Personal Finance:

Financial Citizenship in Social and Economic Systems

Semester: Spring 2026

Course number: FIN 1750

CRN: 20664

Course format: In person

Classroom: Dixie High Room 120

Credits: 3

Course Fee: CE $15 Tuition

General education status: Yes

Minimum grade required: D-

Final Exam dates: May 4th-7th

Instructor Name: Tim Thorley Email: tim.thorley@washk12.org

Available for extra help: Before School, Lunch, 4th and 8th Period Prep.

Concurrent Enrollment:

All Dixie High Financial Literacy students will have the option to sign up for college credit.

Each class period (1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th) will have both CE students and regular students
All students (CE and regular) will do the same assignments and tests in the high school Canvas page. No students will have to take tests at the college.
Regular high school students will get a separate grade for each quarter, but CE students will get a semester grade, based on both quarter grades combined.
CE students will have to sign up at concurrent.utahtech.edu in the first two weeks of class and then pay $15 tuition before registering for more classes in the future.

Course Description:

Fulfills General Education Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement and is an approved Global and Cultural Perspectives course. Society is placing increasing responsibility on individuals for their financial well-being (e.g., retirement, health care). This course is devoted to building quantitative skills associated with individual financial decision making and analyzing the connection between individual decisions and societal well-being. This course seeks to address the "how" and "why" in personal financial decisions. Topics covered include credit/debt, property insurance, saving, and investing. The course will draw on multiple disciplines. Economics, finance, and applied mathematics are directly addressed. Public financial policy in areas of political science, law, and psychology are also discussed.

Teaching & Learning Methods

This course uses active, applied, authentic & inclusive teaching and learning methods. The instructor will be using lectures and discussions during this class. As a student you will be able to learn through exploration of different course topics, problem solving, research, groupwork and presentations. All the topics covered in this course are directly applicable in your personal life and financial well-being.

Required Materials:

Pen or Pencil and a Folder

Access to Canvas

General Education Learning Goals

You can find full explanation of learning goals here: https://catalog.utahtech.edu/programs/generaleducation/#learningoutcomestext

Broad knowledge of the liberal arts & sciences
Critical thinking
Effective communication
Information literacy skills
Quantitative reasoning
Diversity and globalization
Responsibilities of citizenship

Utah Tech College of Business Learning Outcomes:

Evaluate real world business situations related to the core business functions of accounting, economics, finance, qualitative analysis, information systems, international business, legal and social environments, marketing & management.
Analyze real world business situations by identifying relevant business issues, performing appropriate quantitative and qualitative data analysis and synthesis, formulating viable courses of action.
Create and deliver professional quality oral presentations and written work products.
Analyze real world business situations by identifying relevant ethical issues, evaluating and synthesizing information, and formulating ethical courses of action.

Financial Literacy Class Learning Outcomes:

Understand the importance of financial literacy in the context of the local and global economy.
Identify the benefits of a properly designed personal financial plan and be able to discuss its relationship to economic conditions and personal goals.
Construct and implement a well-planned personal financial plan.
Explain the techniques of successful budgeting and asset management including the meaning and purpose of specific financial statements and records.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different types of checking accounts and savings plans.
Identify the types of credit available to consumers and be able to discuss the pros and cons of using credit versus savings and cash when purchasing consumer goods.
Explain the factors that influence the availability of financial services and list the types of services and financial institutions commonly used by consumers.
Discuss factors that influence consumer-buying decisions and identify strategies for effective purchasing.
Describe basic consumer rights and responsibilities.
Describe the role of planned borrowing in personal financial management.

Grading Policies:

Assignment Grading

100% When assignments have all 3 of the following: 1) Follow all instructions, 2) Sufficient Length, and 3) Clear Writing, Spelling and Grammar.

90% When assignments need some improvement on one of the criteria

80% When assignments need a lot of improvement on one criteria or some improvement on two criteria

0% When assignments are bad enough, you will have to make improvements before receiving a grade

Late Work

20% will be deducted from assignments less than 10 days late.

40% will be deducted from assignments more than 10 days late.

Quizzes and Tests can be completed for full credit as long as they are open in Canvas.

Bellwork

Bellwork will be worth 10 points each class, and must be completed at the beginning of class. Space for writing bellwork questions and responses will be provided on the back of note packets. You must be on time to get all 10 points, if you are late you will lose 5 Bellwork points. If you are absent, you will lose all 10 Bellwork points. Only Medical or School excused absences will be completely excused from bellwork.

Online Submissions

If you have to miss class for an extended period due to illness, travel or a family issue, it is very important that you or a parent/guardian send me an email.

As much as I can, I will allow online submissions for assignments and packets students would normally submit on paper in class. If you have to be away from class, you can still submit almost everything except tests and video notes.

