Information on using this site

Navigating the site

The left hand side of this site contains the structure of this site.

• FIL 242 Home - this is where announcements are posted.  It is likely that any change to this site will be mentioned on the home page.
• Using this site - this page!  It gives you an overall idea of how to interact using this web site.
• FIL 242 Schedule - a calendar of FIL 242.  This page shows the approximate timetable for what we will cover each day.  It also lists exam dates an other important course dates.
• Readings - these include links to material at other sites as well as contributions by students.
• Assignments - details on the market watch project and other homework assignments is available here. I've also posted some questions and problems that are helpful to practice your knowledge of the material.
• Review sheet- here I have put together an outline of chapter topics that you can use as a checklist when you are preparing for exams.
• FIL 242 Glossary- on this page, I've created a quick dictionary of basic investment terms, organized by chapter.
  
• Dr. Ahlgrim contact info - check here if you need to get a hold of me.

Making contributions

This site is a "wiki" which means not only can you access information that is posted (assignments, readings, announcements, review sheets, etc.) it also means you can CONTRIBUTE to the information on this site.  There are two major places that you can contribute - comments and direct content.

Comments. At the bottom of most pages, there is a section that allows you to post comments.  Please don't be shy in asking questions, posting comments, making suggestions, adding links, etc.  I only hope that your comments somewhat relate to finance and/or investments. (This is not the forum for discussing the Bears' offensive woes.) In particular, if there is a comment or question that would benefit the entire class, try to use the comments section so that everyone benefits from the feedback.  For example, if there is uncertainty on a homework question

Directly editing pages. When you are a site member (which I have to create for people), you have the ability to directly edit some of the pages, even earning extra credit for your contributions.  Note that contributions are "signed" by the site member, so we can track changes over time.  Some of the pages are "locked", you don't have access to write to them.  If you want to write on a page, you would click on the orange "edit" button near the top of that page.

Over the course of the semester, I am hoping that all students will help create an online investments "textbook".  By contributing, you can earn up to 10 extra credit points in the class. In general, shorter questions or questions that simply change numbers will receive 1 point per question.  Longer questions or "new" questions will receive 2 points per question.  Other material typically involves 2 points for approximately 200 words.

Specifically, your contributions can include:

• writing numerical problems - I've created several, but problems are the best way to test your knowledge of the material.  In fact, I might even take some of the questions created and put them on exams!
• finding web links - why reinvent the wheel for popular subjects?  I've found some links to other sites that have discussed the material we covered in class.  If you find similar material, please include the links
• writing material - sometimes I cover material in a way that is "unique" and I have not been able to find similar articles on the web.  In lieu of existing material, you could summarize the highlights of a subject by writing original content.  When possible, I will suggest specific areas.
• Definitions/glossary - add a definition or illustrate a term using an example

Suggestions when using the page editor. Note that the editor can be a little sensitive (i.e., frustrating to use).  The interface is simple enough, but getting it to look exactly like you want it to look can be a bit trying.  Here are some suggestions when editing pages:

• Use the WYSIWYG editor.  Once you enter "edit" mode, you will notice that there are two separate editors- "WYSIWYG" and "Wiki".  The wiki editor uses some code, which is a bit unique to netcipia.  Instead, I encourage you to use the "WYSIWYG" editor, which stands for "what you see is what you get."  When using this mode, your edited page should look similar to the final product.
• Use the most basic formatting.  Unfortunately, this editor is not quite as user friendly, nor as easy to use as other word processors, like Microsoft Word.  It is especially difficult to add bells and whistles to the formatting.  I suggest that you use only very, very basic formatting such as bold, italics, and underlines.  In particular, I've had very bad luck using indents and outlines (numbered outlines and bullets). If you keep formatting simple, you will have fewer problems with the WYSIWYG editor.
• Don't use copy/cut and paste.  The editor does not seem to like pasting material that has been copied or cut from other windows or other applications.  TYPE OUT your contributions instead of pasting it in the editing window.

Posting guidelines

Wikis may be used for good or for bad.  One of the benefits of this particular site is that it does a better job tracking changes to each and every page by the various members.  This allows us all to police comments as well as monitor (and undo) any changes made to the pages.  While you should be careful when posting content, recognize that any unintentional changes can be undone.  If you recognize that you've made an error, try to undo the changes in the editor (backwards arrow) or "cancel" changes to the page.  If you accidentally save unwanted content, please contact me ASAP so I can revert back to an earlier version of the page.

As is true with anything you do for this class (and other classes),  be sure to ethical in creating content for this site.  In particular, plagiarism will be monitored very closely as is considered a major violation of professional standards which will have considerable consequences.

Finally, please use appropriate "netiquette" when contributing to the site.  It should go without saying, but do not post anything that could be considered offensive to anyone.  In addition, while alternative views are encouraged, be sure to be professional.