Marquette Tribune Article on MOOC: Introduction to Applied Investing

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Introduction to Applied Investing MOOC

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Big Media Day for the Free, Online Course: Introduction to Applied Investing

The free, online course: Introduction to Applied Investing by David Krause, Marquette University: http://business.marquette.edu/applied-investing-mooc continues to draw strong enrollment numbers. And today was a big media day with strong local press coverage.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/business/marquette-announces-online-investing-class-b9983706z1-221170611.html

The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2013/08/26/marquette-to-offer-online-investing.html

BizTimes.com Milwaukee Business News: http://www.biztimes.com/article/20130826/ENEWSLETTERS02/130829865/-1/daily_enews/Marquette-to-offer-free-online-course-for-investors

Ben Bernanke - The Audacious Pragmatist

It has been easy to take shots at the Federal Reserve – they probably take the same abuse from the public as baseball managers. The Fed is constantly being second guessed. And after I let others wail away on the Federal Reserve in the last blog posted, it is only fair to offer an opportunity to learn more about the Fed.

Helping me out was The New York Times, who on Sunday, August 25, 2013 ran an article about Federal Reserve Chair, Ben Bernanke, titled The Audacious Pragmatist  (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/business/economy/the-audacious-pragmatist.html?ref=business). And as the name of the article states, Ben Bernank has been a pragmatist since the finance crisis of 2008.  

 

Ben Bernanke (from The New York Times)

The NYT wrote, “Mr. Bernanke, who plans to step down in January after eight years as Fed chairman, will be remembered for helping to arrest the collapse of the financial system in 2008. This shy, methodical economist who had been expected to serve as the keeper of Alan Greenspan’s flame — to preserve the Fed’s hard-won success in moderating inflation — emerged under pressure as perhaps the most innovative and daring leader in the Fed’s history.

But what Mr. Bernanke did after the crisis may prove to have even more enduring influence. For almost three decades, the Fed focused on moderating inflation in the belief that this was the best and only way to help the economy. In the wake of the crisis, Mr. Bernanke forged a broader vision of the Fed’s responsibilities, starting experimental, incomplete campaigns to reduce unemployment and to prevent future crises.” 

The article – which is well worth reading – helps put into perspective the enormous challenges faced during and after the 2008 financial crisis. I believe history will treat Ben Bernanke as one of the heroes of the early 21^st century. While not beloved during his tenure, we’ll eventually see that the Fed’s intentions were good and that they responded in a pragmatic manner, as opposed to staunch idealism or bowing to political pressures.

Check out Dr. Krause's free, online course: Introduction to Applied Investing at: http://business.marquette.edu/applied-investing-mooc

What's Next for the Federal Reserve?

Jim Bianco (Marquette ’84) is truly one of the best economists on cable television. This week he was on CNBC discussing the Federal Reserve and the markets.

His comments on the current state of the fixed income markets are spot on…. Simply put, he believes that the Federal Reserve is convinced it is completely correct. “They believe they know better than market participants and are frustrated that their explanations are not being ‘understood.’ The Federal Reserve believes the problem is one of communication and nothing more.”

He continued, “The markets are not having any difficulty understanding the Federal Reserve’s point of view. They simply disagree with it. No matter how many times Bernanke explains his position, the markets see tapering as a form of tightening. In the past, when the Federal Reserve disregards market opinion in favor of their own, it generally ended badly. Could that be happening again?”

Watch the video, it is an interesting dialogue between Rick Santelli and Jim Bianco (a couple of Chicagoans discussing the Federal Reserve and interest rates). These two are not afraid to call it like it is! Also, a nice shout out for Marquette and Jesuit universities...

What is a MOOC?

MOOC 101 – Short Version by David S. Krause

Starting in Fall 2013, Dr. David Krause of Marquette University began offering a free, online course: Introduction to Applied Investing on the Canvas Network. The course is referred to as a MOOC (short for Massive Open Online Course). What follows is short overview of the recent phenomenon known as a MOOC.

Wikipedia defines a MOOC as online course aimed at large-scale interactive participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings, and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user forums that help build a community for the students, professors, and teaching assistants. MOOCs are a recent development in distance education.

An even shorter definition is that a MOOC is a course that is usually offered for free over the Internet to anyone.

To get more info on Dr. Krause's Introduction to Applied Investing MOOC, go to: http://business.marquette.edu/applied-investing-mooc

First Investment-Focused MOOC Offered by Marquette

To learn more about Dr. Krause's new Introduction to Applied Investing course available on the Canvas Network, go to: https://www.canvas.net/courses/introduction-to-applied-investing.

Watch the trailer for the course at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8-do6ElvFE

Marquette to launch first MOOC with Intro to Applied Investing

Enrollment is now open for a short, pilot course; open online class begins Sept. 23

 MILWAUKEE – Marquette University today announced it is moving into the area of open online education with an introductory course in investing. Dr. David Krause, director of the Applied Investment Management program in the College of Business Administration, will teach “Introduction to Applied Investing,” a short, self-paced course intended for individuals who want to be more informed and savvier about investing.

View the course web page

Krause noted that the course will be delivered online through the open source learning management system on Instructure’s Canvas Network, another outlet for the growing popularity of Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs. Other institutions with MOOCs on the Canvas Network include Brown University, Michigan State University, University of South Florida, Clemson University and Santa Clara University.

According to Krause, Marquette is believed to be the first institution to offer a MOOC on the topic of applied investing.

“I look forward to launching this course,” Krause said. “It has been developed and will be delivered with the same quality that Marquette brings to all its business courses and programs.”

Dr. Mark Eppli, interim Keyes Dean of Business Administration, agreed.

“This is an exciting first step for the college and the university,” he said. “MOOCs have great potential to showcase a university’s intellectual capital and expand knowledge in an important and relevant topic, like investment management.”

The Marquette course will cover major investment vehicles, including common stock, bonds, real estate, and alternative investments, as well as discuss the various methods of investing. Students will also develop insights into the financial markets and learn how to establish a long-term investment strategy, according to Krause.

“If you are new to investing, this course can give you the confidence to begin building your own investment plan,” Krause said. “It can also help you better understand the recommendations of more experienced investors and financial advisors – and hopefully protect you from poor advice and bad decisions.”

Enrollment in the pilot course is now open and will be initially limited to 1,000 students. The course begins Monday, Sept. 23 – it is self-paced but designed to be completed in four weeks.

Dennis Krause on Bonneville Salt Flats for 3rd Year of Racing on the World's Fastest Track

My brother, Dennis Krause, is back for his third year of racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The weather/track conditions are poor. Unlike the past two years, the salt is currently wet and quite tacky - not the best for trying to go 240+ mph in a Ford Mustang. 

His best run thus far is 214 mph - below his previous best of 220 mph last year. He's hoping for better track conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Today he wrote, "We plan to make an early pass tomorrow.  I sure hope conditions improve so I can see what this thing has really got.  Right now there is no reason to run nitro.  It won't hold the power we've got.   If conditions are good we will make three runs.  The last one will be with nitro-methane, and we will try for the 240 mph goal.  When the motor blows we'll come home."

Pictures below from yesterday:

Dennis Krause running over 200 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2013 

Dennis Krause (Ford Mustang) at Bonneville Salt Flats