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Syllabus: Personal Finance in Early Adulthood

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Course Description

This course introduces basic financial well-being concepts and practices for the management of resources and prevention of financial problems commonly associated with college, including credit and student loans. Offered on a satisfactory-fail basis only.

  • Course Name: HDFS 183: Personal Finance in Early Adulthood
  • Department: Human Development and Family Studies
  • Current Semester and Year: Fall 2023
  • Credit Hours and Expectations: 1 credit. A student enrolled in a one-credit class is expected to have one hour of classroom instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class work each week. This means you can expect a minimum of 3 hours of work for the course each week.
  • Course Prerequisites: None
  • Course Format: This course will be delivered entirely online through Canvas, ISU’s course learning management system. Use your ISU Net-ID account to login to the course from the Canvas login page (http://canvas.iastate.edu/).

    In Canvas, you will access course materials and resources. The materials are a blend of progressive activities using Canvas and alternative Internet-based technologies. Activities will consist of readings, videos, exercises, assignments, quizzes, email, and discussion forums. The course content and material, along with activities and assignments are constructed in 8 modules. The course content and material, along with activities and assignments are constructed in 8 modules. The Module activities and assignments are due Sundays at 11:59 PM Central Time Zone. Module content will close per due dates listed on the Summary of Module Assignments Table provided later in the syllabus. The course is designed progressively, meaning all module activities need to be completed in order and the next module will open up only when the previous module requirements are complete. For a module to count as complete there needs to be interaction with each module page, each discussion forum question answered, each assignment submitted according to instructions provided, and each quiz completed. Assignment details are provided within each module.

Instructor Information

Instructor: Mengya Wang

Email: mwang19@iastate.edu

Student hours: Virtual or In-Person Meetings Arranged by Request

You can contact your instructor in the following ways:

Course Objectives (COs)

Upon completing this course, students will be able to do the following:

CO 1: Explain basic components of financial wellness

CO 2: Recognize the importance of savings

CO 3: Develop and maintain tools for tracking spending, income, and expense

CO 4: Identify terminology, actions, and policies that impact consumer credit

CO 5: Select appropriate risk management strategy when considering cost and loss

Course Materials

Required materials

  • The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn't Have to Be Complicated by Harold Pollack and Helaine Olen (digitally available through ISU Immediate Access Program, please see the details about the program at the end of the syllabus)
  • Your Spending, Your Savings, Your Future. A Beginner’s Guide to Financial Readiness. Developed by the National Endowment for Financial Education. 2017 (free download, linked in multiple Modules on Canvas course site)
  • Other readings (free download) will be made available in weekly units within Canvas.

Learning Activities

To successfully complete this course, you will do the following:

  • View readings and instructional videos.
  • Complete self-assessments and reflections, quizzes, worksheet assignments, and other exercises.
  • Participate in discussions.
  • Reach out to the instructor with course-related questions.

 

Assessment & Grading

Assessments

The course is designed and organized to allow ample time to complete the required course work. Based on feedback from 100s of students who took the course previously, the amount of course work required is reasonable and manageable.

This is not a self-paced course. Modules with assignments and activities will be opened for a limited time. Be sure to pay close attention to deadlines—there will be no make-up assignments and late work will not be accepted without a serious and compelling reason and instructor approval.

Points or a Check Mark will be given for completing each course assignment and/or exercise and it will be posted to the Canvas Grade Book. Click on the Grades link on the left-hand side of the navigation pane to view your progress toward a satisfactory grade. Be sure to check for feedback about your graded assignments, in many cases we ask students to revise and submit an assignment.

Grade Distribution

This course does not assign a letter grade; it is offered on a satisfactory-fail basis only. Consequently, course work is evaluated as satisfactory or not satisfactory and activities and assignments must be completed to a satisfactory level in order to earn a Pass in the course. A description of the requirements of ‘satisfactory’ are provided below and in the Canvas modules.

