Diablo Valley College

Math 121 - Online

(Spring 2016, section 5168)

Trigonometry
MyMathLab.com course ID # - WILLETT33339
Class Meetings: Orientation on 1/23, 11:00am-12:50pm,
Exams 11:00am-12:50pm on
3/12, 4/23 and 5/21 all in MA 107

Instructor: Peter Willett

Office: MA 257
Voicemail #: (925) 969-2679
Email: pwillett@dvc.edu

Course Website: PearsonMyLabandMastering.com

Technical Support:

For technical/website problems, please contact Pearson Technical Support at

1-800-677-6337. They are open Monday-Friday 5 am 5 pm Pacific time.

Text: Trigonometry, 10th Edition, by Lial, Pearson MyMathLab.com Package (w/access code)
NOTE: Access to the MyMathLab site is required; that is where you will do your graded Online Homework and
Tests. In addition you can watch instructional videos, do practice problems, and view the pages of the textbook in
electronic form. You have the option to purchase either the hard cover text bundled with a MyMathLab student
access code (that you can use to gain access to the site), or a standalone code in a retail package. Or alternatively
you can simply buy access directly from the site (I believe it is $100 for access including the eBook version of the
textbook). You have multiple options. Initially the site will give you access for a trial period. So jump right on it
and get started immediately. Then you can take a few days to decide if you want to buy the text package with an
access code, buy a used book and direct access, buy only access to the eBook of the text instead of a hard copy, etc.
Office hours: see my schedule below, or by appointment.
DAY

9:00 9:30

MON

9:30 10:35

10:35 11:00

11:00 12:05

12:00 12:30

12:30 2:45

4:00 5:30

Office

M120

in MA-257

in MA-249

Online Office

TUE
WED
THU

Online Office
Office

M120

in MA-257

in MA-249

Online Office
Online Office

Course Overview
Trigonometry is a fascinating subject. It was first developed thousands of years ago as the
measure of triangle sides and angles. More recently people have learned how to apply these simple
triangle measurements to numerous contexts that include anything related to circles, waves, outer
space, objects that rotate, electricity, etc. Math 121 is equivalent to the standard trigonometry course
we have been offering for many years. The mode of delivery in this class is online computer assisted
instruction.

Important Dates:

Last day to add: 2/4 (DVC Admissions Check enrollment at Insite/WebAdvisor)

Last day to withdraw with a refund: 2/4
Last day to drop without a W: 2/7
Last day to withdraw: 4/29

HERE IS HOW THIS CLASS WILL WORK . . .

Here is the basic process you should go through to study, work, and learn in this class.
1)

Learn about a particular topic. You will have 2 primary sources to get the information: by reading the text
book, or by exploring the online section that contains that topic.

2)

Practice the topic by doing Homework problems. You can practice problems from the text, alone or in
groups, but I feel the online material will be especially helpful in this regard. It has almost unlimited homework
problems, which provide you with the answers, and even walk you through how to do the problems,
immediately! It even provides you with a video lecture of how to do most of the key types of problems!!! The
homework does not count toward your grade, but you get immediate feedback as to whether you have the
correct answer, and it helps you to practice and learn the material before you have to do a Lab for a grade.

3)

Do your Online Labs. Every two or three sections, you will have an online Lab assignment. This is part of
your requirement for this class and is graded. But it is not like a usual assignment or test. The computer will
provide you with a set of problems to do. After you do them, you are immediately told your score for the Lab
assignment, and can review which problems you missed. If you dont like the results, you can have the
computer give you another set of problems, and try again. You can redo the Lab assignment as many times as
you would like, until you get a score you are satisfied with! All the way up until the due date (see below).

4)

At the end of each chapter you will have a Chapter Test to take on the computer. It will cover all the topics
of the chapter, and will be much like the Lab assignments you did for that chapter. However, the chapter tests
are more like normal tests because you will only be able to take them ONCE, and you have a TIME LIMIT of 2
hours. So you do not want to take the test until you feel you are completely prepared. But get thisyou may
take the test whenever you want to!!! All the way up until the due date (see below).

5)

All the work done on the computer is done when you decide to do it! There are due dates for the
assignments; you need to complete each assignment by the time it is due. But get this, all the assignments are
available to be done right now! You do not have to wait until the due date to do them. All assignments due on a
particular day are due at the same time, by midnight on that day. The student has flexibility as to when they
may complete an assignment up until the due date, but I suggest that you do not wait until the due date to do
your assignments. In particular, since Lab assignments can be repeated up to the due date, the sooner you do
them, the more time you have to work on them and get the best score possible! The easiest way to get poor Lab
scores is to wait until the last minute to do them. The due dates for the Lab assignments and tests are listed on
the next page.

