FIN302, Fall 2011
Spreadsheet Skills in Finance
Instructor: Pamela Peterson Drake
Course information
Course:
FIN302 Spreadsheet Skills in Finance
Course code:
Class
meetings:
Location:
Section 2
76036
Tuesdays and Thursdays
9:30AM-10:45AM
Room 109 ZSH
Section 3
76037
Tuesdays and Thursdays
2:00PM – 3:15 PM
Room 109 ZSH
Instructor information
Instructor:
Office:
Office hours:
Phone:
Email:
Pamela Peterson Drake, PhD, CFA
335 ZSH
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays:
Tuesdays and Thursdays:
540.658.6530
drakepp@jmu.edu
10:30AM-Noon
11:30-Noon
Course description
This course is a skills-based course is intended to increase a student’s abilities in using spreadsheet
applications. The course is taught at two levels, with students assigned to the level based on an examination
at the beginning of the semester.
Course learning outcomes
1. Apply spreadsheet skills, including financial functions, to solve financial problems.
2. Analyze databases using reference functions and PivotTables.
3. Use ActiveX and Macros to produce efficiencies in analyses using spreadsheets.
Requirements and policies
1. Required material


Online enrollment in the Harvard Business School’s Spreadsheet Modeling course. The link is
provided through the course Blackboard site. Students must enroll in the online course; the online
course is used instead of a textbook and will be used for the skills pre-test.
Online readings, labeled “How To”, prepared by the instructor. These readings are available
through the course Blackboard site.
FIN490B: Spreadsheet Skills in Finance [Fall 2011]
1
2. Grading
Your grade depends on the following items, with weights noted:
Weight in
Item
course grade
Pre-test
0%
Final exam
50%
Portfolio
50%
Total for the course
100%
The grade for the course is assigned using the weighted average of your scores, P, and the following scale:
[93 < P < 100] = A
[79 < P < 83] = B[67 < P < 69] = D+
[89 < P < 93] = A[77 < P < 79] = C+
[63 < P < 67] = D
[87 < P < 89] = B+
[73 < P < 77] = C
[59 < P < 63] = D[83 < P < 87] = B
[69 < P < 73] = C[P < 59] = F
3. Attendance
Class attendance for lectures/demonstrations is expected and required for the sessions based on your
assigned Level. Attendance for workshops is not required. Please see the schedule of class meetings and
workshops posted on Blackboard.
4. Assignments
The assignments, along with deadlines, are available on the course Blackboard site. Completion of the
assignment requires submitting the resultant spreadsheet file using the appropriate assignment link.
Assignments are not graded, but are reviewed for completion. Failure to complete an assignment by the
specified deadline will result in a loss of one percentage point from the course grade.1
5. Exams
Students are required to complete the pre-test by Midnight, September 4th. Failure to do so will result in
the student being dropped from the course. The final exam is an online exam that is taken during the final
exam week.
6. Academic honesty
The James Madison University Honor Code governs all student activities throughout the course. All
students are expected to be aware of and abide by the JMU Honor Code. Students’ written work will be
examined closely for violations of the Honor Code, and there is no tolerance for violations of the Honor
Code. Please note that academic dishonesty includes using another student’s spreadsheet as a basis for a
graded assignment. For the Honor Code, and procedures related to violations of the Honor Code, please
see the www.jmu.edu/honor/code.shtml.
7. Americans with disabilities accommodation
Students may seek accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should review James Madison University's
ADA Policy and work with the James Madison University’s Office for Students with Disabilities. Students
requiring special accommodations under ADA for testing situations must provide at least one week notice
of the need for such accommodation.
8. Contacting the instructor
Students are encouraged to visit the instructor during office hours, as well as to communicate through
email.
1
Therefore, a student with a course average of 87% and one missed assignement will receive an 86%.
FIN490B: Spreadsheet Skills in Finance [Fall 2011]
2
9. James Madison University deadlines
Last day to drop a class:
Last day to drop a class with a W:
September 6, 2011
October 27, 2011
Please check the Registrar’s web site for additional dates and deadlines.
10. James Madison University policies, College of Business policies, and other course policies
a) Religious observance. Students may request an accommodation for religious observance. The faculty
member determines the appropriate accommodations for the particular missed class, assignment, or
exam. Students should notify the faculty by no later than September 6, 2011 of potential scheduled
absences and determine with the instructor if mutually acceptable alternative methods exist for
completing the missed exam. Please see “Absence Policy” in the University Catalog.
b) Americans with disabilities accommodation. Students may seek accommodations in accordance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities needing academic
accommodations should review James Madison University's ADA Policy and work with the James
Madison University’s Office for Students with Disabilities. Students requiring special accommodations
under ADA for testing situations must provide at least one week notice of the exam of the need for
such accommodation.
c) Inclement weather. In the event of inclement weather, class will be held online at the scheduled time
using Elluminate; students are expected to log on to Blackboard at the scheduled class meeting and
join the Illuminate session. Students unable to join the class may view a recorded version at a later
time. Please see “Makeup Days for Classes Missed Due to Inclement Weather or Emergency” in the
University Catalog.
d) Academic honesty. The James Madison University Honor Code governs all student activities
throughout the course. All students are expected to be aware of and abide by the JMU Honor Code.
Students’ work will be examined closely for violations of the Honor Code, and there is no tolerance for
violations of the Honor Code. An Honor Code violation will result in consequences ranging from a
failure in the assignment or exam to failure in the course. Please see the Honor Code for procedures
related to violations. www.jmu.edu/honor/code.shtml.
e) WF, WP, and I “grades”. WF, WP and I are generally not available as grade options in this course.
Incompletes and withdrawals after the withdrawal deadlines (that is, I, WP and WF) are reserved for
extraordinary situations beyond the control of the student that are unrelated to performance in the
course. Such grades are assigned only at the discretion of the instructor after a review of the
circumstances and the student’s written request, and with the approval of
11. Technical skill development
Students will be continuing improvement of technical skills through the use of Microsoft Excel in their
casework.
Specific functions/skills addressed in this course:
ActiveX
Macros
Database management
Math and logic
Depreciation functions
PivotTables
Dynamic charting
Reference functions
Dynamic tables
Simultaneous equations
Financial functions
Solve it
Graphing
Statistics
FIN490B: Spreadsheet Skills in Finance [Fall 2011]
3