ACCT
5342 Syllabus
Bob Jensen at Trinity
University
Question:
When the CPA examination becomes a computerized examination, what is the most
significant change in content that will eventually impact of accounting
curricula in colleges.
Answer:
Greater Emphasis on Information Technology and General Knowledge
From Education News Digest, Journal of Accountancy, August 2002, Page 18
--- http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/aug2002/news1.htm#4
The AICPA and NASBA sign an agreement with Prometric, a designer of technology-based testing services, under which CPA candidates will be able to take a computerized uniform examination at more than 300 locations in early 2004 ( www.aicpa.org/news/2002/p052802.htm ). The electronic test will differ from its paper predecessor not only in format, but also in content, with greater emphasis on information technology and general knowledge. Other new features of the computerized version include an assessment of research and communication skills and a broader scope with respect to audit and attest functions. Candidates’ last paper-based exam will be in November 2003.
Previous students in the Trinity University MS in Accounting graduate program have complained that there is not enough focus on CPA examination questions and problems. This semester, there will be much more CPA examination focus in the graduate Accounting Information Systems (AIS) ACCT 5342 course project and examinations. Note that the new computerized CPA examination in the future will have much more concentration on AIS questions and problems. This shift in concentration is emphasized in the above quotation from the August 2002 edition of the Journal of Accountancy.
In your undergraduate years, your accounting courses were textbook driven in the sense that most homework and examination answers could be found in the textbooks or in class lecture notes. There is some of that in this ACCT 5342 course. However, the course project is in the spirit of a graduate course with regard to not being textbook or lecture driven. In this project students will face AIS questions that will not be answered in course textbooks or lectures. Students will be required to find answers much like they might have to find answers on the job or in other graduate courses. Here are some search tips:
This project also has a creativity requirement that entails making up possible CPA examination questions in the AIS and/or technology areas. You will be required to create two questions and suggested answers per week. Most of you will probably want to design question from assignments each week, especially the reading assignments from the Murthy and Groomer (M&G) textbook. It is entirely appropriate for you to use the M&G textbook for such purposes since that textbook covers material that most CPA examination candidates must know for future CPA examinations. The course materials on MS Access during the first six weeks of the course are less helpful. MS Access questions are too specific and software rooted to be appropriate for the CPA examination, but some areas such as referential integrity and relational database concepts are entirely appropriate for the creativity part of your course project.
The course project this semester will focus upon CPA-type examination questions or related in the AIS category. In most instances, the answers to pre-assigned questions will not be found in the course textbooks or classes. Students will have to treat these like they would on the job by conducting Internet searches and library searches. Students may discuss their pre-assigned questions with other students or professional experts. This is more like an on-the job assignment. However, "discussing" is not the same as having somebody else answer each question. Students are responsible for doing their own work on this project.
The course project entails having each student do the following: