Materials
Updated: 10.9.2020
This section will go over the main administrative details and deliverables of the course and ask you to demonstrate your understanding with a short quiz that you need to pass (unlimited attempts) before starting Module I.
Course Progress and Administration
- The course proceeds through modules. All information relevant to achieve each module's learning goals can be found in the respective module page (or is referred to in the course literature) - Information does not mean content. A large part of the study material consists of chapters in the coursebook!
- You can follow your progress by accessing the progress bar.
- You are to complete modules sequentially. The indicated time frames in brackets are suggestions of progress with the end date being a binding deadline for submitting the graded exercises (if available). You can always be faster but never slower than the indicated time frame.
- Questions on content are to be asked in the Q&A forums in each module (not via email). Questions will be answered swiftly by the instructors in written form in the forum. Once per module, there may be an explainer video where the instructor will discuss questions requiring additional explanation. If a reply in written form in the forum to a question is not sufficient then please reply with the request for further explanation. Such questions should be entered two days prior to the module completion date. If there are no such questions, there will be no videos.
Course Material
- The relevant course literature includes:
- the coursebook Petersen, T & Plenborg, C. (2011). Financial Statement Analysis: Valuation - Credit Analysis - Executive Compensation. Prentice Hall. The book is available via the Learning Center and can be bought for example from the publisher or AdLibris as well as a PDF through Vital Source as a newer version. While studying using provided slides and articles is possible I would highly advise access to the coursebook. The instructors assume that you have access to the coursebook. Please follow the services of the Learning Centre during the coronavirus pandemic: https://www.aalto.fi/en/learning-centre/our-services-during-the-exceptional-circumstances
- Additional literature is provided in the individual module sections
- Instructional videos in each module section
- Other content such as links to relevant outside sources
Workload
- The workload necessary to complete the course is 162 hours translating to 6 ECTS.
- Exercises - 10 hours
- Course Project and Peer Evaluation - 60 hours
- Independent Study based on the module requirements - 90 hours
- Exam - 3 hours
- Naturally, the outcome you will achieve depends on your general ability and other contextual factors.
Assessment - Assignments (15%), Course Project (35%), Peer Evaluation (10%), and Exam (40%)
- Quizzes. Every module provides several self-assessment opportunities as non-graded quizzes to assess whether you understood the content and are ready to proceed to graded activities, the next section, or the final exam. Those quizzes are either provided through the MyCourses platform or can be "played" through String Learning relating to the relevant book chapters.
- Exercises. Modules altogether contain a total of three (3) mandatory assignments. Each assignment is graded out of 10 points, resulting in a total of 30 possible points. Exercises contribute 15/100 (fifteen out of one hundred) points to the final grade and will be converted from 30 to 15 by the rule of proportion (i.e. (Ex1+Ex2+Ex3) / 2).
- Student Project. The student project (equity analyst research report) contributes 35/100 (thirty-five out of one hundred) points to the final grade. It is to be conducted in groups of a maximum of five students (doing the project as individually is possible but discouraged due to an over-proportional amount of work). Please pick a group as soon as possible, but the latest by the end of Module 0. Assessment will be done through peer assessment that is validated by the instructors. Not pulling your own weight in group work will lead to a significant downgrading of your individual grade. Teams are advised to inform the instructor ASAP via email in case they experience dysfunctional group members.
- Peer Evaluation. Peer evaluation is an essential part of the course and it contributes 10/100 (ten out of one hundred) points to the final grade..
- Exam. The final (and retake) exam contributes to 40/100 (forty out of one hundred) points to the final grade. It will be administered through MyCourses and will take place on Monday 19.10. at 13:00-16:00. Time pressure is high and questions will be selected from a randomized question bank.
- You can carry over grades from the previous year if you inform via this link before the first assignment is due.
Learning [and Bonus Points (5%)] through Self-Reflection
Self-reflection is a key work-life skill. It enhances your learning through critical reflection and enables you to take action when necessary. From a pedagogical perspective, self-reflection connects old/existing knowledge with new content, leading to a higher likelihood of achieving long-term learning outcomes. At the same time, they provide a tool for the instructor to judge individual learning progress and provide guidance where necessary. I will provide feedback on your diary quality and potential questions where applicable. This course uses self-reflection in two ways:
- Every topic is preceded by 1-X questions that direct your attention and reflection. Before you start your topic, I would advise you to answer those questions for yourself to get a baseline understanding. Upon completion of a given topic, you could then revise your answer and note to yourself what was new.
- You can earn a total of 5 bonus points in total by reflecting publicly on the course content of the respective module in the respective discussion forum - one point per reflection per module. Reflections should be no shorter than 140 words. You can choose what you reflect on, for example, your previous work experience, your project company, Corona impact, another student's reflection (be sure to use the reply button in this case), or anything else that comes to mind.
Final Course Grade
- The final course grade is the weighted sum of Assignments (15%), Course Project (35%), Peer Evaluation (10%), Exam (40%), and Bonus (5%) = 105 points. Please refer to the grade book to follow your progress towards the final grade in real-time
- The points translate into the Aalto 0-5 grading scheme in the following manner: 5 (105-91 points), 4 (90-81 points), 3 (80-71 points), 2 (70-61 points), 1 (60-50 points) and 0/fail (49-0 points)
- You need to pass both parts of the grading with at least 50% of the maximum points available: Assignments and Course project with 30 points and the Exam with 20 points. Bonus points are only considered when passing these two hurdles.
As this is an asynchronous online course it is of paramount importance that you have understood the course structure and expectations. As a result, we kindly ask you to take the Syllabus Quiz to demonstrate this understanding. Only after passing the syllabus quiz will you obtain access to the individual module sections (note that modules open up once the course stated only, but you can pass the syllabus quiz beforehand).
If you have taken this course previously AND would like to use your previous exercise points, please inform here by checking the respective time when you took the course. If you don't please ignore this message. To be able to carry over your points you need to inform via this tool before the first assignment is due.
Are you struggling to find a group? Or are you searching for additional members for your group? You can use this forum to find a group. Just post a message that you are looking for a group/additional member. You may also give some additional information (e.g. your group name, what is the name of the company you would like to analyze, preferred group size, etc.). Please use this tool to enroll yourself in a group: Group Choice
Please remove your post once your group is ready, thanks.
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Passing the Syllabus quiz is mandatory before proceeding to the course modules. Take the quiz here!