Course Structure

COURSE SEQUENCING

For the first time registering, new students are advised carefully regarding course enrollment. Students are able to select courses in any order, except for those with prerequisites. Courses that have prerequisites can only be taken after the prerequisites have been fulfilled.

COURSE FREQUENCY

CPA accepts students year-round during the mandatory spring and fall and also the summer trimester, which is typically a vacation trimester. There are more courses offered in the mandatory spring and fall trimesters due to enrollment. Many students choose to use the summer trimester as a vacation trimester to not enroll in classes. Courses are scheduled according to student need and demand. Courses within a program that have higher demand will be scheduled more often. CPA programs have a wide variety and quantity of courses to complete the program, which include general education, core, elective and/or major courses. The course offerings vary since many students transfer in with a varied amount of transfer credit awarded and have different needs.

CPA MINIMUM COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS

Courses may provide learning materials through CPA Moodle, it is important to have the right computer equipment to ensure the best possible learning experience.

Electronic communication is the preferred method of communication for students, faculty and staff. To take advantage of this technology, it is required that students, instructional and administrative staff acquire and maintain email access with the capability to send/receive attached files.

To have a successful experience in CPA Moodle courses, the following is the minimum computer configuration needed:

HARDWARE

A processor of 1.6 GHz or faster
500 MB RAM or greater
50 GB hard drive or larger
High-speed Internet connection
Monitor and video card with 1024x768 ppi or greater resolution
Sound card with speakers
CD-ROM, USB ports
Inkjet or laser printer

OPERATING SYSTEM

A computer running minimum of Windows Vista, or 7 or MAC 10.X+

SOFTWARE

Email address
Internet service provider (ISP) account
Browser: Current versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome
Adobe Reader 7.0 or later
Microsoft Office 2007 or newer
Flash Player
Browsers use “plug-ins” (mini applications installed within the browser itself) to enable richer Web experiences.
Cookies and JavaScript should be enabled in the browser.

CPA MOODLE

All students, classroom-hybrid (campus) and 100% online, utilize CPA Moodle to complete their coursework. To ensure that students will be successful, an assessment shall be made at the time of processing admissions. The skills assessment survey is located on the last page of the Application for Admissions. Assessments shall be made on whether each prospective student has the skills and competencies to succeed in an online learning environment, as well as a student’s access to computer, software, and internet technologies. These will be taken into consideration before admitting a prospective student into the program.

The online component allows for instructors to relay messages to students outside of the classroom, spend more time teaching rather than collecting paper assignments in class, check for academic dishonesty using a plagiarism-detecting software and most importantly, avoid the hassle of late submissions by tracking time-stamped assignments through electronic submission.

CPA Moodle is available to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Campus and 100% online courses are delivered through CPA Moodle; using a cost-effective, “open-source” learning management system (LMS) called Moodle. Moodle provides functional features such as secure login, discussion boards, automated grading of multiple-choice examinations, grade book, course back-ups, time-stamps, etc.

CPA Moodle is accessible through any popular browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome). Students are required to have an email address, which can be obtained for free from popular sites.

ELEMENTS OF A COURSE

COURSE EXPECTATIONS

CPA Moodle is accessible through any popular browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome). Students are required to have an email address, which can be obtained for free from popular sites.

At the undergraduate level, the expectation is that students will spend on average 10-15 hours a week on the coursework. At the graduate level, the expectation is that students will spend on average 15-20 hours a week on the coursework. The online modality is not easy and takes dedication and time management. CPA realizes that there are many elements competing for one’s time and attention, CPA expects dedication, scholarship, and performance from its students. This means that students must learn to balance the demands of family, work, and class work. Outside commitments should never be an excuse for poor or lack of performance. CPA has high standards and they will not be compromised.

A typical 3-unit course is broken into 8-lesson intervals to measure Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) – one lesson per week. This gives opportunities for the instructor to guide, assist, and support the learning process. Within each Lesson, a student will be provided instructions and details as to how to complete the Lesson. Each Lesson is comprised of various activities or assessments to measure the level of mastery of various subject areas. Specific chapters are assigned to read, discussion questions to be completed, or case studies to be analyzed.

