Course Syllabus

Spring 2017 Foothill College 

Instructor Information

Chen Kevin Wang, MBA, PMP kevinchenwangschool@gmail.com Online Class, no office, no phone (reach me via canvas, using INBOX or DISCUSSIONS) Online Office Hours

REQUIRED MEETINGS: None

CANVAS Online Platform ACCESS: http://www.foothill.edu/fga/canvas_login.php

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.

Prerequisite: None

 

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Assess the relative investment merits of common stocks, preferreds, corporate bonds, treasury and government agency bonds and notes, municipal bonds, investment trusts, convertibles, listed, unlisted securities, real estate investing trusts.
2. Explain the functions and operation of the stock exchanges, brokerage office facilities and services; the analysis of securities values from a fundamental value standpoint, relative market valuation, personal finance, and from the technical standpoint of individual issues and overall market measures.
3. Describe many of the pitfalls of different investments and how to mitigate risk.
4. Analyze current taxation policies as they relate to financial planning.

Course Content

1. Introduction and class orientation; discussion of paper trading, market history, reasons for investment, current economic outlook, directions as to reading and study material.
2. A discussion of investments, their characteristics and rights, and their use in a portfolio.
3. Investment management including personal financial planning, choice of personal objectives, security characteristics, security selection, portfolio management.
4. The stock exchanges, types of orders, how handled, Margin Accounts, short selling and commissions.
5. The various exchanges and market, mutual funds, ETFs and investing will be covered.
6. How to choose a competent financial advisor, the pros and cons of free advice, questions to be asked, and conflicts of interest will be explored.
7. Different investment data sources will be explored including online, periodicals and texts as well as newsletters and other sources. Historical records will be examined.
8. Current investment methods and factors will be explored. Diversification concepts. Capital Asset Pricing Model. Option strategies to mitigate risks and option valuations.
9. Review of course and evaluation. Includes discussion of student's projects (investing simulation; Personal Financial Management spreadsheet, etc.), financial case studies and business news updates.

Course Type, Canvas, and MAL

This class is conducted fully online and requires the use of both Canvas and MyAccountingLab (MAL)

Class Website (Canvas)

The college uses Canvas as its online course management system.  At this website, students will find the course materials organized and available for their download and use.  Items such as the lecture PowerPoint slides, project handouts, announcements, and grades can be located on the site.  Students can access the class website at(http://www.foothill.edu/fga/canvas_login.php) and should check it regularly for any class announcements and documents.  Refer to the FGA (Foothill Global Access) site to learn more about Canvas.

For help with Canvas, refer to Foothill College's Help Desk for Canvas. Instructors are not a good source for help with respect to Canvas.

Publisher Website (MyLab or MAL)

The course textbook includes many online resources –such as practice quizzes, flashcards, and videos, which can be accessed through the publisher’s website  MyAccountingLab (MAL).  In addition to the study resources available, various graded assignments will be accessible only through MAL which is why it is recommended that students register as soon as possible.See Appendix B for instructions for registering for MAL.

Textbook 

Title:      Fundamentals of Investing (13th Edition) (Pearson Series in Finance) Authors:  by Scott B. Smart (Author), Lawrence J. Gitman (Author), Michael D. Joehnk (Author) Publisher:  Pearson    Available:  At Foothill College Bookstore ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Option A: ~ $?? << Best Option. ISBN:  ISBN: 9780134426808 - MyAccountingLab (MAL) access code - w/eText AND printed text (loose leaf text book) Other Potential purchase options directly from publisher's website. You will only be able to access these options as you register into MAL via the MyLab and Mastering link within our CANVAS site << NOT through college bookstore Option B (access + ebook): ~ $?? ISBN: 9780134083933 - MyAccountingLab (MAL) access code - w/eText, no printed text    Refer to Screenshot below for a sample image of the screen you will see while you register for the course in MAL. EVERYONE REQUIRED to have both textbook and access.

Coverage:

NOTE: For MAL you will need both

 

Course Communication

Announcements

Announcements will be posted in CANVAS on a regular basis. They will appear on your CANVAS dashboard when you log in and/or will be sent to you directly through your preferred method of notification from CANVAS. Please make certain to check them regularly, as they will contain any important information about upcoming projects, changes to the class/syllabus, or class concerns. Part of your class attendance grade is based on logins (3 logins per week minimum). See grading section below for detail.

