|
Financial Accounting |
Instructor:
Cheryl Furbee
Fall 2008
Revised 06/21/08
Welcome to Financial Accounting. This is an "online" class, designed to be presented entirely via the internet. There will be no on campus meetings, no orientation. Quizzes, assignments, etc. will all be done online.
Course
Description
A conceptual introduction to accounting from
the user's perspective, this course covers the preparation, communication, use
and analysis of accounting information. Emphasis is on accounting theory, ciritical
thinking, and the use of accounting information in business decision-making.
While not required, it is highly recommended that you complete ACCT 151A prior
to or concurrently with this course, especially in the online format. Success
rates are much higher for those students with the knowledge or experience of
basic accounting procedures.
Textbooks
and Supplies
Text
- MP Financial Accounting with annual Report, Fifth Edition, Libby,
Libby, Short, McGraw-Hill, 2007, ISBN 9780073208145.
This ISBN includes the Annual Report which is not necessary since
you will be analyzing different corporations. Therefore, it is fine if you purchase
the text without the Annual Report.
The text will be available at the Cabrillo
Bookstore approximately two weeks before the semester begins. You may also
buy the text online from Amazon,
McGraw-Hill,
Barnes
& Noble and half.com
(owned by E-Bay). Be aware that it may take 3-4 weeks to receive a text purchased
online. Therefore, be sure to order several weeks before the semester begins;
lack of a text does not warrant extension of assignment/quiz due dates.
McGraw-Hill's
Homework ManagerTM - This is a McGraw-Hill product
to be used for online homework submission and grading, costing $20.00. This
program automatically grades assignments and provides immediate feedback so
you know if you are doing the work accurately. See the publisher's
website for information. Follow the instructions on the publisher's site
to finalize the purchase and registration.
You might want to consider purchasing the text in e-book format. It is combined with Homework Manager and contains other premium content for a total of $65.00. Be aware, however, that this format is available for only one semester and, of course, there is no buy back option. Watch the Online Text Video for a demonstration of how to purchase the text and Homework Manager in this format.
Access
to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. You will also need access to
Acrobat Reader, and iTunes which can be downloaded free (see
links on the Online
Orientation page).
Course Requirements
Attendance and participation
in any class is essential. The only difference in this class is that you attend
and participate online. Excessive absence (lack of participation online) may
result in being denied access to Blackboard at the instructor's discretion.
This denial does NOT drop you from the course, it is your responsibility to
officially withdraw.
Blackboard is a class
management system that will be used for communication, internet assignments,
discussions, questions, quizzes, exams, etc. See the Online
Orientation page for more information.
Homework
- It is imperative to complete the
exercises and problems following each chapter since accounting is a "hands on"
subject. You cannot learn the concepts by merely reading the book. Believe me,
I have tried - it doesn't work!! The process of reading, writing, and calculating
helps you master the concepts and theories. Additionally, accounting builds
on each chapter. You will NOT understand Chapter 8 if you don't master Chapters
1-7. The text provides mini-exercises, and exercises that are designed to be
short and related to specific objectives. There are also problems, cases, and
projects designed to be more comprehensive. Complete the exercises and problems
manually; go to Homework
Manager. Select the Chapter Solutions, enter your numbers and see if you
are correct. When comfortable, select the Chapter Exercises. You will receive
six randomly selected exercises that are similar to the text exercises but the
data has been changed. Each exercise is worth 1 point. The exercises required
will change with each attempt. Complete the exercises, see how you did, learn
where you need more work. You are given three attempts to earn the maximum points.
Then do the same with the Chapter Problems; most chapters will deliver three
problems worth 3 points each. Again you have three attempts to earn maximum
credit; the problems available will differ with each attempt. Each chapter is
worth 15 points (6 points for the exercises, 9 points for the problems). Due
to errors and/or misunderstanding in the software, you will be given two points
of extra credit if you complete both the exercises and the problems; therefore
you can earn 17 points out of a possible 15 if you have no errors. Requirements
may change, if necessary. Chapter 12
is not required; only the Solutions file is available. Completing this chapter
is for your benefit; it is not worth any points. The homework assignments are
available for fourteen days.
Other Assignments
based on Internet research, opinion/response, and/or corporate analysis will
be made. You must post these on Blackboard. They are due by the due date. No
credit will be given for late assignments.
Self quizzes
as well as supplementary materials such as PowerPoint slides, narrated
slides, flash cards, check figures, templates, Topic Tackler Plus, and Educational
Videos are provided by the publisher.
These are designed, of course, to help your understanding, provide a review
of the text material, and prepare you for the quizzes. Many of these resources
are available for use on your iPod.
Quizzes -
there will be a quiz after each chapter, generally on a weekly basis; you will
be given two attempts to complete these chapter quizzes; the higher score will
be used for grading..Each quiz will contain 25 multiple choice questions worth
two points each;.different questions will be randomly selected from the publisher's
testbank for each attempt. All quizzes will be timed and taken online via Blackboard.
Your lowest quiz score will be thrown out. If you miss a quiz on the scheduled
days, it will be considered your "throw out". There will be NO make-up
exams. However, if you complete all the quizzes, your lowest score will be considered
"extra credit". Five days will be available to take the quizzes, generally
from 12:01 a.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
A Final Project
will be assigned. You will select a publically-traded corporation from a list
provided by the instructor. These companies will be in the merchandising or
manufacturing business either as wholesalers or retailers in the United States
(no foreign corporations). You will compare and contrast corporations in the
same industry to determine their strengths and weaknesses and analyze which
company is doing better. These results
will also be compared to the industry as a whole. It is important to select
your company EARLY in the semester, within the first two weeks. It is best to
get a hard copy of their annual report but you can usually obtain this report
online via the company's homepage. Accessing the financial statements via financial
sites such as Yahoo! or Google are NOT adequate for this assignment. You MUST
have the full annual report available. Use the most recent report available
at the beginning of the semester.
Grading
The following table contains the estimated number of points for each requirement.
It is, however, subject to change. The actual number of points that will be
assigned to each item will be available via Blackboard. It
is expected that each person will complete his/her OWN work. If it is determined
that you "cheated" (as defined by generally accepted college standards
in the U.S.) on any quiz or assignment, you will receive zero points credit
for that quiz and/or assignment. "Cheating" is justification for dropping
you from the class at the instructor's discretion. You are encouraged to work
together for many assignments but NOT on the exams.
Requirement Possible Points Discussions & Research (approx) 320 Quizzes (best 12 @ 50) 600
Grade Percentage of Total Possible Points A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79% D 60-69% F Below 60%
Withdrawal from this course is YOUR responsibility
if you want to avoid a letter grade. CR/NC is also an option if you inform the
instructor.
Disabilities/Special
Needs:
As required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accommodations are
provided to ensure equal opportunity for students with verified disabilities.
If you have a disability that requires accommodations for this class, please
contact the Learning Skills Program at 479-6220 (for students with learning
disabilities and attention deficit disorder) or Disabled Student Services at
479-6379, to make arrangements as soon as possible.