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Course Syllabus
Fall 2005

OBJECTIVES & OVERVIEW:
Chances are this course will be unlike any other course you have had yet in your college experience. It is a departure from previous approaches to introductory accounting. Changes have been made not only in content of the course, but also in the methods used to present the material.

Traditionally the emphasis in introductory accounting has been on procedures and formulas needed to prepare accounting information. The focus was on the mechanics of accounting such as debits and credits, journal entries, methods of computing depreciation and other quantitative skills. While you will still learn many of the mechanics, the focus of the course will be on understanding the impact on the business of financial events and using accounting information as an aid to decision-making.

Business people collect and communicate information and must be proficient in speaking and writing. In addition, future employers of today's students are calling for a greater emphasis on interpersonal skills that include the ability to work effectively in groups with diverse members. Thus, this course will provide an opportunity to enhance your communication skills and group skills, in large part through interaction with other students via chat groups.

Upon successful completion of ACCT 233, you will:

• Understand the purposes of accounting and the uses and limitations of accounting information.

• Possess enhanced analytical, problem solving and communication skills necessary for success in the world of business.

CLASS COMMITMENT:
This is a demanding course and moves very quickly! Don't get "behind" in your course work. Expect to spend 2 out-of-class hours for every hour in class. Doing your homework and being prepared for class sessions is extremely important. If you have a question, get it answered. Contact a classmate, go to the Accounting Help lab or see me in class or at my office.

REQUIRED TEXTS:
Financial Accounting, 8^th ed., by Needles and Powers
Working Papers to accompany Financial Accounting
Snoops for Hire Practice Set

Grading will be based on the following scale:

90 - 100% = A
80 - 89% = B
70 - 79% = C
60 - 69% = D
< 60% = F

Participation also will be considered.

WITHDRAWALS:
Withdrawal from ACCT 233 without penalty is permitted according to University regulations.

INCOMPLETES:
Incompletes will be given in accordance with the policy in the college catalog.

HONOR SYSTEM:
All students enrolled in ACCT 233 are under the honor system. No form of cheating or plagiarism will be tolerated. Offenders will be dealt with in accordance with the procedures set forth in the college handbook.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
This course emphasizes learning through doing. It is imperative that you read the text carefully and do the assigned homework before class.

A portion of the work you do in this course will take place in small groups of 4 to 5 students. In order for a group to function effectively, each member must be prepared for that day's work and take an active part in the discussion. Research shows that small group work is an effective way to learn, and students usually enjoy getting to know and interact with each other.

• You are expected to have read and studied the assigned material in your text.

• You are expected to diligently attempt to work all problems, exercises and cases assigned. Homework will be collected daily. Failure to submit more than 3 homework assignments may result in the lowering of the final grade by 1 grade level, at the instructor’s option. Late assignments count as ½ assignment not submitted.

  • In addition to the above, you will earn points for on-time homework based on degree of completion. Homework that is reasonably complete earns 5 points even if it is not completely correct. Homework which is not complete, or which does not evidence adequate effort, will receive fewer points.

• Old Policy - Do not do homework during class sessions. We will review most of the assignments in class. You may use a red pen to make corrections or notes on your homework, but you are not to use a pencil on your homework once you come to class. Since I give points for the degree to which the homework is completed before class, working on the homework once you come to class will be considered cheating. It is also an ineffective way to learn and distracting to other students.

• New trial policy – Please do all the bolded items before class, including all of the assigned questions. Please read the rest of the assigned homework so you are familiar with it and review as appropriate in the chapter to get familiar with the area. Then we will do most of the rest of the assigned items together in class. This is an experiment. We’ll see how it works for the first 4 chapters and adjust as appropriate after that.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:
It is in your best interest to attend and participate in all class sessions. Accounting is very logical and somewhat like a puzzle, especially at the beginning. Students who miss class at any time, but particularly during the first 4 weeks, are depriving themselves of pieces of the puzzle. This can make accounting seem confusing and cause difficulty in trying to "put it all together". If you don’t find class time helpful, please let me know. I don’t want to waste your time or my time on activities that are not helpful to your learning.

Please arrive a few minutes early so you can have your materials out and be ready to start on time. Please do not be late or leave early. This is distracting to me and to your classmates.

Please do not bring cell phones, pagers, etc., to class, or be sure they are turned off. Do not take cell phone calls during class time or leave class to take cell phone calls. Again, this is distracting and hurts learning.

QUIZZES:
We will have frequent very short quizzes. They will often be at the beginning of the period and cover topics assigned as homework for the current class period. If you are not in class when the quiz is given you will not be allowed to take the quiz. There are no make-ups for missed quizzes. I will drop your 2 lowest quiz scores in recognition of the fact that there may be very rare times when you just cannot get to class.

• Students may use the author’s quizzes to test their understanding of the chapter. Go to the publisher's website and take the chapter Quiz.  The exact URL is: http://college.hmco.com/accounting/needles/financial/8e/students/index.html  
• There is an Accounting Tutorial at the following website.  It looks good, especially the initial explanation of debits and credits. The exact URL is: http://www.access.wvu.edu/class/acctutor/accthome.htm

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES:
Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe that they may need accommodations in this class, are encouraged to contact Disability Support Services as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Please meet with DSS staff to verify your eligibility for any classroom accommodations and for academic assistance related to your disability. Disability Support Services is located in the Academic Support Center.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call DSS at 657-2283.

