Department of Accounting
Syllabus for ACCT 351
Fall Quarter 2012
Personal Information:
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Instructor: John Lasik, MBA CMA CPA
Office: Shaw-Smyser 339; office phone: (509) 963-3677; scheduled office hours, M-Th 4:15 to
5:15; in office other times by appointment.
E-mail address: lasikj@cwu.edu. Be sure to start the subject line with: 351 followed by a space.
This will ensure your mail is properly received and processed.
John’s website: www.cwu.edu/~lasikj. The ACCT 351 course site may be accessed through
John’s website. A username and password are needed to access the 351 site. These will be
given to you either prior to or during the first class meeting.
Course Description. The following description for Acct 351 appears in the current CWU Catalog:
Prerequisite: ACCT 350 with a C- or better, and admission to the accounting or business
administration major. A continuation of the theory underlying the presentation of assets, liabilities
and net worth. Financial statement analysis, comparative statements and statement of changes in
cash flows.
Statement of Purpose for the Course. ACCT 350/351 provide the tools needed to understand
what GAAP is and how it is applied in practice. Mastery of 350/351 concepts will be invaluable to
you in whatever field of accounting you pursue.
Course Objectives. By the end of the course the student should:
1. Master the accounting cycle and information communicated through financial reporting.
 practice journal entries, posting, the adjusting process, closing entries, and present and
future value concepts.
 prepare financial statements and related footnotes
2. Understand and practice GAAP-based accounting for:
 intangible assets
 investments and long-term receivables
 bonds and long-term notes payable
 contributed capital
 retained earnings and earnings per share
 advanced issues in revenue recognition
 income taxes
 postretirement benefits
 leases
 statement of cash flows
 changes and errors
3. Appreciate the importance of ethical behavior in the accounting and business process.
 explain why it is important to have ethical directors, managers, auditors, and accountants.
351 Syllabus, Page 2
Text and Other Required Materials
Textbook. Intermediate Accounting, 1st edition, by Wahlen, Jones, and Pagach. SouthwesternCengage, 2013. The 13-digit ISBN number is: 978-1-111-82237-8.
E-mail. You must use your CWU GroupWise e-mail account for all course-related business.
Calculator. A calculator should be brought to every class. Calculator choices will be discussed in
class. You may not use the calculator feature in your cell phone.
Course Conduct
Role of the instructor. The primary role of your instructor is to promote learning related to the course
and chapter outcomes. This means he will strive to lead the class in a manner that facilitates your
success relative to the outcomes. Your instructor promotes active learning and views himself more
as the “guide on the side” rather than the “sage on the stage.”
Role of the student. Students should take personal responsibility for the amount of learning
accomplished. Research on teaching and learning styles reveals learning is not a spectator sport.
This means you cannot be passive in your approach – you should be fully prepared to participate in
all class learning activities. Lasik’s courses typically require a minimum of two hours of quality study
time outside the class for every hour in class to perform at the “B” level or higher. ACCT 351
requires an even greater commitment – three hours of quality study time for every hour in class. The
three hours include time for reading, online homework, and quiz/exam preparation. The total time
commitment, including class time, is likely to approach 20 hours each week, every week.
Grading Practices
Basis for Final Grade. Final grades are assigned based on your performance in the following areas:
Assessment
11 on-line homework quizzes (1 per chapter)
3 exams @ 120 points each
Homework (minimum of 3 assignments @ 10 points each)
Attendance
Total points
Points
110
360
30
20
520
The actual number of points may deviate from the number cited in the table. Students may earn up
to 10 bonus points for participation during the quarter for insightful contributions. Bonus points are
awarded at the discretion of your instructor.
Exams. All exams will be given during regular class time. See the exam schedule on p. 4 of this
document. Do not assume that an early Exam 3 will be available.
Ranking Procedure for Exams. If the unadjusted class average is lower than 76.00 percent of the
points available, an equal number of points will be added to everyone’s score such that the class
average improves to 76.00 percent. The following additional considerations about the grading policy
apply:
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If the unadjusted class average is higher than 76.00 percent, adjustment points will not be
subtracted to “curve down” the class average.
351 Syllabus, Page 3
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If some students officially withdraw from the course, prior adjustment points may change as
their scores are deleted.
