Syllabus Spring 2008 *
AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BUSA 1313; #10736-PCM
INVESTMENTS
COURSE SYLLABUS
16 Week Session
Spring 2008

INSTRUCTOR: Kathryn Schwartz

OFFICE: Rio Grande Campus Student Lounge

Best Way to Reach Instructor: kmschwartz@sbcglobal.net. Instructor will respond within 24 hours. Test answers and grades are posted within 48 hours.

OFFICE HOURS: By appointment, call:
phone: (512) 327-7061
e-mail: kmschwartz@sbcglobal.net

HOME PAGE: Blackboard Website

COURSE LOCATION: PCM Course - On-line
The Distance Learning Help Line is available to assist students with DL questions Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (The Help Line is closed during all official ACC holidays.) Phone: (512) 223-8026  |  Toll-free: 1-888-223-8026  |  Email: dl@austincc.edu

• Technical support or instructional mode resources.
• The URL of the Blackboard Support website which offers instructions for logging in, Student FAQs, and help for using Blackboard features such as Discussion Boards and Assignments.

Computer Lab & Media Center hours of operation and locations
COURSE TIME: 16 Week Session January 14 to May 11th

COURSE NUMBER: BUSG 1313

COURSE TITLE: Investments

CREDIT HOURS: 3

PREREQUISITE: None

METHOD OF PRESENTATION: On-line

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Fundamentals of Investments (Valuation and Management) by Charles J. Corrado and Bradford D. Jordan. ISBN # 0-07-244331-6. Publisher: McGraw-Hill. 2nd Edition. Textbook purchasing options available to Distance Learning students; provide the URL of the ACC Bookstore website.
ADDITIONAL LEARNING MATERIALS: Power Point presentations for each chapter can be found under Course Materials. If you have trouble linking with these, go to

http://itdl.austincc.edu/blackboard/downloads.htm

to download Power Point.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to provide the student with an overview to understand the concepts and applications of the basic principles of investments. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Understand the broad categories of investments.
2. Learn how to determine the value of investments.
3. Learn to understand and apply time value of money concepts.
4. Understand how investment decisions are made.
5. Have practice choosing and monitoring portfolios of stocks.

COURSE EVALUATION PROCESS (Grading)

COURSE GRADE
Participation in Bulletin Board Discussions and Portfolio Projects 100 points
Individual Take-Home Exams 3 @ 300 points each totaling 900 points
Totals 1000 points

GRADING SCALE
Your letter grade is determined using the grade distribution that follows. Your percentage is found by dividing your total points by the total points available. This percentage is then matched to a letter grade. You can determine your standing in the class at any point in the semester by tracking your points and the total points to date.

A 900 or more points
B 800 ? 899 points
C 700 ? 799 points
D 600 ? 699 points
F Less than 600 points

INDIVIDUAL TAKE-HOME EXAMS
The three (3) take-home exams will be made available to you 10 days before the due date. The take-home exams are open book, open notes but are still to be done individually, no assistance from anyone is allowed. Your answers to the take-home exams should be put in the Blackboard Digital Dropbox and e-mailed to me on or before 11:59 PM, on the due date. Additional instructions on how to submit your exam answers will be forthcoming.

For ACC Academic Guidelines, Policies and procedures see
http://www.austincc.edu/handbook

• 
  READING ASSIGNMENTS
  Students are expected to complete the readings before the bulletin board discussions.
  
  BULLETIN BOARD PARTICIPATION
  This is an on-line class and each student is expected to participate in the bulletin board discussions and the current event discussions throughout the semester. Comments should be of interest to the class. Comments not of interest to the entire class but personal to you should be e-mailed to the instructor at kmschwartz@sbcglobal.net. Grade will be determined by number of posts and quality of posts.
  
  LATE ASSIGNMENTS
  There will be no make-up exams unless approved by the instructor in advance or due to extenuating circumstances (as determined by the instructor). The due dates for the take-home exams will be strictly followed. Late exams will be accepted but the grade will be lowered the equivalent of one (1) letter grade. After the grades are posted (two days following the exam due date), exams can obviously not be accepted.
  
  TEACHING AND LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
  Teaching and learning is a partnership between faculty and students. I will fulfill my partnership obligations by serving as advisor, consultant, mentor and providing general comments and clarifications of difficult or confusing concepts. You will fulfill your partnership obligations by being a fully participative, responsive, helping, and working member of the class.
  
