Let me post this a second time! Orientation Clip...

Still getting some questions which were addressed in the Orientation Clip found at http://www.uta.edu/faculty/hansz/3325/online/main.htm. Also, you can always refer back to it. I will keep this posted the entire semester.

Did you watch/listen to the Orientation Clip?

Still getting some questions which were addressed in the Orientation Clip found at http://www.uta.edu/faculty/hansz/3325/online/main.htm. Also, you can always refer back to it. I will keep this posted the entire semester.

Many Still Need to Check In...

If you haven't already, please check-in with me by sending an e-mail to reae3325online@gmail.com. You will be sent instructions to get you started. Everyone needs to review the Orientation Video Clip and complete the Week 1 Assignments!

Student Question: I am on academic probation, is this a good class for me?

Probably not. You can see the historical GPA range from the syllabus and if you are struggling, I would generally not recommend taking any on-line class (including this one).

Student Question: Do you do a review before each exam?

The answer to this question is 'no.' I will post an on-line video review of each exam about a day or two AFTER each examination is taken.

If a topic or chapter is not important, I do not include it on the syllabus (you can see that pretty much the entire text is important). Furthermore, each of the chapters are generally equally important (although the I have budgeted extra time for Chapter 13 Residential and Commercial Property Financing and Chapter 11 Real Estate Appraisal due to the large amount of material in these chapters).

Since I want you to study and learn all the material that we cover, any review would pretty much have to cover all the lectures and text material. If I tell you before an exam that only these five topics, a-b-c-d-e, will be on the exam, I think most of you would only study a-b-c-d-e and disregard the rest of the material. Since I feel that all the material is important and I want you to learn and study these topics, I am not going to reveal specific topics or questions in advanced. Examinations are a sampling process. For examination preparation and study tips, please refer to page 9 of the syllabus.

Also note the number of chapters we cover for each exam (only the final exam is cumulative). Exam 1 covers the fewest chapters (4 total), followed by exam 2 (6 total), and exam 3 (8 chapters). This is intentional. I want to start out by focusing on fewer chapters to give you a chance to get up to speed on the math and time-value-of-money calculations, but the amount of material for each exam will progressively increase as the semester progresses.

Good question.

Student Question: Do I need the prereq?

The short answer to this question is yes. MATH 1316 is a prerequisite for this class, and for good reason. There is a substantial math component to this course (I am including time-value-of-money when I speak of 'math'). Students without a basic math background do have trouble.

I have intentionally put a large 'chunk' of the math material toward the start of the course. Referring to the syllabus, you will see that the chapter we cover initially (chapters 13, 14, and 15) cover the topics of real estate finance, time value of money, and mortgage mechanics. The reason, I put this material first is to see if you can handle it. Some students have a very difficult time with this early material and it typically is a result of relatively week math skills.

A long time ago, I covered these chapters near the end of the course. But since it was past the drop period, some students found out that they could not handle the material and it was too late to drop the course.

Now, the class roster does not tell me who has and had not met the prerequisite. Therefore, I will not be chasing anyone out of the class for this reason. However, I think it is important that I bring the prerequisite issue to your attention.

Not trying to scare anyone, but some students do struggle with the math.

IMPORTANT CLASS DATES!

Important Dates (Please put these dates in your schedule now! No make-up exams!)

Exam 1 (Saturday, September 20th from 10 AM to 11:00 AM Room 147 – Do not arrive late!)*

Exam 2 (Saturday, October 18th from 10 AM to 11:00 AM Room 147 – Do not arrive late!)*

Blog Post Bonus Deadline Saturday, November 8th

Exam 3 (Saturday, November 22nd from 10 AM to 11:30 AM Room 147 – Do not arrive late!)*

TVM Tutorial Deadline Saturday, November 22nd (Must complete or you will receive a 'F' in course.)

Cumulative Final Exam: Saturday, December 6th from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM

*Must bring Scan-tron, financial calculator, pencils, and student ID to all exams.

IMPORTANT! Please make sure you are enrolled

VERY IMPORTANT: Please verify with your MyMav student account that you are registered for this course. You need to be registered for this course to receive a grade.

Also, note that this course is not registered under Distance Learning and there is no additional distance learning fee associated with this course. The course is entirely administered through the website www.uta.edu/faculty/hansz and this course blog (WebCT is used only for posting grades after each exam and will not be setup until after the first exam date).

I am doing all the website adminisitration myself. I polled students last Spring and asked if they would have preferred a little more polished website administration with a corresponding fee. The response, overwelhming, was that the website and format was functional and to keep it the same.

If any of you younger tech savy hot shots have any suggestions for improvements, I am all ears (send me an e-mail). I am pushing 40 years-old, but I am doing my best to keep up with technology and you kids. I cannot guarantee that I can implement suggestions immediately but I will definately take note of any suggestions for future course development.

You will have a chance to submit annoymous evaluations of this course and format before the start of the third exam. Unless I hear othwise from you (the students), I will keep the format the same and continue to do all the website work myself (and not charge any additional fees).

Hours for Finance (TVM) Tutorial Fall 2008

Mr. Yongho Seo is the Finance TVM Tutor and he has already set office hours. His office is located in room 404 Business Building and his phone number is (817) 272-3835. If you have any problems locating Seo during the listed hours (below), call the Department Office at 817 272-3705 or stop by room 434 to let the staff know.

Monday 2:30-5 PM
Tuesday 10:00-12:30 PM
Wednesday 4:30-7 PM
Thursday 2:30-5 PM

Please use this service! The TVM proceeds (fees) goes to providing this help to you.

Reminders

Please use the e-mail address reae3325online@gmail.com for all e-mail communication for this class.

This is not a requirement, but you can send me an e-mail just to connect the first week of class. Also, don't forget that you can make post to this blog. If you have a question, post it on the blog. I bet several other student will have a similar question and benefit from the post.