Welcome to BA 218, Personal Finance.
Work expectations: To successfully complete this class, there are important work expectations each week. In this class, the week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday.

1. Reading and Presentations - The first work expectation is to read the assigned chapters in the text. You may also want to view the other materials provided in each module. About 2 to 3 chapters per week will be assigned. There is a quite a bit of reading, but the reading is interesting and applicable to everyday life.
2. Homework - The second work expectation is that you complete periodic homework assignments using the quiz tool. Feedback on your work includes being able to see your score for each homework assignment and answers will be made available after the homework due date. Complete the homework assignment (keep a copy of your answers) and submit it for grading. You will see any questions you missed. You can do the homework a second time to try to improve your score anytime prior to the due date. Homework can not be completed late.
3. Quizzes and exams - The third work expectation is to take a quiz over each chapter assigned by the due date. You will need to complete 2 to 3 quizzes per week. Do not wait until the last day to take the quizzes or exams. Do not miss these due dates! The quizzes are typically not available after the due date. The graded quizzes have 10 questions each and may be taken two times and the highest score is what counts. The quizzes are timed so do not click to open a quiz until you are ready to take it. The quizzes are open-book. The questions are multiple choice and true/false. Students will also be to take the two exams through the D2L class web site. Feedback on your work includes being able to see your score for each quiz. Each quiz is worth 5 points. Each exam is worth 100 points.
4. Discussions  - This requirement fosters a student-friendly learning environment where you participate by posting at least two (2) times to each discussion. In each discussion area the work expectation is that you will make an initial post related to the topic and also make a second post in response to what another student in the class has written. Feedback on your work will include grading of your posts and may also include periodic written comments from the instructor. Your posts may be graded as a body of work at the end of the quarter. Your posts will be evaluated based on both quality and quantity. If you make two well thought-out and well written posts each area you will likely earn 100% on this part of the course, which is a high “A”. Discussion posts must be made by the closing date of each discussion board. They may not be made-up later. If you miss making posts or if the content of your posts is poor or insufficient, then your grade will be lower. Each discussion assignment is worth 10 points.   

Tips -  No work will be accepted after the due date. However you can read ahead and may be able to take some of the quizzes in advance of the due dates. It is a good idea to try to stay up to date or ahead of the course schedule, in case you become ill or have the opportunity to go on that great, but unplanned vacation or trip.
Guideline for responding to e-mail communication - You can send email through D2L to your instructor (DeLyse Totten) and to other students in this class. E-mail sent to the instructor is typically checked at least two times per week. I usually respond right after I check email, but it may take longer at times.
Quiz & Exam Questions - Selected questions used in the quizzes and exams comes from a question database provided by the publisher. Overall, the question database is very reliable however it is possible to encounter an error or an answer you have questions about. It's frustrating for both the student and the instructor to have a question marked wrong when it shouldn't be. Please be patient if you find a question that you think has been incorrectly marked as being wrong and - e-mail your instructor the complete wording of the question along with the answer you marked and page number in the text book that shows your answer as being correct. Your instructor will then look at the question and answer and if appropriate, correct the question and change your grade.
Computer Skills Needed: Students should be comfortable with their computers and have basic computer skills. If you need help with downloading or other technical issues related to this class you can click to contact the PCC Student Helpdesk or call 971-722-8222 or email to shd@pcc.edu
Time commitment: Time required will vary greatly from student to student depending upon existing reading and writing skills, and general aptitude to comprehend material. The general rule of thumb for a college course is approximately 2 hours of outside work for each credit hour spent in class. Note that this is a 4 -credit hour, '200-level' college course. If taken in a traditional on-campus class during a regular quarter you would spend 4 hours a week in class and the estimated outside work time would be about 8 hours a week resulting in about 12 hours a week during a regular quarter.