Course Syllabus

Welcome to the Class Overview!

Please watch the video below before proceeding to the syllabus or modules.

First time using Canvas? If so, watch this brief Canvas Tutorial.

 

Investment Fundamentals

Nick Tuttle

BUSI 61, 21019

Fully online, Asynchronous – no scheduled meeting times      

Fall 2024

 

Course Syllabus

 

Instructor: Nick Tuttle

Telephone: N/A. Please message on Canvas

Email: I prefer that you use Canvas in-class messaging to contact me (called "Inbox"). If needed, my email is tuttlenick@fhda.edu. Response time is 24-48 hours via a Canvas message, excluding weekends and holidays

Course Dates: Starts on 9/23/24 and ends on 12/13/24

Office Hours: Office Hours: Mondays 11:30AM-12PM and 1:30-2PM, Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30-9AM and 10:30AM-11AM. Please use this Calendly link to schedule a time.

 

Investment Fundamentals Course Description

Introduction to securities investment characteristics and rights. Investment vehicles (stock, bonds, derivatives [options]). Markets and exchanges. Stock and bond valuation analyses (fundamental and technical analysis). Portfolio evaluation and stock trading. Personal financial management. After-tax returns.

 

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:

1. Students will demonstrate an understanding and appropriate use of financial business terms and concepts in the term project.
2. Students will critically analyze, evaluate and interpret financial business information for their term projects.
3. Students will demonstrate financial business concepts and strategies in their term projects and presentations.

 

Required Textbook

Officially we are using Fundamentals of Investments: Valuation and Management 10e, Jordan, McGraw Hill, 2024.

Course Requirements and Grading

The following sections describe the reading/Connect assignment, discussion, exam, and investment startegy project requirements of the course. To avoid problems, it is important that you invest time carefully reading this information.

 

Reading/Connect Assignments

The SmartBook component of this course is designed to enhance your understanding of key investment concepts through an adaptive reading experience. SmartBook highlights areas of the text based on your individual learning needs, allowing you to focus on areas where you may need additional practice. This tool will also help you prepare for exams using the "Recharge" feature, which ensures you retain the most important information by revisiting areas that require reinforcement.

How It Works:

• Effort-Based Grading: Your SmartBook assignments will be graded based on completion and effort. The system tracks your progress as you engage with the reading materials and answer comprehension questions.
• Adaptive Learning: SmartBook adjusts to your understanding of the material. Concepts you find challenging will be emphasized, allowing you to review and strengthen your grasp of critical topics. This adaptive learning helps you focus on the areas most likely to improve your performance in the course.
• Recharge for Exam Prep: After completing assignments, you can use the Recharge function to revisit and reinforce material, ensuring you are thoroughly prepared for timed exams.

Grading: Completion is measured by how thoroughly you engage with the material, rather than accuracy on individual questions. Consistent effort and use of the Recharge feature will maximize your performance.

Benefits:

• Helps build retention and understanding of key investment concepts.
• Encourages efficient studying by focusing on areas where you need the most help.
• Prepares you for exams with targeted review sessions.

Exams and Final

This course includes three exams that will assess your understanding of the material covered in each unit. The exams will be administered through Canvas using the Connect App and will be available for an entire week to allow you flexibility in completing them.

Exam Details:

• Format: Each exam is timed and must be completed in one sitting. You will not be able to pause the exam once you begin, so ensure that you have a stable internet connection and enough time set aside before starting.
• Feedback: After the exam deadline has passed, you will be able to review detailed feedback on your performance, including your correct and incorrect answers. This will help you identify areas to focus on as you move forward in the course.
• No Retakes: There are no retake opportunities for the exams, so it is essential to prepare thoroughly and manage your time wisely during the exam.

Unit Exams:

• Exam 1: Covers content from Unit 1.
• Exam 2: Covers content from Unit 2.
• Final Exam (Unit 3 Exam): The final exam is not comprehensive; it covers only the material from Unit 3.

