has Windows 2000 and your book has CD Version 8.0, please borrow Version 9 from your instructor. This CD is used only once to install the program.

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Information About the Software

This section of the course uses the Academic Systems Interactive Mathematics computer software package. The software provides visual explanations and includes an audio component so that you may listen to the explanations. It is called "interactive" because you are continually being prompted for input.

Please be careful with the CDs in your book. They hold lots of information and are very sensitive. Please handle them with care. If they become dirty or scratched, you may get error messages while using the software. If you receive an error message while working outside of ACC, print or copy the error message. Then try cleaning the CD with rubbing alcohol on a lint-free cloth. If that doesn't work, please call the free Academic Systems technical support line listed above, and wait on the line to get help for your error message. If they are unable to help you, please ask your instructor for help.

For more information about using Interactive Mathematics, please visit the Academic Systems web site (http://www.academiconline.com) and explore the pages called "Getting Started" and "Interactive Mathematics Resources." This web site contains the latest information about computer requirements as well as instructions for installing and using the Interactive Mathematics software.

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Getting Started with the Software

Before you begin, you will need a user name and password. See above for information on how to obtain these.

Begin your math course by installing the software:

• First exit from all of your other programs (but do stay connected to the Internet).
• Then load the Client Installer CD found in the back of your textbook. This will take a few minutes.
• The installer program should start automatically. Follow the prompts from there.

  If you have any problems, verify you have the computer requirements needed and contact Academic Systems at 1-800-681-4357 or use their support web site http://support.academic.com/. They are available M-F 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Central Time. If you have problems, do NOT spend very long trying to install it without getting help.

When installed, go to the Academic Online website and set things up:

• Click on the red Academic Online icon on your desk top. This will take you to the Academic Online web page.
• Select your college (ACC) and click on the student option. This should take you to the blue Academic Online login screen.
• Feel free to change your password after your initial login. If you can't log on, contact me.
• WARNING: To make sure that you get credit for the work you do on the computer, you must log off when you end a session. Find that option under the File menu in the top left corner.

To change your password:

• When you first log in to the software, you see a screen that has several options down the left margin of the page. (Overview,
  Do a Lesson, Check my Progress, Log Off)
• On that screen, choose the File menu up at the top and you'll see the option to change password.
• Choose that option and follow the directions.

To do a lesson:

• Insert the CD labeled Part 1 (or Part 2, towards the end of the course; see the schedule for details).
• Click on the option "Do a Lesson" and highlight the lesson on your course outline.
• You may begin the lesson by double-clicking or clicking on the arrow at the bottom right hand corner.
• Do the Getting Started lesson first. Then go to Lesson 1.1.

It is important to note that this program will not be accessible when it is being backed up. Backups are scheduled for 1:00 AM every day and take approximately 2 hours to complete. If you are working on Academic Online near this time, I would log off before 1:00 AM to save the work you have done in that session

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The First Lesson and Orientation Form 3

First, install the software on your computer (see above). (You can't use it until you have your username and password.)

Start with Lesson 1.1. If you think that you might know the material in this lesson already, go to Overview and take the Pretest. If you make above 95, that will count as completing this lesson. If you make below 95, you will be given instructions on what parts of the lesson to do, based on what you missed.

After you have done Lesson 1.1, go through this checklist and then fill out the Orientation form, Part 3. This will ensure that you have found the important parts of the course. You must do this by the end of the first week of school, unless you enrolled very late. In that case, you must do it by the middle of the second week of school.

If you would like a more detailed walk-through of using the software (including instructions on using it in the ACC Learning Labs), go to this page.

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How to Work with the Software in this Course

1. To begin a lesson, you should look to see if I have posted any section notes about what topics need special attention.
   
   
2. Most of your time will be spent on the software components called Explain and Apply. The software will explain the new material and then ask you to work problems, giving you immediate feedback with correct solutions. In the Apply section, if you need more explanation of a concept, you can go back to that particular page from the Explain portion. Be sure to log out when you quit, so that the results of your work will be saved.
   
   The grades you make in Explain and Apply do not count in your course average, but they are important indicators of how you are doing with the material. I will look at those along with the time that you spent on each lesson to give you advice on how to learn the material. It is crucial that you do the Apply section in each lesson.
   
   
3. When you feel comfortable with the material, you are ready to do the pencil-and-paper homework. Look over the instructor's section notes again (if there were any) before you start this. Do not do the paper homework before you do the Explain and Apply parts of the lesson. You will find that frustrating and will probably waste a lot more time than if you had just started with the Explain and Apply stuff. (You might also wind up practicing the homework using methods that don't work. This would be a Bad Thing; it can be very hard to unlearn this sort of thing.)
   
   
4. After completing the Explain, Apply, and paper homework for a particular lesson, go to the section in the software labeled Evaluate. The Evaluate Quiz is a test, usually between 8 and 12 questions long, that is not timed. You should treat this quiz like you would a regular test, so don't use your notes or look back at other problems while you are working it.
   