Extra Credit

Students will be given 10 points each quarter to make up for missed bellworks. You will still get these points if you didn’t miss any classes. Other extra credit or make-up opportunities may include review quizzes, video notes, or other assignments approved by Mr. Thorley.

Tests

Test questions will come from the course material we go over in power-points and on quizzes in Canvas. Each unit test will cover 3 modules, with 8-12 questions for each module. We will have a brief review at the end of each module, and I will remind you to go back over the quizzes from earlier modules. Notes or other course materials will not be allowed during tests and all students will not have access to their phones.

Retakes will be allowed, but students will be required to show evidence of studying missed questions before they retake a test.

State Final: The state of Utah requires that all financial literacy students take a comprehensive final. This final has around 50 questions, and my students score on average just above 80%. I try to prepare my students for this final with a comprehensive review packet. Your final test will be graded out of 90%, so if you score an 80%, then you will get an 80 out of 90.

Grading Scale

A = 100-93 B = 86-83 C = 76-73 D = 66-63

A - = 92-90 B - = 82-80 C - = 72-70 D - = 62-60

B+ = 89-87 C+ = 79-77 D+ = 69-67 F = 0-59

Attendance and Participation

I will take attendance at the beginning of class each day. In addition, students are expected to participate actively in class discussions. If a student is clearly disengaged during class or disrupts other students, the student’s bellwork score will be marked down.

Classroom Behavior

In general, almost every rule or behavior issue falls under these two main class rules:

Pay attention when you are supposed to.

Do your work when you are supposed to.

Seating Charts: Every class will have a seating chart with a table number that matches one of the classroom computers.

Cell Phones

All students must store their phones in the pocket with their assigned seat number at the front of the class

Cell phones must not be used during class. I will allow students to grab their phone 1-2 minutes before the bell rings each class period.

Utah Tech Policies

Disability/Accessibility Resources:

UT welcomes all students and strives to make the learning experience accessible. If you are a student with a medical, psychological, or learning disability that may require accommodations for this course, you are encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as soon as possible. You may request reasonable accommodations at any time during the semester; however, they are not retroactive. The DRC is located next door to the Testing Center in the North Plaza Building (435-652-7516, drc@utahtech.edu).

Title IX Statement

Utah Tech University affirms its commitment to the promotion of fairness and equity in all aspects of the educational institution. Harassment and discrimination—including sex/gender discrimination, gender identity, gender expression, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, gender-based violence, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, pregnancy or parental , family or marital status and or retaliation—not only disrupts our commitment to maintaining an environment in which every member of the University community is treated with respect and dignity, but may also violate University policy and federal, state, and/or local law.

Should you or someone you know experience behavior that is coercive, discriminatory, harassing, and or sexually violent in nature, or if you or someone you know has questions about their rights and options regarding such behavior, you are encouraged to contact:

Hazel Sainsbury
Dir. Of Equity Compliance, Title IX Coordinator
435.652.7747 (ext. 7747)
hazel.sainsbury@utahtech.edu
titleix@utahtech.edu

Incidents may also be reported directly to law enforcement, either separately or in conjunction with any report made to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, and the University will aid in making contact if requested.

Utah Tech University Police
435.275.4300 or by calling 9-1-1

Maintaining a safe and inclusive University community is a shared responsibility. For more information on how Title IX protections can benefit you and help us keep a productive campus environment, visit titleix.utahtech.edu to learn more.

Utah Tech Email Disclaimer

You are required to frequently check your university email account. Important class and university information will be sent to your university account, including Utah Tech bills, financial aid/scholarship notices, notices of cancelled classes, reminders of important dates and deadlines, and other information critical to your success at Utah Tech and in your courses. To access your university-sponsored account, visit go.utahtech.edu/dmail. Your username is your digital ID (e.g. D00111111). If you don’t know or have forgotten your Digital-ID or password, please visit changepassword.utahtech.edu.

Non-student

Non-student in the classroom and other designated study areas: It is expected that only bona fide students as defined and classified by the Utah Tech University catalog, will attend classes, unless specific prior permission for guests has been obtained from the instructor.

Important Links

Disability Resource Center – drcenter.utahtech.edu
IT Help Desk – utahtech.edu/helpdesk
Library – library.utahtech.edu
Testing Center – testing.utahtech.edu
Tutoring Center – tutoring.utahtech.edu
Writing Center – writingcenter.utahtech.edu

For Parents

Media - Short video clips will occasionally be shown during class, mostly educational, but sometimes to illustrate an example. For example, when we discuss insurance, in the past I have shown students funny insurance commercials.

Internet Use - Students will often be required to use the internet to participate in a class activity or look up information for an assignment. Sometimes I have to reprimand students for going to a game site or for looking up information that is not relevant to an assignment.

In both cases, media and internet use, please email me if you have any questions or concerns. I can give you more specific examples for each topic. I will get in touch with you if I am concerned that your student is not using their time on the internet responsibly or violating school technology policies.