Course Title and Description: Mth 164, Precalculus II. (3 credits): *& Presents trigonometry, matrices, sequences and probability *&. Prerequisites: Mth 163 or equivalent.  Lecture 3 hours per week.

Required Prerequisite Knowledge:  To succeed in this course a student must have good mastery of first-semester precalculus.

• Thorough knowledge of linear, quadratic, power, exponential,  and logarithmic functions and their inverses, linear combinations, products, quotients and composites of these functions.  Knowledge should include graphing by shifting and stretching transformations, knowledge of asymptotic behaviors, intervals of increasing and decreasing behavior, zeros, solution of the equations f(x) = c for any function, and overall understanding of the behavior of each function.
• Calculation of rates of change and application of the concept of rate of change.
• Ability to model real-world situations using the various functions.
• Application of the above to solve a variety of theoretical and real-world problems.

This course is offered via the Internet and via distributed DVD's in an asynchronous mode. The student will receive instructional information and assignments via these modes and will respond to assignments by submitting work through web forms.

The student must have standard access to the Internet and must have the ability to access the content on the DVD's.  The material on the DVD's is accessible using a variety of media players (e.g., Windows Media Player). 

The instructor is available via web forms (to which students will be introduced at the very beginning of the course), and will normally respond by the end of the day following your submission (and more typically on the same day) with answers to properly posed questions, feedback on your efforts, and other information. Exceptions may occur in the event of Internet problems or other technical events. 

The broad goals of the course include the following:

To gain an analytical and conceptual understanding of the nature and applications of trigonometric functions, conic sections, matrices, sequences and binomial probability.

Understanding of the nature of the mathematical modeling process, its uses and its limitations.

Proficiency in mathematical modeling using trigonometric functions, matrices, sequences and binary probability.

A list of specific objectives is provided at Specific Objectives.

These objectives are also listed in the Assignments Page, in which each assignment is accompanied by its objectives.

Regular communication is required of the student. This includes turning in assignments in a timely fashion and responding in a timely manner to feedback on these assignments. Any deviation of more than three days from the chosen schedule of the course must be approved in advance by the instructor. Exceptions will of course be made in the event of documented illness or other unexpected emergencies, but the instructor should be informed of such situations within a reasonable time of occurrence.

All assignments and class notes, including video explanations of material covered in class, will be available on the homepage and on distributed CD-Rom files. Test problems, notation and the overall core of the course will rely heavily on the recommended text, which also contains numerous relevant examples and answers to odd-numbered problems. However, some text material will not be covered and some topics not covered in the text will be included in the course.

The required text is Precalculus by Sullivan, published by Prentice-Hall

The student will be required to purchase a set of CD-R disks containing video versions of lectures and other materials.

Topics will include:

Students will complete and submit the assignments specified on the homepage.

The instructor will respond in a timely fashion to any work submitted, making suggestions where improvement is needed and posing questions designed to enhance the student's learning experience. The student will be required to respond to all critiques, except those designated otherwise.

Questions posed by students and the instructor's responses will be posted to a site, specified in at the beginning of the course, for the student's review.

Students may on occasion be asked to critique work done by other students.  Full student anonymity will be preserved, with no reference  to the identity of any party in this exchange.

The instructor is available via web forms (to which you will be introduced at the very beginning of the course), and will normally respond by the end of the day following your submission (and more typically on the same day) with answers to properly posed questions, feedback on your efforts, and other information. Exceptions may occur in the event of Internet problems or other technical events. 

Use of email:  Prior to registration and receipt of initial instructions students my use Email to communicate with the instructor.  However email is much less reliable than web forms, and after registration and receipt of initial instructions anything sent through email should first be sent using the appropriate form.

A test on each Chapter will be administered, for a total of four tests.  An optional final examination is also available, which can be given the weight of up to two tests.  Weighting of the final, if taken, will be chosen by the instructor to the best advantage of the student. 

A student's portfolio, consisting of instructor responses to assigned work and/or daily quizzes, will at the end of the term be assigned a grade.  A student who completes all assigned work in the prescribed manner can expect to make an A on this aspect of the course. The average of grades assigned on this work will count as 1/4 of a test grade. If this average is higher than the average on actual tests, it will be counted as 1/2 of a test grade.

Raw test scores will be normalized to the following scale, according to the difficulty of the test, as specified in advance of each test by the instructor:

A: 90 - 100

B: 80 - 90

C: 70 - 80

D: 60 - 70

F: Less than 60.

The final grade will be a weighted average according to the above guidelines. A summary of the weighting is as follows:

Tests will consist of problems designed to measure the level of your achievement of the course goals. 

Each problem is graded on a 10-point scale, with the following guidelines:

• 10 points will be earned for a correct solution which documents the details of the entire solution process, including all reasoning.
• At least 7 points will be earned for a solution which follows a valid reasoning process and is substantially correct, but with some errors in detail.
• 5 points will be given for any reasonable attempt at a solution.
• Some credit will be given for any attempt relevant to the solution.
• 0 points will be earned for any solution, whether correct or not, which does not document the reasoning and the solution process.
• If a problem consists of two or more distinct parts, credit will be pro-rated accordingly.

In the event of a college-wide emergency

In the event of a College-wide emergency, course requirements, classes, deadlines, and grading schemes are subject to changes that may include alternative delivery methods, alternative methods of interaction with the instructor, class materials, and/or classmates, a revised attendance policy, and a revised semester calendar and/or grading scheme.

In the case of a College-wide emergency, please refer to the following about changes in this course:

·      Instructor’s email dsmith@vhcc.edu (however, you should use your access page for the most reliable responses)

For more general information about the emergency situation, please refer to:

·      Web site  - www.vhcc.edu

·      Telephone Number - 276-739-2400

·         Emergency Text Messaging or Phone System- Virginia Highlands Community College uses VHCC Alert to immediately contact you during a major crisis or emergency. VHCC Alert delivers important emergency alerts, notifications and updates to you on your E-mail account (work, home, other), cell phone, pager or smartphone/PDA (BlackBerry, Treo & other handhelds). VHCC Alert is a free service offered by VHCC. Your wireless carrier may charge you a fee to receive messages on your wireless device. VHCC will test the alert system each semester. Register online at alert.vhcc.edu or by sending a text message to 411911 keyword: VHCC 

In the event of an emergency just regarding this class, the instructor will contact all students via email, and may post information to your access site.  You should check both email and your access site.