Teacher FAQs about the FLC

As a first time FLC Teacher or a returning one, you may have questions as you and your students prepare for your competition day. Below are common questions we’re asked.  If after reviewing these FAQs you're still unsure about something, please email us at saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca. 

Registration   |   Using Mobius   |   Preparing your students   |   Getting ready for competition day   |   Troubleshooting on competition day   |   Receiving and communicating your results

What information do I need to register?

You'll need your name, email address you want to register with (this will become your login user ID), school name, complete school address including postal code, and principal's name. If you know that you will have students competing at different days or times, please request more than one class. We also ask for an estimate of student participation. This is an estimate only and helps us plan. Don't worry if your actual student participation is more or less than this estimate.

Your registration request will be reviewed and confirmation of your registration will be sent to you (typically within 2 business). Your confirmation will include a unique class link. Your students will need this unique link to register. Students must use this link to register in order to be identified as students on your class roster and compete with your class on your competition day.

Can students in different classes or grades register in my class?

Yes. We use the word "class" broadly to describe all students competing under your supervision at the same time. Those students can be from any grade, class, or subject. Both the Junior and Senior Competitions will be available to your students on your competition day. Students in Grades 9 and 10 will enter the Junior Competition and students in Grades 11 and 12 will enter the Senior Competition.

Why would I need to register more than one class?

If you have students who will need to compete at different times or on different days, you will need to register more than one class. A class represents a group of students who will compete on the same day and time as each other under your supervision. You can register as many classes as you need. If you do have classes who compete at different times or days, we ask that you take extra steps to discourage cheating and the sharing of contest information between those students.

How many students can register in a class? Is there a minimum number of students required to register?

There are no participation limits (minimum or maximum). We've had teachers in the past register classes with anywhere from 1 student to 90+ students. Schools who win our Honour Roll Prize (awarded to the top 3 schools) must have a minimum of 10 eligible student participants to be eligible for this prize.

Can students write remotely (i.e. from home)?

With the pandemic restrictions behind us (hopefully!) we ask that students participate from school under your supervision. However, exceptions can be made for extenuating circumstances. Please email saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca to discuss your situation if you'd like to have students compete from home. Only students who've been approved by us to compete from home should be permitted to register for the competition.

How do I log in?

Your class will be created in Mobius (a software licensed for use by the University of Waterloo). To access your class, you will need to login and enter your User ID and password. Your User ID is the email you used to register your class. Your password will be sent to you with confirmation of your registration. We encourage you to reset your password after logging in for the first time.

What do I do if I've forgotten my login credentials?

Use the "Forgot your password" link on the login page to reset it. Enter the email address you used to register your class and follow the reset instructions that will be sent to that email address.

How do I find the competition?

Once logged in to Mobius, you should see the classes that have been set up for you. Enter the class and under Activities, locate the competition. Until your competition day and time, the competition will be visible but not accessible (noted by the "N/A"). Once your competition window begins, the competition will become accessible ("Start" will replace "N/A"). Two competitions should be visible: Junior and Senior.

As a teacher, what can I do in Mobius that my students cannot do?

As a teacher, your menu options will include Class User Manager and Proctor Tools. Class User Manager allows you to check your roster (see what students have registered in your class) and see who is currently active on the site. Proctor Tools will be used on the day of the competition to release the competition to your students. This is an added security feature to reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

How can I help my students prepare for the competition?

We've curated and, in some cases, created resources to support you and your students as you prepare for the competition. You can find a list of resources and activities here to help your students explore the variety of financial topics included in the competition. We've also created a practice competition that students can use to practice questions in a "competition-like" format. The practice competition includes 15 questions on a variety of financial literacy topics and can be repeated multiple times as the questions will be randomized each time. Make sure you and your students are logged out to access the practice questions.

What types of questions should my students expect?

We've created some short quizzes on each financial literacy topic included in our competition to provide a sample of what types of questions students can expect. Our sample questions are a mix of easy (eg. definitions), medium (eg. simple application or more complex terminology), and hard (eg. calculations and more complex application). Most questions are multiple choice, but students may also see matching, fill in the blank, or calculation questions.

What topics should I focus on?

The competition covers the topics of accounting, investing, economics, banking, income management and budgeting, credit, fraud and financial safety, home ownership and post-secondary financing. It is very unlikely that your students will be confident in all of these topics, and that's OK. We want the competition experience to be less about testing what they know and more about helping them become more familiar with financial literacy topics and sparking their curiosity to learn more.

How do I check my class roster and what do I do if there are errors in my roster?

When logged in, use the Class User Manager menu to check your roster. Select Search for Users, leave the search field blank, and select Search. You will then see a list of everyone registered in your class. You should review your register regularly. If a student who thinks they have registered is not identified on your roster, have them try registering again using your unique class code and being careful to type in their correct email address. If that does not fix the problem, send an email to saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca. If there is a student on your roster who should not be there, let us know by sending an email to saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca. Unfortunately, you are not able to remove users from your roster.

What do I do if a student has registered but is no longer able to compete?

Please let us know if students no longer intend to compete or have registered, but do not meet the eligibility requirements. Removing these students from your roster will help us prevent unauthorized access on competition day. Email us at saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca.

How do I determine when my students will compete?

Approximately 2-3 weeks before the competition dates, we will contact you to request the day and time you want your students to compete. The competition typically runs for 2 days between the hours of 8am ET and 5pm ET. Please choose a day and 2-3 hour time window during which your students will compete. The competition is 65 minutes in length and must be started and finished within the time window you select. Students can start and finish at different times, as long as it falls within the time window you have selected. If you have students who need to write on a different day or at a different time of day, you will need to register a second class (see registration FAQs above). You will receive an email confirmation from us prior to the competition dates confirming the date and time your class(es) will compete.