Important: Make sure to use the SmartBook Recharge feature to review and reinforce the material before taking each exam.

 

Writing Assignment 

This assignment is required of everyone. The assignment is called “Individual Investment Strategy” More detailed information on this assignment will be presented later in the semester.

Discussion Board Posts

A significant portion of your final grade will reflect your participation in discussions. Reading postings, completing discussion board assignments, and participating in the discussions are required of everyone. Canvas’ discussion boards are designed for asynchronous use, so we do not have to be available at the same time to have a discussion. Online discussions are one of the most important aspects of your online experience. They provide a unique space for everyone to be heard, and because they are asynchronous, you are able to take time to carefully think about what you would like to communicate. The more you read and participate, the more connected you will feel to the class.

The tone and language of your postings should be professional, considerate, and courteous. Check with yourself before posting your comments…would you use the same tone and say the same things in a face to face discussion with your peers or your professor? Discussion board postings should demonstrate your scholarly approach to the course material and showcase your critical thinking and analytical skills.

Be sure to only share what you are comfortable sharing. In a virtual classroom, it can sometimes be easy to forget that there are other, very real people receiving and reading your messages. Read through your postings and make sure that what you intend to communicate is coming through. It is expected that you will follow the proper rules of Netiquette in all discussion boards and emails. Please familiarize yourself with these rules of internet etiquette (or “netiquette”) before participating in the discussion boards.

You can earn up to 20 points each time you contribute to the assigned reading-based discussions. There will be a discussion topic offered each week. The discussion posts are designed to help you think deeply and process the information you are learning. Some will require that you engage in extra research, moving beyond the textbook and using references to complete the assignment. Explicit instructions will be presented with each assigned discussion.

The introductions discussion is required of everyone. After that, you are required to address all but one of the offered discussion topics. In other words, you can opt out of 2 of the reading based discussions.

In addition to being mindful of your tone and following the rules of netiquette, each comment you provide should be well-written in your own words, generally free of spelling and grammatical errors, and demonstrate thoughtfulness. Be sure to give proper credit to any sources you use by posting your references at the end of your posting. Cutting and pasting or copying your answers from another source is plagiarism and will result in a 0 for that post as well as a possible referral to the dean. Use paraphrasing instead, and give credit to your sources. Over the years, I have become quite good at recognizing writing that is cut and pasted writing. To avoid unnecessary problems, use your own writing for this class (and every class!).

In the spirit of academic exchange, you will be required to respond to at least two posts by a classmate in most discussions. If you are required to respond to a classmate, then the response will typically be worth 5-10 points of the possible 20 points, depending on the assignment. Therefore, if you skip responding to a classmate, you will miss those points. Responses to classmates need to be substantial in nature to receive full credit, so you’ll want to avoid short statements like “I agree” and “I like your post”

Instead, you can do any of the following when replying to classmates' posts:

• Read something related to the information your classmate shares, and share the related information.
• Respond to your classmate’s topic from your own related experience.
• Find some online resources or articles related to your classmate’s topic and share them in your response.
• Pose a thought-provoking question related to your classmate’s topic.
• Find and share multiple perspectives on the topic or share just one alternative perspective to the one shared by your classmate.

Following are the grading criteria I use to assess discussion board assignments. Please note that discussions submitted after 11:59pm (PST) on the due date will not be graded.

"Excellent" discussion postings earning 18-20 points:

• address each part of the discussion assignment prompt.
•   demonstrate critical thinking (e.g., application, analysis, synthesis, and/or evaluation), not just recitation of information from the textbook.
• make connections to previous or current course content or to real-life situations.
• contain insightful and thoughtful ideas, connections, or applications. Enough detail is present to fully articulate the idea presented.
• make reference to the textbook or other sources/references when required.
• are well-written and generally free of spelling and grammatical errors.
• include well-written, thoughtful response(s) to classmates if required.
• Any references or citations provided are listed in APA style. Scribbr has a free, APA style citation generator that I highly recommend. You can find that resource here.