Assigning letter grades. Your grade in this course is based solely on your adjusted course
percentage. To monitor your progress throughout the quarter, divide the total number of adjusted
points earned by the total number of points possible. Then apply the following scale:
Course %
97.0 to 100
93.0 to 97.0
90.0 to 93.0
87.0 to 90.0
83.0 to 87.0
80.0 to 83.0
77.0 to 80.0
71.0 to 77.0
68.0 to 71.0
65.0 to 68.0
61.0 to 65.0
58.0 to 61.0
Less than 58.0
Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
CWU Interpretation
Meets all objectives of the course and
fulfills all requirements; performs at a
level that reflects excellence
Meets all objectives of the course and
fulfills all requirements; performs at a
high level
Meets all objectives of the course and
fulfills all requirements; performs at a
satisfactory level
Makes progress toward meeting the
course objectives; fulfills course
requirements at a substandard level
Fails to meet the course objectives;
does not fulfill course requirements
Makeup work. It is anticipated that a few of you may be forced to miss a deadline date for a
homework assignment, quiz or an exam during the quarter for various reasons. A makeup
opportunity without penalty may be given at the instructor’s discretion, but only in those instances
when the absence is “excused.”
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Excused absences include personal illness, emergencies in your immediate family, job
interviews, and university sponsored trips, among others. Lasik considers the reason for the
excused absence request: "Is the reason controllable or discretionary on the part of the student
or is the reason non-controllable or non-discretionary?"
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With the exception of emergency situations, requests for excused absences must be submitted
prior to the deadline for the homework, quiz, or exam. Absences for discretionary events during
the quarter, such as participating in a family reunion or family vacation, are not considered
excused by your instructor. Repeating, makeup opportunities will not be provided for unexcused
absences.
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If an exam is missed for illness or other medical reasons, you must provide your instructor with
evidence that a medical professional was consulted prior to authorization of a makeup exam.
Attendance. Unless excused, you are expected to attend 100 percent of the class sessions. Each
student begins the quarter with 20 out of 20 attendance points. If you are absent (unexcused), you
will lose 2 points from your attendance total for each full class session missed (1 point before the
break, 1 point after the break). Again, with the exception of emergency situations, requests for
excused absences must be submitted prior to class, not after.
Timeliness of Homework and On-Line Quizzes. On-line assignments and quizzes have specific due
dates and times. Timeliness is important. Deadlines are generally set at least three (3) days in
advance and published in the “Key Dates” section of the course site. Keys to the assignments and
351 Syllabus, Page 4
quizzes are usually posted shortly after a submission deadline passes. If you submit after a deadline
passes and the reason for the late submission was not excused, no credit will be awarded.
Extra credit? Extra credit is not offered on an individual student by individual student basis.
Expected CB Student Conduct. Please view the COB student Statement of Conduct and Honor
Code.
Academic dishonesty. If your instructor has evidence that you’ve cheated, the letter grade of “F” will
be reported immediately to the Registrar.
Students with Special Needs or Disabilities. Students who have special needs or disabilities that
may affect their ability to access information or materials presented in this course are encouraged to
contact the Office of Disability Support Services at (509) 963-2171 for disability-related educational
accommodations.
Chapter and exam schedule.
Meeting
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Day
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Date
9/20
9/25
9/27
10/2
10/4
10/9
10/11
10/16
10/18
10/23
10/25
10/30
11/1
11/6
11/8
11/13
11/15
11/20
11/22
11/27
11/29
12/4
Coverage
Course intro / Ch 12
Ch 12 / Ch 13
Ch 13
Ch 14
Ch 14 / Review for Exam 1
Exam 1
Exam feedback / Ch 15
Ch 15 / Ch 16
Ch 16
Ch 17
Ch 17 / Ch 18
Ch 18 / Review for Exam 2
Exam 2
Exam feedback / Ch 19
Ch 19
Ch 20
Ch 20 / Ch 21
Ch 21
Holiday
Ch 22
Ch 22 / Review for Exam 3
Exam 3
You should anticipate that the actual conduct of the course will follow the procedures outlined in this
document. However, your instructor reserves the right to make changes if he believes that changes
are warranted. In the unlikely event that changes are made, such changes will be announced in
class and communicated on the course website.