CU-Denver Math 1120-E01
College Trigonometry Spring 2012 Online
Instructor: Meaghan Cheeke
Math Department Office
Office: Virtual Office Only
CU-Denver Building. 6th Floor
(1250 14th St.) Across Speer Blvd.
Phone: 303-556-8442
Web Address:
http://www-math.cudenver.edu
Phone: Contact me via email
Email Address: meaghan.cheeke@ucdenver.edu
Course Captain:
Joe Bilello
CU-Bldg., Rm. 652
Phone: 303-556-6265
Please Email the Course Captain Before the Associate Chair for any Course Concerns.
Dept. Associate Chair:
Lynn Bennethum
CU-Bldg., Rm. 638
Phone: 303-556-4810
Prerequisites:
A good understanding of advanced algebra, including the characteristics of the elementary functions and the
solutions to equations, is required to successfully complete a college trigonometry course. Exposure to a
graphing calculator will be assumed.
Required Text Book:
Algebra and Trigonometry Enhanced with Graphing Utilities (5th Edition) by Sullivan and Sullivan. An eBook
is available and recommended for purchase since we will be utilizing the associated MyMathLab software. If
you purchased the MyMathLab software for College Algebra at the University of Colorado Denver within the
last year, you can gain access to the Trigonometry eBook for free.
You can purchase the software and the text by going to www.coursecompass.com . Under the Students tab
click on Register. You would like to ‘Get Access to a New Course’. You will need your University email
address (which you check regularly), the Course ID which is: cheeke71857 and either a student access code
or a valid credit card. If you purchased the text new at the bookstore it will have a student access code which
gives you access to the homework software. I would recommend just using a credit card and purchasing the
software because it will also give you access to an eBook which you can use for the class. The total cost for the
software and eBook is $72.
Note: The text is very readable and the software is INCREDIBLE. The software gives you immediate
feedback and tutoring on the homework problems and greatly helps to increase your understanding of the
algebra concepts. We will be doing all of our homework and exams with the help of this software.
Graphing Calculator:
All students will need a graphics calculator for this class. The recommended calculator is one of the TI-83/84
Calculators. The TI-89 will be a sufficient calculator, however the operating system is very different from the
TI-83/84 and we will not be utilizing the TI-89 in class videos. The TI-86, TI-85, TI-82, and the TI-81 are not
sufficient since they are outdated and do not handle data collection and data analysis. You also have access to
the computer program DERIVE that is available in the MERC (NC 4015) for free and can serve as a graphing
calculator on your computer. I will post a series of Calculator videos to help you with the basics if you have
never used one before. Also, if you do not have one currently check Craigslist and Pawn Shops (you can often
find them for under $20).
Exam Schedule and Grading Policy:
Tests: There will be three in-class exams and a comprehensive final exam. The in-class exams will count a
total of 15% each toward your grade and the uniform final exam will count a total of 25% toward your final
grade. The dates of the tests and final exam will be posted in each week’s content area in eCollege. However,
they will be roughly around the following times:
Exam #1:
Exam #2:
Exam #3:
Final Exam:
Week 5: Feb 13 – Feb 19
Week 9: March 12 – March 18
Week 15: April 23 – April 29
Week 17: May 7 – May 13
Homework Assignments: Homework assignments will be assigned over MyMathLab (CourseCompass) and
will be automatically graded by the computer. With this software you have unlimited attempts at a problem so
you have every possibility of attaining a 100% on each of these assignments! Your total on homework
assignments will count toward 15% of your final grade.
Assignments are due each Sunday by midnight. Late assignments will be accepted over MyMathLab up to one
week following the due date. Any late assignment will receive a 5 point penalty. No assignments will be
accepted after the beginning of class the following Monday.
Trig Application Problems: Four problems will be assigned during the semester that will be an extension to
the homework assignments. These problems will often require the use of a graphing calculator. You will have
approximately two weeks to complete each problem and the combined total will count 5% toward your final
grade. These assignments can be either scanned and uploaded onto eCollege or mailed to my home address.
