- Principles of Accounting, 7th Edition, Needles, Powers, Mills and Anderson, Houghton Mifflin Publishers, 1999.
- Personal Accounting Tutor (software)
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Students enrolled in Acctg 2000 must have sophomore standing at Millsaps. If you have not yet achieved
sophomore standing, you must drop this course. You should see your advisor immediately. In the event that you do
not voluntarily drop this course, you will be administratively dropped.
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On every assignment, exam, etc. in this class, I will assume that you have "pledged" to adhere to the new Honor
Code. As a result, you should ensure that you understand what is considered a violation of the honor code on each
assignment. For example, I expect you to collaborate on group assignments and homework; however, I do not
expect you to collaborate on examinations.
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Letter grades for the course will be assigned based on the tpercentage of points you accumulate during the course,
based on the following possible points earned.
| MATERIAL |
Points
Available |
Points
Earned |
| Examinations |
200 |
|
| Final
Exam |
100 |
|
| Minitests |
100 |
|
| Personal
Accounting Tutor |
100 |
|
| Attendance/Participation |
50 |
|
| Total |
550 |
|
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Examinations will consist primarily of multiple choice and problems. They may cover all material assigned,
whether explicitly covered in class. Examinations must be taken at the time and place announced unless other
acceptable arrangements are made in advance with the instructor.
Note: The final examination is scheduled for Saturday, December 16 at 2:00 pm. The final examination is
comprehensive.
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Almost every week of this course will include a mini-test. On these days, you will begin class by taking an
individual mini-test which is approximately 20 minutes long. After you hand in the individual mini-test, you will
meet with members of a group (to which you will be assigned at the beginning of the semester). Then, your group
will work the same mini-test. After the group minitests are handed in, I will distribute the solutions to the mini-test
for class discussion.
In total, the mini-tests represent 100 points (equal to one exam) of your grade. Approximately 40% of your
mini-test grade will be based on your individual performance. Another 40% of your grade will be based on your
group's performance. The remaining 20% will be based on your group's evaluation of your contributions to the
group.
Using electronic peer-evaluation forms , each member of the group will have the opportunity throughout the
semester to provide objective information to the instructor regarding the contribution of the other members of
his/her group. Specifically, you will be evaluated based on your effort, cooperation with others, initiative, technical
knowledge/expertise and overall contribution.
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The Personal Accounting Tutor has been loaded on the 24 computers located in the large Sullivan Harrell computer
lab. You may access this tutorial at no additional cost to you. Alternatively, you may purchase the CD-ROM for
the Personal Accounting Tutor from the bookstore. You may then load the software on your own machine and not
be constrained by the lab's hours or other students who need the same computers. You will also need a floppy disk
(preferably two) to which you can save your results.
Description: The Personal Accounting Tutor (PAT) software is designed to reinforce your understanding of the
concepts and practices covered in the principles of accounting. The PAT includes 15 modules dealing with the
topics covered in the first few weeks of Principles. The modules are self-explanatory and do not have to be worked
in sequence, although I recommend that you not skip around too much. The maximum estimated time for any
module is 45 minutes.
Each module begins with a narrator's discussion of the topic and some illustrative examples. (Note: this software
requires a computer with speakers or a headphone) Each module also contains several interactive exercises which
require you to demonstrate your understanding of the topic. The software automatically grades your performance.
At the end of the module, if you are unhappy with your score, you may zero it out and take the module again. If
you are satisfied with your score, you will need to print your score and save it to a floppy disk. You will need to
turn in the printout immediately after you complete the module. You will turn in the floppy disk with all your
scores saved on it when you have finished all 10 of the assigned modules. (I will compare the floppy disk to the
printout, so you should create a back-up of the floppy disk. If there are any discrepancies between the printout and
the floppy, you will not receive credit for that module.)
Each completed module counts for a maximum of 10 points. You will receive credit for the percentage of questions
your answered correctly, weighted by the number of times you attempted the module. First attempt scores are
recorded at 100%; subsequent attempts are discounted by 5% each. For example if you answer 100% of the
questions correctly on the first try, you will receive 10 out of 10 points. If you answer 100% of the questions
correctly on the second try, you will receive 9.5 points. If you answer 100% of the questions correctly on the third
try, you will receive 9 points.
To summarize, to receive credit for working with the Personal Accounting Tutor, you must:
1. Complete the following modules prior to October 12, the date of the first examination:
- Module 3 - Transaction Analysis - Balance Sheet
- Module 4 - Transaction Analysis - Income Statement and Dividends
- Module 5 - Recording Transactions
- Module 8 - Adjusting Entries, Introduction
- Module 9 - Adjusting Entries, Accruals
- Module 10 - Adjusting Entries, Deferrals Part 1
- Module 11 - Adjusting Entries, Deferrals Part 2
- Module 12 - 10 Column Worksheet
- Module 14 - Closing Entries, Part 1
- Module 15 - Closing Entries, Part 2
2. Turn in a printout of your results for each module worked as soon as you complete the module. I will accept no
more than 3 completed modules each week. In other words, don't plan on turning all 10 modules in right before the
due date.
Using the software in the lab: This software has already been loaded on the machines in the large Sullivan Harrell
computer lab, so you will not need a CD-ROM. There is an icon for the Personal Accounting Tutor, click on it to
begin your session. The software will ask for your user name and password. Use your Millsaps user name (i.e.
burkekg). However, DO NOT USE YOUR MILLSAPS NETWORK PASSWORD!!! You will need to check out a
set of headphones from the computer lab.
Using the CD-ROM at home: The CD-ROM comes with a set of instructions to walk you through the setup
procedure. The relevant system requirements are a 486 DX 33 or better, 8MB of RAM, sound card, 2X CD-ROM
drive, Windows 3.1 or higher, SVGA (800x600 and 256 colors) and 100 KB of space on the "C" drive.
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You are responsible for attending class, having read the assignments, having prepared your initial responses to the
assigned homework and being ready to ask any questions related to the assignment. You should be ready to ask any
questions related to the assignment. I will monitor your class participation by noting such items as your attendance,
initiative, responsiveness and evidence of preparation.
Occasionally I will collect your assignments to review your preparation for class. I generally grade homework
based on the effort, logic and familiarity with subject matter that it exhibits, rather than on whether the answer is
correct.
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The daily schedule is tentative and subject to revisions at my discretion. You will be held responsible for any
revisions to the schedule.
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