Marcus McGuff

My office hours are posted on my home page here. I am also available for appointments at other times. Email me or call in advance to set up a time.

Text: Trigonometry, by Lial, Hornsby and Schneider, 11th edition (ISBN: 9780134217437) or Trigonometry, by Lial, Hornsby and Schneider, 11th edition, MyMathLab included (ISBN: 9780134307008) at no extra charge.

This is the same book we are using in our "regular" classroom based lecture courses. We will be using MyMathLab software with it. You have the following options to get the book:

1. Buy a new copy of the book with the software included (ISBN: 9780134307008).
2. Buy a used copy of the book and then buy the software online (see #3 below for instructions on that).
3. If you don't feel you need an actual printed copy of the textbook, you can just use the software by itself. All of the material in the book is available from inside the software, so you can read it on your computer. (Clearly, you can save a lot of money this way, but don't forget this means you will not be able to carry your book around with you to work on your homework/studying. This is an important issue, so think about it carefully before you decide to go this route.) You can just purchase the MyMathLab software by itself online from within MyMathLab.
4. If you are having financial aid problems (i.e., your financial aid money hasn't come in yet and you can't buy the book until that happens), you should also apply for a temporary access code. This will only give you a little bit of extra time (14 days for you to get things straightened out), but it will allow you to get started working right away, which is really important if you want to do well in the course. You can request this at the end of the sign-up process for MyMathLab.

This semester, we will be accessing MyMathLab through your ACC Blackboard login. To sign up for MyMathLab in this course the first time, first log into the ACC Blackboard system. Then, click on the MyMathLab menu item on the left (this won't appear until the first day of the semester or perhaps a day or two before) and choose "MyMathLab with Pearson eText Course Home" and accept the licensing agreement. You will then be given a choice to log in using an existing MyMathLab account if you have one already from a previous semester or to create a new login (you can also do this if you have forgotten your previous login).

After registering, the last step will be to enter the access code that came with your book, pay for access via credit card or Paypal, or request temporary access. Please choose "Request Temporary Access" option from the following screen to finish your registration:

You will have a chance later to enter the access code that came with your textbook (or pay for it with a credit card); please don't do that until you have passed the Pretest and we are absolutely certain that you will stay in the class.

IMPORTANT WARNING: If you buy a new book, the book is not returnable after you open the shrink-wrap covering the book. Please be sure you are in the correct course before you open this shrink-wrap. (See the Getting Started page for information on the Prerequisite Study Sheet for Trigonometry you should take before you break the shrink-wrap.) If you are unsure or you are having problems with your financial aid arriving in time, you should request Temporary Access through the software before buying an actual book.

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• Computer Requirements
• ACC email address (and you check it regularly)
• scientific calculator - An inexpensive scientific calculator, which you will need for the entire semester, especially during tests. If you already have a portable (battery-operated or solar) scientific, it should be fine. If you need to buy a calculator, they may be found at most grocery stores, office supply stores, or large discount stores. Although some problems in the book use graphing calculators, these are optional; you will not be allowed to use a graphing calculator on the tests.
• rectangular coordinate graph paper (polar graphing paper will be useful later, but you can print that out)
• materials provided at this web site that you may need to print out (see my sections on Handouts)

This course is a personal computer/internet based course in which students work on software over the internet and in a textbook, participate in online discussions, do paper homework, and take paper-and-pencil tests in an ACC Testing Center.

Prerequisites: The prerequisite for Trigonometry is either a C or higher in MATH 1314 (College Algebra) or an appropriate score on the the ALEKS placement tests. We do not consider high school courses or SAT/ACT scores. All students who do not have college-level College Algebra must take a placement test.

MATH 1316 TRIGONOMETRY (3-3-0).  This course is designed for students majoring in mathematics, science, engineering, or certain engineering-related technical fields. Content includes the study of trigonometric functions and their applications, trigonometric identities and equations, vectors, polar coordinates and equations, and parametric equations.

This course, intended for mathematics, science, and engineering majors, is designed to prepare students for the calculus sequence.  The six trigonometric functions are studied with the goals of developing a deeper understanding of both general function behavior and periodic function behavior, exploring those applications that have trigonometric models, and acquiring further proficiency with symbolic manipulation.

