Money Making

NHS Students Take Online Financial Literacy Course During the Summer

During the summer, students of NHS were offered the opportunity to take an online financial literacy course instead of taking the actual class. The course is called MoneyU, and it shows students how to manage money and what to do with it by using a board game-inspired format with fun computer games, cartoons, and multiple choice questions. There are 120 steps when walking the “Path to Wealth,” and each step explains a different topic about finance. After a certain amount of steps, there is a step that chooses your future until retirement. For example, what type of car, house, or job the student receives as they walk their path.

Before beginning the course, students are required to take a pre-test that consists of 50 questions to see how much they already know about finance. After taking the pre-test, students are able to start their journey through the Path of Wealth. While walking, students are able to watch a small, 10 second clip of people talking about the topic before starting the questions. Students may be given multiple choice questions, matching the word to the definition, or filling in credit card documents while on their step. After completing all of the steps, students have the option of taking the review questions for the post-test.

The Coordinator of Fine, Practical, and Performing Arts and the CTE program, Dr. James Riley, the administration and the NHS counselors gave students three dates to take the post-test at NHS. The dates were August 15, 21, and 31. There were about 15 to 30 students in each class to take the post-test. They split the students in half and sent them to two classrooms. There were 50 questions on the post-test, and it was similar to the questions from the pre-test. Students were allowed to take the test twice, and if they failed to score above an 80%, they were required to take half a year of the NHS Financial Literacy course, or pay to take the course again. They also had to pay a $25 fee to the school for paying for the student’s course.

“I began the MoneyU course last year as an opportunity for highly motivated students to accomplish a graduation requirement without having to give up an elective period in their schedules. By finishing MoneyU over the summer, students can schedule an additional elective and could potentially sequence through additional upper level courses,” says Riley. “In addition to a state requirement, Financial Literacy provides opportunities to explore topics that are important for success in school and life. From learning about and how to manage, save, and invest money, the course also highlights how to budget time and set goals.”

All high school grade levels were able to take the course. One student, Samantha Melson, a sophomore at NHS, explains her opinion about the MoneyU course. “Taking the MoneyU course was a great decision. It was a very quick and efficient way to learn lots of helpful information that some students took over a year to learn,” says Melson. “With funny videos and interactive lessons, it felt more like a game then a class. Being able to work at my own pace was a big plus as well. I would highly recommend taking the online financial literacy class.”

For students who are not interested in taking the NHS class for the entire school year, MoneyU is a beneficial way to learn about finances and money management quick and easy. The entire course takes about two months. And for the students that have already taken the class in NHS and are passionate about doing this as a career, MoneyU is a great way to gain a little more knowledge and experience for the future. Also, it is totally self-paced for those who are not fast learners. All in all, MoneyU is a great course that brings fun and learning into one, and is very simple and enjoyable to those who are taking it.