ACCT 633 Master Syllabus

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ACCT 633: Advanced Issues in Financial Reporting Master Syllabus

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Course Website: Canvas

Program Learning Goals

Professional skills:  Our graduates will demonstrate professional skills necessary for success in the public accounting profession. 

  • Teaming & Leading - Our graduates will demonstrate the team leadership and interpersonal skills needed to form, lead, and work effectively in diverse organizational teams. 
     
  • Ethics and Professional Responsibility - Our graduates will understand the importance of ethical conduct and the regulatory environment of accounting. 
     
  • Professional Communications – Our graduates will communicate effectively to professional audiences in both written and oral forms. 
     
  • Analytical Decision Making - Our graduates will demonstrate analytical decision-making skills. 
     
  • Accounting Research - Our graduates will effectively conduct and communicate accounting research 

Technical skills and knowledge:  Our graduates will demonstrate and apply technical knowledge of accounting and auditing. 

Global perspective: Our graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the role of accounting in the global business environment. 

Course Description

Students will gain knowledge and skills used to research and resolve complex financial accounting and reporting issues. Students will apply the research process to open-ended, novel accounting problems (including gathering relevant facts, identifying accounting issues, brainstorming solutions, then researching and communicating the issues and conclusions). Students will become proficient using research databases, such as the FASB Codification. 

Course Objectives

Upon completing this course, our students should: 

  • be competent in the technical material. 
  • possess the research skills to access, understand and apply relevant professional authoritative literature including the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. 
  • be knowledgeable about global business and trade as it applies to financial reporting standards. 
  • be effective communicators, capable of recording, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating financial and non-financial information for users of such information in accordance with applicable professional authoritative literature. 

Course Materials

Course materials are available on Canvas. You will need access to a computer that has basic business software like Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Acrobat Reader. Please note that a fast, reliable internet connection will be necessary to download course content and upload deliverables.   

Readings: 

  • “Skills for Accounting Research” by Shelby Collins 4th edition Cambridge Business Publishers. You may purchase this textbook either online or in the bookstore. You may purchase either the hardcopy or electronic version, but you need access to the accompanying web-based My Business Course system, which is linked to Blackboard. 
    • The link for the eBook is https://cambridgepub.com/book/accounting-research4e?purchase.  
    • The enrollment link for My Business Course is [Enrollment link] (Section [###]) 
  • Other course materials available on Blackboard. 

Course Policies

The course will be completed over 8 weeks. Please refer to the course schedule and any additional announcements for detailed information. 

Due dates: You are required to complete the assigned tasks on or before the due date and time mentioned in the course schedule. Please inform your instructor immediately if you have an unforeseen emergency and are unable to complete any of the tasks within the mentioned due dates. Late submissions will not receive credit. 

Deliverables: The course requires you to complete a set of individual and group work that includes reading the assigned chapters, watching the guided example videos for each chapter on MyBusinessCourse, watching the recorded lecture videos (online sections only), taking the online quizzes, three writing assignments, three peer-reviewed cases, presentations and other projects, as well as participation (actively participating in weekly classes or online discussion forums, respectively). Guided videos for discussion and review of “Now You Try” exercises and cases will be posted to Canvas after the class when they are due (online only).  

Individual work includes items such as online quizzes, writing assignments and cases. Group work involves participating in group presentations, class discussions, and other group exercises.  You may also discuss all individual assignments in study groups, however, each student must submit his or her own deliverable (these will be checked for potential plagiarism issues). However, group collaboration is not allowed on the online quizzes.  

Grading: The table below shows all assessment activities with corresponding due dates and grade weights. Note that the assignments are all due on a [day of the week] by [time] on the applicable due date. 

Assessment Description Due Dates ([day of the week] by [time]) Grade Weight Total
Writing Assignments (1-3) [XX], [XX], and [XX]  10% each  30% 
Peer-Reviewed Cases (1-3) Accounting Research Memos [XX], [XX], and [XX]  5% each  15%
Peer Review of Others’ Accounting Research Memos [XX], [XX], and [XX]  10% 10%
Formal Group Presentation [XX] 10% 10%
Online Quizzes for Assigned Chapters  See Class Schedule 2% each, dropping lowest 18%
Online Midterm and Final Quizzes  [XX] and [XX]  4% each 8%
Participation  All weeks 1% each week, dropping lowest, plus 1% each for two informal presentations (see Week #7 and #8) 8%

Note: Deliverables submitted after the deadline will receive zero points. Any changes to assignments or schedule will be announced on Canvas and via e-mail. No make-up assignments are available in this course.  

