[shreebee]

First thing you should know:

Not only does this course focus on managerial accounting, but it is also your first introduction into the case writing approach as needed for the professional exams for CPA.

Breakdown (can differ, even with the same prof)
- 2 midterms
- final
- participation
- hand in cases- one per week (during my term they were evaluated on a pass/fail basis but the previous term had a mark assigned)

I enjoyed this class, mostly due to the professor. As mentioned above, the class really does focus on developing case writing skills which the professor introduces really well. He keeps the class engaging and is really easy to talk to. Decent amount of discussion. The content is not hard. I would say compared to other accounting classes, not as much number crunching but really focused on what the numbers mean.

The midterm was multiple choice, short answer, and a mini case.

The final was the same except the case was a larger component (so make sure you make an effort in the case approach).

Hopefully you will have the same teacher, and enjoy the class as well.

I took this course last year during the fall term. As the person mentioned above, The professor is really good at teaching the concepts while keeping the class entertaining. And somedays the material does get dry as you study variance analysis and etc. The classes are 3hrs long and often times I'm not looking at the clock as the teacher does a good job to incorporate the class into the lectures. The only drawback I would give the professor is that there is no office hours to meet him. He does do an online chat before midterm and final. However, he tends to change the time of the online chat at the last minute as well.

Regarding Course materials -

You would have to complete two of the five cases that are in your booklet. These assignments are done in groups of three. Each assignment is worth 10% and you would get a mark out of 100. Try and compete the earlier assignments as the difficulty of the assignments tend to rise as you go deeper into the course.

Then you have participation, which is worth 10% and as long as you attend class, then you will be given plenty of opportunities to participate. Professor also gives you chances to earn bonus participation marks to make up if you have missed classes.

Finally, There is a midterm and a final. The midterm was really easy and the final was more complicated. The final was 3hrs long and people still found it hard to complete on time. There is has a huge case at end to prepare students for the CPA final.

Personally, I found this course to be easier than 2AA3, as this courses build on the same concepts. The final to 4AA3 would have been fine, if more time had been given as all the questions including m/c were time consuming. I wouldn't recommend taking this course unless you're pursing a CPA designation.

Originally Posted by kobe_mamba

I wouldn't recommend taking this course unless you're pursing a CPA designation.

I agree. Don't take the accounting courses if you dont plan on pursuing the designation. I don't think it will help you otherwise.

Quick thoughts on this course: Took this course last year with Garth, he did a great job introducing us to the CPA style case analysis. I found it a lot easier than Intro to Managerial Accounting but it is heavily based on case writing and theory as opposed to number crunching. Would recommend getting to know the professor (if Garth is still teaching it) as he can provide valuable insight as to what to expect as you pursue your career in accounting for those CPA aspirants.