Title: Syllabus
Course: ACC 255 RTZ

[YOUR COLLEGE/INSTITUTION NAME HERE]

PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING

ACC 255

[SEMESTER TERM or DATE RANGE/YEAR HERE]

ONLINE

Instructor: [Instructor(s) name here]

Office Phone: | [Instructor phone number here]
Fax: | [Instructor fax number, if applicable, here]
Office hours: | [Instructor Office Hours, include dates and times, if applicable]
Email: | [Instructor e-mail contact(s) address and where housed, I.e. LMS]

Course Description:

Financial accounting theory as applied to corporate form of business involving service and merchandising activities will be examined. The course includes analysis and recording of business transactions and preparation of financial statements. This is a three credit class. Prerequisite: [Your prerequisite requirement(s), if any]

Course Rationale:

This course is designed to provide learners with the elementary foundations of basic accounting theory. The focus will apply the basic objectives, principles and procedures of accountancy in the preparation, analysis, interpretation, communication and reporting of general-purpose financial statements.

Text and Materials:

Financial Accounting, 8^th ed., Libby, Libby & Short, and McGraw-Hill (ISBN: 0078025559).

Suggested: Quick Study Accounting I outline (available in the bookstore)

Learning Activities:

Success in any course is directly proportional to student involvement in the learning process. Each student will have the opportunity to ask questions through emails, by phone, or by meeting with the instructor by appointment.  This is a three credit transferable course. You should schedule a minimum of 10 hours per week of time for this class. Accounting is only learned effectively by applying it to the homework assignments.  Completing the assignments is critical in order for the student to be successful in this class.  Many students find this course to be the most time consuming class of their lower division business classes.

Course Outcomes/Competencies:

- Demonstrate problem solving techniques through accounting problem analysis;
- Interpret different types of accounting statements;
- Explain the purpose of the general ledger;
- Prepare and explain the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Statement of Retained Earnings;
- Explain the Accounting Equation and the interaction of its elements;
- Determine through T-Account analysis where a transaction should be properly recorded;
- Explain the components of an annual report and its significance to the stockholders;
- Explain the difference between short-term and long-term assets;
- Interpret appropriate asset “valuation” for inventory using different inventory systems;
- Describe the methods of depreciation, identify the methods applicable to given situations;
- Demonstrate through problem analysis the reasoning behind corporate issuance of long-term debt;
- Calculate and apply the necessary tools and techniques for ratio analysis related to statement analysis;
- Evaluate the Statement of Stockholders’ Equity for purposes of comparison;
- Explain how bonds are accounted for.

Instructor Methodology:

This course contains the following teaching methodologies:

- Examination/evaluations/quizzes
- Problem solving
- Collaborative learning
- Exploration and querying
- Individual study with supplemental resources
- Audio power point presentations

Communication:

I check my online course emails once a day during the normal work week (Mondays through Fridays) and usually do not work on weekends or holidays.  I answer emails within two working days.  So if you email me on Saturday do not expect an answer until Monday at the earliest and Wednesday at the latest.  You can expect your assignments and assessments (quizzes and exams) to be graded within two weeks.

Course Evaluation:

Grading System: [Your grading system here]

Assignments (200 points):  Assignments are to be prepared legibly and completely. You may do the assignments by hand or use Word or Excel. I am able to open Word, Excel, and PDF files.  Use the assignment tool in [LMS] to submit your work. Once you have turned in your assignment, I will send you the correct answers [or you procedure here] as an attachment in the assignment tool; therefore keep a copy of your work so you can compare your work with the correct answer.  I will give you full credit for your individual assignments if they are complete, neat, and submitted on time (they do not have to be 100% correct). The answers that I send will be in Word so make sure that you have Word 2010 or newer. Late assignments will only be given partial credit upon the discretion of the instructor. Individual assignments from each chapter will be worth 100 points.  Also there are two comprehensive assignments worth 50 points each for a total of 100 points.  The comprehensive problems will be graded for accuracy.

Quizzes (100 points):

A quiz will be given for each chapter.  You have several resources besides reading the chapter to help you learn the material (chapter notes, narrated slides, examples, instructor, tutor, and others in the class).   There is no time limit to take the quiz as long as it is submitted on time by the due date.  Please start working on the quiz as early as possible.  You can start to work on the quiz and then come back to it later.  When you come back to the quiz you can change your answers if you want and finish answering the rest of the questions.  Make sure that you do not press "submit" until you are satisfied, however, you do have to submit your answers before the quiz closes or you will receive a zero for the quiz.

Three Semester Exams (300 points):

There will be two online exams each worth 50 points for a total of 100 points. There will be a proctored midterm exam after Chapter 8 worth 200 points. The midterm exam is tentatively scheduled for [Your selected date here], at the [Your college/institution campus, if applicable]. You must bring in a photo ID to show the proctor in order to take the midterm. If you are unable to meet at [Your college/institution campus] at the required time of the midterm then you need to contact me as soon as possible so we can find someone who will proctor your exam. You are responsible for any costs associated with an off campus proctor.

Final Comprehensive Exam (200 points):

The final exam will be comprehensive and proctored during final week.  The final exam is tentatively scheduled for [Your selected date here], at the [Your college/institution campus, if applicable].  If you are unable to meet at the [Your college/institution campus] at the required time of the final then you need to contact me as soon as possible so we can find someone that will proctor your final exam.  You are responsible for any costs associated with an off campus proctor.

Attendance and Drops:

LOG IN, PARTICIPATION/ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

As this is an online course, students must maintain participation requirements set by the college and instructor which consists of regularly checking emails, completing and submitting assignments by the posted deadlines, and completing online exams if assigned.

[Initial enrollment verification process and deadlines, if required, here]

Ethics:

[Your ethics procedure, if applicable here]