Our Accounting students are required to take 2 quarters of Accounting Information Systems (AIS). Their first required class in the major is the Introduction to Accounting Information Systems, Acc 304, where we introduce students to the accounting information system and the accounting profession as well.
We begin the class with the theory of databases, their advantages, disadvantages, how they work—while students complete Access homework exercises (9 chapters). The Access exercises provide students with a review of Access and the technology skills they will need to design their databases. We also expose students to SAP, an ERP system, so they get experience with a large established database. We teach the REA (Resources Events Agents) database design paradigm to guide students in their database design project. After we introduce the REA theoretical background, the design of the REA database model for sales (or purchasing) process, and the use of the model to design and link database tables, students are ready to begin their projects.
Student teams are given the freedom to develop their collective project and their creativity. They chose their team members, the product they will sell or purchase, their scheduling, and all the decisions that will be required to bring the project to fruition, other than the requirements. Teams are required to design their REA database model then fully implement all aspects of the model into Access. REA database projects typically have 20 to 25 database tables. All tables are required to have at least 100 records, except for the cash and returns tables. Inventory is required to have at least 250 items. Students are required to design a minimum of 60 queries, 4 forms with subforms (often designing accounting documents), 5 reports (presenting accounting questions that would be of interest to a manager), and a narrative fully describing all of their work. These narratives are typically 100+ pages. Screen shots with explanation must be included to document every query, form and report. Students are encouraged to include embedded charts into the reports they design. The narrative must completely describe all the elements of the model (the tables, data, and cardinalities dictating how the tables are linked). As the quarter progresses and students work on the project, we continue to drill down into relevant database topics, ie. typification, generalization, sale or purchase of service, cardinalities, load, and redundancy.
The last two weeks of the quarter are spent studying internal control topics, which are tested with relevant CPA exam multiple choice questions and cases. Internal control topics include, but are not limited to, COSO ERM frameworks, SOX 2002, edit checks, general controls, and application controls.
Students learn to master the following skills, all of which are critical for success in the accounting profession:
1. teamwork
2. leadership
3. creativity
4. trouble shooting skills
5. documentation skills—how to appropriately and completely document their work
6. internal control evaluation
7. how to implement technology
8. how to design an effective document for an accounting transaction
9. IT controls
10. how a business works
11. how certain business events affect other company events
12. IT skills in Excel and Access
13. exposure to SAP ERP databases
14. how to understand the information system—either sales or purchasing
15. how data interrelates in a database
16. how data moves from input to financial statements, ratio analysis, reports with embedded charts
17. time management—how to allocate tasks with time deadlines
18. project management—how to organize a big project
19. data management
20. how to solve unstructured problems with multiple solutions
Student input from the class was used to help construct this list.
Thank you
Rose M Martin, PHD, CPA (FL)
sirleo
ImpactStatementforAcc470AdvancedAccountingInformationSystems.docx
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