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3.- What can you tell us about the exams?
Exams are open book and, therefore, all questions are problems. I do not pull any surprises during exams. That is, the best way to prepare for the exam is to go over old exams, homework and the exercises we do in class.
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4.- Is the final exam comprehensive?
Yes. The final exam covers all the material covered in class.
You're responsible for everything we covered in class, the homework and everything related in the textbook.
Note: If you have a cellular phone, make sure it is turned off during an exam. If the phone rings during an exam, I will consider your exam finished. I'll ask you to turn it in immediately.
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5.- Do you curve? How is the grade distribution done?
All final scores (FS) will be standardized, that is, (FS - mean of FS)/(SD of FS). Then, grades will be assigned according to the following curve:
|
Higher than 1.0*SD |
A (approximately 15%) |
|
Higher than 0.2*SD |
B (approximately 42%) |
|
Higher than -0.85*SD |
C (approximately 80%) |
|
Higher than -1.4*SD |
D (approximately 92%) |
|
Less than -1.4*SD |
F |
This curve is a bit skewed towards the right (generous) side of the normal curve.
Remark: The mean tends to be very close to the line separating the Bs from the Cs.
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6.- How do I know how I'm doing in class?
If you do very poorly in any of the midterms, I will talk to you. I'll suggest what you can do to improve your performance in class. I'll have a face to face meeting with the students who I see failing the class.
My office doors are always open. You are always welcome to my office to discuss your performance in class.
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7.- Can you explain what is the presentation?
You will be part of a group of no more than three students. You will present and discuss a case based on a news article from a financial source -i.e., Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, etc. The case will have a set of questions that you will have to answer. The presentation of the case should not last for more than 15 minutes. I will evaluate the presentation of the group in three areas: presentation of the article, ability to answer the case questions, and the ability to answer the questions that your classmates will ask.
If this is your first presentation ever in front of a class, you might like to read my presentation tips. Press here for the tips.
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8.- What do you mean by class participation?
I believe that student participation in class is extremely important. Unfortunately, students tend to be passive in class. Making class participation part of the grade is one way to provide an incentive to students to bring questions, problems, ideas into class. In addition, class participation provides students with valuable practice for your next job. Remember that, in your professional life, you will participate in many meetings and group discussions. In those meetings and discussions, you will be expected to ask questions, express your point of views, make comments, etc. In short, you'll be expected to participate.
Every time that you make a relevant question or comment during a class presentation, you will be given credit toward your class participation grade.
Any questions or comments made during a lecture that -I judge- show understanding of a topic will also be taken into account for your class participation grade.
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9.- Are the homework assignments useful?
Homework assignments are aimed towards forcing students to read and think about problems before each exam. Students should read the textbook chapters and lecture notes before attempting to solve the homework assignemts. Some of the questions in the exams will be very similar to the homework problems.
Homework assignments are part of your grade. They are to be taken seriously and an honest effort to solve them is expected. Incomplete solutions, lack of effort in the solution will result in no credit toward your "homework" grade.
Yes, you can fax me your homework if you cannot make it to class.
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10.- What's your teaching philosophy?
I believe that my job is to cover as much material as possible. A couple of years down the road, you will not remember many specific things about the topics covered in your classes. You, however, will (vaguely, perhaps) remember that a topic was covered in a class. And then, you should be able to go back to your notes.
I know that my teaching philosophy might bring short-term unhappiness to many students. But the more we cover now, the better off you will be later.
11.- I work full-time, I am taking 20 hours and I have a spouse and three kids. I don't have a lot of time to study for your class. What can you do to help me?
I admire students with full-time jobs, families and a strong commitment to their education. Being a full-time student, however, is your decision, not mine. A colleague once told me: "When the students graduate in their diploma does not say 'BBA-but worked full time/had problems' or 'BBA-but didn't work full-time/have problems.' We should not grade students differently." I firmly adhere to this concept. I will gladly help and try to accommodate you if something unexpected in your life happens -for example, an unexpected trip related to your job, an illness, etc.
You should consider the gold rule of study time: for each hour of class, you need 2.5 hours of studying. That is, if you take 12 hours per week, you need to study 30 hours per week. If you don't have 30 hours a week to study, do not take 12 hours!
I have no special consideration for graduating students. There are no special problems, assignments, papers, extra-work, etc. Your grade will be based on the same curve and same procedures as the rest of the non-graduating students. And more important, if you need a B to graduate, then study for that B. Professors do not "help" students, only students can help themselves.
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12.- Can you tell us something about your background?
I received a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. I have been a member of the College of Business Administration at UH since 1993. In the U.S., I have previously taught at UCSD, University of Virginia, and University of South Florida.
My research interests are: time-varying volatility, co-movement in financial series, and financial integration in international equity markets.
13.- But, tell us the truth, have you ever made money investing?
Now, you tell me: why do you think I'm here?
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