   You may take this Evaluate Quiz up to three times and the highest of the three scores will be recorded. (Don't do those three all at the same time. If you make a low grade on the first one, do some more work before you take it again. If you still make a low grade, discuss it with me and we'll make a plan for what you need to do to improve before you take it again.)
   
   You have not mastered a section until you make at least 80 on an Evaluate quiz. This is the only grade from the computer that I will count in your grade. At least one Evaluate Quiz must be taken from each section. If you don't take an Evaluate Quiz from a section, you will receive a 0 for your grade for that section.
   
   
5. In a particular section, if you believe that you already understand the material well enough to do less than the full Explain and Apply parts, then start with the Overview and then take the Pretest:
   
   Pretest: If you already know the material in a lesson in the course, you may take a Pretest in the Lesson. At the end of the Pretest, there is a recommendation for which topics in the Explain and Apply portions to do. Again, you should treat this like a regular test, so don't use notes or look things up during the pretest.
   
   If you got quite a few problems right on the Pretest, then the recommendation will omit the topics of the Explain and Apply sections dealing with the material you already know. Write those down in your notebook, so you'll be able to remember that later if you don't complete the entire lesson in one sitting. You are not required to do a Pretest. It is only required if you want to omit some of the Explain and Apply portions.

   If the Pretest grade is above 95, then none of the Explain orApply portions are required. In fact, you will be asked if you want to save the Pretest score as the Evaluate quiz grade. That completes the required work for the lesson.
   
   If the Pretest grade is between 70 and 94, and if you want the quickest way through the lesson, you may go directly to the Apply portion that you are required to do. A problem will be presented to you. In the lower right corner is an icon that will take you back to the particular pages of the Explain section that discuss that concept. Go through that. Then "Go Back" and work the Apply problem. Also read through the explanation, whether you got the problem right or not. Then go to the next Apply problem.
   
   If the Pretest grade is below 70, first do the Explain parts that are recommended, and then do the Apply parts. As you go through an Apply section, click on the icon on the lower right to review the Explain parts, as needed.
   
   (Notice that, unless you made a 95 or better on the Pretest , you still must take the Evaluate Quiz.)
   

6. The Explore sections are in the textbook rather than the software and are not required for most lessons. Whatever is required from the Explore sections will be made clear on the Homework Assignment page.
   
   
7. Periodically, please check your progress. After you sign in to the system and before you start a lesson, one of the buttons on the side is "Check my Progress." That's the same information I see about your progress. Notice that it indicates what dates you worked on the material, how much time you spent, and your grades.

   Time Required:

   • Most students spend about 10 minutes on the Pretest. If you get all the problems right, then that's all that's required in the software. (You can then move on to the homework.)
     
     
   • Students who miss one or two problems on the Pretest will need to spend about 15 minutes on the Apply section (assuming their review goes quickly) and then another 10 minutes on the Evaluate quiz. So those students will have spent about 30 minutes on the software part of the lesson.
     
     
   • Students who need full explanations and practice in a lesson will typically need to spend an average of 2 hours or more on the software in a lesson. The lessons are not all the same length.

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Staying on Schedule

In this class, you will be in charge of your learning in a way that is different from a traditional lecture class. The format of the course is somewhat self-paced, which means you may complete the material before the end of the semester. It also means that you may spend less time on familiar topics and more time on troublesome topics. In order to complete the course within the semester, you must generally keep up with the weekly schedule and test schedule provided. In order to succeed in this class, you should plan to spend about 9 to 15 hours each week (or more, if necessary) working on the material, depending on how much of the material is already review for you. The program is available all day everyday except when it is being backed up. Backups are scheduled for 1 AM every day, and should only very rarely take more than 2 hours to complete.

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Working Ahead

Even if you start working on the course early, you may not take tests right away. I will post a message on the Schedule page when each test is/will be available. If you are working ahead and want to test early, please contact me at least one week before you want to take it to see if I can get the test to your testing center early. It is possible to finish the course early if you work enough hours and learn quickly enough. If you do plan to try and finish the course early, you must increase the number of class participation activities you do each week so that you have enough total participation grades (32 for a 16 week semester) by the end of the semester. However, regardless of this, you must complete at least 2 class participation grades per week every week until you take the final.

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Be sure to go to the Getting Started checklist (make sure you haven't forgotten anything) and that you have completed the different Orientation Forms by the appropriate deadlines. If you don't submit these in time, you may be dropped from the course.

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Tutoring

Free tutoring is available at the Tutoring Centers (Learning Labs) at most ACC campuses. Visit http://www.austincc.edu/rvslab/ll.html for more information.

Online tutoring is also available through http://www.smarthinking.com/ . Contact me for a username and password.

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