6) We will have three in-person or face-to-face exams. These are the only times that you will have to do work on a
specific date (instead of by a specific date). You will be allowed one page of hand-written notes (no larger than
8 inches by 11 inches; you may write on both sides) to help you on each of the exams. You may also bring a
calculator to use as well, but it must be a calculator-only device. So no cell phones, iPods, or abstract
computational calculators. You will also need to show a photo ID at each of the exams. The days and times for
the exams are listed on the next page.

GRADED ASSIGNMENT
Lab 1.1-1.2
Lab 1.3-1.4
TEST on Chapter One
Lab 2.1-2.3
Lab 2.4
TEST on Chapter Two
Lab 3.1-3.2
Lab 3.3-3.4
TEST on Chapter Three

MIDTERM 1
12th

(CHAPTERS 1-3)

Lab 4.1-4.2
Lab 4.3-44
TEST on Chapter Four
Lab 5.1-5.2
Lab 5.3-5.4
Lab 5.5-5.6
TEST on Chapter Five

MIDTERM 2

(CHAPTERS 1-5)

Lab 6.1-6.2
Lab 6.3-6.4
TEST on Chapter Six
Lab 7.1-7.2
Lab 7.3-7.4
TEST on Chapter Seven
Review Period

FINAL EXAM (CHAPTERS 1-7)

DUE DATE
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday

1/31
2/7
2/7
2/14
2/21
2/21
2/28
3/6
3/6

SATURDAY March
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday

3/13
3/20
3/20
4/3
4/10
4/17
4/17

SATURDAY April 23rd

Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday

4/24
5/1
5/1
5/8
5/15
5/15

Monday 5/16 Friday 5/20

SATURDAY May 21st

Participation & Keys to Success

An online math course is very challenging; the passing rates of students are typically very low. Definitely
much lower than those of the normal lecture classes. You might find it easy to fall behind when there are no
lectures to keep pushing you forward. And sadly, most students who fall even a week behind in a math class
are never able to catch up and succeed. The number one way students can help assure their success in this
class is to avoid falling behind. Begin working on assignments well before they are due. Try to complete
them ahead of their due dates. Do whatever it takes to make sure that you do not fall behind!
There's a big time commitment for a math class and it's hard to get away with cutting corners. Students who
spend time reading the book, taking notes, doing homework, the labs and chapter tests, and reviewing for
exams are the ones who excel in this class. Putting in the time gives you depth of understanding and
mastery of the material (instead of just memorizing formulas and familiarity with concepts). And
remember, math is not a spectator sport-- actively work to understand the concepts while completing
assignments.
Common situations to try to avoid: becoming lulled by the first couple days of review topics; not being
organized enough to know deadlines of assignments; planning on catching up over the weekend; waiting
until two or three days before an exam to begin studying; not correcting mistakes on returned exams; not
reading and taking notes from reading the textbook.
Please don't be reluctant for any reason to drop me an email with a question. You won't be bothering me-- if
anything I enjoy getting emails that show me you are working out your difficulties with the material. Feel
free to ask questions about homework or unclear parts about a topic, show me ideas in progress, ask about
connections and synthesis of course concepts, etc. Remember, you need to help other people help you.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and other skills we will work on

The SLOs for Math 121, Trigonometry are:
A. State, interpret, and utilize the fundamentals of trigonometry.
B. Analyze and solve problems that have applications in mathematics, science, and engineering.
C. Develop skills in mathematical analysis.
D. Apply problem solving techniques and concepts applicable to the study of analytic geometry and
calculus..
E. Demonstrate an awareness of the inter-relationship between algebra, geometry, and trigonometry in
the solution of mathematical problems.
Here is a partial list of other topics and skills that we will cover in this class:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Angles degree and radian measure.

Right triangle trigonometry.
Trigonometric functions of angles.
Trigonometry on the unit circle.
Triangles and applications.
Vectors and circular motion.
Graphs of trigonometric functions.
Trigonometric identities.
Conditional trigonometric equations.
Inverse trigonometric functions.