How do I give permission to my students to start the competition?

You will need to login to your Mobius class and use the Proctor Tools menu to release the competition to your students at the beginning of your competition time window. Select Proctor Tools, leave the search field blank, and select Search. Choose the "assignment" from the drop down menu. The assignment represents the competition that is appropriate for your students (i.e. junior or senior). The "grant permission" and "Start/Re-Enter" should already be selected. Choose the students you want to authorize and select "authorize". Those students should now be able to enter the competition and begin answering the questions. Do not authorize students who are not under your supervision. This is one of the important controls we have in place to prevent unauthorized access. You can access the detailed description of this process (Proctor Tools - instructions for FLC Teachers) and may want to have these instructions handy on the day of your competition.

If you have both junior and senior students in your class, you will need to repeat this process for each.

What is expected of me on competition day in terms of student supervision?

Please plan to supervise your students as they complete the competition. If a student is not under your direct supervision, they should not be permitted to start the competition. Please watch for suspicious behaviour and report any concerns to saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca. We appreciate your efforts to maintain the integrity of the competition and reduce the risk of cheating. This is particularly important at schools where classes are competing at different times or days.

See the FAQ above about extenuating circumstances that prevent students from competing at school. To the extent possible, students writing from home should also be supervised.

How can I avoid technical issues on competition day?

Make sure your students are familiar with Mobius by using the sample question quizzes and practice competition to learn how navigation in Mobius works. Get students to check their login and password BEFORE your competition day. Use the "Forgot your Password" link on the login page to reset forgotten passwords well in advance of your competition day and time window. We cannot guarantee that requests to reset passwords during your competition time window will be addressed in a timely manner and that may prevent students from completing the competition.

What do I do if a student cannot log in to start the competition?

It is likely that the student is not using the correct login credentials. Get the student to confirm the spelling of their email address and try again. You can also check what email address they registered with by looking at your class roster. If it is a password issue, try the "Forgot your Password" link on the login page. If no reset email is received, email saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca and we will do our best to reset the password manually. Our email is busy on competition day so we cannot guarantee a timely response, but will make our best effort to get your student started as quickly as possible.

What do I do if students do not see "Start" beside the competition when your competition window begins?

It is likely that the competition window is not set correctly or that you are attempting to enter the competition at the wrong time. Check the email you received to confirm your competition details to verify the day and time and if it looks like an error has occurred, email us at saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca and we'll get it fixed.

What do I do if a student is "booted" out of the competition while attempting to compete?

Unfortunately this happens from time to time. In some browsers, the bottom of the screen with links to SAF and our partners is very close to the "next question" button and clicking on this menu by accident can take students away from the competition. In other instances, the technology gremlins are at work and we don't know why it happens. Don't panic. Have the student log in again and enter the competition. In most cases, their responses will be saved and they will be able to resume where they left off. If not, try re-authorizing the student again using the Proctor Tools menu. If that still doesn't work, email us at saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca and we'll work to get your student back into the competition as quickly as possible.

What do I do if a student arrives late? Can they still compete?

Assuming you are able to supervise the student, typically the answer is yes. You will have a 2-3 hour window in which your students can compete. If a student arrives late and can still finish the 65 minute competition within your time window, you can authorize them to start when they arrive. If your student would like to compete but it is likely that they will be unable to finish before the end of your time window, email us at saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca, and we will adjust the time window to accommodate this student.

When can I expect to receive my students' results?

Result will be emailed to you typically within 3-4 weeks of the competition.

What results will I receive?

We share a list of students who competed in your class, their eligibility, and for those students who are eligible, their level of achievement. Level of achievement is determined as follows:

• Gold - 80% or above
• Silver - 70% - 79.9%
• Bronze - 60% - 69.9%
• Participant - below 60%

Individual scores are not provided. When your class includes student winners, your results will identify them and indicate their ranking. The top 10 students at each grade level are recognized with prizes and the top junior and senior students are considered our grand prize winners.

Why are some of my students ineligible?

To be eligible for recognition (i.e. prizes and certificates of achievement), students must:

• Be competing at that level for the first time (i.e. first time as a junior or senior participant).
• Respond to all questions within the 65 minute time limit (there is no penalty for guessing). Junior students must respond to all 50 questions and Senior students must respond to all 60 questions.
• Agree to the integrity statements and provide the personal information requested.

Your results will indicate which of your students are ineligible and why.

I have students competing again. How can they find out how they did?

When students compete more than once at the same level, they are not eligible for awards and recognition. For this reason, they will be noted as ineligible when we share your class results with you. If you have repeat writers who would like to know how they did, please email us at saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca and we can provide you with the level they achieved on their repeat attempt.

How are certificates distributed?

Certificates are issued electronically and are distributed by email directly to the eligible students participants to the email they used to register for the competition. Please encourage your students to spell their name correctly and provide a valid email address when registering to avoid issues with the preparation and delivery of their certificates. Certificates are typically distributed within 6-8 weeks of the competition dates.

If your student receives a certificate with their name spelled incorrectly, please tell them to email saf-flc@uwaterloo.ca and we will correct it.

How are prizes distributed?

All prize winners will be notified by email of their prize and will be asked to sign a release form. Instructions to receive their prize will be included in this email. If you have student winners in your class, you will also be asked to sign a release form. This form allows us to publish your name, and the name of the school with the list of competition winners.

How are school prizes distributed?

The top 3 schools are recognized with prizes. The top 3 schools are determined based on the average score of all eligible participants. The school must have a minimum of 10 eligible participants to be considered for this prize.