Email

In this course we will use the INBOX feature on the help corner (located in the upper right hand navigation links)to send email for private messages. You can either check your messages in the CANVAS system or set your notifications to your preferred method of contact. Please check your messages regularly. When submitting messages, please do the following:

• Put a subject in the first line of your email subject box that describes the email content with your name, week and message subject. For example: ****YOUR NAME WEEK2 ASSIGNMENT****.
• Send email only to the INBOX and not my personal email account.
• Do not send messages asking general information about the class, please post those in the Q& A Forum.
• Do not submit your assignments by message.
• Make certain to check your messages frequently, daily is recommended.

Questions

In online courses it is normal to have many questions about things that relate to the course, such as clarification about assignments, course materials, or assessments. Please post these in the Q&A Forum which you can access by clicking the MODULES button in the course navigation links. This forum is in the ORIENTATION and CHECK-IN MODULE. This is an open forum, and you are encouraged to give answers and help each other. If those discussions are not appropriate for your question, please use the INBOX in Canvas (do not use email).

Discussion Forums

Discussion Forums are a way for you to engage with each other about the course content. Each lesson module will have a question that links to a forum. You can also access each forum by clicking on the MODULES button in the course navigation links and working on your weekly module. In order to get full credit for each discussion, you will need to post a substantive question or response to the question to your classmates’ questions/comments.

Virtual Office Hours

Use Conversations from your INBOX to ask me questions regarding the class or private questions about your work, grade, etc. You can also use the VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS thread in DISCUSSIONS to ask public questions that relate to the class.

Turnaround/Feedback

During the week (M-F), I will scan Conversations and Discussion Postings within the currently active module at least once a day. If you have a concern and send me a message, you can expect a response within a day. Note that I am usually much more responsible to Messages in Conversations (inbox) than the standard requirement of 1-2 days. If within 24-48 hours, I do not respond to your question in the discussions, prompt me by sending me a message via Inbox letting me know that I may have missed your posting.

• Each week runs from Monday through Friday, with a FRIDAY at NOON cut-off time for posting questions in Private Messages or in Discussion Forums.
• Instructor and classmates will respond to your questions within 24-48 hours. I respond well within 24 hours to all PM’s and to Discussion forums postings within the required 24-48 hours. DO NOT rely on weekend help, even if most deadlines are set for Saturday at 11:45pm.

Netiquette

When posting on the discussion boards and chat rooms it is important to understand how to interact with one another online, netiquette. You can read more about the rules of netiquette at http://www.albion.com/netiquette/index.html.

 

Course Assignments

Important Dates

>> The Class Calendar CONTROLS and supersedes all due dates elsewhere (e.g. MAL, etc.), unless otherwise announced. <<

The due dates for your assignments can be found in the SYLLABUS-CLASS CALENDAR in the global navigation links on the left-side navigation panel. Please review these. In addition, I will post reminders prior to the due dates in the Announcements. 

Note: If you click on the assignment from the calendar, you will not be able to access it. You must access your course assignments through the MODULES.

Weekly Assignments

Each week where the course is conducted online you will need to complete the following:

• Read the weekly module/textbook/other reading material, as assigned. This will be available every Monday at 8 AM PST until the following Sunday at 11:59 PM PST.
• Complete the lesson assignments in each course lesson by Thu/Fri and Sunday at 11:59 PM PST (refer to class calendar for more specific deadlines).
• Reading Check (~10 question quiz) in MAL
• Homework Assignment (e.g. brief exercises, exercises, problems, cases) in MAL
• Other tasks, as assigned.
• Post in the weekly Discussion Forum by Thursday at 11:59 PM PST or respond to other students’ posts in the Discussion Forum by the following Sunday at 11:59 PM PST.

Special Projects/Assessments

If this course requires a team project. I will post the instructions in Modules, labeling it Team Project Module by the middle of the quarter. Number of members per team will be shown in project instructions which will be announced later in the term.

Assignment Detailed Descriptions

Reading Checks (quizzes)

The purpose of these assignments is to gauge your reading comprehension for the chapter reading assignments. RC's will be approximately 10-20 questions in length (will vary).  You may take each RC 3 times, and your highest score will be recorded.  Unlimited time in MAL.

