GRADES *****

Grades will be determined on the basis of total points earned.  Examination and project due dates appear on the class schedule. 

The point distribution for first time takers is as follows:*                                   

The point distribution for course repeaters is as follows:*                                   

 * In the event that we are unable to complete a particular assignment (e.g., take-home exam) or topic, the weighting of the points for determination of the final course grade may be adjusted. The professor will make a good faith effort to inform the class of grade weighting changes before the final exam. Also, please note that in order to obtain a particular grade, in addition to earning enough points to qualify for that grade (e.g., at least 640 points for a grade of "B"): 1) one must score that grade on at least one of the in-class tests - For example, if one earns a total of 650 points but does not score above a 79 on any of the in-class exams, that person will earn a grade of "C" in the course; and, 2) one's team must score that grade on at least one of the four BAM group financial statements.  Finally, students who fail to earn a grade of at least 60 on the midterm exam, or are determined to be making inadequate contributions to their respective BAM teams, may at the instructor' s discretion be removed from their BAM team and put on a new BAM team with other individuals in the same predicament!  

Also, individuals who fail to participate and contribute their fair share to the BAM project as determined by end-of-semester peer reviews and instructor evaluation will not receive a passing grade regardless of their performance in all other aspects of the course!

Class Participation, Attendance, and Conduct:

Successful completion of this class will require extensive class participation in case discussion and the presentation of answers to classroom exercises.  Class members are required to read all of the assigned exercises, problems, cases requirements and to prepare the material as requested. At his discretion, the instructor may ask a student to present his/her material to the class for discussion.  The instructor will assign a grade to the participation based on the nature of each student's involvement.  Your participation grade will be affected significantly by your performance during discussions either as a presenter or as a member of the audience, so daily preparation is required.  Higher participation grades will be given for insightful comments or questions that relate to class material, minimal grades will be assigned for simple questions of clarification, and deductions will be distributed for students attempting to confuse, delay, or embarrass the instructor.  Higher grades will be assigned to students who consistently participate, while minimal grades will be awarded to those who are involved on an infrequent basis.  Should students choose to come to class unprepared to discuss assigned exercises or cases, the instructor may at his option administer unannounced graded quizzes that will be considered in the calculation of final course grades.

Attendance will also be considered when calculating a student’s participation grade. Again, students may miss no more than two classes per semester without a signed doctor’s note.  Those failing to comply with this attendance requirement will lose the curve assigned to all exams.

Please abide by the Perdue School Code of Conduct while in class.  Cell phones are to be turned off, food should not be eaten during class, and hats are disallowed.  Please avail yourselves of the restroom facilities BEFORE class so as to avoid disruption during class - you may leave class to use the restroom in an emergency, but those who repeatedly get up during class to leave will be asked to provide a physician's note or face dismissal fro the class for the balance of the period. If you need to leave to go to the restroom , please do so in as quietly as possible and discreetly as possible.

 Examinations:

Individual student exams will be given as scheduled and Make-up tests will be given only if I am provided with a written doctor's note within one-week of the missed test. Students are required to acknowledge their compliance with Salisbury's Academic Integrity policy on all exams as follows:

“I have not had any unsanctioned prior access to this examination and will conduct myself in an honest manner in regard to all aspects of this examination.  Unless authorized by the course professor, I will not discuss the contents of this examination, in general or specific terms, until the examination is administered to all students.”

 Take-Home Research Project Exams:

Take-home research project exams are exercises designed to give each individual student the opportunity to use research tools to investigate financial accounting practice questions.  These questions may be similar to those presented in class, but may also involve topical questions to the accounting community or issues of interest to the class instructor.  Projects are due on the assigned dates.  Late submissions will not be accepted.  These exercises are intended to give the student research experience similar to that required by the public accounting profession.  The research skills developed by these projects will also assist students in their preparation of case requirements.

Homework Assignments:

Students will be asked to individually complete homework assignments during the semester. Again, duplicate copies of each homework assignment should be completed so that one copy can be turned in for grading at the instructor's discretion.  All homework should be supported by computations and each assignment should preferably be typed.

Group Assignments:

Students will be required to work in groups to complete assigned case requirements.  A group or team approach has been adopted for this course for several reasons. First, academic research shows that learning improves when using this technique.  Second, accounting and finance professionals perform a significant amount of their work in groups.  Student groups will be assigned by the instructor during the first week of the semester.  All group assignments are final. Warning: DO NOT TAKE OR DISTRIBUTE BAM ANSWERS FROM OR TO ANYONE OUTSIDE OF YOUR ASSIGNED TEAM! If your team presents an answer to a BAM assignment on the board or on the screen and cannot explain how the answer was derived, every member of the team will be awarded a class participation grade of "0" for that year of BAM.  If it is determined that your team received the solution to that or another other assignment from someone outside of your team, you will all receive a grade of "F" in the class and academic integrity violation charges will be submitted for every member of the team unless I can make a positive ID of the specific violator (s).  Also, this new BAM set of assignments has been modified here and there from the version that we used in the fall.  If any student or team turns in an assignment that replicates that of a previous version of BAM, that person (s) will receive an  automatic grade of "F" in the course, be reported on an Academic Integrity Violation Incident Report with the recommendation that  this person be removed from the Perdue School of Business.

 Electronic Mail and the Internet:

This class will make extensive use of electronic mail (e-mail) and the course home page to promote communication between the instructor and students and to facilitate administration of the course.  For example, students may receive such items as the syllabus, take-home exams, examination results and answers, midterm and final grades, and other miscellaneous informational items through this media.  Students are encouraged to use e-mail to ask the instructor any questions they may have concerning the course or its subject matter, particularly if regular office hours cannot be met or cannot be scheduled.  Students also are asked to periodically check both the course home page for general announcements. Therefore, students enrolling in this class must possess a functioning electronic mail account and be proficient in the use of e-mail and  the Internet.

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