Threaded Discussions: These are online discussions that make an online course feel like a classroom. There
are two different threaded discussion topics each week, one for questions on the content for the current
assignment, and one for weekly discussion about an application of the trigonometry we are currently learning.
Each weekly discussion is worth ten points and overall threaded discussions will count toward 10% of
your final garde. To receive full credit, you must post at least twice in the threads each week. There is
NO exception to this rule. You can post in either the weekly discussion question on content OR completely
and correctly ANSWER a classmate’s question on the assignment. Only asking a question about the current
assignment does not get you any points. Your responses must add something to the discussion to receive credit.
Make sure you are contributing to the threaded discussion EVERY WEEK to get your 10 points.
It is very important to realize early that you must be actively participating in the threaded discussions in order to
receive the full 10 points. Two simple one line posts that reflect little or no thought about the course material
and/or questions asked will receive little or no credit. Plan accordingly and participate fully and often in order
to receive full credit.
An important distinction: If you have questions about assignments, mathematics, or course content, use the
threaded discussion. If you have questions about the mechanics of the course (after the first week), your
grade, or personal matters, then please use the virtual office.
Here are some examples of acceptable postings on the threaded discussions:
1. "I have a question on Example 1 on page 24. How did the author get from step 2 to step 3?"
2. "On problem #3 on page 24, I have After-tax price = 1.06 X before-tax price. After-tax price = $123.23.
What do I do next?"
3. Questions that you might ask if you were sitting in a lecture class.
Here are some examples of postings that are not acceptable:
1. "I don't understand this section. Could someone explain it to me?" This type of question is too broad. Instead,
state an example in the section that you had trouble understanding.
2. "I didn't get the answer in the back of the book to Problem #3 on page 24. Can someone help?" Instead, show
your work so that, if you made a mistake, the mistake can be pointed out. You can, however, ask the question "I
got 46 for the answer for Problem #3 on page 24 which does not agree with the authors' answer. Did anyone
also get that answer?"
Grade Weightings:
Exams:
Final Exam:
Homework Assignments
Threaded Discussions
Trig Application Problems
45%
25%
15%
10%
5%
Grading Policy:
Your Final grade will be determined according to the following grade scale:
A:
A-:
B+:
B:
B-:
C+:
92-100%
90-91.99%
88-89.99%
82-87.99%
80-81.99%
78-79.99%
C:
D:
F:
70-77.99%
60-69%
Below 60%
Incompletes: The incomplete policy of the department and college is strictly enforced: incompletes are
given only in situations in which a student who has been in good standing all semester, is prevented from
completing a course assignment (for example, the final exam) by circumstances beyond his/her control (for
example, hospitalization, death in the family.)
Cheating: Cheating of any kind will result in a course grade of F and possible expulsion from the University.
So don’t do it.
NOTE: I reserve the right to change the syllabus throughout the
course of the semester.
The following is a “tentative” schedule for the semester
Week
Topic/Reading
Notes
1: 1/16 – 1/22
Monday is Martin Luther King
Day so No Class.
2: 1/23 – 1/29
Syllabus; Algebra
Review/Course Compass
Sign-UP
7.1, 7.2
3: 1/30 – 2/5
7.3; 7.4
Application Problem #1
4: 2/6 - 2/12
7.5; 7.6
5: 2/13 – 2/19
Review; Exam #1
6: 2/20 – 2/25
7.7; 7.8
7: 2/27 – 3/4
8.1; 8.2; 8.3
8: 3/5 – 3/11
8.4; 8.5
9: 3/12 – 3/18
Review; Exam #2
10: 3/19 – 3/25
Spring Break
No Class!!
11: 3/26 – 4/1
8.7, 8.8
Application Problem #3
12: 4/2 – 4/8
Finish 8.7 & 8.8, then 9.2; 9.3
13: 4/9 – 4/15
14: 4/16 – 4/22
9.1; 9.4; 10.1
10.2; 10.3
15: 4/23 – 4/30
Review; Exam #3
16: 5/1 – 5/6
Review and Catch-Up
17: 5/7 – 5/13
Final Exam
Application Problem #2
Application Problem #4