Assigned HW

The purpose of these assignments is to check that a minimum amount PROBLEM-SOLVING has been attempted - preferably using a spreadsheet. HW's will be approximately 10-15 exercises/problems from the book.  You may take each RC 3 times, and your highest score will be recorded.  Unlimited time in MAL.

Exams

There will 2 midterms (in MAL) and one (1) Final Exam (in MAL)  The purpose of the exams is to verify that you have learned the concepts and calculations (including accounting process) covered during the course;  exam will be cumulative (covering all chapters in the book). The exam will consist of both theory questions and problems. You may take the Final Exam once.  The time limit for the final exam is 120-150 minutes.  

Project (instructions released later in term)

There will be 1 project. It's primary purpose is to offer you the opportunity to collaborate with others in the planning, implementation, and presentation of a deliverable similar to those in the accounting profession. The main objective is on fostering good project management, interpersonal, and communication skills.

Attendance and Participation 

Attendance and Class Participation are distinct graded components. 

Attendance: I will make note of your logins per week. The standard is for 3 logins, one must be on Monday to make sure you review and acknowledge the agenda for the week. The other 2 logins can be any time during the week. Although only 3 logins are expected, I highly encourage daily logins throughout the week. 

Participation: Participation is essential to your success in this class. In distance education courses you are required to participate just as if you were in a face-to-face course. This means that in order to get full credit for participation, you will have to complete your discussion assignments, lesson activities and assignments on a timely basis. Consistent failure to participate in class for a total of 1 week's worth of assignments will result in your being dropped from the course.

Various assignments are scheduled for students during the course of the semester in order to reinforce new topics and concepts.  These assignments will be mostly individual work.  However, the class participation grade, in our online class, is based solely on a single posting per week per chapter. Given that we have 12 weeks and that I discount both the first and last weeks, there are 10 required postings throughout the semester (one per week). This is my way of getting each student to at the very least enter the discussion forums once a week - hoping that much more than 1 posting is made, nonetheless.

 

Other Course Policies

Please take note of the following course guidelines:

1. Grades are not curved.

2. Late assignments are not accepted. Make-up work is not permitted. use these drops strategically (i.e. getting sick, technical issues with computer/internet, travel, work, etc.)
3. Assignments are not accepted via email. They should be submitted in the manner instructed.
4. Students are responsible for retaining all returned work until the end of the term.
5. If a period is missed, it is the student’s responsibility to independently catch up on the material covered, maybe by contacting a classmate and/or reviewing announcements, discussion postings.
6. To ensure that grading in this course is fair, I will adhere to the guidelines in this syllabus and related documents (such as project handouts). Your academic responsibility is to be aware of and adhering to those
7. Grade disputes must be submitted to the instructor via e-mail within five days of the date the graded item is available for your inspection (except for final grades, which will only allow for 1 day review). Such documentation will trigger a review of the entire graded item, which may result in a higher or lower grade.
8. If you have a documented disability, please contact the DRC Center as soon as possible to discuss the necessary testing or other accommodations needed for the course. No accommodations will be arranged outside of the DRC process.
9. Everyone in this class is expected to behave ethically and professionally. That behavior includes, but is not limited to:

a. Completing work in the manner assigned (individually or in a group).

b. Ensuring the work you submit reflects your own original thinking and effort.

c. Respecting classmates and the classroom environment.

d. Adhering to the standards of ethical behavior and academic integrity set out in the Mission College catalog and related documents.

Failure to behave ethically and professionally may result in any or all of the following:  no credit for specific assignments, being dropped from the class, referral to the Vice President of Student Services for further disciplinary action. 

Drop / Withdrawal 

In order to avoid getting an F for the course, it is your responsibility to officially withdraw from the class prior to the deadline.

If you do not actively participate in class, that is, if you consistently do not complete assignments, assessments (reading checks, homework), respond to forums or turn in other work for the total of 1 week's worth of assignments, you will be dropped from the class for non-participation.

Note that you can DROP (without a "W") or WITHDRAW (with "W") by certain deadlines. Check the college website for specific dates. If you do not withdraw properly/officially from the class via your portal or in person, you will receive whatever grade you earned (usually not a good grade). It is fully your responsibility to drop/withdraw from the class. After the withdrawal deadline passes, instructors do not have the ability to drop you from the class.  