All courses, regardless of method of delivery, may have an online component to it via CPA Moodle. Through CPA Moodle students are required to submit posts to discussion questions (DQ), submit assignments, and/or take online quizzes.

SYLLABUS

The course syllabus includes class assignments, instructor’s presentations, online libraries, and more are located in CPA Moodle.

READINGS ASSIGNMENTS, ANCILLARY RESOURCES, & OTHER VISUAL MEDIA RESOURCES

Each student is expected to do all the required readings. It is also recommended that students keep all readings in a file for future use in their program. To avoid frustration, complete all the reading before attempting the quizzes and or assignments.

The online course room may provide PowerPoint Presentations to enhance the learning process. They emphasize main points and key announcements.
PowerPoint Presentations make class material more legible and interesting. Bulleted points can help emphasize main points while students fill in additional detail. PowerPoint Presentations:

Support lectures by highlighting key points
Present tips and outlines
Present examples
Provide pictures and other graphics supporting the material
Stimulate interest by use of clipart and cartoons

Visual learners use images, pictures, color and other visual media to help learn. Video clips & other visual media bring training and teaching to life and help emphasize ideas and lessons, and promote discussion. These forms of media can lead students to higher-order thinking and appeal to auditory and visual learning styles.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Course Learning Objectives are provided for each course. The Course Learning Objectives describe what students should know or be able to do at the end of the course that they could not do before. Another important element is that the Course Learning Objectives are aligned with the Program Objectives.

GRADING CRITERIA

The Grading Criteria for the course are listed like a table of contents. These criteria can help students perform better and prevent confusion or frustration about their grades. They list each item for which the student is responsible and the points for each assignment.

LESSON LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Lesson Learning Objectives are provided for each Lesson. The Lesson Learning Objectives describe what students should know or be able to do at the end of the lesson that they could not do before. Another important element is that the Lesson Learning Objectives are aligned with the Course Learning Objectives.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Reading Assignments consist primarily of readings from a textbook. They may also include articles or case studies from other sources, such as news articles or journals, or viewing PowerPoint or videos presentations.

PARTICIPATION

Classroom Participation - Campus students are encouraged to participate so they can learn from each other. Active involvement in learning increases what is remembered, how well it is assimilated, and how the learning is used in new situations. In making statements to peers about their own thoughts on a class topic, students must articulate those thoughts and submit them to examination by others. In listening to their peers, students hear many ways of interpreting and applying class material, and thus can integrate many examples of how to use the information.

Online Discussions Questions (DQ’s)

Each student, specifically online students are expected to be an active participant in online discussions. Participation is a graded part of the course work. Students’ class participation grade will reflect the quality and consistency of his/her contributions. Although a campus or online class does provide more flexibility in terms of the exact days/hours a student must attend class, please do not assume that one does not have to “attend” class. The group class Discussions Questions (DQ’s) are based around the course text and other resource material applied against real-life business situations. These discussions are designed to improve the ability of students to critically analyze and discuss the relevant issues. The DQ’s are located in CPA Moodle.

The expectation is postings are to be posted by the date assigned during the week. Late work is not appreciated and will be penalized per CPA policy. Postings are expected to be academic in nature and should have at minimum of two academic sources in the main post for the week. Students are suggested to respond to other students per DQ. Responses are to be academic and sophisticated and free of spelling and syntax errors.

Instructors are looking for critical thinking and analysis not unsupported personal opinions. Keep website sources to only two at a maximum in postings. No "Wiki's", for they are not accepted sources. If students ask a question of another student, be sure to follow-up with research findings. These DQ’s are a crucial element in the development of knowledge of the subject matter, and an important part of the learning experience. The purpose of the DQ’s is to engender academic discussions and we emphasize research, discovery, questioning, probing, critical thinking, etc. Instructors are also interested in practical application and sharing experiences.

DQ’s are designed to:

Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the class material
Have students research the topic with academic journal and papers.
Provoke constructive dialogue among students
Clarify difficult concepts with own research, facts, and examples
Introduce thoughtful perspectives and insights on material.
Have students share experiences.
The idea is to create academic dialogue.

