The complete syllabus for the current semester is available in Blackboard. 

GRADING POLICIES: Your grade will be based on the following:

Basis for Grading:

COMPONENTS OF YOUR GRADE

Tests: The tests will be given through Blackboard by using a proctoring tool called Proctorio Plus located within Connect. It will record your video and audio while you take a test. You will need a webcam and microphone to take a test. Most laptops have a built-in webcam and microphone. If you are using a desktop, you can get an external webcam and microphone that connects using a USB cable. 

Students will have 6-day test window during which the test must be taken. Given the length of the test windows, requests for rescheduling or “make-up” arrangements will not be accepted.

Tests will consist of multiple-choice questions, matching questions, and/or workout problems. Details about each test will be posted about a week before the test dates. Given the length of the test windows, requests for rescheduling or “make-up” arrangements will not be accepted.

Departmental Assessments: The Accounting Department requires an end-of-year assessment for all ACCT 2303 sections. The assessment will consist of 10 multiple choice questions worth 3 points each and will cover material from chapters 8 through 12. It will be taken with the last test.

Quizzes:  There will be timed, proctored quizzes, given through Connect. Like the tests, Proctorio Plus will be used as the proctoring mechanism. A chapter quiz may not cover all of the chapter’s learning objectives. Coverage will depend on the pace of the class. The quiz schedule is available on the last page of this syllabus. “Make-up” quizzes should not be necessary, except in unusual circumstances.

Smart Book and Problem Assignments: Homework is a critical part of any accounting course.  Important accounting concepts cannot be fully understood until you work the problems.  However, “getting the correct answer” to a problem is not enough to master the concepts. A student must understand the conceptual basis for the mathematical process involved in “getting the correct answer.” A student should re-work a problem until one understands why the steps involved fit the solution.

Both Smart Book and problem assignments are in Connect.

Note: Extensions for homework due dates will be considered only in unusual circumstances, at a maximum of two times. Furthermore, the way Connect works, I cannot give  a student an extension if the student has clicked on the chapter's "Study Attempt". 

Lab Activities: Lab consists of  assignments that will be more analytical.  They may include data analysis, research, or comprehensive problems. 

Blackboard: Everything about the course will be available only through Blackboard  http://acconline.austincc.edu.Your user name for Blackboard is your ACC eID. This is your 7 digit ACC student ID, preceded by the first initial of your official first name. During the activation of your ACC eID, you will select your password. If you do not know your ACC eID, you may retrieve it via the Blackboard home page.

Blackboard is set up with a separate folder for each week as listed on the Course Schedule. In the folder, you will find the details of the readings, links and other resources, as well as the instructions for all assignments. The folders will be available 1 week before the earliest due date for the related assignments.

Additionally, in Blackboard, you will find:

• Course announcements
• Syllabus and other course information
• Link to Connect (The Connect tab will take you to the Connect website. You can directly access the Connect assignments through the Assignment tab.)
• Virtual Office Hours
• Virtual Classroom (Zoom Lectures)
• Testing Information
• Additional Study Guides, containing the authors’ power points, videos I create on specific topics, and other material.
• The official gradebook

CLASS POLICIES

Attendance/Class participation:  Because this is a synchronous class, I expect regular and punctual class attendance of all students, as I would for an on-campus class. Nonetheless, there are no points for attending, nor penalties for not attending class. However, when you miss class, it is up to you to catch up with the missed material.

Per ACC policy, in the event of area-wide unforeseen circumstances (for example, severe weather or other emergency), the student is responsible for communicating with their professor about making up class time and completing any assignments or other activities designated by their professor as a result of class sessions being missed.

Withdrawal: It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that his or her name is removed from the roll should he or she decide to withdraw from the class. The instructor does, however, reserve the right to drop a student should he or she feel it is necessary. If a student decides to withdraw, he or she should also verify that the withdrawal is submitted before the Final Withdrawal Date.  The student is also strongly encouraged to keep any paper work in case a problem arises.

Students are responsible for understanding the impact that withdrawal from a course may have on their financial aid, veterans’ benefits, and international student status.  Per state law, students enrolling for the first time in Fall 2007 or later at any public Texas college or university may not withdraw (receive a W) from more than six courses during their undergraduate college education. Some exemptions for good cause could allow a student to withdraw from a course without having it count toward this limit. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor when making decisions about course selection, course loads, and course withdrawals.

Incomplete: An incomplete (grade of “I”) will only be given  due to extenuating circumstances.  Per ACC policy, what constitutes “extenuating circumstances” is left to the instructor’s discretion. It is the Accounting department’s policy that incomplete grades are given only on rare occasions and generally only when a student has completed all examinations and assignments to date, with a satisfactory grade of C or better, and has personal circumstances that prevent course completion that occur after the deadline to withdraw. 