GENERAL COMMENTS:
There is no substitute for HARD WORK or a DESIRE TO LEARN in studying accounting, but most of us could use our study time and chat periods more efficiently. Below are some techniques that may help you to show your ability on exams and receive better grades. See if you can use these suggestions to get maximum results for your study efforts.

• Studying accounting is not like reading fiction or even like studying history, mathematics, or economics:

  • Assignments often build on previous assignments. If you do half-hearted work in Chapter 1, you may have difficulty in Chapter 2, and be lost in Chapter 3.

  • Accounting books are condensed. Almost every sentence is important. Look over the chapter content and then read carefully.

• READ to understand "Why."

  • This is a technical subject, it is logical, and it requires reasoning.

  • Strive to be able to say, "I understand why they do that." If you understand "why" in accounting, there is very little to memorize.

  • Try to explain each new topic in your own words. Getting the new ideas into your own words is better than being able to quote the book.

  • Be critical. Ask your instructor for the reasons behind accounting methods that you do not understand.

• REMEMBER "why" and "how".

  • Do not just keep up; consolidate and review as you go. Review previous chapters and bring yourself up-to-date. See how the current chapter builds on the last one.

  • Never wait until examination time to review your accounting. The review-as-you-go plan produces better results. It does not take as long, and saves that last minute worry and sacrifice of other courses that goes with cramming.

• If there is something you do not understand, prepare specific questions to ask your instructor. PIN-POINT THE CONCEPT THAT YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. (Some students keep a notebook of issues/concepts with which they have had difficulty.)

• Do not be in a hurry to put pencil to paper and begin working on a particular assignment. Take time to review what was covered in the text and then to consider the requirements of a particular assignment. The majority of your time on the assignments in this class should be spent THINKING and ORGANIZING before writing.

• Scan the text of the problem in 5-10 seconds to get a general idea of the topic. Carefully read and analyze the requirements. Underline and circle key words in the requirements. Know what you are required to do before you read the text of the problem.

• Be neat, orderly and provide an audit trail for your work. Sloppy calculations, messy papers, and general carelessness result in many errors.

• Work your homework problems like they are test problems (push yourself, get everything you can).

• Keep up with your class.

  • Check your problem against the author’s solution.

  • Find your mistakes.

  • Be sure you understand the correct solution.

• Note the part of the problem with which you have difficulty and ask questions via email or chat sessions.

• You are permitted (even encouraged) to discuss the assignments with others, particularly those in your group. However, the final preparation of the assignment MUST BE DONE BY YOU ALONE! Failure to do so constitutes academic dishonesty, and does not provide you with the maximum benefit.

• Classes are rarely interesting unless you take part.

• Be prepared before class.

• Be brave. Do not hesitate to ask questions. If you knew everything, you wouldn't need the class.

• Students who make failing grades also fail to participate, fail to have their homework completed, and fail to ask the instructor for help. Stay out of these ruts.

• Be specific in your study. Concentrate on the things that seem to be most important.

  • Note items that the instructor emphasizes.

  • Determine the topics from which most of the problems were assigned.

• Do not stop with just "getting the idea."

• Every exam has an element of speed. Have your "how's" and "why's" right at your fingertips. If you are slow, you probably need to study more.

• Students are not parrots. On a good exam you should be expected to give back something more than was in the textbook. A good exam should test your ability to reason and understand even more than your ability to memorize.

• When taking exams many points may be lost because you do not READ AND UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM, are not neat and orderly (have poor form and make errors in addition), or do not show calculations.

• Examinations need not be a source of worry. It is seldom that conscientious effort is not rewarded.

• Don't rob yourself of sleep by cramming. You will lose more through loss of thinking efficiency than you will gain by cramming more details in your mind (details you may not be able to recall anyway, because of lost thinking efficiency). If you have kept up, you still will need to study just before the exam, but you won't need to do extensive last-minute cramming

STUDENT COMPETENCIES:
In order to improve the quality of the business curriculum and support its pursuit of AACSB accreditation, the College of Business has identified competencies students must develop to enhance their future business careers. The College is engaged in a process of assessment and modification in order to insure continuous improvement in course activities in these areas. The college’s mission statement states, "The academic programs of the college develop student competencies in: (1) oral communications, (2) effective writing, (3) critical thinking, (4) quantitative reasoning, and (5) effective utilization of information and technology for business decisions." Each course in the College of Business is designed to help students develop competencies in one or more of these areas. This course will include activities to enhance students’ competencies in all five areas. Outlined below is how much I plan to emphasize these competencies in this class based on a scale of 0 (no emphasis) to 5 (high emphasis). At the end of the semester, the students’ perceptions of the emphasis placed on these learning objectives will be assessed.

• Oral communications: (2) Students are expected to come to class prepared and to participate in small-group and full-class discussions of text material and homework assignments. These discussions will allow students to demonstrate skills in interpersonal communication and the following knowledge related performance skills: acquisition, comprehension, application, analysis, and evaluation.

• Effective writing: (1) Although no formal paper is required, several of the assignments require written responses.

• Critical thinking: (4) Students are expected to prepare thoughtful responses to all homework assignments, and several of the assignments are designed specifically to enhance competency in this area.

• Quantitative reasoning: (4) Many of the homework assignments are designed specifically to enhance competency in this area. Also, students will be expected to demonstrate quantitative reasoning skills through differentiating between relevant and irrelevant information on exams and in-class activities, and by utilizing relevant information appropriately.

• Effective utilization of information and technology for business decisions: (3) Effective utilization of information will be emphasized in many of the homework and in-class assignments. Students are encouraged (but not required) to use Word and Excel for their homework assignments.