Final course grade will be calculated as a weighted average of the grades you get throughout the module across all assessment activities mentioned above. The grade cut-offs are as follows (note that the minimum thresholds are fixed and must be met or exceeded without rounding). 

  • A  93-100% 
  • A-  89-92% 
  • B+  85-88% 
  • B  81-84% 
  • B-  77-80%
  • C  70-76%
  • F less than 70% 

Writing Assignments: The three writing assignments are designed to expose you to academic and technical accounting research, respectively, and provide background and practice for applying the critical skills necessary to excel at accounting research.  The instructions for these individual writing assignments will be posted on Canvas at least one week prior to their due date.  20% of the score for each of the three writing assignments will be based on grammar and writing clarity, and the remaining 80% is based on the content (i.e., how well you met the objectives and expectations of the assignment). Please include your name on these three writing assignments. 

Peer-Reviewed Cases – Accounting Research Memos: You will have three assigned cases where you will prepare an individual accounting research memo. See the instructions in the next section on how these will be evaluated.  These accounting research memos will be submitted via Canvas anonymously (i.e., you will not include any identifiable information in the memo or the file name when you submit it).  

Peer Review of Others’ Accounting Research Memos: You will provide a peer review (anonymous evaluation) on three accounting research memos of a fellow classmate for each of the three cases, where you will recommend a score for each of the five criteria and provide constructive feedback on at least three of the five criteria.  I will provide a simple grading rubric to assist you.  These will be evaluated on a double-blind basis, meaning that you will not know who you are evaluating nor who is evaluating you.  In the end, each accounting research memo will receive three sets of constructive feedback and recommended scores.  These three recommended scores will be averaged for your total grade for each peer-reviewed case. 

Also, at the end of the module you will be graded by me on how well you performed as an evaluator during the peer reviews. I will review the quality and constructiveness of the feedback you provide and objectivity of your recommended scores. Please be positive when performing these evaluations.  They are intended to help each other progress as developing technical accounting researchers. 

Formal Group Presentation: You will work in a group of 2-4 students to record and share a video presentation on an assigned research case. I will designate the groups, however, I will consider your preference for group members if you communicate them to me prior to Week #4 (i.e, prior to [XX]).  More information about this formal group presentation will be provided separately on the course website. I will assign the groups for the informal presentations (the Week #7 case competition and your partner for the Writing Assignment #3 recap). 

Online Quizzes: There is a link from Canvas to My Business Course for each Chapter Quiz.  Once you have finished reading the assigned chapter and watching the accompanying Guided Example Videos, you will take an online quiz for each chapter.  These are due by [time] on the ]day of the week] of each week’s class, but the quizzes may be submitted early.  You have 30 minutes to complete each quiz, which will consist of 10 multiple choice questions, and they will be automatically submitted if the time expires before you hit “submit”.  There is only one attempt allowed, so please plan to take the quiz when you have an uninterrupted 30 minutes available. You likely will not need the entire time. The quiz is open book and open notes, however, you are not permitted to discuss the quiz questions with anyone else. Using any unauthorized information on the quiz is considered cheating (i.e., sharing another student's answers, etc.). Obtaining possible test questions through a test bank from web sources also constitutes cheating. I will drop your lowest chapter quiz score. Make sure you access the quiz via the link in Canvas (i.e., don’t just go to My Business Course directly) to ensure that the grade is synced into the gradebook in Canvas. 

In addition to the 10 chapter quizzes, there will be a midterm quiz based on the FASB’s selfguided tutorial “How to Use the Codification”, and you can take this midterm quiz whenever you feel ready prior to the deadline ([date and time]).  Note that answers to all lesson questions, exercises, and problems in the FASB tutorial are provided. You do not need to review Lessons 8, 17, or 18 in the FASB tutorial, but all other lessons from the tutorial will be covered on the midterm quiz. It will have 20 questions, and you will have one hour to complete it. 

Finally, there will be a final quiz (due on [date and time]) based on the “Now You Try” exercises designated in class or the recorded lecture videos.  Similar to the midterm quiz, the final quiz will have 20 questions and you will have one hour to complete it. Note that there is no final exam in this course, so the online quizzes take its place, and the quizzes are intended to incentivize preparation for each week’s class. The quizzes are not intended to be difficult, but they will require you to be prepared before completing them. 