"Good" discussion postings earning 16-17 points:

• address each part of the discussion assignment prompt.
•   demonstrate critical thinking (e.g., application, analysis, synthesis, and/or evaluation), not just recitation of information from the textbook.
•   make connections to previous or current course content or to real-life situations, but the connections are not really clear or very obvious.
• contain insightful and thoughtful ideas, connections, or applications, but they may lack depth and/or detail.
• make reference to the textbook or other sources/references when required.
• are well-written and generally free of spelling and grammatical errors.
• include well-written, thoughtful response(s) to classmates if required.

"Basic" discussion postings earning 14-15 points:

• may not address each part of the discussion assignment prompt.
• are generally competent, but the actual information they provide is limited and basic.
• make highly limited, if any, connections to previous or current course content or to real-life situations.
• contain few, if any, new ideas or applications and are just a summary of other comments.
• may not make reference to the textbook or other sources/references when required.
• may contain quite a few spelling and grammatical errors.
•   may not include well-written, thoughtful response(s) to classmates (if required) or includes response(s) that lack depth and/or detail.

"Below expectations" discussion postings earning 0-13 points:

• are superficial and contain no evidence of critical thinking, insight or analysis.
• do not contribute new ideas, connections, or applications.
• may not make reference to the textbook or other sources/references when required.
• may be completely off topic and contain a number of spelling and grammatical errors.
•   may not include well-written, thoughtful response(s) to classmates (if required) or includes response(s) that lack depth and/or detail.

Not addressing the discussion topic (except for the 2 you choose not to do) will result in a 0 score. You will not earn extra credit for doing more than the required 13 postings.

Within 7-10 days after a discussion ends, you will be awarded a grade for that discussion post based on the above grading rubric. The grade will be posted on your grades page. For example, if you earn a 16, you can assume that after careful consideration, I have determined that your posting best meets the criteria listed under “Good.” With 150 online students and three discussion boards a week, I regret that I cannot provide substantial individual feedback beyond the use of the above rubric and some brief comments for each discussion you submit. If I have serious concerns, I will communicate them privately in my feedback so that you can work on improving your scores. If you are ever unclear about the rationale for a discussion post grade even after consulting your rubric and reading my comments, I urge you to contact me via a Canvas message. I will be more than happy to provide a specific explanation.

Your final course grade will be based on the following:

Assessment Type	Points	Percentage of Grade
Connect SmartBook Assignments (12 x 15 points each)	180	29.0%
Discussion Board Assignments (6 x 20 points each)	100	25.9%
Writing Assignment “Individual Investment Strategy”	100	16.1%
Exams (2 x 60 points) and Final Exam (60 points)	180	29.0%
Total Points	620	100%

 

Letter Grade for Class

Percentage	Letter Grade
96-100%	A+
93-95.9	A
90-92.9	A-
86-89.9%	B+
83-85.9	B
80-82.9	B-
76-79.9	C+
70-75.9%	C
66-69.9%	D+
63-65.9	D
60-62.9	D-
59.99 and below	F

You can view your grades for assignments and quizzes over the course of the semester by clicking on the "Grades" link that you will find in the left navigational menu in our course. Assignments that are not due yet (or I haven't graded yet) will have blank grades. Assignments that are not turned in will be assigned a 0 score. 

You can view my comments on your assignments from within the Grades page. Look for the assignment in the grades listing, and then click the comments icon all the way over to the right of the assignment listing. If you click the assignment link on the Grades page, it will take you to a page where you can see comments I’ve left in the comments sidebar.

 

Attendance, Participation and Withdrawal/Drop Policies

Successful online learning requires active participation and the ability to follow deadlines and work independently. Active participation includes participation in the discussion boards (including reading the posts in the boards), reading and watching any online material (such as lectures or videos), communicating via email and discussion boards, and taking quizzes and exams. You are required to log in to this course weekly and to participate actively in the discussion boards as described above. Even if you are using one of your discussion board and/or quiz skips you are still expected to log in to class to read the lecture and to keep up with the discussion postings. Skips are not time off from class; they are simply time off from that task. You may need to log in more frequently depending on how long you spend logged in each time. You should know that I am able to track your participation and see what you spend your time doing while "in class" or logged in. I check in regularly to assess your participation.