The following processes must be followed when awarding a student an I grade. 

1. Prior to the end of the semester in which the “I” is to be awarded, the student must meet with the instructor to determine the assignments and exams that must be completed prior to the deadline date.  This meeting can occur virtually or in person.  The instructor should complete the Report of Incomplete Grade form.
2. The faculty member will complete the form, including all requirements to complete the course and the due date, sign (by typing in name) and then email it to the student.  The student will then complete his/her section, sign (by typing in name), and return the completed form to the faculty member to complete the agreement.  A copy of the fully completed form can then be emailed by the faculty member to the student and the department chair for each grade of Incomplete that the faculty member submits at the end of the semester.   
3. The student must complete all remaining work by the date specified on the form above.  This date is determined by the instructor in collaboration with the student, but it may not be later than the final withdrawal deadline in the subsequent long semester.  
4. Students will retain access to the course Blackboard page through the subsequent semester in order to submit work and complete the course. Students will be able to log on to Blackboard and have access to the course section materials, assignments, and grades from the course and semester in which the Incomplete was awarded.  
5. When the student completes the required work by the Incomplete deadline, the instructor will submit an electronic Grade Change Form to change the student’s grade from an “I” to the earned grade of A, B, C, D, or F.

If an Incomplete is not resolved by the deadline, the grade automatically converts to an “F.” 

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is taken very seriously in this class. Plagiarism is considered to be the copying of another’s work including another student’s work, internet sources, or other research source. Any phrase, sentence, paragraph, etc. that is take from another’s work must be cited appropriately.  This means any cutting and pasting from any source, without appropriate citation, is considered plagiarism and is unacceptable. All written assignments submitted in this course are run through a comprehensive plagiarism checker. The first instance of plagiarism will result in a grade of zero on that assignment. A second incident may mean a grade of F for the course.

Use of ACC email: All College e-mail communication to students will be sent solely to the student’s ACC email account, with the expectation that such communications will be read in a timely fashion. ACC will send important information and will notify students of any college- related emergencies using this account. Students should only expect to receive email communication from their instructor using this account.  Likewise, students should use their ACCmail account when communicating with instructors and staff.  Information about ACC email accounts, including instructions for accessing it, are available at:  http://www.austincc.edu/help/accmail/questions-and-answers

Getting in touch with me:  Email is the best way to contact me. Additionally, I will be available during on-line office hours and I will check the general discussion board available in Blackboard. I check email twice a day, Monday through Thursday. Emails received on Friday, Saturday and Sunday may not be answered until the following Monday. It is OK to send me a reminder email if you haven’t heard from me in a business day and you consider your message to be important.

Other Student Responsibilities:

• This course represents a significant element in your professional development, and you are expected to demonstrate professionally high standards of responsibility, integrity, preparation and participation.  Intermediate Accounting represents the core content of financial reporting. A student cannot expect to do well on the FARS section of the CPA exam without mastery of this course’s content. As a result, this course’s content requires a significant amount of time and effort.
• Depending on the pace of the class discussion, I may not be able to cover all chapter topics and problems. It is up to the student to bring their questions to class, as all chapter material will be covered in the tests. 

COURSE SCHEDULE:  Please note: This schedule is subject to change due to the pace of the class.

• Intermediate Accounting with Connect, 11th edition, Spiceland, Sepe, Nelson, Thomas, McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 9781266309496. This text will be used for Intermediate Accounting II (2304), also.

This course is part of an inclusive access model called First Day™. You can easily access the required materials for this course at a discounted price, and benefit from single sign-on access with no codes required in Blackboard.  Austin Community College has included the discounted price as a part of a course charge for this course.

It is NOT recommended that you Opt-Out, as these materials are required to complete the course. You can choose to Opt-Out on the first day of class, but you will be responsible for purchasing your course materials at the full retail price and access to your materials may be suspended.

For more information and FAQs go to customercare.bncollege.com.

DISTANCE EDUCATION:

ACC distance education courses are every bit as academically challenging as on-campus courses. While there is the advantage of avoiding traffic, an online student must be able to manage their time. You will need to spend more time reading, listening to videos, and working through the content of the course on your own. If you have questions, you must take the initiative to visit me during office hours or by appointment. If this is your first on-line class, it is recommended that you review the ACC Distance Education General Information available at https://online.austincc.edu/faq/

Blackboard:  Everything about the course will be available only through Blackboard http://acconline.austincc.edu. Additional information about the Blackboard site for this class is found below under Course Policies.

Computer hardware and software requirements: This course requires a laptop or desktop with a microphone and webcam or use of external webcam. Chrome books will not work. For testing, you need access to Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. You must have access to word processing. Students may access a free version of Microsoft Office: https://www.austincc.edu/offices/benefits/employee-support-programs. Scroll down until you see “Office 365- Free”.