You can accumulate points by participating in the following way:

Table 1. Grade Distribution
Participation area Overall Grade Calculation (Percent) Description
Exercises 33 Various exercises and assignments will help you apply the course material and learn important financial skills. Specific instructions for each exercise are provided in Canvas modules.
Quizzes 25 Each module has 1 or more quizzes based on readings, resources and videos. The quizzes are open-book, open notes. A mastery of the content (scoring 8 out 10 or greater) is considered satisfactory to receive credit except for Quiz 1 (a score of 10 out of 10 is required). Quizzes can be re-taken until you master the material.
Discussions 16 Discussion prompts for each module will be posted; a response is expected to earn participation credit. Students are expected to write a discussion of at least 150 words on the Monday the new Module starts. 5 additional points can be earned by posting a reply to a classmate’s discussion post for Discussions 2-8 (1 point per reply). One point will be added to your Discussion points when you Reply with a Comment for that Module. These points add up!
Assessments 6 Self-evaluations and reflections allow you to consider various aspects of your personal finances. Credit is received for completing the assessments. The actual score on your reflection is not consequential to your overall grade.
Tracking Your Spending for 15 Days 5 Students will track their spending during a specified timeframe using the form provided on Canvas under ‘Term Assignments’ Page. The assignment helps students understand their consumer habits and how they might need to adjust their spending in order to maintain a monthly budget and reach goals.
Revised Spending Plan 5 Students will complete a revised, zero-based budget and reflect on the budgeting experience. The budget assignment is specified under the Canvas Page “Term Assignments’. 
Your Financial Independence Budget 10 The purpose of this assignment is for students to imagine their financially independent lives. Students will research a profession and provide estimates for housing, transportation, insurance, retirement contributions, savings, etc. Specific instructions are provided on Canvas.
Total Points Possible 100

Grading Scheme

The following grading standards will be used in this class:

There are course components that must be completed at a satisfactory level to earn a final grade of “satisfactory” in the class. Missing any one (or more) of these element(s) will result in a final grade of “Fail.”  The Canvas course website provides details on each assigned item along with announcements and reminders on due dates. Final grades assigned for this course will be based on these criteria:

Table 2. Grading Scheme
Letter grade Performance
Satisfactory/Pass (S) Students must participate in all 8 Modules. All exercises (including Tracking Your Spending for 15 Days, Revised Spending Plan, and Financial Independence Budget) and quizzes must be submitted. A student’s final course grade is a satisfactory/pass when the total grade is 80% or higher. In addition, Exercise 2.3: Make A Budget needs to be at least 3.5 out of 5; Tracking Your Spending for 21 Days, Your Revised Budget, and Exercise 8.3: Financial Independence Budget need to be at least 8 out of 10 in order to pass the course.
Fail (F) Final grade earned in the course is less than 80%. Did not participate in all 8 Modules. Did not submit all exercises, assessments, and quizzes.
Important note: For more information about grading at Iowa State, visit the academic policies and grading section of the university catalog.

Course Policies

Participation

Students are expected to participate in all online activities as listed on the course calendar and in the weekly modules. New items, discussion postings, and occasional revisions will be posted continuously on our Canvas course site and you will need to visit the site regularly to obtain announcements and assignments, read online materials, and participate in discussions.

Build Rapport

If you find that you have any trouble keeping up with assignments or other aspects of the course, make sure you let us know as early as possible. As you will find, building rapport and effective relationships are key to becoming an effective professional. Make sure that you are proactive in informing us when and if difficulties arise during the semester so that we can help you find a solution.

Feedback

All graded assessments will be returned with feedback within 7 days of the due date. Personalized feedback will be provided for each assignment and reflection. In addition, responses to common questions and unclear content will be posted at the conclusion of each module.  Comments will be posted at the conclusion of each discussion.

Complete Assignments

All assignments for this course will be submitted electronically through Canvas unless otherwise instructed. Assignments must be submitted by the given deadline or special permission must be requested from instructor before the due date. Extensions will not be given beyond the next assignment except under extreme circumstances. All discussion assignments must be completed by the assignment due date and time. Missing assignments will affect the student’s grade.

Understand When You May Drop This Course

It is the student’s responsibility to understand when they need to consider disenrolling from a course. Refer to Iowa State’s Course Schedule for dates and deadlines for registration.

Textbook Information

This course is enrolled in the Iowa State University Immediate Access Program. 

What is Immediate Access? 

Immediate Access is a collaborative affordability initiative between the ISU Book Store, faculty and publishers. Students that are enrolled in an Immediate Access course will receive access to all required digital course materials the first day of class and at a reduced cost compared to the national average. 

