Accounting analytics develops new insights and understanding of financial and non-financial performance by continuous iterative examination of large data sets pertaining to past financial and non-financial information and events. This course aims to equip students with skills to analyse accounting data to address accounting-related problems. Students are expected to obtain an understanding of different types of data analytics methods, and how to apply these methods to analyse accounting-related problems. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Identify useful sources of financial and non-financial data that help accountants’ decision-making.
2. Define concepts, and use current applications, of typical accounting analytics methods.
3. Analyse accounting case studies to gain an understanding of the opportunities and challenges brought by large financial and non-financial data set.
4. Use analytics techniques to interpret accounting data, analyse business environments, and develop solutions for authentic (real world and ill-defined) problems in accounting processes.
5. Interpret and effectively communicate the findings of accounting analytics to both specialists and non-specialists.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary accounting analytics relevant to accountants’ work in professional contexts.

Research-Led Teaching

This course builds on current data analytics research and methods to examine contemporary issues in accounting. The discussions in class will be problem based. Also, students are provided with, and encouraged to directly engage in, published research. 

Required Resources

The following resources are available electronically:

[1] ACCA (The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) (2013) Big Data: Its Power and Perils. Available at http://www.accaglobal.com/bigdata

[2] Alles, M. (2015) "Drivers of the Use and Facilitators and Obstacles of the Evolution of Big Data by the Audit Profession", Accounting Horizons, 29(2), pp. 439-449.

[3] KPMG (2013) Data Analytics for Internal Audit. Available at https://www.kpmg.com/ch/en/library/articles-publications/documents/advisory/ch-pub-20150922-data-analytics-internal-audit-en.pdf

[4] Vasarhelyi, M., Kogan, A. & Tuttle, B. (2015) "Big Data in Accounting: An Overview", Accounting Horizons, 29(2), pp. 381-396.

[5] Warren, J., Moffitt, K. & Byrnes, P. (2015) "How Big Data Will Change Accounting", Accounting Horizons, 29(2), pp. 397-407.

Recommended Resources

The following are recommended resources (available from the Chifley Library):

[1] Howson, C. (2013), Successful Business Intelligence, Second Edition: Unlock the Value of BI & Big Data, McGraw-Hill Education; 2 edition (November 5, 2013) (ISBN-10: 007180918X; ISBN-13: 978-0071809184)

[2] Minelli, M., Chambers, M., & Dhiraj, A. (2012) Big Data, Big Analytics: Emerging Business Intelligence and Analytic Trends for Today's Businesses, John Wiley & Sons, (ISBN-10: 1118239156, ISBN-13: 9781118239155)

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, and individuals

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

As a further academic integrity control, students may be selected for a 15 minute individual oral examination of their written assessment submissions.

Any student identified, either during the current semester or in retrospect, as having used ghost writing services will be investigated under the University’s Academic Integrity Rule.

COMMUNICATION

Email and the Wattle Course Website

Email and the Wattle course website are the preferred ways of communication.

If necessary, the lecturer and tutors for this course will contact students on their official ANU student email address. Students should use this email address when contacting staff as spam filters used by ANU may not allow other email addresses to be received. Information about your enrolment and fees from the Registrar and Student Services' office will also be sent to this email address.

Announcements

Students are expected to check the Wattle site for announcements about this course, e.g. changes to timetables or notifications of cancellations.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to accounting analytics
2	Traditional accounting data analysis and its limitations
3	Tools and techniques for accounting analytics
4	Revenue/Expenditure cycle analytics (1): Classification and prediction analytics
5	Revenue/Expenditure cycle analytics (2): Rule induction and decision tree	90-minute closed book online quiz 1 with Proctorio [15%]
6	Revenue/Expenditure cycle analytics (3): Data visualization and forecasting
7	Production planning: Optimization and sensitivity analysis (1)
8	Production planning: Optimization and sensitivity analysis (2)	Individual assignment due on Week 8 Friday [10%]
9	Accounting big data sources for analysts and auditors
10	Forensic accounting applications	90-minute closed book online quiz 2 with Proctorio [15%]
11	Auditing: Processing unstructured data
12	Ethics related to accounting analytics

Tutorial Registration

There are no tutorials in this course.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
90-minute closed book online quiz 1 with Proctorio on Week 5 Friday	15 %	24/03/2023	31/03/2023	1,2,3,4,5
Individual assignment due on Week 8 Friday 17:00:00	10 %	28/04/2023	12/05/2023	1,2,3,4,5,6
90-minute closed book online quiz 2 with Proctorio on Week 10 Friday	15 %	12/05/2023	19/05/2023	1,2,3,4,5
Three-hour closed-book online examination with Proctorio	60 %	01/06/2023	29/06/2023	1,2,3,4,5,6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Course delivery: Weekly seminars delivered on campus with concurrent live Zoom (recording on Echo360). Please check Wattle for details closer to the start of semester. In general, attendance at all teaching events, while not compulsory, is expected in line with “Code of Practice for Teaching and Learning”, clause 2 paragraph (h).

Examination(s)

Both quizzes and the end-of-semester exam are closed-book assessments with Proctorio. Students are not allowed to use any translators or dictionaries. More information will be provided on Wattle after the semester starts.

Assessment Task 1

90-minute closed book online quiz 1 with Proctorio on Week 5 Friday

Online quiz 1 is a 90-minute closed-book online examination with Proctorio. The scope of this examination covers the seminars from Week 1 to Week 5. Students are not allowed to use any translators or dictionaries. More information will be provided on Wattle after the semester starts. Written feedback will be provided on Wattle (to the class) by Friday of Week 6. Quiz 1 is worth 15% and non-redeemable.

Assessment Task 2

Individual assignment due on Week 8 Friday 17:00:00

This is a written assignment to be undertaken individually. Details of the assignment will be provided two weeks prior to the assignment due date.

Assignments are submitted using Turnitin in the course Wattle site. The assignment is due on Week 8 Friday 17:00:00. You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Written feedback will be provided on Wattle (to the class) and on Turnitin files (to individual students) by Friday of Week 10.

The assessment is worth 10%. Late submission of the assignment is permitted. Late submission of the assignment without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available (i.e. 0.5 marks) per working day or part thereof. Late submission of the assignment is not accepted after one week after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assignment.

Late submission is not permitted for all other assessments.

Assessment Task 3

90-minute closed book online quiz 2 with Proctorio on Week 10 Friday

Online quiz 2 is a 90-minute closed-book online examination with Proctorio. The scope of this examination covers the seminars from Week 6 to Week 9. Students are not allowed to use any translators or dictionaries. More information will be provided on Wattle after the semester starts. Written feedback will be provided on Wattle (to the class) by Friday of Week 11. Quiz 2 is worth 15% and non-redeemable.

Assessment Task 4

Three-hour closed-book online examination with Proctorio

The end-of-semester exam is a 3-hour closed-book online exam with Proctorio. The scope of this examination covers the seminars from Week 1 to Week 12. Students are not allowed to use any translators or dictionaries. More information will be provided on Wattle after the semester starts.

Centrally administered examinations through Examinations, Graduations & Prizes will be timetabled prior to the examination period. The due date listed in the assessment summary is the earliest possible date. Please check ANU Timetabling for further information.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of the individual assignment without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of the individual assignment is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the the individual assignment. Late submission is not accepted for all other assessment items.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

Student assignments are returned through Wattle or emails within two weeks of submission.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

We do not accept resubmission of assignments.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students