Broadening Your Perspective
Internet Opportunities
As explained during the orientation sessions at the beginning of the semester, there are 10 "bonus" assignments from the end-of-chapter materials.  A handout of procedures was distributed during the orientation sessions.
To observe that the Internet has changed the way businesses do business is the understatement of the decade – perhaps the century.  Many believe that much, much more change is inevitable.  Prospective employers are expecting and demanding that students be comfortable with and proficient in the use of the computer as a tool for acquiring and analyzing information for decision making.

During this semester, students in this course have the opportunity to use the Internet 1) to practice solving accounting problems and 2) to broaden their perspective of business resources available by completing assignments from the materials at the end of each chapter in the textbook.

Broadening Your Perspective(BYP) (bonus points)

At the conclusion of each chapter, the authors have provided a short Internet assignment in an effort to broaden students’ perspectives of business and accounting in the “real world.”  Students who choose to complete those assignments obviously have the opportunity to receive the authors’ intended benefit and also to gain understanding and confidence in the Internet as a resource tool.  Some of the material discovered during these quests may prove to be beneficial in the future  in upper division business classes as well as to prospective employers.

Essential components of these assignments are 1) to provide students meaningful experiences with accounting and business sites on the Internet, 2) to allow students to provide quality work electronically, and 3) to inform students of the results of the assignment electronically.

Students who choose to complete these assignments will be awarded one (1) “bonus” point for each of the assignments during the semester for a total of  ten (10) points possible.  In order to receive credit, students much submit quality work in a timely fashion.  The BYP assignments are generally due by 9 a.m. on the Monday following the week in which the topic has been covered in class and homework assignments.  Please refer to the course syllabus for specific due dates.

Assuming the Internet link provided in the textbook is working as it should, students must complete and submit the BYP assignments via e-mail as follows:
 

  1. Locate the BYP assignment at the end of the chapter in the textbook.
  2. Read and follow the instructions in the textbook
  3. Locate the appropriate site on the Internet.
  4. Prepare an e-mail document for your response.
  5. In the “SUBJECT:” area of the e-mail message, indicate the number of the BYP being submitted as well as your discussion section, row, and seat number (DD-R-SS).  Example: SUBJECT: BYP 14-9 for 04-2-05 (where 14-9 is the number of the problem from the text for the student in section four who sits on row two in seat five)
  6. In the body of the e-mail message, TYPE YOUR NAME, DISCUSSION ROW AND SEAT NUMBER, AND E-MAIL ADDRESS.  Type the question from the textbook followed by your response.  Responses should be in complete sentences, well written, and free of misspelled words.  Responses should NOT be copied and pasted from the web site visited, but rather should be paraphrased in the student's own words.  For problems with more than one question, type the next question from the text, followed by your response, etc.  Double space between each question and response.
On rare occasions when the Internet link provided in the textbook is NOT working as it should, students must alter the instructions above in order to submit the BYP assignments via e-mail as follows:
  1. Locate an ALTERNATE Internet assignment at the publisher’s web site.
  2. From several provided, choose ONE to complete.
  3. Locate the appropriate site on the Internet.
  4. DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE USING THE BLANKS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER, but rather prepare an e-mail document for your response
  5. In the “SUBJECT:” area of the e-mail message, indicate the number of the BYP being submitted as well as your discussion section, row, and seat number (DD-R-SS).  Example: SUBJECT: BYP 14-9 #3 for 04-2-05 (where 14-9 is the number of the problem from the syllabus, #3 is the third assignment chosen from the publisher’s web site by the student in section four who sits on row two in seat five)
  6. In the body of the e-mail message, TYPE YOUR NAME, DISCUSSION ROW AND SEAT NUMBER, AND E-MAIL ADDRESS.  COPY the question from the web site and PASTE it into your e-mail document.  Provide your response.  Responses should be in complete sentences, well written, and free of misspelled words.  Responses should NOT be copied and pasted from the web site visited, but rather should be paraphrased in the student's own words.  For problems with more than one question, COPY and PASTE the next question from the web site, followed by your response, etc.  Double space between each question and response.
Whether completing the assignment from the text for the alternative from the publisher’s web site, completed assignments should be submitted as follows:
  1. The completed assignment should be sent to the following e-mail address:  prinacct@oru.edu
  2. Students are encouraged to send a copy of the assignment to their own personal e-mail address as evidence the assignment was submitted on time.
  3. The assignments are (generally) due by 9 a.m. on Monday as indicated in the syllabus.  Remember that the time and date the message was sent will automatically be indicated on the e-mail message.
  4. Students are reminded that technical difficulties might be encountered and, therefore, discouraged from waiting until the last minute to prepare and submit the assignments.
  5. Within approximately one week, an e-mail response will be sent to the return address from which the e-mail assignment was received.  The response will indicate whether the bonus point was awarded.  No other communication will be made to inform the student of the status of the assignment.
Students who need assistance in accessing the Internet in order to complete the assignments or in sending an e-mail response are encouraged to contact Mr. Gregg in his office at 495-6561 or by e-mail at rgregg@oru.edu.

Contact me if you have additional questions or problems.