Additional Resources: Tutoring and Other Resources

Tutoring Services

The school offers free accounting tutoring to all enrolled students.  Please visit the school’s. STEM Center in the 4200 Building. Refer to the Stem Success Center Webpage for more information.

Open Hours:

Mondays	12-4pm
Tuesdays	12-4pm
Wednesdays	12-4pm
Thursdays	12-4pm
Fridays-Sunday	none

Teaching and Learning Center (computer lab)

If you do not have access to a computer off campus, the college offers free access to computers Teaching and Learning Center (located behind the library), Bldg 3600.

Computer Requirements

You will need to have an up-to-date browser, operating system and some additional software on your computer to take this class. Check this Distance Education page for hardware & software requirements. Some of the documents in this course will be available to you in PDF form. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader software on your computer, you can download it by going to http://get.adobe.com/reader/. We will also be using google-docs and google-spreadsheets, selectively. You may want to get familiar google-docs (if not already) and even get a google-drive (free) to create, store, and share documents.

Transfer /Career Center

Taking classes is just the first step in your academic lives, to learn about the next step –transferring to a university or job placement, please visit the school’s Transfer Center in the at the Students Services Building, Third Floor, Room 8329.

Tech Support and Distance Education help 

If you need technical assistance at any time, you can contact the college's Foothill Global Access Program, refer to their webpage at: http://www.foothill.edu/fga/. 

Student Services

There are many services on campus to help you achieve success in your courses. Check out this Current Students Webpage for more information.

Declaration Statement, Responsibilities, and Philosophy

By staying in the class, you agree to the terms of this class and the related requirements. If after the class has started, changes to the class syllabus occur, they will be announced for your comments and feedback, before they become effective. 

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A STUDENT

Enrolling in this online course is a COMMITMENT.  It is your obligation to manage your commitments responsibly.  Please make sure that you can fully meet the responsibilities of this course before you commit to enrolling in the course.  If you are unable to fully meet these requirements, please consider not enrolling in this course this term. Sometimes, we are too busy already and may overcommit.  

By enrolling in this class, you agree:

1. To uphold the standards of academic integrity as maintained by Foothill College
2. To read, fully understand, and abide by the Class Syllabus.
3. To reserve an average of 15 hours per week to spend on reading, studying and homework assignments.
4. To login to the Course Shell frequently each week (preferably daily) to read all  class announcements, class postings, and private messages, so that you can stay up-to-date with class information
5. To complete assignments and quizzes on-time per due dates in the Class Calendar
6. To review your course points in the course Grade Book regularly throughout the term and contact me immediately if you identify an error or have questions regarding your grade
7. To use PRIVATE MESSAGING in CANVAS (inbox) to communicate with your instructor.  Do NOT use email.
8. That it is YOUR responsibility to drop this class if it becomes necessary to do so
9. To respond to communications from the instructor (me) and your fellow students in a timely manner.  Please make every effort to respond to communications within 24 hours or less
10. To stay active and engaged in class and to HAVE FUN while doing so

NOTE: Stay active in class: By State Law, students who are “inactive” in an online class are subject to being dropped from the class by the end of the 8th week (about 4th week of summer session) of the quarter (REFER to college website for specific dates and deadlines). Inactivity is defined as not attend (log into CANVAS) or not submission of assignments for 7 consecutive days.

CLASS PHILOSOPHY

This class is a community.  We all have the same objective:  TO LEARN - in addition, mine is to certify that the grade YOU EARN represents your true learning, as accurately as possible. Employers, transfer institutions, and the community expects us to measure your learning honestly.

To do so, in this class we will engage in multiple approaches to learning (and sharing knowledge) including cooperative learning (interacting with each other to maximize learning opportunities), active learning (active engagement in discrete learning activities like reading, problem-solving and discussion), and experiential learning (“learning by doing”).  

This class also places great emphasis on teamwork and active communication in class; as you enter (or return to) the business world, you will realize that being able to productively work in teams and clearly communicate with others are “worth their weight in gold.”  

Finally, I want to encourage you to have fun and enjoy this class experience -- it is going to be a lot of work but also a  lot of fun!!!