Although I will drop your lowest chapter quiz score, the midterm and final quizzes are mandatory, and they each constitute two times a regular quiz score for the weighting on your overall course grade. This dispersed grade weighting is intended to incentivize you to consistently prepare throughout the module instead of “cramming” at the end. 

Participation: Class participation points will be earned in each week’s class or discussion forum, and are based on both (1) active participation and (2) professionalism. It is critical that you learn to become involved in dialogue and speak up so you can represent yourself well in meetings and groups. A critical component of class participation and professionalism is the ability to listen to the thoughts and comments of your fellow students and in communication with the professor (even if they are expressed virtually).  Professional behavior and amiable attitude is expected. Focus on the quality, not just the quantity, of your comments (especially if they monopolize the chance others have to participate), and take advantage of opportunities to be actively involved in both small group and full class discussions.  

I will drop your lowest week’s participation score as long as you are present. In addition to the 1 participation point earned each of the 8 weeks, you will receive 1 additional participation point for each of the informal presentations in Week #7 (Case Competition) and Week #8 (Writing Assignment #3 Recap).  

For the online sections, you should post your entry for each week’s discussion forum by [time and date], and comment on at least three of your classmates’ posts by the following week. 

For the in-person sections, multiple absences will negatively affect your overall course grade. 

Group Work vs. Individual Work: The following policies are applicable to individual and/or group assignments: 

  • Students may discuss assignments with fellow classmates. Feel free to bounce ideas off each other and brainstorm possible solutions. You may even work with students who are not in your section. 
  • Students must submit their own original work. 
  • Plagiarism is considered cheating, and such actions will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is defined as "the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work." Plagiarizing the work of classmates, former accounting students, internet authors, websites, etc. constitutes cheating. 
  • Brainstorming and collaboration becomes cheating when students execute individual assignments together. Another example of cheating can occur towards the end of an assignment. A student who changes an assignment to largely conform to the answers/style/format of another person is cheating. 
  • Using answer keys, case solutions from the web, students' work from prior semesters, etc. constitutes cheating. 

General: You may also want to take note of the following: 

  • Helping another student cheat constitutes cheating for all students involved. 
  • Students who are aware of cheating but fail to report it are in violation of the Honor Code and will be referred to the George Mason Administration. These students can expect to receive the same sanctions as the students who cheat. 
  • It is impossible to document all possible methods of cheating. The policies above are guidelines to help clarify expectations, but they do not include an exhaustive list of cheating activities. The onus is on each student to complete all course requirements in an honest manner, and any questions about acceptable academic behavior must be addressed to your professor. Thus, ignorance is never an excuse for engaging in academic dishonesty. 

A Note on Writing Deliverables: Because good writing skills are so important in the business world, each of your deliverables should be clearly written, professionally formatted, and completely free of spelling and grammatical errors. 

A Note on Course Presentations: A great presentation is a reflection of the effort and time spent on planning the content and practicing the delivery. Some success tips include time management, avoiding too much text on slides, knowing your audience and maintaining audience interest, having a summary/takeaway slide and being mindful of grammar/spelling and overall slide design/structure.  

All submissions should be saved as “Last name_first name_assignment name” for writing assignments and as “peer-reviewed_case_number” (keep these anonymous) for peer-reviewed individual accounting research memos before submission through SafeAssign on Canvas. 

Course Website

The course website is your online classroom. It is located in the university’s course management system, Canvas. Here you will perform many learning activities: see readings and assignments, interact with the instructor and your peers, work in groups, and much more.  To access your online classroom, follow these steps: 

  1. Type “mymason.gmu.edu” into your browser address line 
  2. Type your Username 
  3. Type your Password 
  4. Click Login.  
  5. New users see a Welcome page that invites them to create a profile. You can choose to create a profile later. 
  6. Existing users see the My Institution tab. 
  7. Click into the Courses tab to see your online courses for the term. 

When you are ready to leave the classroom, click the logout button in the upper-right corner of the screen.  

If Canvas is not functioning as expected, or you are unable to connect to Canvas or content within Canvas, email courses@gmu.edu for assistance.  

FASB Codification Website

The FASB website is your primary source for authoritative guidance for technical accounting research.  

