FIN 301 – Introduction to Finance
Department of Finance
Winter 2024

Course grades will be determined by combining points on homework assignments and exams.

If you miss a midterm exam, we require supporting documentation pertaining to the absence within two business days following the missed midterm exam (or as soon as possible with regards to the circumstances underlying the absence). If you can provide supporting documentation, the weight of the missed midterm will be applied equally to the remaining exams. If you do not have supporting documentation, you will receive a mark of zero.

If you feel that your midterm mark is incorrect, you must notify us in writing during the one-week period following the posting of the midterm marks. After that, the problem will not be researched. Please note that a request to have one question on your midterm re-graded entails a request to have the entire exam re-graded.

Deferred final examinations will be allowed for students following University procedures for obtaining deferrals. Students interested in a deferred final exam should consult the Undergraduate Office. More information can be found in Academic Regulations, University Regulations and Information for Students of the University Calendar.

Homework assignments are due by the dates shown in the table below. Answers to assignments will be submitted through a quiz on eClass. Submissions are accepted until 4pm on the due date. Late submissions will not be accepted for any reason. If you fail to submit a homework assignment on time, you will receive a grade of zero for that assignment unless you provide supporting documentation of the reason for failing to submit your homework. With supporting documentation, the weight of the missed homework will be transferred equally to the remaining homework assignments (or to the final if you miss the last assignment).

There are six homework assignments. These assignments are intended to provide additional practice of key concepts and are important for exam preparation. Each assignment accounts for one percentage point of the overall course mark. For each assignment, students who score 25% or more pass the assignment and receive one percentage point; students who score less than 25% receive a zero. The solutions will be posted, and it is highly recommended that you compare your answers to the posted solutions. Homework due dates are as follows:

You cannot hope to absorb the material by “cramming” the week before the exams. While the final will focus on the material covered following the midterms, finance is a cumulative discipline, that is, students with a poor understanding of the midterm material are unlikely to do well on the final. You cannot assume that all the material needed for the exams will be covered in class.

Homework assignments, midterm exams, and final exam represent the only marks available. Extra work to improve your grade will not be offered.

Final grades will be assigned based on the total points accumulated throughout the semester (see also the table above). The final course grade will reflect your absolute achievements and relative performance in the class in accordance with the University of Alberta Policies and Procedures.

Once assigned, the final grade in the class will not be changed except in the case of a recording or grading error.

enforced as strictly as University policies allow.

Sharing, posting, and viewing any material (e.g., slides, homework assignments, exam questions, solutions, etc.) on any medium (e.g., Facebook, message board, Chegg, Course Hero, etc.) is strictly prohibited. If you come across any such postings, please contact me at [email protected].

Your calculator is a tool and cannot substitute for an understanding of the problem-solving process. Instructors will not spend any time (in class or in office hours) explaining the use of your calculator. A financial calculator (e.g., the Texas Instruments BA II PLUS) is not required; all exam questions can be solved without a financial calculator.

We have designated some end-of-chapter problems that we think reflect important aspects of the material. These problems are not graded or collected. In the past, some students have found it useful to work on these problems as we cover the corresponding topics in class. Others felt that they spent valuable time on end-of-chapter problems at the expense of the material covered in class. In other words: how much time, if any, you spend on solving the end-of chapter problems will depend on how helpful you find them in understanding the material. Solutions to the end-of-chapter problems are available on eClass.

Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).

Policies about course outlines can be found in Course Requirements, Evaluation Procedures and Grading of the University Calendar.