The course prerequisites for ACCT 410 will be met by students enrolled in the DegreeLink Business Administration program as a result of the articulation agreements between Indiana State University and Vincennes University and the Ivy Tech State Colleges. The only prerequisites for the ACCT 410 are BUS 201, Principles of Accounting I, and BUS 202, Principles of Accounting II. BUS 201 and BUS 202 are part of the core business courses all majors are required to complete for any business degree at ISU, including the Business Administration degree offered by the Indiana State University DegreeLink Program. BUS 201 and BUS 202 or their equivalents are completed during a student’s sophomore year.

The Not-for-Profit sector is a major source of jobs in Indiana. Having a general understanding of not-for-profit accounting systems should give students an edge over others who are seeking jobs in this sector.

Not-for-Profit accounting comprises 30% of the Accounting and Reporting section of the CPA examination. The course is typically an elective course in an undergraduate accounting program. Individuals who have not had a course in Not-for-Profit accounting tend to do poorly on this segment of the exam.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has over 300,000 members throughout the United States. Members in practice are required to complete 120 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) over every three-year reporting period. Members not in practice are required to complete 90 hours of CPE also over a three-year period. On-line CPE is becoming extremely popular with practicing professionals.

The Not-for-Profit accounting course may have appeal to adult learners as residents of communities who elect their government officials and are or will be property owners. Some of the topics covered in the course include fiscal responsibility and accountability, property taxes, government budgets, special assessment levies, and funding services provided by cities. Having an opportunity to acquire a general understanding of governmental accounting systems as well as reading and interpreting a government’s Comprehensive Annual Report promotes and enhances the civic mindedness of the residents of Indiana.

ACCT 410 will be offered via the Internet using the Web-based courseware product CourseInfo. Content will be designed using Microsoft Word, Front Page, PowerPoint and Adobe Photoshop software. The course site will feature approximately 14 segments comprised of lectures, demonstrations, on-line exercises, and quizzes. Seventy percent of the segments will cover government accounting systems with the remaining 30% dedicated to college, hospital, voluntary health and welfare, and other non-profit entities. These same 14 segments will be converted into five (8 – 10 CPE hour) independent continuing professional education courses for enrollment by CPAs through the Office of Conference and Non-Credit Programs. CPE courses will be developed in accordance to standards established by the National Association of State Board of Accounts (NASBA).

A major challenge of this project will be to convert a primarily text-based subject into a Web-based format that appropriately incorporates both graphics and multi-media technologies. Links to relevant on-line resources, such as those available from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board will also be included.

ACCT 410 will be marketed as an upper-level course through ISU’s Continuing Education Program, Conference and Non-Credit Program, the DegreeLink Program, and on ISU’s Web site for Online courses. In addition, the course will be advertised in the Accounting Program Area’s newsletter Directions. Presentation proposals will be submitted to relevant professional organizations such as the International Society for Teaching Alternatives, state CPA societies, American Accounting Association, etc. that have shown interest in effective teaching/learning strategies for web-based course delivery.

As a conservative estimate, it takes an average of 12 hours of overall design and development work to transform one hour of student learning in a traditional course to an online environment. According to Judith V. Boettcher (1998), web development hours range from 5-23 hours with the average projected as being 18 hours. Because a web-based courseware product called CourseInfo 2.0 from Blackboard, Inc., will be used for the course site, class communication, testing, and exchanging files, our estimate is approximately half of the upper limit of 23 hours reported. ISU’s average is higher than the lowest (5 hour) estimate for two reasons: CourseInfo 2.0 is a relatively new courseware product and faculty are inexperienced with the technology of creating materials for the Web. A three credit hour course consists of 45 (50-minute) student learning hours. As a result it is estimated to require 540 hours (45 x 12) to take an existing course and design and develop it for online Internet delivery. To teach two summer courses requires the equivalent of 90 hours of in-class time (3 credit hours x 15 weeks x 2 courses = 90 hours), as well as time for grading tests, reading and evaluating numerous written assignments, and office hours for student conferences. A conservative average for this out of class time associated with an accounting course would be 2 hours a week for every 3 hours of in class teaching, which would add another 60 hours for a two summer course load. Therefore the total release time for two summer courses is estimated to be a total of 150 hours. Because faculty release time will only account for 150 hours of the 540 hours estimated, support staff will make up the remaining 390 design and development hours for the course. These hours are accounted for in the following tasks: transforming lectures, classroom discussions, in-class explanations, and cooperative learning activities; designing and developing formative and summative evaluation materials; and providing editing, proofreading, and revision recommendation services. Cost of services is estimated at $50 per hour.

Supplies have been estimated at $700. The majority of these monies will be used to acquire resource materials relevant to all of the not-for-profit sectors to insure that the content of the course is current and timely. The practice of accounting continuously changes as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) issues new Standards, Statements, Technical Bulletins, Implementation and Audit Guides. For example, in July of 1999, GASB issued Statement 34, a 400-page document significantly changing many of the current practices associated with governmental accounting. Textbooks are typically on a three-year publication cycle and therefore become dated quickly. The cost of the 2000 Governmental and Not-for-Profit GAAP Guides published by Harcourt Brace is $170.00. The pricing of the five new audit guides published by the AICPA is similar. The Accounting Program Area already subscribes to the FASB and GASB materials. The balance will be used for postage, telephone, reproduction, copyright release and other related miscellaneous expenses.

Appendix A: Summary of Lead Faculty Member’s Experience

Dr. Susan M. Moncada has been teaching in higher education for a total of 17 years; 10 years at Indiana State University in the Accounting Program, and 7 years at Eastern Illinois University where she taught computer courses. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and a Masters in Business Administration from Eastern Illinois University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant. Her doctoral studies included coursework in computer-assisted instruction, training and development, program evaluation, and accounting information systems. Dr. Moncada completed the Course Transformation Academy at ISU last May and has utilized non-web based computer enhanced instruction methods in several of her courses since 1990. She also has a Bachelor of Art Education degree that included several courses in graphics design. She has taught ACCT 410 for 10 years at ISU. Finally, Dr. Moncada has served on the Board of Directors for a large regional not-for-profit organization for the past 8 years as well as chaired the entity’s Finance Committee for the past 6 years.