ACCT 404 is Liberty's assurance and attestation (auditing) course in the BS in Accounting. Its written work is four group forums, each a 400 to 500-word thread one week and a 200-word reply the next; Connect review questions and two exams make up the rest.
Liberty's catalog lists the course as ACCT 404 Assurance and Attestation, 3 credit hours; Canvas and the course guide file print it as ACCT404.
What ACCT 404 covers
The catalog description: This course discusses assurance and attestation procedures for individuals seeking employment in public accounting. The course will cover the concepts of evaluating a company's internal control system, risk assessment, preparation of a comprehensive audit plan, common audit procedures, and auditor's reports and opinions. The use of data extraction and analysis tools for the use in audit procedures will also be discussed.
The course covers assurance and attestation for students heading into public accounting: evaluating internal control, risk assessment, preparing a comprehensive audit plan, common audit procedures, and auditor's reports and opinions, with data extraction and analysis tools for audit work. The text is Louwers et al., Auditing and Assurance Services, with Bible readings in the first weeks.
Connect review questions (200 points) and the midterm and final (150 each) have no guide here. The forums carry half the course (500 points).
Textbook named in the published guide: Louwers et al., Auditing & Assurance Services (2018). Check the current edition in your Canvas section.
ACCT 404 assignments, week by week
Every graded written assignment in the published guide has its own how-to guide below. Quizzes, exams, checklists and class introductions are left out because there is nothing to write.
| Week | Assignment | Points | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Group Discussion Board Forum 1 | 125 | Thread 400 to 500 words; reply at least 200 words |
| 3 | Group Discussion Board Forum 2 | 125 | Thread 400 to 500 words; reply at least 200 words |
| 5 | Group Discussion Board Forum 3 | 125 | Thread 400 to 500 words; reply at least 200 words |
| 7 | Group Discussion Board Forum 4 | 125 | Thread 400 to 500 words; reply at least 200 words |
Week 1: Group Discussion Board Forum 1
A 400 to 500-word thread with 2 sources in Week 1, then a 200-word reply to a classmate in Week 2. How to write ACCT 404 Week 1 Group Discussion Board Forum 1.
Week 3: Group Discussion Board Forum 2
A 400 to 500-word thread in Week 3 and a 200-word reply in Week 4. How to write ACCT 404 Week 3 Group Discussion Board Forum 2.
Week 5: Group Discussion Board Forum 3
A 400 to 500-word thread in Week 5 and a 200-word reply in Week 6. How to write ACCT 404 Week 5 Group Discussion Board Forum 3.
Week 7: Group Discussion Board Forum 4
A 400 to 500-word thread in Week 7 and a 200-word reply in Week 8. How to write ACCT 404 Week 7 Group Discussion Board Forum 4.
How ACCT 404 is graded
The published guide totals 1,010 points. Each forum is 125 (thread 75, reply 50), so the four total 500. Connect review questions are 200, the two exams 300 and the checklist 10.
| Graded item | Points |
|---|---|
| Group Discussion Board Forums (4) | 500 |
| Connect Review Questions | 200 |
| Midterm Exam | 150 |
| Final Exam | 150 |
| Course Requirements Checklist | 10 |
The published scale puts an A at 900 to 1010 points.
Week timing in the published guide: Each course module/week (except Module/Week 1) begins on Tuesday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday.
How to approach ACCT 404
Each thread needs 2 sources; the PCAOB and AICPA auditing standards are useful alongside the textbook.
Replies are due the week after each thread and go to a classmate's thread from the previous week.
Questions students ask
How do ACCT 404 forums work?
A 400 to 500-word thread with at least 2 sources in the assigned week (75 points), then a reply of at least 200 words to at least 1 classmate's thread the following week (50 points).
What does ACCT 404 cover?
Internal control evaluation, risk assessment, audit planning, audit procedures, auditor's reports and opinions, and audit data analysis.
Working through ACCT 404 now?
Tell us the week and the assignment. A tutor who knows the course replies with a plan for the draft.