ACCT605 - Mastering Accounting Information Systems

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

ACCT600 Accounting for Decision Making

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit has been designed to prepare students for a successful accounting career either in public or private sectors. Nowadays companies are responding to the increasingly competitive business environment by examining every internal activity at the least cost for achieving the greatest values. Accountants are no longer just to report the results of past activities. They must take a proactive role in both providing and interpreting financial and nonfinancial accounting information. They will need to understand how accounting information systems work in order to measure how cost-effectively they perform, the reliability of the information produced, how information technology developments can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes or lead to design new better accounting information systems, advancing all members of society, including vulnerable and marginalised people. This unit provides students with an overview of the ways in which accounting information systems have changed the way in which entities function. Students will gain an understanding of the impact of accounting information systems on business practices and also on the risks that are created by this reliance on information systems.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Examine, compare and contrast the uses and relevance of accounting information systems (GA4, GA5)

LO2 - Apply critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills to analyse and evaluate business processes with respect to the accounting in a corporate sector (GA5, GA6)

LO3 - Evaluate how financial transactions are recorded using different accounting software packages collaboratively (GA5, GA7)

LO4 - Assess the impact of the changes in technology of information systems on accounting (GA5, GA10)

LO5 - Evaluate how accounting information systems may support the advancement of all members of the society including the poor and vulnerable (GA2, GA5)

Graduate attributes

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will include:

• an overview of accounting information systems
• accounting information systems and advancing all members of society, including the poor and vulnerable
• effect of e-Business on Accounting and enterprise resource planning systems
• systems documentation techniques 
• transaction cycles 
• control and audit of accounting information systems
• XBRL and cloud computing
• spreadsheets as an accounting tool
• databases
• utilising relevant information and technologies

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

ACU’s teaching policy focuses on learning outcomes for students. Our teaching aims to engage students as active participants in the learning process while acknowledging that all learning must involve a complex interplay of active and receptive processes, constructing meaning for oneself, and learning from others. ACU promotes and facilitates learning that is autonomous and self-motivated, is characterised by the individual taking satisfaction in the mastering of content and skills and is critical, looking beneath the surface level of information for the meaning and significance of what is being studied.

The schedule of the workshop is designed in such a way that students can achieve intended learning outcomes sequentially. Teaching and learning activities will apply the experiential learning model, which encourages students to apply higher-order thinking. The unit ensures that learning activities involve real-world scenarios that assist with ‘real-world’ preparedness. The unit also uses a scaffolding technique that builds a student’s skills and prepares them for the next phase of the learning process.

Mode of delivery: This unit is offered in different modes. These are: “Attendance” mode, “Intensive” mode and “Online” mode. This unit is offered in three modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.

Attendance Mode

In a weekly attendance mode, students require face-to-face attendance in specific physical location/s. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops, and most students report that they spend an average of one hour preparing before the workshop and one or more hours after the workshop practicing and revising what was covered. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.

Intensive Mode

In an intensive mode, students require face-to-face attendance in weekends or any block of time determined by the school. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.

Online Mode

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in exploring the essential knowledge associated with corporate finance. Students can explore the essential knowledge underpinning corporate finance and develop knowledge in a series of online interactive lessons and modules. Students are given the opportunity to attend facilitated synchronous online seminar classes with other students and participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge, while developing their knowledge of corporate finance. Students are required to participate in a series of online interactive workshops which include activities, knowledge checks, discussion and interactive sessions. This approach allows flexibility for students and facilitates learning and participation for students with a preference for virtual learning.

Assessment strategy and rationale

Assessments are used primarily to foster learning. ACU adopts a constructivist approach to learning that seeks alignment between the fundamental purpose of each unit, the learning outcomes, teaching and learning strategy, assessment and the learning environment. In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve an overall score of at least 50% and attempt all assessment items. Using constructive alignment, the assessment tasks are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome.

Each of these assessment pieces has been designed to empower students, lead to greater equity and deepen students’ skillsets by virtue of their design. They are assessments that are constructed to integrate the unit’s instruction and curriculum.

Overview of assessments

Attendance mode;

Intensive mode

Online mode

Representative texts and references

The latest editions of:

Romney, MB, Steinbart, PJ, Summers, SL, Wood, DA. 2020 Accounting Information Systems, Global Edition15th edition, Pearson, USA.

Gelinas, UJ,  Dull, RB  Wheeler, P. & Hill, MC. 2017 Accounting information systems, 11th edn, Cengage Learning, Mason, OH.