You should expect to spend anywhere from 12-20 hours per week on the course, working at least three different days during the week, doing paper homework, and preparing for and taking tests.

If you are continually caught up in the course according to the course calendar and making at least B's on the homework and tests, then I do not require that you spend any certain amount of time on the course.

If you fall behind in the course or your homework/test grades fall below 70, I expect you to spend at least 8 hours on the software and 6 hours on other work in the course each week in order to remain enrolled. If you are more than one week behind, I may require you to spend even more time on the software or I may withdraw you from the course.

It is very important that you take the deadlines in the course calendar seriously. This is not a "self-paced" course; you must do your work and prepare for and take the tests on time. If you fall too far behind, I may drop you from the class.

All of your tests and the final exam will be paper and pencil tests administered at one of the many ACC testing centers. (They will not be on the computer.) When you fill out the Online Orientation Forms, you will choose the testing center you will use for all of your tests. For each test, there will be a scheduled time period during which you must go to this testing center and take the exam (see the schedule for deadlines). (You are also required to keep working on new lessons in the material during that time.)

This is not a self-paced course. 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 (usually not a problem). Towards the end of the semester (after Test 3), thee will be a "makeup" test that you can use to replace your lowest grade on Tests 1-3. This makeup will be comprehensive over Tests 1-3; I will post details about it later in the semester. Questions about late tests are answered here.

Before you go to a Testing Center, read the rules at http://www.austincc.edu/testctr/

Be sure to pay careful attention to the hours of the Testing Center and the rules. Some of the testing centers are fairly crowded and so you may have to wait in line, especially if you go in the late afternoon or early evening. Do not wait until the last day to take the test and NEVER start a test if you don't have at least 1 1/2 hours available to take it before the Testing Center closes and you must leave. Allow more time if you are slow at working the problems in your homework.

I will post your grades in the online gradebook in Blackboard. You may go over your tests with me during office hours in person or (in some cases) by telephone. Individual appointments outside of office hours are also possible, depending on my schedule. When reviewing the test, please have a copy of the problems on the relevant Test Review handy. I have found that trying to review tests via email doesn't work very well if you have missed more than about 15 or 20 points. The best thing to do is to come into my office so you can actually see what you did wrong, if this is at all possible. (I do not return graded tests to students in this course, so the only way for you to see exactly what you missed on the tests is to come and see me.)

Final Exam

Your final grade in this course will be determined by five components.

Grades will be assigned as follows based on your total course average:

• A : 90% or better
• B : 80% - 89%
• C : 70% - 79%
• D : 60% - 69%
• F : Less than 60%.
• I : Incomplete Grades (I) will be given only in very rare circumstances.  Generally, to receive a grade of "I", a student must have taken all examinations, be passing, and after the last date to withdraw, have a personal tragedy occur which prevents course completion. An incomplete grade cannot be carried beyond the established date in the following semester. The completion date is determined by the instructor but may not be later than the final deadline for withdrawal in the subsequent semester

Late Homework:

Late Tests:

It is the student's responsibility to initiate all withdrawals in this course.  The instructor may withdraw students for excessive absences (4) but makes no commitment to do this for the student. After the last day to withdraw, neither the student nor the instructor may initiate a withdrawal. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that his or her name is removed from the roll should he or she decide to withdraw from the class.  The instructor does, however, reserve the right to drop a student should he or she feel it is necessary. The student is also strongly encouraged to retain a copy of the withdrawal form for their records.

Students who enroll for the third or subsequent time in a course taken since Fall, 2002, may be charged a higher tuition rate, for that course. State law permits students to withdraw from no more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career at Texas public colleges or universities.  With certain exceptions, all course withdrawals automatically count towards this limit.  Details regarding this policy can be found in the ACC college catalog.

Please check the schedule page for the withdrawal deadline for the semester.

Classroom behavior should support and enhance learning. Behavior that disrupts the learning process will be dealt with appropriately, which may include having the student leave class for the rest of that day. In serious cases, disruptive behavior may lead to a student being withdrawn from the class. ACC's policy on student discipline can be found in the Student Handbook page 32 or on the web at: http://www.austincc.edu/handbook/

Clearly, since this is a distance learning course, there is no actual "classroom" per se, but this policy applies to use of the message boards, email, and other class-related activities.