Course Syllabus

 Course Description

The main purpose of this elementary course is to prepare 1st and 2nd year students for the next level of undergraduate courses in governmental and non-profit accounting and reporting and a preparatory course for financial management and government finance. Students are expected to develop an understanding of basic accounting concepts, assumptions, important Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and accounting cycle as understood and practiced in different types of organizations.

No prior accounting knowledge is required for this course.  We will learn the material by reading online texts, viewing videos, lectures with demonstrations, individual and group practice, polling questions and exams. 

This course builds on knowledge from prior sessions. So missing multiple session is detrimental to building your accounting foundation.

>Read prior to class. Answer the questions contained within the readings to determine "what are the most important parts".  This helps you know what to pay attention to during the lectures to follow.

>Attend class to respond to polling questions and complete in class activities.  This gives you immediate feedback on your progress towards the learning objectives and provides additional clarification based upon polling results. 

>Practice, practice, practice! Reading about accounting is NOT the same as "doing" accounting.  So prepare to get behind the wheel and drive!

 Learning Outcomes 

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Explain problems using financial accounting terminology.
2. Record daily transactions for Business, Not-for-profit, and Governmental entities.
3. Illustrate the basic procedures for adjusting, closing entries, and summarizing the accounting records prior to the preparation of the financial statements.
4. Students will be able to construct financial statements using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) based upon financial transactions and analyze the results of operations

 Course Requirements 

Required Text and Materials

• McCaster, Antonette: Elements of Accounting for Business, Governmental & Not-for-profit organizations; 1st Edition, 2018. TopHat. ISBN: 978-1-77330-674-2 (accessed through Canvas -Tophat menu item).
  
• Spiceland/ Thomas / Herrmann: Financial Accounting; 6th Edition, . McGraw-Hill Connect. ISBN: 978-1-26414-030-5 (accessed through Canvas - McGraw-Hill Connect menu item).
• Microsoft Excel (free download using IUware)

Technical Requirements

You will need the following in order to participate in this course:

• Computer or tablet; 
• Reliable internet connection;
• Microphone;
• Access to Canvas & TopHat using a supported web browser.
• Honorlock is used in this course.*

*Room scans can be required and the student should not take the class if the student does not have an exam location they are willing to have scanned.

• For privacy concerns, the limited use of collected information and timetable for destruction are included in the Honorlock information.

Technical Support

• Tophat Support
  • email (support@tophat.com), the in-app support button, or by calling 1-888-663-5491
• McGraw-Hill Connect support
  • Phone: 1-800-331-5094; Live chat/email: https://mhedu.force.com/CXG/s/ContactUs
  • Mon-Thu: 24 Hours, Fri: 12 AM-9 PM, Sat: 10 AM-8 PM, Sun: 12 PM-12 AM (All Times Eastern USA)

 Course Assessments

Course Point Allocations:

Course Attendance

• Course attendance is required. When a student knows in advance they will be absent, the students are expected to complete in class activities via canvas. Assignments can not be submitted after collected during class and reviewed. 
• If you miss more than 3 consecutive class sessions for medical or personal reasons, it may be best to consider withdrawing from the course until you are able to return and focus on your academic goals.
• Students are encouraged to attend virtual office hours when unable to attend office hours in person; which are scheduled by appointment via zoom. 
• Polling questions are designed to guide the lecture in real time.  Consequently, receiving credit for correctly answering a lecture polling question before or after the live class session is not an option. 
  • FOR SUMMER ONLINE COURSES: Students must respond to the polling questions via the "assigned" menu in Tophat prior to the outlined date/time. Polling questions may also be part of the zoom lectures and must be answered before the timer runs out while the question is open.
  • FOR IN PERSON CLASS LECTURES: A student can answer polling questions from outside the classroom during the time period the question is open. This option is an accommodation to students.  Regardless of the reason for the absence, not being present in class will cause you to miss the opportunity to engage with the instructor and/or fellow students during the learning process. 
• Late Withdrawal. NOTE: The auto-W deadline is NO LONGER THE LAST DAY OF CLASS (as it was during and post-Covid).  After the auto-W deadline, withdrawal will be significantly limited and you will need permission to withdraw and must meet requirements established by O’Neill.

