Excelsior Business Strategy 495

[bkahuna]

Just wanted to give this a bump.

Anyone completed this recently? Seems like the syllabus and professor have changed since this was originally written.

New Grade Weights:

Case Outline : 15%
Case Analysis : 30%
Chapter Quizzes : 25%
Capstone Exam: 5%
Participation Online : 25%

[bkahuna]

Hello All,

I just completed this class.

Overall I had a good experience in the course, with the outstanding Professor Schuetz. I would recommend him highly if you have a choice of instructors when enrolling in the class.

As I mentioned above the grade weights have changed:
Case Outline : 15% of total grade

Consists of a 4-5 slide narrated powerpoint and a two page outline of the case study in APA format. Due Week 8

Case Analysis : 30%

APA format paper consisting of analysis data along with key result areas, recommendations and conclusion. Due Week 15

Chapter Quizzes : 25%

Weekly 20 question exam (untimed, but only one attempt allowed) covering the chapter reading. You do not have access to the chapter quiz until Monday, and must complete it by Sunday night. This is different from the previous posts, again you get access to one a week, and the capstone exam in week 15.

Capstone Exam: 5%

A broad 3 hour timed exam covering these topics, roughly 10 questions per.
Financial Accounting
Managerial Accounting
Economics
Management
Quantitative business analysis (statistics)
Information Systems
Finance
Marketing
Legal and Social Environment

Participation Online : 25%

A posting is required every week answering follow up questions to the chapter reading. Then a follow up answer is expected after the instructor reviews your posting, and another question or follow up is required to a posting by another class member. All citations needed to be APA format.

An additional posting is required every two weeks answering follow up questions to the case study reading, with the same principle, initial post, follow up to the instructor, follow up to classmates. All citations needed to be APA format.

=-=-=-=-=

I did well in this class, but this was the only class I had left and had nothing else going on academically so I put 100% focus in. You know that kid in the class you hate because the work is so over the top? I think that was me this time.

I dont know if you have taken webCT courses (straighterline would be an example), but the discussion posting software is not good. I found myself going into the HTML editor for every post, doing some color coding and posting images of charts and graphs. I believe only two other students posted a chart or graph for the entire course in the discussion forums and my postings had one nearly every week. I do think that it went a long way with the others in the class and the professor to have it neatly organized every week.

I ended up with a 98% in the class, largely due to the capstone exam, and I was able to get a 88% on that in just over two hours. I think if i would have reviewed the answers again I could have done better, I had lots of time left.

The professor was excellent, but a lot of this course is about class participation so its going to depend on who takes the class. I had a few other students who were good that made the experience positive, and many from overseas who had difficulty with communication.

We were also told that Excelsior judges attendance based on the forum participation and if you skipped weeks that you would be counted as absent and after 3 in a row you would be dropped. So keep that in mind. Being a CLEP/DSST advocate it was challenging to have a 15 week marathon class, but I got through it and did quite well.

Also the text, yes its expensive, and yes you need the latest version. Still, though it was printed in 2011 (its August 2011 now), the material was probably dated the second the book was published. Many of the dicussions and sources for the case were not the text. Its also all in black and white so its a difficult read compared to some other texts.

Best of luck to anyone else!

[Mechanix26]

Thanks a lot for your detailed overview!

[jackbanta]

I wonder how the accelerated class (8 weeks) is going to work. I plan on taking that in November...

[bkahuna]

Jack, do you want to buy my book for the class?

I'll send you a PM

[pixaloop]

....

Capstone Exam: 5%

A broad 3 hour timed exam covering these topics, roughly 10 questions per.
Financial Accounting
Managerial Accounting
Economics
Management
Quantitative business analysis (statistics)
Information Systems
Finance
Marketing
Legal and Social Environment

....

Thanks again for the details on this class bkahuna. I am registered to take the class that starts on Sept 5th.

Kaplan has a series of inexpensive books that appears to address these subjects. For example, they have Amazon.com: MBA Fundamentals Strategy (9781427797537): Thomas Ference, Paul W Thurman: Books for questions that could address accounting and so on. Do you think it's overkill for the class to get the series on the various subjects? A used book is about $10. New is about $13.

Thanks!

[bkahuna]

Total overkill, although I did buy an extra book just to take a look at the case studies and different methods of case study. At $13 it cant hurt.

If you have an accounting textbook like Fundamental Accounting Principles that would be enough for reference, and the book gives an overview of company financial statements. The textbook content is good, it has more than enough.

[EHSAN]

Do you HAVE to pass the capstone exam (5%) in order to pass the class???

Thanks

[pixaloop]

Do you HAVE to pass the capstone exam (5%) in order to pass the class???

Thanks

The capstone exam will only add points to your grade but will not subtract any. However, you must complete it. You have 3 hours to complete the 100 question exam. I've not taken it as of yet, but this is what is written in the syllabus and what others have confirmed.

[EHSAN]

The capstone exam will only add points to your grade but will not subtract any. However, you must complete it. You have 3 hours to complete the 100 question exam. I've not taken it as of yet, but this is what is written in the syllabus and what others have confirmed.

Thanks, would you happen to know if anyone has verified this with Excelsior?