BA120 Syllabus (2nd 6wk 7/3-8/10)

Instructor:           Dr. Bob Livingston
email:                   blivingston@cerritos.edu 

Welcome to BA120! I am glad you are here. This syllabus will serve as your road map to the class. Please read it carefully and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I look forward to working with you over the coming weeks!

Course Description:

The accounting cycle will be introduced with emphasis on understanding financial records. Instruction will be given on the internal control of the industry being studied, as well as an introduction to the analysis of the financial statements. This course can be taken in either a traditional or an online learning environment.
Transfer Credit: CSU

*** VERY IMPORTANT *** "Check in" on the first day of class or you will be DROPPED  - The school requires instructors to drop "No-Show" students who do not "check in" and give their seats to waiting students. To check in, go to Assignments and select Checking In. You will find the instructions there.

E-mail is always a good way to reach me with questions specific to you. The “Questions” discussion board is a great place to post general questions to your classmates about course material.

Text:

Textbook materials are found in the Modules.

Course Requirements - You MUST:

1.  Have the Text Book either online or hard copy
2.  Have & know how to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint & Excel &/or Adobe PDF creator.
3.  Have an email address that you check regularly & access to high speed internet.
4.  Complete the Exams.
5.  Complete the Assignments.
6.  Participate in the Class Discussions.
7.  Submit your work on time.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Disabled Student Programs and Services at (562) 860-2451 ext. 2335, as early as possible in the term.

Orientation/Overview:

Study to fit with your weekly schedule - There are no specific times that you have to be online. That said, in order to be successful in the class, you should plan enough time each week for reading, studying, participating in the discussion boards and completing your weekly assignments. If you fall behind in your studies or have questions, email the instructor right away to get your questions answers. My goal is to help you learn – don’t be shy.

Late work – Tests and assignments will be accepted late for a 1 grade deduction. (If you earned an A but it is late, you will get a B). Discussion boards may not be submitted late due to the interactive nature of the work. No work will be accepted after the final due date – no exceptions.

Emails!!! - In an online class, it is essential that you have a current email address in your MyCerritos account. Emails are often sent to the whole class. If you don't have a current email address in the school's computer, you won't receive the information you need for the class. To add or change your email address in the system, go to your MyCerritos account at http://my.cerritos.edu (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. . Also, I teach several classes and probably won't know which class you are in, so when you send me an email, please have the following information in the subject line: [class name] [your name] [reason for the email].

Backup copies - Make copies of all of your work and keep these copies until you see your final grade posted at the end of the semester. Save paper copies of your test answers. With the security programs on your computer, your ISP (internet service provider) security, and the schools email security, it is not surprising that emails and assignments occasionally don’t get through these layers. If work is sent but it is not received, you will want copies of your work so you don’t have to redo it.

Designed for self-motivated individuals - Online classes are not for everyone. Due dates are posted in the syllabus for Chapter tests, assignments, and papers. They should be turned in by the posted dates. All tests will be taken online. You are welcome to work as far ahead as you would like. As a matter of fact, it is recommended that you do the work far in advance of the due dates. It is strongly suggested that you get ahead of schedule and stay ahead. It is very difficult to catch up in a 9 week class should you fall behind. Make it your goal to keep up each week.

Student drops - Should you need to drop from the class, please email me and perhaps there is an alternative plan that we can come up with that will keep you in the class and moving forward with your education. If we don't know why you need to drop, we cannot help. But, if you have to drop for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to do the paperwork. "Pursuant to Title 5, section '58004 and Cerritos College Board Policy, it is the student's responsibility to participate fully in class(es), once enrollment is complete. However, should it become necessary to withdraw from class, it is the student's responsibility to either present a signed drop card to the Admissions and Records office" or drop using MyCerritos (http://my.cerritos.edu (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.).

Instructor drops - If you fall behind, you will be warned once and then dropped from the class. Drops are final. If something does come up and you need extra time to complete an assignment, contact your instructor prior to missing the due date.

Cheating – Please note that all assignments will be submitted to Turnitin. Turnitin is an online tool available to instructors to check for plagiarism.  Thus, it is important that you understand the meaning of plagiarism and complete your assignments without plagiarizing someone else’s work.

In instances where you wish to use someone else’s statements, remember that they have to be properly cited and you must reference the source. Become used to referencing your sources; college writing requires proper citations. Furthermore, college writing is not just submitting a properly cited document full of someone else’s statements; it requires interjection of your own thoughts showing critical thinking on every assignment. For example, take the idea, support, or refute the work cited in two or three statements. By properly citing your sources and developing your own ideas in writing and the spoken word, it helps you build credibility with your audience.

Read the Cerritos College Academic Honesty/Dishonesty Policy and if you have any questions, please contact me. Assignments that have been plagiarized will not receive credit.

Look around - From here take a look at the various tabs on the left of the site (Tests, Assignments, Grades, Announcements, etc.). Take a look at what is there and familiarize yourself with the layout of the website. If you have any further questions after rummaging through the website, please feel free to email me.

Get Started – Okay, now it is your turn! You completed the syllabus (yay!). Make sure to locate your text book (located in Resources), read the announcements and get started with your first week assignments. We are going to have a great term!

Netiquette Guidelines:

The following are a few rules of Forum Netiquette compiled and adapted from Wikipedia (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Google Groups (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., and the Netiquette book (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

1. The most important rule of netiquette is, "Think before you post." If what you intend to post will not make a positive contribution to the discussion and be of interest to several readers, do not post it!
2. Never forget that the person on the other side is human. Always be courteous.
3. If you're new to the forum, lurk for a while before you post. "Lurking" is reading the forum discussions without actually participating. Despite the sinister tone of the word, lurking in cyberspace is not frowned upon -- in fact, it's encouraged. Lurking gives you an idea of who the participants are and what the tone of the discussion is. It helps you avoid mistaking a joke for a serious statement, or posting a comment only to find out that a virtually identical statement appeared in the forum yesterday.
4. Personal messages to one or two individuals should not be posted to the forums – send them an email instead.
5. Avoid double posting (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and cross posting (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
6. Be brief but meet the assignment guidelines.
7. Do not use inappropriate language (swearing, double meaning words/phrases, insults, etc.).
8. Write well. Follow standard grammar and spelling rules and try not to use slang. If needed, use the spell-check feature.
9. Stay on-topic.
10. Be careful with humor and sarcasm. Without the voice inflections and body language of personal communications, it's easy for a remark meant to be funny to be misinterpreted.
11. Respond to topics started by others more often than starting topics of your own so that you don't appear arrogant and unlikable.
12. When quoting a previous post, include only the relevant portion of that post.
13. Avoid the use of all CAPITAL LETTERS in posts. (All CAPS is considered "shouting" and makes your posts harder to read.).
14. Do not resurrect a very old topic if you have nothing extremely significant to add.
15. Try to refrain from lashing back at a poorly behaving member or participating in a flame war (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.; instead, notify your instructor of the event.