Evaluation and Grading Criteria

Online Labs and Online Tests
Midterm 1
Midterm 2
Final Exam

1/4
1/5
1/5
7/20

(25%)
(20%)
(20%)
(35%)

Graded on a 10% scale

Graded on a curve (based on class average)
Graded on a curve (based on class average)
Graded on a curve (based on class average)

A 10% scale means that 90% 100% is an A, 80% 89% is a B, etc. Grades that are calculated using a curve
are distributed as follows (also see the example curve on the last page): the class average is used as the cutoff
between a C and a C+. As are given to scores more than 1.25 standard deviations (SDs) above the average.
Bs are given to scores that are within 0.25 and 1.25 SDs above average, Cs are given to scores that are
within 0.25 SDs above and 0.75 SDs below average, Ds are given to scores within 1.25 and 0.75 SDs
below average, and Fs are given to scores that are more than 1.25 SDs below average. The exact border
values between grades may be adjusted slightly by me to achieve a smooth distribution of grades. I reserve
the right to remove outlier scores from the curve based on my judgment and at my discretion. The curve for
each midterm may be viewed by any student in the class so that all questions regarding fairness can be
addressed. Once the grade for each of the categories above has been determined, I use a 4.0 grade scale along
with the weights listed above to determine the class grade. Here is an example:
Labs & OL Tests
Midterm 1
Midterm 2
Final Exam

25%
20%
20%
35%

A
C
A
B

(0.25)(4.0) =
(0.20)(2.0) =
(0.20)(3.7) =
(0.35)(3.0) =
Total

1.000
0.400
0.740
1.050
3.190

So in this example the class grade would be a B.

If you think I made a mistake when grading any assignment, just let me know and I will consider your case.
But if you wish to dispute your grade on an assignment for any reason, you must do so within two weeks of
when the assignment was returned or the grade was posted for the assignment, whichever comes first.

Attendance policies
Since this is an online class, there are no lectures to attend. You must attend the orientation on 1/23, 11:00am12:50pm in MA 107, or you will probably be dropped from the class. After that, you must attend the three exams
from 11:00am-12:50pm on 3/12, 4/23 and 5/21 all in MA 107, and bring a photo ID.

Study time
Most students will need to study at least two to three hours for each section in the text. Read the text before
you try to do practice problems or homework. Spend time thinking about what you've read so as to
internalize the ideas presented; make it part of your thinking consciousness. Read your notes and talk to
your classmates (or instructor) about the material when needed. Besides working on homework and
preparing for upcoming exams, remember to correct any mistakes made on in-class tests that were graded
and returned to you. Spend time in math lab asking questions and solidifying your knowledge and
understanding of the class material. I strongly recommend that you find a study partner (or group) for this
class Also, please feel free to email me with any questions.

Preparing for exams

The best way to prepare for exams is to keep up with the schedule of online work and still make time for
help from tutors in the math lab, or me. Cramming is just memorization and lacks the depth of
understanding required for this course. Although self-tests are not collected or graded, they are an important
aspect to success in this class. Assess yourself and use the chapter tests to find out for yourself how well
you have learned the material. Then identify topics that require additional study, activities, or teaching from
your instructor. Finally, please let me know if there are any special considerations you need for exams.

Critical thinking
It is a common mistake to think of mathematics as getting the correct answer (the result). As we will discuss
during the semester, the answer is only a very small part of mathematics. Of much greater importance are
the methods used to solve the problem (the process). The final pieces of the puzzle are the critical thinking
skills that enable you to learn why the process works, and to communicate your ideas to others. Remember
that skills like critical thinking and communication take lots of practice-- don't get discouraged if you don't
have immediate success. It is good practice for you to write out the reasons for your steps and the
justifications for your answers.

Adding and dropping

It is your responsibility to officially drop the course if you choose not to complete it. I do reserve the right to
drop any student who does not attend the first day, or who misses any of the exams. But, do not rely on me
to drop you from the class, and save you the trouble of filling out a drop form, if you stop participating. You
may be unpleasantly surprised with an F at the end of the semester.

Cheating
This is a really big deal. There are many reasons why students feel they need to cheat. I strongly advise you
to resist any temptation, and instead talk to an adviser and/or your teacher. It's not worth it.

Honor Policy
Students are expected to complete their own work at MyMathLab. During examinations, all cell phones
must be turned off and there should be no communication whatsoever between students. No one can leave
the classroom without the instructors permission. Students must keep their eyes on their own papers and not
allow anyone to copy theirs. Any student found violating this policy will receive a grade of zero on the
assignment or exam. In addition, any student found cheating may be assigned a final grade of F and/or be
reported to the appropriate dean for further action. For more information go to
http://www.dvc.edu/org/info/policies/pdfs/ADRF.pdf
The information on this handout may be altered during the semester. Announcements will be posted online,
made via email, and you may see the instructor for details about any changes.

This is an example of a grade distribution curve in one of Peter Willetts classes

15

20

25

30

35

D-

F
- 1.25 SDs

D+

C-

40

45

1 1

12

C+

B-

50

55

60

B+

65

70

2 1

75

80

A-

Average

A
+ 1.25 SDs

# of Exams
High Score
Low Score
Average
Median

20
96
35
62
62

As
Bs
Cs
Ds
Fs

3
6
5
3
3

85

90

95

99