Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Prerequisites
FIN 5442 Real Estate Finance
Course Materials
- ARGUS Enterprise (AE) University Certification Manual, Altus Group.
- Contact instructor for instructions to order this manual from Altus Group.
Students will have the option to sit for the AE certification exam for an additional cost.
- Contact instructor for instructions to order this manual from Altus Group.
- CoStar Real Estate Analytics (CREA) Certification program materials.
- Over 500 slides and approximately 5 hours of video will be provided at no cost to students.
Students will have the opportunity to earn CREA Certification at no cost. - As a pilot school working/participating with CoStar on the CREA program, OU is able to offer these benefits at no cost to students.
- Over 500 slides and approximately 5 hours of video will be provided at no cost to students.
- Excel
- Online version of Excel, also known as Excel for Web, is not sufficient. Please install the desktop version at no cost to you by logging into office.com with your OU credentials.
- If you can access Goal Seek, then you have the correct version. If you aren't familiar with Goal Seek, please contact instructor to discuss your current comfort level in Excel.
- PC is preferred but Mac is acceptable. Mac users are encouraged to consider accerleratorkeys.com starting at $3/month.
- Online version of Excel, also known as Excel for Web, is not sufficient. Please install the desktop version at no cost to you by logging into office.com with your OU credentials.
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Assignments |
Exercises practicing and applying practical ARGUS, CoStar, and Excel skills for use in real estate modeling and analysis scenarios. |
10% |
| Midterm Exam Part 1 |
Multiple choice - actual CoStar Real Estate Analytics Certification Exam (70% score earns certification) |
10% |
| Midterm Exam Part 2 |
Application in CoStar, ARGUS, and/or Excel |
10% |
| Team Project: Assignments | Weekly group deliverables to demonstrate progress on the analysis of a commercial real estate opportunity. |
10% |
| Team Project: Presentation |
Group presentation to a panel to share results of the commercial real estate project analysis. |
30% |
| Final Exam Part 1 |
Multiple choice - similar to Part 1 of the actual ARGUS certification exam |
15% |
| Final Exam Part 2 |
Case study in ARGUS - similar to Part 2 of the actual ARGUS certification exam |
15% |
| Total | 100 |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Grade cutoffs for A, B, C, D are 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% respectively.
Grades are rounded to the nearest percent (e.g., 89.5% rounds to 90% while 89.4% rounds to 89%)
All students will be graded according to the above scale and thus should not expect a "curve" in the class. No student will be provided with individual opportunities to earn "extra credit" and everyone will be treated the same under this grading system.
Course Components
Participation
In order to get the most out of this course it is important for you to actively engage with the course materials, your peers, and me. This is a fast-paced course that covers much ground. As such, it is not possible to be inactive or a passive participant. During the Live Sessions, we will synthesize the information you have collected from your readings, the lecture videos, and assignments.
Individual Assignments
The Individual Assignments provide you with practical skills you can apply to real estate analysis and modeling scenarios. The Individual Assignments provide hands-on experience applying the concepts in all three course platforms (ARGUS Enterprise, CoStar, Excel). You will complete the weekly Individual Assignments and submit one file for your assignment. The format to submit the Individual Assignments will vary from week to week (i.e. spreadsheets, screenshots, program output reports, videoed demonstrations) and these various formats will test your technical knowledge of communicating findings to a professional audience.
Midterm Exam Part 1
Midterm Exam Part 1 will be CLOSED-book multiple choice delivered through Canvas using Respondus Lockdown Browser with camera on. This will be the CoStar Real Estate Analytics Certification Exam. A score of seventy percent (70%) earns you CREA certification.
Midterm Exam Part 2
Midterm Exam Part 2 will be OPEN-book Excel upload delivered through Canvas (without lockdown browser) with camera on. The portion may include gathering data from CoStar, modeling, and/or modeling in Excel. Submission may include screenshots, export files, and/or Excel workbook(s).
Team Project
The Team Project, in general, will require you and a small group to analyze a current development project. This is an experiential project where you will apply concepts learned each week to a live case study. In fact, it is likely that your team will interact with a current stakeholder on the development project during the course of the term. At the summation of the course, your team will present an analysis of a current development project to a panel of local real estate investors.
Team Project: Assignments
Developing skills in ARGUS, CoStar, and Excel are only helpful if you know how to apply them in real-world scenarios. To demonstrate mastery of the lab skills and to organize your group's progress on this project, each week week you will be assigned a Team Assignment in which you complete a specific step of the Team Project. These steps may range from submitting a slide deck, to a business plan or cash flow model of the development project. Although the Team Assignments are a group assignment, your group will submit only one file for each assignment.
Team Project: Presentation
The Team Project Presentation will be the culminating demonstration of your group's analysis of the development project. The purpose of this presentation will be to not only showcase your findings to a panel session, but to gain generalized feedback and insights from the panelists. In order to make the most of the time in this course, your Team Project Presentation will be completed in the following parts:
- Presentation: Create a 15 minute pre-recorded video and accompanying slide deck for instructor's and panelists' review. Submit to the instructor via Canvas, Week 6.
- Presentation Critique: Use the Team Project Presentation rubric to gain familiarity with and formulate constructive feedback for other teams' presentation videos. Completed in lieu of a lab assignment and discussed during the Live Session, Week 7.
- Panel Feedback (Live Session): Panelists will provide generalized feedback based on all group presentations, citing specific examples and major takeaways. Week 8.
ARGUS Enterprise Certification Exam
ARGUS Certification is a valuable designation in the world of real estate finance and students are encouraged to consider it. Students have the option, but not the obligation, to purchase the ARGUS Enterprise Certification Exam from Altus Group at any point in the semester. The optional certification package, after OU discount, is an additional $325 and provides AE license and exam access for six months. Students are encouraged to defer this purchase toward the end of the semester to maximize their access to AE.
