The learning objectives for the course are to develop competence in accounting information systems (AIS) by learning to do the following things:

1. Design business processes and represent them with documentation tools.
2. Analyze data to provide insights about business operations and performance: Spreadsheet and database manager
3. Design and implement well-structured databases to enable business processes.
4. Evaluate internal control in information systems and design controls to mitigate risks associated with information systems.

Because accountants' work and achieving learning objectives requires thriving in digital environments, you will develop expertise for that too.

Skill development. Developing skills in accounting information systems does not leave room for missing classes and still being able to catch up to develop the required skills a day or so before an exam. Regular and daily practice is essential to develop the required skills. Your success in this course depends completely on how much you, the student, commit yourself to keeping up with assignments. A reasonable expectation in college is two to three hours of out-of-class work/study per classroom hour. Failing to attend class on a regular basis and to meet assignment deadlines will increase the level of difficulty of the course exponentially.

Mandatory attendance. Attendance is mandatory. Students who arrive late disrupt an ongoing class. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact a classmate to obtain missed information. In case of an ongoing problem (such as a personal crisis, job requirements, or illness) that will require time away from class for more than three consecutive class sessions, the student should withdraw from the course and take it when circumstances allow fulfillment of the requirements.

Advice from former students. Students in earlier terms advise doing the following to succeed in the course:

1. Come to every class prepared to participate by having completed the assigned activities. Avoid the temptation to procrastinate.
2. Stay alert in class. Get every nuance about every learning activity. When you do not understand something, ask immediately.
3. Forget texting and surfing in class. Every text or surf you do in class represents something you will miss that will bite you later.
4. After class, redo the activities on your own to verify that you can do them without assistance. There is no assistance on exams.
5. Study the syllabus, schedule, and all the pages linked to them because they give good guidance and answer many questions.
6. Pay attention to the postings on the discussion board. Another student may have answered your question or offered a valuable hint.
7. Participate fully in team work to learn to do everything on the project. Exam questions cover the whole project.

Participation. Participate in discussions in class, on the discussion board and other collaboration features in MyRobinson, and in team sessions by (1) asking and responding to questions, (2) commenting on the work being discussed, and (3) contributing to progress on the task. Seek out resources (Web and non-Web) that pertain to class topics and share them as appropriate during discussions (on the discussion board and in class and team sessions).

The discussion board is a way to continue class discussions between sessions. Set an alert on the discussion board to have postings sent to you as email messages. Discussion board postings could be directly related to readings/assignments or generally related to the area of AIS. The discussion board is a means for asking questions related to readings/assignments between class sessions. Preparing and responding to discussion board postings are ways to develop competence in AIS. For example, you might point the class to a Wall Street Journal article (or articles in other sources in the business press) relevant to the course and explain why it is relevant. You can respond to other's posts, asking questions about the things that puzzled you and clarifying things that seemed unclear.

Use of electronic devices in class--for class use only. As a matter of courtesy towards the rest of the class, refrain from use of electronic devices (including the computers) except as it is an integral part of participating in class or completing assigned activities. Unauthorized use is distracting to other students. Students engaging in unauthorized use of electronic devices will be deemed to be in violation of the GSU Disruptive Student Policy, which may result in disciplinary action.

Academic honesty. Students are expected to abide by the GSU Student Code of Conduct including its Policy on Academic Honesty, p. 7. Except as specifically authorized by the professor, giving or receiving help before, during, or after a quiz or an examination or providing or receiving assistance on work that should be one's own violates the policy.
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Prerequisites

1. GPA of 2.5 and 45 semester hours
2. CIS 2010 Introduction to Computer-Based Information Systems
3. Acct 4210 Cost/Managerial Accounting
4. Computer Skills Prerequisites (CSP): 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8
   1. If you need more experience with desktop software, Georgia State offers eTraining, Web-based training, available from anywhere anytime and downloadable to your machine.
      

      CSP	Learning resources
      CSP 1 Basic Microcomputing Skills	eTraining: Windows Introduction
      CSP 2 and 3 Basic and Advanced Microcomputing Spreadsheet Skills	eTraining: Excel Levels 1 and 2
      CSPs 4 and 5 Database Skills	Alexander, Microsoft Access 2007 Data Analysis (ebook or paperback book), pp. 1-60 eTraining: Access Levels 1 and 2 Web searching by concept or command
      CSP 6 Word Processing and Presentation Graphics Skills	eTraining: Word Levels 1 and 2; PowerPoint Introduction and Advanced
      CSP 7 and 8 Basic and Advanced Internet Usage	eTraining: Internet Explorer Introduction; Word Advanced (Preparing Web documents); HTML Web Authoring Level 1

      
      

MyRobinson, uLearn, email, and Microsoft Access use

To facilitate learning to do accounting systems work, all class sessions are held in a room with computers for everyone. For a discussion board and other collaboration features, the course relies on MyRobinson. For quiz and exam administration, grade reporting, and some content access, the course uses the uLearn learning management system. Email to you from the professor will be sent to your GSU student email address. If you want to read your mail at a different address, set mail forwarding from your GSU student email account. Consistent with Georgia State policy, it is your responsibility to provide your own computer and Internet access.