  The individual take-home exams, and bulletin board participation both play an important role in your education in this course. They are an essential part of the learning process in that they require the synthesis and extension of concepts. They also help both the student and the instructor to evaluate one?s progress in mastering the material. Past experience indicates that generally the course material cannot be adequately mastered without active involvement on your part.
  
  Departmental policies for Incompletes, Attendance, and Withdrawal are as follows:
  
  
  
  Incomplete Policy: An incomplete (I) will be granted to a student in rare circumstances. Generally, to receive a grade of I, a student must have completed all examinations and assignments to date, be passing, and have personal circumstances that prevent course completion that occur after the deadline to withdraw with a grade of W.
  
  
  
  Attendance Policy: All students are expected to attend classes. Non-attendance will have an impact on the student?s grade.
  
  
  
  Withdrawal Policy: It is the student?s responsibility to withdraw from a course. Instructors are allowed to withdraw students but students must not rely on their instructor to withdraw them if they wish to withdraw.
  
  
  
  Austin Community College policies for Academic Freedom, Scholastic Dishonesty, Student Discipline, and Students with Disabilities are as follows:
  
  
  
  Academic Freedom Statement: Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class. In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn. On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor. It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.
  
  
  
  Scholastic Dishonesty Statement: Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework? (Student Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 32). Penalties for scholastic dishonesty will depend upon the nature of the violation and may range from lowering a grade on one assignment to an F in the course and/or expulsion from this institution.
  
  
  
  Student Discipline Statement: Classroom behavior should support and enhance learning. Behavior that disrupts the learning process will be dealt with appropriately, which may include having the student leave class for the rest of that day. In serious cases, disruptive behavior may lead to a student being withdrawn from the class. ACC's policy on student discipline can be found in the Student Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 32.
  
  
  
  Students with Disabilities Statement: Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester? (Student Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 14).
  
  THE RULE OF THREE
  Per state law, effective Spring 2006, any student taking a class for the 3rd time or more may be charged an additional $60 per credit hour unless exempted. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has mandated that all publicly funded higher education institutions will not recieve funding for a course a student takes for the 3rd time. Without the state funding for those affected classed, ACC will charge additional tuition to cover the cost for these classes. The new Rule of Three tuition will not apply to developmental courses and special studies courses in which the content changes each semester.
  

SUPPORT
See www.austincc.edu/support for information on student support services and resources including:

• ACC Student ID cards
• ACC Student Handbook
• DL Student Handbook
• Library Services for DL students

Tutoring: ACC Learning Labs on campus and online tutoring from SMARTHINKING

Assignments
*Subject to change if needed


Date: Homework Assignment
1-14: On-line orientation-get familiar with the course website and student introduction on the ?Hello Board?. Read/Study Chapter 1. Begin thinking about Stock Portfolio 1. See Course Documents for more details.

Week of 1-21: Read/Study Chapter 2. Complete Portfolio 1.

Week of 1-28: Portfolio One Due on Monday, 1/28. Read/Study Chapter 3. Discussion of sample Exam #1 questions on bulletin board (instructor will make sample exam questions available under the ?course documents? icon)

Week of 2-4: Read Chapter 4

Week of 2-11: Individual take-home exam #1 available Chapters 1 - 4

2-18: EXAM #1 DUE

Week of 2-18: Read/Study Chapter 5

2-20: Individual take-home exam #1 answers available.

Week of 2-25: Read/Study Chapter 6. Complete Portfolio 2 – Informed Portfolio.

Week of 3-3: Read/Study Chapter 7. Portfolio 2 due on Monday, 3-3. Discussion of sample Exam #2 questions on bulletin board (instructor will make sample exam questions available under the ?course documents? icon)

Week of 3-10: Spring Break.

Week of 3-17: Read/Study Chapter 8.

Week of 3-24: Individual take-home exam #2 available. Chapters 5 - 8

3-31 Individual take-home exam #2 due

4-1 Individual take-home exam #2 answers available

Week of 4-1: Read Chapter 9

Week of 4-7 Read Chapter 10

Week of 4/14 Read Chapter 14. Discussion of sample Exam #3 questions on bulletin board (instructor will make sample exam questions available under the ?course documents? icon)

Week of 4/21: Read Chapter 16

4-28: Individual take-home exam #3 available over Chapters 9,10,14,16. Includes essay: ?Comparing my two portfolios.?


5-7 Individual take-home exam #3 due. 

5-8: Individual take-home exam #3 answers available.
5-9: Final grades are posted; you can email me or call me to discuss ? Class over! Safe and Happy Summer to Everyone!