For absence due to prolonged serious illness, personal emergency, or technical problems you are expected to let me know as soon as possible. You may be withdrawn from the course for excessive absence; “excessive absence” is defined by a total of two or more full weeks of absence from the online course in Canvas. To be clear, this means that except for when excused by me or during a college designated break, I should see that you are consistently logging in and participating in class weekly. If you go without logging in for 2 or more weeks in a row or during two or more separate but full weeks during the semester, you may be withdrawn from the course.

However, please be aware that withdrawal is not automatic. Since there are important withdrawal deadlines set by the college, do not assume that I will drop you from the class if you stop attending; it is ultimately your responsibility to formally drop the class by the appropriate deadlines if you cannot complete the course. I recommend that if you drop the class that you print up verification of the drop. Your claim that you dropped the course will not be enough to retroactively drop the class once the last date to drop has passed. If your name is on my final grade sheet, I will be forced to submit a final grade for you. If you stop attending the class after the last day to withdraw, and you have not achieved a final passing grade, a final grade of FW (rather than F) will be recorded.

If I do withdraw you from the course, and this results in problems with financial aid, GI benefits, health insurance, scholarships, visa status, etc., I cannot reinstate you just to preserve your benefits. 

As students participating in my course, respect for one another is critical. I expect everyone to follow the standards of the Student Code of Conduct as described in the Student Handbook. Inappropriate language, such as offensive slang or put-downs, swearing, or hateful speech, will not be tolerated. Please treat others in this course with the same level of respect that you would like to be treated. Again, I expect you to use proper netiquette in this course.

 

Your Canvas Inbox

As a student using Canvas, you have the ability to send messages to me and to your classmates within the class using Canvas messaging. Canvas messaging provides a closed email system that only allows the sending and receiving of emails within our course. Look for the Inbox link in the left navigational menu.

This is my preferred method of being contacted. Please only message other students in an appropriate manner as detailed above, and any issues in this area may be escalated to the Dean.

 

Late Assignments and Missed Quizzes/Exams

This course follows a structured weekly schedule, and it is important that we move through the content together. Each assignment has a specific due date, and it is your responsibility to ensure timely submission. If you know you will not have access to a computer or the internet on the due date, plan to submit your work early. 'Early' submission means turning in the assignment anytime after it becomes available but before the listed deadline.

SmartBook Assignments:

• You may submit SmartBook assignments up to one week late, but there is a 10% late penalty per day. After one week, no credit will be given, so make sure to complete these assignments promptly.

Exams:

• Exams cannot be submitted late under any circumstances. However, each exam will be available for a full week to give you plenty of flexibility. Make sure to complete your exams during the available window as there are no retakes.

Individual Investment Strategy Paper:

• This final project is due at the end of the quarter and cannot be submitted late. Plan ahead and manage your time to ensure that it is completed on time.

Discussions:

• Discussion posts are an essential part of this course, and late submissions will not be accepted. However, to provide flexibility, your lowest discussion scores will be dropped. Be sure to participate regularly to avoid missing out on points.

It is essential to stay on top of due dates, as there will be no exceptions to these policies. If any extenuating circumstances arise, please contact me before the due date to discuss possible accommodations. Keeping up with your assignments and exams is crucial to your success in this course.

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism

Academic dishonesty (i.e., cheating) in this course will not be tolerated. This includes sharing quiz and exam questions and answers, copying someone else's answers during a quiz or exam, searching for and using quiz/exam questions and answers on the internet during a quiz or exam, and getting papers off the Internet to submit for credit, having another person complete your assignments, cutting and pasting information from another source online and presenting it as your own work (i.e., plagiarism), etc.

