SmartBook/LearnSmart
You will have 12 SmartBook/LearnSmart reading assignments (one for each chapter). “LearnSmart or SmartBook is an interactive study tool that adaptively assesses students’ skill and knowledge levels to track which topics students have mastered and which require further instruction and practice. Based upon student progress, it then adjusts the learning content based on their knowledge strengths and weaknesses, as well as their confidence level around that knowledge” (McGraw Hill Connect website). Essentially it is an electronic personal accounting tutor. Each chapter has a short LearnSmart homework assignment to introduce the student to the key principles and concepts from the chapter. LearnSmart activities are designed to be completed before chapter discussion begins in class for improved class discussions and advanced preparation for homework and quizzes that will be assigned or given in class.
Homework
You will have 12 Homework Assignments (one for each chapter) to help you practice the concepts taught in the chapter material. They include homework problems from the textbook and other items provided by the professor as discussed in class. All homework will be completed online through use of the “Connect” Accounting software and is due as noted in Canvas.
Chapter Quizzes
You will have 12 chapter quizzes (one for each chapter) covering the chapter material for each chapter. They will be available in Connect via direct link in each Canvas module and will be due as noted in Canvas. Quizzes will generally be done at the end of each week during class time for live classes. The quiz answers will open up right after the due date/time so that you can use them as study materials for the exams.
Gleim CPA Prep Quizzes
We have partnered with Gleim to provide you with a free version of their CPA exam prep software for the AUD section. We will perform a several activities during the course that are designed to give you some experience in what it will be like to sit for the CPA exam. Instructions on how to access this free software are provided in the Modules section of Canvas.
You will have 15 Gleim CPA prep quizzes covering the same topics the chapter materials cover to help prepare you for the CPA Exam. These quizzes are due as noted in Canvas, and will be accessed through your free Gleim CPA prep platform (instructions provided in Canvas). 10 of these quizzes will be short extra credit practice quizzes to help you get oriented to CPA exam questions and to give you the opportunity to earn a few extra points. 5 of the quizzes are graded and will be as follows:
- One Gleim initial assessment quiz: This graded quiz is simply a participation quiz to help you get oriented to the CPA exam and to give you a starting place for CPA Exam preparation. Full points will be awarded to all students who complete the quiz timely and answer at least one question correctly.
- Three Gleim CPA Prep Quizzes: These short graded quizzes are built on the pool of questions from the extra credit practice quizzes and are designed to help you take the next step in CPA exam preparation by providing a short graded CPA quiz experience worth a small number of points.
- One Gleim CPA Audit Section Simulated Exam (multiple choice portion only): This graded quiz is the next step in your CPA preparation progression and is designed to simulate the multiple choice portion of the Audit Section of the CPA exam to give you a "dry run" of taking the exam in a classroom setting before you spend all the money required to take the real CPA exam. Note that this quiz is limited to the preparing you for the multiple choice segment of the CPA exam and does not include any preparation for the simulations section of the CPA exam. Prep for the simulations is covered in our other case studies in the course. You will be required to complete two multiple choice testlets of 36 questions each, just like the CPA exam. The three graded Gleim quizzes and the 10 extra credit practice quizzes serve as the pool of questions for this simulated exam, so you'll have plenty of review materials to help you prepare.
Memos/Writing Assignments
You will have one memo/writing assignment in this course. It is located in Canvas, and is simply a short Biographical sketch telling the instructor a little bit about your life, interests, etc. to help the professor get to know you better. The professor will provide his own Bio sketch as an example.
Case Studies & Projects
You will have 10 real world case studies related to the chapter material that are designed to provide you with experience performing the audit procedures that you will typically do in your first year in the audit profession. These Case studies, along with all instructions and necessary supplemental material will be provided in the Canvas modules. Every student is required to do their own case study in order to ensure you are properly prepared for the profession. Video examples to walk you through the case study to help you get started are provided in each Canvas module, and suggested solutions will open in each Canvas module after the due date has passed for you to check your work.
Exams
You will have 4 exams in this course. The exams will be closed-book and individual effort. The exams will be located online in Connect and will be similar to the assigned homework exercises and problems including multiple-choice, true-false, fill-in-the-blank, calculations, and other question types to ensure adequate breadth. Exams are required to be proctored online through the approved proctor called Proctorio (free to SUU students). Exams taken using the online proctor require you to have a webcam, microphone, and internet connection, and may be taken anywhere, anytime 24/7 during the open testing window and will generally be due by 11:59pm (Mountain Standard Time) on the date noted in Canvas unless otherwise indicated. For live classes, the professor generally will not hold class the day of the exam in order to ensure sufficient availability in the testing center and to allow students sufficient time to take the exam. You should take a calculator, a blank scratch paper to work out problems, and a pen/pencil into each exam.