Course Policies
Communication
The best way to contact me is via email (tom.hooper@OU.edu) I will respond to your email as soon as possible (in less than 24 hours from Monday to Friday). I will check my emails over the weekends but my response time may be slower. If you would like to setup a Zoom video conference, please email me.
Feedback
Instructor strives to provide feedback and grades on activities and assignments within one-week following submission of most assignments.
Late Policy
All graded assignments should be submitted by the due date. If you have extenuating circumstances, please contact me as soon as possible.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Land Acknowledgement
Long before the University of Oklahoma was established, the land on which the University now resides was the traditional home of the “Hasinais” Caddo Nation and “Kirikirʔi:s” Wichita & Affiliated Tribes.
We acknowledge this territory once also served as a hunting ground, trade exchange point, and migration route for the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa and Osage nations. Today, 39 tribal nations dwell in the state of Oklahoma as a result of settler and colonial policies that were designed to assimilate Native people.
The University of Oklahoma recognizes the historical connection our university has with its indigenous community. We acknowledge, honor and respect the diverse Indigenous peoples connected to this land. We fully recognize, support and advocate for the sovereign rights of all of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. This acknowledgment is aligned with our university’s core value of creating a diverse and inclusive community. It is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture and history that make up our entire OU Community.
Course Catalog
Search the OU Course Catalog.
Student Handbook
Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.
Student Support Services
OU offers a variety of services to support students. For more information, please refer to the Student Support Module in your Orientation course.
Online Library
Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.
Copyright Statement and Privacy Information
Sessions of this course may be recorded or live-streamed. These recordings are the intellectual property of the individual faculty member and may not be shared or reproduced without the explicit, written consent of the faculty member. In addition, the privacy rights of others such as students, guest lecturers, and providers of copyrighted material displayed in the recording may be of concern. Students may not share any course recordings with individuals not enrolled in the class or upload them to any other online environment.
Academic Integrity
As a member of the OU community, it is your responsibility to protect your educational investment by knowing and following the rules. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.
Academic honesty is incredibly important in this course. Cheating is strictly prohibited at the University of Oklahoma because it devalues the degree you are working hard to get. Should you know of someone else engaging in academic misconduct, please report it to your instructor or directly to the Office of Academic Integrity. Your instructor has a professional obligation to report academic misconduct.
In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook.
Religious Observance
It is the policy of the University to excuse the absences of students that result from religious observances and to reschedule examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays, without penalty. [See Faculty Handbook 3.15.2].
Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities
The Accessibility and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is committed to supporting students with disabilities to ensure that they can enjoy equal access to all components of their education. This includes your academics, housing, and community events. Please review OU's Accessibility Policy.
If you are experiencing a disability, or a mental/medical health condition that has a significant impact on one or more life functions, you can receive accommodations to provide equal access. Possible disabilities include but are not limited to learning disabilities, AD(H)D, mental health, and chronic health. Additionally, we support students with temporary medical conditions (broken wrist, shoulder surgery, etc.) and pregnancy.
To discuss potential accommodations, please contact the ADRC at 730 College Avenue, (phone) 405-325-3852, or adrc@ou.edu.
Title IX Resources
For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no-contact orders, scheduling adjustments and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. To learn more or to report an incident, please contact the Institutional Equity Office (M-F, from 8-5, at 405-325-3546) or OU Advocates (available 24/7 at 405-615-0013).
Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth-Related Issues
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.
Mental Health Support Services
If you are experiencing any mental health issues that are impacting your academic performance, counseling is available at the University Counseling Center (UCC). The Center is located on the second floor of the Goddard Health Center, at 620 Elm Rm. 201, Norman, OK 73019. To schedule an appointment, call 405-325-2911. For more information, please visit the University Counseling Center.
Final Exam Preparation Period
Pre-finals week will be defined as the seven calendar days before the first day of finals. Faculty may cover new course material throughout this week. For specific provisions of the policy please refer to OU's Final Exam Preparation Period policy.
Required Policies for Students On Campus
Emergency Protocol
During an emergency, there are official university procedures that will maximize your safety.
Severe Weather: If you receive an OU Alert to seek refuge or hear a tornado siren that signals severe weather:
- Look for severe weather refuge location maps located inside most OU buildings near the entrances
- Seek refuge inside a building. Do not leave one building to seek shelter in another building that you deem safer. If outside, get into the nearest building.
- Go to the building’s severe weather refuge location. If you do not know where that is, go to the lowest level possible and seek refuge in an innermost room. Avoid outside doors and windows.
- Get in, Get Down, Cover Up.
- Wait for official notice to resume normal activities.
Additional Weather Safety Information is available through the Department of Campus Safety.
Severe Weather Preparedness Video
Armed Subject/Campus Intruder
If you receive an OU Alert to shelter-in-place due to an active shooter or armed intruder situation or you hear what you perceive to be gunshots:
- Avoid: If you believe you can get out of the area without encountering the armed individual, move quickly towards the nearest building exit, move away from the building, and call 911.
- Deny: If you cannot flee, move to an area that can be locked or barricaded, turn off lights, silence devices, spread out, and formulate a plan of attack if the shooter enters the room.
- Defend: As a last resort fight to defend yourself. For more information, visit:
OU's Emergency Preparedness site
Shots Fire on Campus Procedure
Fire Alarm/General Emergency
If you receive an OU Alert that there is danger inside or near the building, or the fire alarm inside the building activates:
- Leave the building. Do not use the elevators.
- Know at least two building exits
- Assist those that may need help
- Proceed to the emergency assembly area
- Once safely outside, Notify first responders of anyone that may still be inside the building due to mobility issues.
- Wait for official notice before attempting to re-enter the building.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|