 Submitting Assignments

• Photos of homework assignments are NOT acceptable. Microsoft  Excel is required. All assignments are due PRIOR to 8pm each day.
• It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all electronic submissions can be opened and viewed for grading. To do this, students should return to the assignment menu, after submitting, and click on the link of the submitted file to ensure that it displays exactly what they want graded. 
• Assignments in this course should be either completed during class, or submitted via Canvas/assignments as indicated by each assessment instructions.
• Students must submit all assignments prior to the due date/time and according to instructions to receive full credit.
  • Canvas/pages reflects the accurate due date/time for both Canvas and tophat assessments
  • The tophat due date is NOT the due date for completion.  It is the date that answers will be released and no further updates can be made. 
• Take home exam allowed resources:
  • Only approved sources should be utilized and material should not be discussed (in person or electronically) with anyone. The IU student code of ethics will apply to this course.
    • G: Uphold and maintain academic and professional honesty and integrity: II: Responsibilities: Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct: Indiana University (iu.edu)
    • Approved resources for Exams:
      • Tophat online text & lecture slides
      • Your previously completed assignments
      • Microsoft Excel/Calculator
      • Chart of Accounts
      • Rules of Debit/Credit
• Grades will be posted in Canvas within a reasonable time of the due date. Since Canvas keeps track of all of your grades, you should always be able to calculate your current grade in the course. If you need assistance, please contact me.
• Students should contact the instructor within 5 days of grade posting (except for the week of finals where it is shortened due to registrars final grade submission deadlines) with questions/concerns about the grade posted. 
• Make-up assignments. There are no "on demand make up assignments" in this course.  Opportunities to demonstrate your mastery of the course learning objectives are provided throughout the semester.  Consequently, you are expected to attend and complete the additional opportunities provided to demonstrate course mastery should circumstances arise that require you miss a regularly scheduled class meeting time.
• Assignments submitted outside of the outlined parameters will automatically be deducted 10% each day; if solutions/grades have not been reviewed/released. 
  • No assignment will be accepted for grading after the solutions are released.
• Access course guidance by class period 
  • Student Guide

Note Selling: Several commercial services have approached students regarding selling class notes/study guides to their classmates. Selling the instructor’s notes/study guides in this course is not permitted. Violations of this policy will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct (violation of course rules). Sanctions for academic misconduct may include a failing grade on the assignment for which the notes/study guides are being sold, a reduction in your final course grade, or a failing grade in the course, among other possibilities. Additionally, you should know that selling a faculty member’s notes/study guides individually or on behalf of one of these services using IU email, or via Canvas may also constitute a violation of IU information technology and IU intellectual property policies; additional consequences may result.

Materials: The faculty member teaching this course holds the exclusive right to distribute, modify, post, and reproduce course materials, including all written materials, study guides, lectures, assignments, exercises, and exams. While you are permitted to take notes on the online materials and lectures posted for this course for your personal use, you are not permitted to re-post in another forum, distribute, or reproduce content from this course without the express written permission of the faculty member. Any violation of this course rule will be reported to the appropriate university offices and officials, including to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct.

Use of generative AI (such as ChatGPT) in this class.  Using AI to assist in completing assignments in this class is prohibited.  If you do use AI, you will be committing plagiarism* and will be subject to penalties in this class and sanctions by Indiana University.  You are permitted to use the free version of Grammarly and Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar tool. 

WARNING: Submitting any questions, assignments, notes, slides,  or other instructor-produced course materials into Generative AI without permission is a violation of the faculty member’s exclusive rights and will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct.

*Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, unless the information is common knowledge. https://studentcode.iu.edu/responsibilities/academic-misconduct.html. (emphasis added)

 Email Communication

• If a students chooses to send emails OUTSIDE of the Canvas system, you must indicate the course number (found at the top of this screen -SPEA-V246-3909) or class meeting time in the subject line.
• Canvas is the primary method of communication for the course (Pages, Announcements, Email, etc.)

Other Valuable IU Information

O’Neill School expectations of civility and professional conduct[1]

The O’Neill School takes matters of honesty and integrity seriously because O’Neill is the training ground for future leaders in government, civic organizations, health organizations, and other institutions charged with providing resources for the public, and for members of society who are vulnerable and who are lacking in power and status. Precisely because O’Neill graduates tend to rise to positions of power and responsibility, it is critical that the lessons of honesty and integrity are learned early.

O’Neill requires that all members of its community – students, faculty, and staff – treat others with an attitude of mutual respect both in the classroom and during all academic and nonacademic activities outside the classroom. A student is expected to show respect through behavior that promotes conditions in which all students can learn without interruption or distraction. These behaviors foster an appropriate atmosphere inside and outside the classroom:

• Students are expected to attend class regularly and to be prepared for class.
• Students must be punctual in their arrival to class and be present and attentive for the duration of the class. Eating, sleeping, doing work for another class, wandering in and out of the classroom, and packing up or leaving class early are not civil or professional behaviors.
• Students must abide by the course policy regarding use of electronic devices in the classroom.
• Students must responsibly participate in class activities and during team meetings.
• Students must address faculty members, other students, and others appropriately and with respect, whether in person, in writing, or in electronic communications.
• Students must show tolerance and respect for others.
• Students must not destroy or deface classroom property nor leave litter in the classroom. 

 [1] These expectations are excerpted from the O’Neill School Honor Code which can be found under Student Ethics and Policies: https://oneill.indiana.edu/undergraduate/course-advising/advising/resources.html

 Grading Scale

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The following schedule is subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

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