ASSESSMENTS

Classroom and online instructors will utilize various forms of assessments. Commonly used assessments are described below.

Multiple-Choice (MC) Exams

For undergraduate courses, multiple-choice exams are utilized. These assessments are “open book”. In an open book exam, a student is evaluated on understanding rather than recall and memorization, arguments and solutions. Open Book exam questions usually require a student to apply knowledge rather than just remember facts.

Mid-Term and Final Papers

Many undergraduate or graduate level courses require a traditional academic Mid-Term and Final Paper. Halfway through the course and at the end of the course, students may be required to prepare a traditional academic Mid-Term and Final Paper. Remember to take the time to ensure that thoughts are properly developed. The Mid-Term and Final Paper represents a large portion of a student’s grade so give it the time and effort that it deserves. A paper format template and other materials have provided for a student’s use in the preparation of the paper in this course. Please refer to these resources.

Case Study Analysis (CSA)

Courses may require a Case Study Analysis (CSA), instead of a traditional academic Mid-Term and Final Paper. Case studies will allow students to demonstrate the comprehension, mastery, and application of the information. Studies show that using case studies improves student performance by introducing real world companies & situations and asking students to critique, analyze, and come to a solution.

Grading is based on clear organization of material and completeness of information. Be sure to properly cite all information used in the paper such as articles, books, websites, texts, interviews, etc. The goal of the CSA is not to do original field research, but to demonstrate student’s ability to apply our concepts in a situation.

Class Projects (CPR)

Courses may require a class project. The class project is designed to provide a meaningful balance between theoretical and practical learning. Class projects provide students an opportunity to learn to define a problem, conduct research, analyze it, make recommendations, and write and present a final plan. The class project increases students’ business competency through guided hands-on business experience, while also introducing them to the challenges of real business. Students will learn mainly from their practical creative projects that constitute the largest proportion of the final grade.

Class Presentations

Campus courses may require class presentations. As current and future business leaders, effective presentations and public speaking skills are important in business, sales and selling, training, teaching, lecturing and generally entertaining an audience. Developing the confidence and capability to give good presentations, and to stand up in front of an audience and speak well, are also extremely helpful competencies for self-development too.

Writing Level and Style

There exists an unspoken division between graduate level and undergraduate-level writing based upon the expectations of CPA instructors. Instructors expect writing assignments at the graduate level to be of a higher quality. Many of the mistakes that professors would allow at the undergraduate level are not tolerated once the graduate level has been reached. Graduate-level writing needs to be perfectly clear, concise, and free from common errors.

Undergraduate Level Writing

CPA requires undergraduate students to demonstrate the ability to think and write critically about the current subject under study. This affords students the opportunity to demonstrate a level of understanding of the subject. Writing should possess a clearly stated and well-argued conclusion, showing the ability to range over appropriate areas of the subject matter with acuteness of analysis, intelligent challenges to the question set, and an abundance of appropriate authority or evidence intelligently applied.

Graduate Level Writing

Writing skills become a more fundamental aspect of attending graduate school than they ever were while an undergraduate. Often, graduate school means bidding adieu to the multiple-choice tests that examine one's ability to recognize the correct answer. Instead, graduate school is designed to test one's ability to recall, identify, examine, and explain the correct answer. Writing is utilized more often throughout graduate school, and graduate students are made readily aware that their writing skills are constantly being assessed.

APA Writing Style

CPA has adopted APA style as the official writing style for writing assignments. This is a specific set of guidelines outlined by the American Psychological Association. All the rules for APA format are contained within the APA Publication Manual, 5th Edition.

Timely Submission

Assessments must be submitted or completed by the due date - no exceptions. If a student foresees reasons that s/he will not be able to complete an assignment on its due date, submitting an assignment early is acceptable. All missed assignments and/or additional assignments must be completed according to instructors' guidelines.

BACK-UP WORK

An external back up is strongly recommended. If possible, an off-site cloud back-up of the computer from Carbonite® or another provider is highly recommended. It is inexpensive and will ensure all files are backed-up in the case of a “crash.” Computer crash is NOT an automatic extension of any deadlines. Plan ahead and anticipate problems!! Have a back-up plan!!