To plagiarize is to steal and use the ideas and writings of another as one’s own. Foothill College requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student, and as outlined in the Academic Integrity Preface, plagiarism will not be tolerated. Potential problems can be avoided by documenting all sources used (whether directly quoted or paraphrased) with references or citations. Cheating of any kind will result in a failing grade on that assignment, documentation of the incident, and possible referral to the Dean of Student Affairs & Activities.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy

In this course, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT or other AI-based text generators, is allowed with certain guidelines. While these tools can assist you in understanding complex topics and generating ideas, they must be used ethically and responsibly. Here are the expectations regarding AI use in this course:

1. Originality of Work: Any content you submit must represent your own understanding and synthesis of the material. If you use AI tools to assist in generating ideas or content, you must thoroughly review, edit, and rephrase AI-generated text to reflect your own perspective and critical thinking. Directly copying and pasting from an AI tool without modification is considered plagiarism and will not be tolerated.

2. Citations: If you use an AI tool to assist with any part of your assignment, including drafting ideas, generating explanations, or helping with research, you are required to disclose this use. You may simply note it in your assignment (e.g., “Assisted by ChatGPT”) and provide proper attribution when needed. If the tool helped locate external sources, ensure all referenced materials are appropriately cited.

3. AI in Exams: The use of AI tools during exams is strictly prohibited. All exam responses must be your own work, completed without outside assistance. Any use of AI during exams will result in a failing grade for that exam and may be referred to the Dean of Student Affairs & Activities for further action.

4. Discussion Posts: While AI can help you generate ideas, your posts should be written in your own voice, showcasing your analysis and application of the course materials. AI may be used as a brainstorming tool, but not as a substitute for your own critical engagement. Responses that appear to be overly reliant on AI tools without thoughtful human input will be marked down.

5. Learning Enhancement: You are encouraged to use AI tools for learning purposes, such as clarifying complex topics or exploring new perspectives. However, they should complement your efforts, not replace them. Focus on using these tools to deepen your understanding, not as shortcuts for assignments or discussions.

Failure to follow these guidelines may result in academic penalties, including but not limited to loss of credit for the assignment and referral for academic dishonesty.

By adhering to this policy, you will ensure that you are developing your own analytical and communication skills while responsibly integrating technology into your learning process.

 

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

If you are a student with a disability and you require accommodations, please let me know right away so that I can be sure you have what you need. Remember, we have no timed assignments in this class. Students who need academic accommodations should request them from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) located in Building 5400. DRC is the campus office responsible for verifying disability-related need for academic accommodations, assessing that need, and for planning accommodations in cooperation with students and instructors as needed and consistent with course requirements. You can reach DRC at: 650.949.7017

Thank you!

And, finally, thank you! Thank you for reading this syllabus! I know it is long! If you have any questions about the information here, please don’t hesitate to ask. I know there is a lot to remember, but over time, the course policies and procedures will feel like second nature. And, thank you for registering for my course in Investment Fundamentals! I feel very fortunate to be a part of your educational journey!

Course Calendar

Week	Monday Date	Topic of Week
1	9/23	Chapter 1: A Brief History of Risk and Return
2	9/30	Chapter 2: The Investment Process
3	10/7	Chapter 3: Overview of Security Types
4	10/14	Chapter 4: Mutual Funds, ETS, and Other Fund Types  and Unit 1 Exam
5	10/21	Chapter 5: The Stock Market
6	10/28	Chapter 6: Common Stock Valuation
7	11/4	Chapter 7: Stock Price Behavior and Market Efficiency
8	11/11	Chapter 8: Behavioral Finance and the Psychology of Investing and Unit 2 Exam
9	11/18	Chapter 9: Interest Rates
10	11/25	Chapter 10: Bond Prices and Yields and Individual Investment Strategy assigned
11	12/2	Chapter 11: Diversification and Risky Asset Allocation
12	12/9	Chapter 15: Stock Options and Unit 3/Final Exam