  • Log into FASB codification.
    • Username – [student username] 
    • Password –[student password] 
  • Ensure that you can access the “professional view” (not the “basic view”), which will be required to complete the self-guided tutorial covered on the Midterm quiz. 
  • You may alternatively use Accounting Research Manager, which may be accessed through the George Mason library website.

Student Responsibilities

You are expected to have read the assigned chapters, watched the related guided example videos, and completed the online quizzes on the date of each class (Monday by 7pm). You are encouraged to complete all the “Now You Try” exercises in the assigned chapters, however, they will not be handed in. The amount of effort you put into studying the assigned materials will determine the quality of your responses to questions, as well as how much you learn about the course topics. I encourage you to not only read the assigned materials but to analyze them carefully. Think about each reading from both a conceptual and a practical perspective. 

Communication: Students must use their George Mason email accounts to receive important University information, including messages related to this class and correspondence with the instructor. See Masonlive to obtain your personal George Mason e-mail account. George Mason policy requires faculty to communicate exclusively through the George Mason email system. This means your instructor can respond to email from your Mason account only and cannot respond to emails you send from your personal or work email. The instructor will periodically send electronic messages to the entire class using the listserv formed by the MSA program or via the George Mason communication system. You are fully responsible for checking your e-mail regularly and for any information communicated to the class via e-mail. You should always feel free to communicate with the instructor via e-mail. 

I will try to respond to emails and questions within 24 hours during the work-week (Monday through Friday). Students who anticipate missing a deliverable due date for religious reasons should inform the instructor of their anticipated absences during the first two weeks of the module. You can find the University semester schedule and religious holidays at academic calendar and religious holiday calendar. If you have an emergency that precludes you from meeting any deadline, please inform me as soon as possible to schedule a make-up date.  You will also be required to provide documentation for why you were unable to complete the assignment by the due date.  If it is not an excused reason, you will receive a zero. There are very few excusable absences for assignments and even class.  Please plan ahead. 

*Tentative Schedule

Week #1 Class
Topic: Overview of Accounting Research; Background on the Regulatory Environment and SEC  
Pre-Class Preparation:

  • Collins Chapter 1 and Guided Example 
  • Chapter 1 Quiz 

Week #2 Class
Topic: FASB Codification Introduction 
Pre-Class Preparation:

  • Collins Chapter 2 and Guided Examples 
  • Chapter 2 Quiz 
  • Writing Assignment 1 

Week #3 Class
Topic: The Research Process; Creating Effective Documentation
Pre-Class Preparation:

  • Collins Chapter 3 and 4 and Guided Examples 
  • Chapter 3 and 4 Quiz 
  • Writing Assignment 2

Week #4 Class
Topic: Using Nonauthoritative Guidance; IFRS 
Pre-Class Preparation:

  • Collins Chapter 5 and 12 and Guided Examples 
  • Chapter 5 and 12 Quiz 
  • Accounting Research Memo for Case 1 

Week #5 Class
Topic: Scope and Recognition
Pre-Class Preparation:

  • Collins Chapter 6 and Guided Examples 
  • Chapter 6 and Midterm Quizzes¥
  • Accounting Research Memo for Case 2
  • Peer evaluation of Case 1 

Week #6 Class
Topic: Measurement; Fair Value
Pre-Class Preparation:

  • Collins Chapter 7 and 8 and Guided Examples 
  • Chapter 7 and 8 Quizzes
  • Accounting Research Memo for Case 3
  • Peer evaluation of Case 2

Week #7 Class
Topic: Case Competition (Informal Presentations) 
Pre-Class Preparation:

  • Writing Assignment 3 
  • Peer Evaluation of Case 3 

Week #8 Class
Topic: Writing Assignment 3 Recap (Informal Presentation of Your Partner’s Case); Staying Current with Emerging Accounting Guidance 
Pre-Class Preparation:

  • Collins Chapter 14 and Guided Examples 
  • Chapter 14 and Comprehensive Final Quizzes£ 
  • Formal Group Presentation 

*Changes to the schedule, if any, will be announced both via email and an announcement in Canvas.  
¥The Midterm Quiz will cover the FASB’s self-guided tutorial “How to Use the Codification”. 
£The Comprehensive Final Quiz will cover the in-class “Now You Try” exercises (discussion and review of the NYT exercises for each week are provided as guided videos). 

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