What is the title and price of the required content for this course? 

This information is posted in your student booklist through Access Plus, or it can be accessed by going to www.isubookstore.com/textbooks and searching by the course for which you are enrolled. 

How is Immediate Access billed? 

You will be automatically charged on your u-bill for this digital content. The billing description on your ubill will show the department and course number, followed by “IMMED ACCESS” and the last 4 digits of the billing ISBN. Below is an example of the billing description for a student enrolled in PSYCH 101. 

“PSYCH 101 IMMED ACCESS 2187” 

What if I drop the course? 

Students who drop the course within the first 10 days of class will receive a refund on their u-bill (5 days for courses 8 weeks or shorter). YOU DO NOT HAVE TO NOTIFY THE BOOKSTORE IF YOU DROP THE COURSE. This is an automated process. 

Can I opt out of Immediate Access? 

Students may choose to opt out of the program. Opting out does not mean you are dropping the course. It simply means you are choosing not to receive the digital content from the bookstore and you must find another way to acquire it in order to complete required homework assignments. Students have within the first 10 days of class to opt out and receive a refund to their u-bill (5 days for courses 8 weeks or shorter). Instructions on how to opt out will be emailed shortly before classes start. 

How do I access the required digital content? 

There is a tool on the Navigation Menu of your Canvas course called  Immediate Access Course Materials. You will receive an email shortly before class’s start that will instruct you on how to access the required digital course materials. You may not be able to access the digital content until the first day of class. 

For further questions about Immediate Access please email immediateaccess@iastate.edu. 

Required ISU Syllabus Statement

Free Expression

Iowa State University supports and upholds the First Amendment protection of freedom of speech and the principle of academic freedom in order to foster a learning environment where open inquiry and the vigorous debate of a diversity of ideas are encouraged. Students will not be penalized for the content or viewpoints of their speech as long as student expression in a class context is germane to the subject matter of the class and conveyed in an appropriate manner.

Recommended ISU Syllabus Statements

Academic Dishonesty

The class will follow Iowa State University’s policy on academic misconduct (5.1 in the Student Code of Conduct). Students are responsible for adhering to university policy and the expectations in the course syllabus and on coursework and exams, and for following directions given by faculty, instructors, and Testing Center regulations related to coursework, assessments, and exams. Anyone suspected of academic misconduct will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct in the Dean of Students Office. Information about academic integrity and the value of completing academic work honestly can be found in the Iowa State University Academic Integrity Tutorial.

Accessibility Statement

Iowa State University is committed to advancing equity, access, and inclusion for students with disabilities. Promoting these values entails providing reasonable accommodations where barriers exist to students’ full participation in higher education. Students in need of accommodations or who experience accessibility-related barriers to learning should work with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to identify resources and support available to them. Staff at SAS collaborate with students and campus partners to coordinate accommodations and to further the academic excellence of students with disabilities. Information about SAS is available online at www.sas.dso.iastate.edu, by email at accessibility@iastate.edu, or by phone at 515-294-7220.

Discrimination and Harassment

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612,  Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu

Prep Week

This class follows the Iowa State University Prep Week policy as noted in section 10.6.4 of the Faculty Handbook.

Religious Accommodation

Iowa State University welcomes diversity of religious beliefs and practices, recognizing the contributions differing experiences and viewpoints can bring to the community. There may be times when an academic requirement conflicts with religious observances and practices. If that happens, students may request the reasonable accommodation for religious practices. In all cases, you must put your request in writing. The instructor will review the situation in an effort to provide a reasonable accommodation when possible to do so without fundamentally altering a course. For students, you should first discuss the conflict and your requested accommodation with your professor at the earliest possible time. You or your instructor may also seek assistance from the Dean of Students Office at 515-294-1020 or the Office of Equal Opportunity at 515-294-7612.

Contact Information For Academic Issues

If you are experiencing, or have experienced, a problem with any of the above statements, email academicissues@iastate.edu

(Important note to faculty: The email address for contact information is monitored and answered through the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost)

Disclaimer: The information in this syllabus is subject to change in extenuating circumstances. Changes to the course syllabus will be provided in writing and announced via course-wide announcements.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due