Beginning with the first class session, you will use classroom computers to access MyRobinson and uLearn and to use Microsoft Office. If you need assistance getting access to GSU computers, seek help from the staff in the main computer lab (Library South 109), the Aderhold lab (lower level), or from the GSU Help Desk 404 413-4357.

Course resources

Text material: The course requires the following materials.

1. Alexander, Michael. 2007. Microsoft Access 2007 Data Analysis. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-10485-9. This book is available in two forms:
   1. Paperback book
   2. Ebook in the GSU Library's ebook collection: http://ezproxy.gsu.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.books24x7.com/marc.asp?bookid=18125. Although viewing the ebook is free courtesy of the GSU Tech Fee, you must register to view ebooks. To register as a user:
      1. Select the Register link
      2. Register yourself
      3. Remember your password!
      4. Remember that on subsequent logins that your username is your full student email address.
2. Web pages linked through the schedule page for the course
   

Software: The course requires use of the following software.

1. Microsoft Excel and Access for analyzing data. Data analysis assignments in the course require use of Microsoft Excel and Access. We use Excel because it is ubiquitous in accountants' work. We use Access because using it allows us to solve problems for which Excel is inadequate and develops expertise with relational database systems and querying them, skills that are fundamental to using audit software such as ACL and IDEA, enterprise systems such as SAP, Oracle, and J. D. Edwards, and analysis programs such as SAS, Crystal Reports, and AS/400 Query.
   1. Here are ways to acquire your own copies of Excel and Access as part of Microsoft Office:
      1. Use them from Office 2010 Professional that was free to you while you were enrolled in CIS 2010.
      2. Buy Office 2010 Professional from the University System of Georgia Software Resource and Services (USG SRS) at discounted prices, including media.
      3. Buy Office 2010 Professional from Microsoft at discounted prices for download. Free trials are available from Microsoft.
   2. For help with Access, do one or more of the following:
      1. Look up Access topics, concepts, and commands in the textbook:
         Alexander, Michael. 2007. Microsoft Access 2007 Data Analysis. Wiley or ebook: http://ezproxy.gsu.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.books24x7.com/marc.asp?bookid=18125
      2. Search the Web for documentation on Access topics with, for example, google.com, ask.com, yahoo.com.
      3. Post a question to the class discussion board in myRobinson.
         
         
2. Microsoft Word for preparing documents. Microsoft Word or its equivalent will be used for preparing documents.
   
   
3. Graphical program for preparing process diagrams. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Visio or other graphical representation program is required for preparing process diagrams. Excel is good enough for course purposes, but use Visio if you have access to it because it has more features, is easier to use, and is preferred by employers. USG SRS offers Visio too.

Accounting software: While businesses use many accounting applications, it is not possible to incorporate them all into one course. Because most accounting systems are based on a relational database system, this course gives you experience with a relational database system, as implemented in Microsoft Access, which accountants use in solving business problems. The course does not use accounting software such as QuickBooks, Peachtree, Microsoft GP, or other programs on PCs because the course is devoted to the four higher-level learning objectives. If you need to become familiar with one or more of these programs, download the vendor's free trial version to your PC and work through the tutorial and books of sample companies. After completing Acct 4310, you will be amazed at how quickly you will be able to master vendor-supplied accounting software.

Business press: A good habit to develop as a student is daily reading of the business press. The premier business publication for business people is The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). It is an invaluable source of current business news relevant to AIS. It will help you:

1. Learn how business people think and act so you can learn to talk, write, and act like a business professional.
2. Learn about information systems from two perspectives:
   1. Employing information technology to achieve organizational goals.
   2. Providing assurance that information systems do what they are supposed to do and nothing else.
3. Convince potential employers that you have expertise in accounting, business, information systems, and the integration of accounting and systems.
4. Learn to shop smarter for technology, financial, and other products.
5. Explore industries and companies as a way to figure out what you want to do in your career.

To subscribe, go to the following link, fill in your details, enter "303" for the GSU ZIPcode, and select "BORTHICK" from the faculty list.

http://subscribe.wsj.com/semester

Subscriptions come in two forms: paper copies mailed or delivered to you and web access to WSJ Interactive. If early morning delivery is available to your address (and you want it), call 1-800-568-7625 to request it after your paper copies begin arriving. Have a mailing label available before you call.

Language: If you're feeling some language difficulty, e.g., because English is not your first language or because you are not used to college-level vocabulary, get in the habit of looking up every word you encounter that you are not absolutely certain about its meaning and usage. It is okay not to know a word or acronym. It is not okay to let the condition persist when you could look it up online. Understanding unfamiliar language is hard, but using online dictionaries will help build your vocabulary and fluency.

If you encounter an unfamiliar word or term on an exam, look it up online, e.g., google.com. An 11,000-entry encyclopedia of computing definitions is available in TechEncyclopedia. An on-line dictionary is available at Merriam-Webster, which includes pronunciation.

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