Scenario

Each student in MATH201 is required to complete a quantitative reasoning project. The project that has
been chosen for this course addresses the cost of repaying student loans.

Students pay for their education in a variety of ways. Some pay their tuition and other expenses out-of-
pocket. Others receive assistance from their family. Employers sometimes contribute toward a students
educational expenses. Some students receive grants or scholarships based on need or merit. Manyif
not moststudents, however, find it necessary to take out loans to help pay for all or part of the costs of
their college education.

Student loan debt can create a serious burden for new graduates. It is important that students begin
preparing themselves to meet the obligation of repaying their loans at the beginning of their college
careers rather than waiting until graduation to think about this issue. This project is designed to start you
thinking about how you will repay your student loans once you have graduated. You will produce your
project in Microsoft PowerPoint and your project should be professional in appearance.

Deliverable Descriptions

Week 2
The Week 2 Essential Questions Portfolio Project Discussion will introduce the idea of Essential
Questions. Since this may be a new concept or term for you, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with
what an Essential Question is and how you can create your own.

Formulate a response to these essential questions:

1. What events might interfere with your ability to repay your loans?
2. What should you do if you find you are having difficulty making your student loan payments?

Now you are to create 2 Essential Questions you think will help you focus the writing of your Portfolio
Project.
Briefly discuss how your questions will guide the development of your Portfolio Project.

Week 3

You will submit Part 1 of your Portfolio Project by creating your PowerPoint. Please include the following:

Title Page (Slide 1)

Include the course name, the project title and your name

Introduction (Slide 2)
Write a brief overview describing the purpose of the project (This project is designed to start you thinking
about how you will repay your student loans once you have graduated.).

Hypothesis (Slide 3)
Define a hypothesis, which you intend to evaluate throughout your project. This step will help you to stay
on track as your project develops, leading you ultimately to your conclusion. When creating your
hypothesis, choose one of the following questions:
1) Will your student loan monthly payment fit into your budget?
2) Will you be able to pay back your loan faster than the standard 10-year repayment plan?

Determine your expected salary after graduation from Bryant & Stratton (Slide 4)

For this slide, you can use the attached file as a guideline. Find at least two credible sources that provide
estimates of starting salaries in your chosen field, preferably in the state where you hope to work. If the
two sources provide markedly different salaries, conduct additional research until you find reasonably
close agreements between two projected salaries (within $5,000 or so). Average the two salaries (add the
salaries and divide by two) to determine your expected annual salary. Determine the monthly salary
(divide the expected annual salary by 12). Then compute the net (after tax) pay. For simplicity we will use
a 25% tax rate. Realize that taxes are complicated so this is just an estimate.

In Part 2 of your Portfolio Project, please add the following slides:

Create a budget based on your estimated salary (Slide 5)

Make it as realistic as possible so you are prepared upon graduation. Excel will make it easier for you.
You can work in Excel and copy it to PowerPoint. Note that you will add the student loan payment later.

Consult Section 4.A in the textbook (pp. 186192) for suggestions on creating a realistic budget or use
the link below:

Estimate the total amount of your student loans at graduation (Slide 6)

Estimate your student loan obligation upon graduation from Bryant & Stratton College. You will need both
the loan amount (principal) and interest rate for each loan.

Choose one of the following options for estimating your student loans. If you do not have any student
loans, you must choose Option 2.

Option 1:

Although you should already know the amount of your loans for the current and past semesters, it would
still be very beneficial to consult the Financial Aid Department to determine the amount you now owe and
are likely to incur in the future. You will need both the principal of each loan and the interest rate
associated with it. Keep in mind that interest rates may vary from loan to loan. Also remember to include
student loans from other institutions you have attended. If you already know the amount of your loans for
the current semester, you can make the assumption that your loans for subsequent semesters will be the
same as for the current semester.
Week 4

In Part 3 of your Portfolio Project, you will determine the monthly payment required to repay your
estimated student loan balances in the standard ten-year repayment period (Slide 7)

Use Excel to determine the minimum monthly payment you must make to repay your student loans in the
standard 10-year term.

If you have multiple loans with the same interest rate, you can add the principals together and calculate a
single monthly payment for them all.

If you have loans with different interest rates, you must calculate a separate payment for each loan. Add
the monthly payments for the loans together to determine your total monthly loan payment.

Include the total monthly loan payment to your budget.

Discuss how this compares to your hypothetical monthly salary. Address the following questions: What
percentage of your net monthly salary will go toward repaying your student loans? Does this seem to be a
manageable amount?

In Part 4 of your Portfolio Project, you will determine the total cost (future value) and the amount of
interest you will pay on your student loans (Slide 8)

Determine the future value of the loan(s) and the total interest paid with the 10-year term. This can be
accomplished using Excel.

Discuss ways you might reduce the amount of interest you pay (Slide 9)

Investigate what happens when you repay a loan in less than ten years. Select one of your loans for this
experiment. Using Excel, repeat the loan payment calculations three more times using three shorter
terms, such as five, seven, and nine years. What happens to the monthly payment, future value, and
amount of interest paid? Present your findings in table form.

Week 5
Part 5 of your Portfolio Project is your conclusion (Slide 10)

Identify what your optimal monthly payment would be. Explain why this payment would be beneficial and
realistic for you. Describe how your findings from this project relate to your hypothesis from step 1.

Week 6
Submit Rough Draft of the Student Loan Project with Voice Over Script
This week you will be submitting a rough draft of your Student Loan Project for your classmates to review
and provide feedback. Your instructor will also take this opportunity to provide feedback as well when
grading this activity.

For your rough draft, make sure you have a detailed script for the voice over presentation. The script can
be located in the notes sections of the PowerPoint slides.

The criteria for reviewing and providing feedback on uploaded presentations are:
1) Check for visual presentation.
2) Check notes section of slides and make sure that it describes slides and makes sense.
3) Check for grammar and punctuation.

Week 7
Final Submission of Student Loan Project with Voice Over
This week you will be submitting your finalized Student Loan Project with voice over to your ePortfolio.
Make sure that you take instructor feedback, make adjustments, and submit your final project.

Submit your Portfolio Project to the ePortfolio under Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning - Follow
established methods of inquiry and mathematical reasoning to form conclusions and make decisions.

For directions on how to create a PowerPoint with voiceover, refer to the Student Resources in
Blackboard.

Oral Presentation Component:

Students voice should be clear and easy to understand
Student should vary his/her tone of voice and use pauses effectively to place emphasis on important
points
Student should provide additional insight to PowerPoint slides in his/her own words. Student should not
read verbatim from the slides.
Student should avoid non-words (Um, Uh, You Know) and practice using professional language

Week 7.5

Reflection
For the final piece of your Portfolio Project, you will reflect upon the course. This reflection will be
delivered in a written format on a Microsoft Word document.
a) In your own words reflect on how this project meets the Institutional outcomes as stated on the first
page.
b) Throughout your learning in this class, how would you approach this project differently & why? Explain
your rational.

Upload and submit your final reflection.