Student Technology Support:

In response to COVID-19-related campus closures, ACC now provides free, secure drive-up WiFi to students in the parking lots of all campus locations. WiFi can be accessed seven days a week, 7am to 11 pm.  Additional details are available at https://www.austincc.edu/sts.

Students who do not have the necessary technology to complete their ACC courses can request to borrow devices from Student Technology Services. Available devices include iPads, webcams, headsets, calculators, etc. Students must be registered for a credit course, Adult Education, or Continuing Education course to be eligible. For more information, including how to request a device, visit http://www.austincc.edu/sts.

Student Technology Services offers phone, live-chat, and email-based technical support for students and can provide support on topics such as password resets, accessing or using Blackboard, access to technology, etc. To view hours of operation and ways to request support, visit http://www.austincc.edu/sts.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  This course involves the critical analysis of generally accepted accounting principles, concepts, and theory underlying the preparation of financial statements. Emphasis is placed on current theory and practice. It is an intense study of accounting standards and principles used by accounting professionals for disclosing accounting information related to enterprise assets. It examines professional accounting pronouncements for measuring, recording, and reporting of asset values.

PREREQUISITE: Before enrolling in ACNT 2303, you must have completed ACCT 2302 (or its equivalent), and ACNT 1371with a “C” or better.  Students who have not completed the prerequisite courses or who cannot document completion will be withdrawn from the class. 

Basic computer skills utilizing internet, word processing, spreadsheet (Excel), and presentation (Power Point) software are recommended for all accounting courses. All assignments are to be prepared on the computer and presented in a format that would be acceptable in a business environment.  

CPA CANDIDATES: Austin Community College has received the designation of Qualifying Educational Credit for CPA Examination by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (Board).  This course qualifies as one of the 24 required upper-level business courses. However, for this course to be counted, the student MUST have completed a bachelor's degree PRIOR to taking this course. If this course is completed before a bachelor's degree is awarded, the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy will not accept it.  Please review the information on our web site http://www.austincc.edu/accting/cpainfo.php. It is the responsibility of the student to understand and comply with the requirements of the Board.

The Texas Legislature passed legislation (SB 159) approved by the Governor that reduces the number of educational credits to sit for the CPA exam in Texas to 120 semester-credit hours. However, the 120 credit hours must include completion of a specific type and number of upper division accounting hours as well as upper division business hours.Further, a total of 150 semester hours are required in order to be certified, including 27 semester-credit hours of upper division accounting courses, 24 semester-hours of upper division business courses, 3 semester-credit hours of ethics, and a writing/research class. 

SCANS COMPETENCIES: SCANS is the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills.

Please go to http://www.austincc.edu/mkt/scans.phpfor complete definitions and explanation of SCANS.  This list summarizes the SCANS competencies addressed in this particular course.

1. Reasoning:  Discovers a rule or principle underlying the relationship between two or more objects and applies it in solving a problem.  For example, uses logic to draw conclusions from available information, extracts rules or principles from a set of objects or written text; applies rules and principles to a new situation, or determines which conclusions are correct when given a set of facts and a set of conclusions.
2. Participates as a member of a team: Works cooperatively with others and contributes to group with ideas, suggestions, and effort. i
3. Responsibility:  Exerts a high level of effort and perseverance towards goal attainment.  Works hard to become excellent at doing tasks by setting high standards, paying attention to details, working well and displaying a high level of concentration even when assigned an unpleasant task.  Displays high standards of attendance, punctuality, enthusiasm, vitality, and optimism in approaching and completing tasks.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:Upon successful completion of this course, students are expected to gain a sound understanding of generally accepted accounting principles governing the recognition and measurement of assets and liabilities in financial statements used by parties external to the business enterprise.

COURSE OUTCOMES: 

• Demonstrate understanding of concepts underlying the accounting for major asset groups and liabilities
• Analyze accounting problems and apply appropriate accounting procedures for major asset groups and liabilities
• Use Codification to answer basic research questions
• Communicate accounting information clearly, concisely and accurately
• Identify significant differences between U.S. and international accounting standards for major asset groups and liabilities

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY:

The objectives of this 3-hour lecture course will be met by incorporating a variety of on-line instructional methods.  These may include author-created video lectures, exams and quizzes, problem-solving, written analysis, and research. All class lectures and activities, labs, homework, quizzes, and tests will be provided through Blackboard.

Students who are new to on-line education may want to review the ACC Distance Education General Information available at https://online.austincc.edu/faq/

Blackboard:  Everything about the course will be available only through Blackboard http://acconline.austincc.edu. Additional information about the Blackboard site for this class is found below under Course Policies.