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Welcome to FINA150 – Economics and Personal Finance

Welcome to FINA150 – Economics and Personal Finance.

Please find some useful information as you begin to prepare for FINA150.  Please read and review the syllabus and welcome letter.  If you have questions, please ask. Also, there are two short videos located at https://cfr.longwood.edu/epf/ with additional course information.

  • If you have not received your Longwood credentials for email, my.longwood.edu and Canvas, please check your spam folder as this information was sent to the email used when registering for the course. If you cannot locate the email, please contact the help desk at 434-395-4357 (M-F, 8-5, CLOSED ON WEEKENDS).  Instructions for tuition payment was (or will be) sent to your Longwood email.  Please be patient and be assured that you will not be dropped from the course.
    • If you have technological issues with email or CANVAS, please contact Longwood’s Helpdesk at 434-395-4357 or helpdesk@longwood.edu. Helpdesk is NOT open on weekends!!!!
  • Course tuition – No one will get dropped from the course for non-payment.  However, Longwood’s policy is not to release transcripts until all tuitions and fees have been paid.
  • Longwood repeat policy – Longwood students are allowed to repeat a course if they wish, however it is Longwood’s policy that the latest grade is the one of record, even if it is a lower grade. This may or may not impact the grade your high school uses for your EPF grade; however, Longwood has no control or influence on other school policies. The student should be aware that the latter grade earned will be the official grade on Longwood transcript and the one sent to other colleges that you might apply should you want to transfer the course. If you have questions, please ask.
  • Immunizations records are NOT required for this course. Please disregard any such emails.
  • Picture ID NEEDED FOR EXAMS. If you do not have an ID, view this short video.
  • Students must have a computer with video/audio capability. If this is an issue, you should drop the course by contacting the registrar’s office at registrar@longwood.edu.  Exams will be proctored using HonorLock, an online proctoring system to deter cheating.
    The syllabus provides information on textbook and financial calculator.
  • Students may work ahead, however may not complete any assignment after posted deadlines.
  • Students MAY NOT use notes or books during quizzes or exams.  Students must use a financial calculator and NOT a cell phone APP.  Cell phones are not permitted during any graded assignment. ​
  • All course material can be found at http://www.drbenniewaller.com (password: FINA150) with all graded assignments found at canvas.longwood.edu.
  • Email is the expected means of communication. Faculty will respond to pertinent emails within 24 hours of receipt, excluding weekends and holidays. Faculty may NOT respond to emails asking questions that have been previously been covered in the syllabus or in other communication. If you wish to communicate with me or Dr. Wentland, please email us from your Longwood email to our Longwood email account (wallerbd@longwood.edu) or (wentlandsa@longwood.edu).
    • Emails sent from non-Longwood email accounts may not be opened due to security concerns or may not be received due to spam filters. Please communicate with your Longwood email account.
    • If you receive an email about a topic that is not pertinent to you, please disregard and do not feel the need to respond. There are many students in this class and the best way to communicate is via mass emails.
  • This is a college course and students (NOT parents) are expected to communicate only directly with the professor(s)! If you have questions, please contact us, we want to help you be successful.
  • Students must take their WISE exam on at scheduled time (see syllabus).
    • The WISE exam is a standardized national exam and ONLY scratch paper may be used. This exam has 50 questions, and you have 45 minutes to complete.  This is a pass/fail exam which requires a 65% to pass.  It covers only personal finance and the questions are fundamental in nature.
  • Students should be aware of the drop and withdrawal dates. Please contact the registrar’s office with questions concerning the withdrawal or drop dates at 434-395-2580 or registrar@longwood.edu.
  • Your final grade will be sent to your high school upon completion of the course. If you wish to view your final grade, you can do so at My.Longwood.edu. Grades will not be given out via email or over the phone.
  • If you would like a copy of your Longwood transcript, or would like to request your transcript be forwarded to another University, please contact the Registrar’s office at 434-395-2580 or registrar@longwood.edu.

No one is perfect and if we have made any mistake, we desperately want to correct it immediately.  However, we have been doing this a long time and chances are we know the answers.  This is a college course, and the material is identical to that taught to traditional Longwood students.

  • As such, starting an email with “you made a mistake isn’t the best approach”.  This course is 100% objective in terms of answers on graded assignments. That is, we don’t debate grammar, or process.  Just if the answer is right/wrong.  However, we want to help you to understand the material.  So please ask if you have questions. Maybe a suggested approach to a question you were sure you got right, but got marked wrong might be “Dr. Waller, I was sure that I understood this question, but it shows that I missed this question.  Here was my rationale for my answer, would you please help me understand where I went wrong?”
  • There is no extra credit or retakes for any graded assignment.
  • There will be no extensions due to slow internet, computer, software, or other technical issues.  As per the syllabus, the student is responsible for their technology.
  • If any adjustments are made to any graded assignment, the entire class will receive an email.  Everyone will be treated the same.
  • WISE scores will be posted on CANVAS within 48 hours of completion.
    • A score of 65% is required to pass.
      • For students that do not pass the WISE, there will be 1 retake approximately one week after the original exam date.
    • Remember, WISE scores do not factor into your FINA150 final grade, however does fulfill a high school graduation requirement. Please see your HS counselor if you have questions.
  • Final grades will be sent to your high school.  We report both the numerical and letter grade.  Your final letter grade will be based on the grading scale in course syllabus. Longwood has no control over how your high school weights your grade.
    • If you would like to have an official copy of your Longwood transcript, please contact registration office.
  • If you feel that you were treated different or unfairly in the course, as a Longwood student you have the right to appeal your grade.  More information about the process can be found in Longwood student handbook.

FERPA protects the privacy interests of students in their education records. It generally prohibits the disclosure of a student’s personally identifiable information from education records without the consent of the parent/guardian or eligible student. An eligible student is one who reaches the age of 18 years old and/or attends a postsecondary educational institution, in which case the rights of the parent/guardian transfer to the student.

Under DualEnroll.com, students and high school guidance counselors share GPA, test scores and other relevant information with college admissions and registrar personnel to facilitate the college admission/registration process for jointly authorized dual enrollment courses. The DualEnroll.com service acts as a trusted custodian with full awareness of and adherence to FERPA compliance requirements.

The U.S. Department of Education publishes a variety of FERPA compliance materials including a helpful FAQ located here. FAQ number 7 is specific to Dual Enrollment:

What if my child is a minor and he or she is taking classes at a local college while still in high school – do I have rights?

If a student is attending a postsecondary institution – at any age – the rights under FERPA have transferred to the student. However, in a situation where a student is enrolled in both a high school and a postsecondary institution, the two schools may exchange information on that student. If the student is under 18, the parent/guardian still retains the rights under FERPA at the high school and may inspect and review any records sent by the postsecondary institution to the high school.

Suggested structure for the course

  1. Students should view/listen to YouTube lectures found at http://www.drbenniewaller.com (password: FINA150).
  2. Read the associated material (textbook or provided material) paying close attention to the material that was emphasized in the lecture.
  3. Take the practice quiz found at the end of each module, carefully reviewing material which posed difficulty. These practice quizzes ARE NOT graded and can be taken multiple times.
  4. Students should contact the professor for assistance only after attempting to resolve any questions about missed questions.
  5. Take graded quiz (canvas.longwood.edu).  If there still exist uncertainties in the covered material, the student should review material and/or contact professor.