How to Study for
ACC 2510
 
Students in Prof. Spalding's ACC 2510 course will find the following study regimen to be helpful in maximizing their achievement of the course objectives.  These suggestions are presented with the understanding that the student's assumption of personal responsibility for her or his own intellectual development is the first step in doing well in this or any other higher level college course.  Many students who do well find that four to six hours of study are required for every chapter. There are no short-cuts.  Excuses for non-performance are also not helpful.

Prior to Class

• During each class period, two chapters will be introduced, and Prof. Spalding will offer some introductory comments in lecture.  Plan to take careful notes.  If you wish to have a "starter outline" that can serve as "smart note-paper" for you to use to create your own lecture notes (instead of using "dumb" or "blank" notepaper), consider the bringing to class the outline of the publisher Powerpoint slides for the two chapters that will be introduced by Prof. Spalding toward the end of each class period.  To obtain such a starter outline (which does not serve as any form of substitute for the student's own note-taking, or for the student's own handwritten study outline, described below), consider the following steps:
• Prior to the introductory lecture for those two chapters, print the outline of the two chapters from the publisher's Powerpoint slides.  For example, all of your work from Chapters 1 and 4 prior to the beginning of the second class in this course.  But, Prof. Spalding will introduce, in lecture on the first day of class, Chapters 1 and 4.  The following sentences explain how to be prepared for the lecture on Chapters 1 and 4, by having an outline of Chapters 1 and 4 in front of  you duing that lecture on the first day of class.  This will aid your comprehension and your note-taking:
  
• Download and save the publisher's Powerpoint slides, available in Course Documents on Blackboard.  If you have trouble doing this, find your way immediately to a campus computer lab and ask for help.
  
• Open the Powerpoint files (.ppt) in Microsoft Powerpoint (if you do not have Powerpoint on your computer, save the files to a disk and bring them to a campus computer that has Powerpoint installed). Note:  Microsoft Office (including Word, Powerpoint, and Excel) is the standard at the School of Business Administration, so at some point plan to purchase and install Microsoft Office on your computer.
  
• Produce and print a "notes starter" to bring to class.  For each chapter you can do this one of two ways:
• Send to Word (this allows you to save the outline in Word):
  
• While in Powerpoint, click on File, then click on Send to, then click on Microsoft Office Word.  Click the "Outline Only" radial button, and then click OK.
• Microsoft Word should then open, with the text from the slides.  Save or print the Microsoft Word version of the slides, and bring the printout to class.  Use the printout as "smart notepaper" for your notes.
• Print Directly from Powerpoint:
• While in Powerpoint, click on File, then click on Print.  Before you actually print the file,  find the "Print what:" pull-down menu on the lower left side of the Print dialogue box.  Select "Outline View."  Then click on OK to print the Outline View of the Powerpoint slides, and bring the printout to class.  Use the printout as "smart notepaper" for your notes.

During Class

During class, Prof. Spalding will often ask if there are any questions.  Ask questions from your list of questions, and take careful notes as your questions (and those of other students) are answered.

During class, be prepared to participate. In addition to the fact that class participation has an impact on final grades, articulation of the logic and concepts substantially assists in the learning process. Text materials, Wall Street Journal articles, additional assigned readings, and other material will also be discussed in class. Voluntary participation will be appreciated. However, the instructor will call on students for discussions as necessary.  Classroom discussions often involve the Socratic Method and are designed to help students develop confidence in their critical thinking and argumentative skills.

Immediately After Class

After the class, rearrange your class notes into a well-organized synopsis. This may entail some rewriting of some pages of your study outline (and may entail inserting pages to accommodate expanded notes). If conscientiously prepared, these post-class materials will be an invaluable aid in preparing for quizzes and examinations.

Basic Study System After Class


Thorough preparation prior to doing homework is essential. The following is the "12-step study system" for this course:
 
• First, prepare a handwritten outline of the assigned chapter material (that is, the chapters due at the beginning of the next class that have now been introduced in lecture).  Start with a skeleton outline derived from the text's detailed table of contents (or, better yet, starting with an outline comprised of the headings and subheadings of the chapter itself). Skip three lines between each heading, subheading, paragraph heading, etc. This will be your study outline, organized by chapters.  Your study outline is best prepared in a looseleaf notebook format, because you will sometimes find yourself re-writing some pages, (including the insertion of pages containing extensive notes that augment your study outline).  On a separate piece of paper start a list of questions.
  
• Second, read the assigned chapters. As you read through the materials, fill in your study outline with brief phrases and notations.  You might find that high-lighting, or underlining, materials in your text to be of help, but rewriting the essential material into your study outline will prove to be a more reliable aid to your study and memory efforts.  Make sure you understand each Case in the text.  Add a summary of each Case into your study outline.  If you still do not understant a Case (or anything else from the text), add to your list of questions, being sure to include the page number or other reference so that you can direct Prof. Spalding to the specific item in question. 
  
• Third, review the Terms and Concepts to Review at the end of each chapter, and add your notes from your review of that information into your study outline. Add to your list of questions as necessary (and cross out questions as you discover the answers while studying). 
• Fourth, complete the Legal Research Exercises on the Web for each chapter.  These activities are an excellent self-study device.
  
• Fifth, if you have purchased a Study Guide for this course, go through the Study Guide materials for the assigned chapters.  Also, you might wish to take the Interactive Quiz for the assigned chapters, available from the publisher's resource page for this course.
• Sixth, incorporate your notes from Prof. Spalding's introductory lecture into your study outline.
  
• Seventh, work on your Discussion Board assignments, due on the Discussion Board prior to the start of the next class session.
• Eighth (and only AFTER you have completed the first seven steps, above), using MS Word, prepare answers to your assigned Written Homework questions from the end of the assigned chapters. Remember that your homework may be displayed to the rest of the class during class time, and may be discussed openly in class. Upload your answers onto the Digital Drop Box in the Tools area of Blackboard prior to class, remembering to name the file and complete the comment section properly.  Add to your list of questions as necessary (and cross out questions as you discover the answers while studying).  When you plan to ask a question about written homework, be prepared to indicate (and paraphrase or explain) the following as part of your discussion of the homework problem in question:
• What page of the text covers the subject matter of your question?  What does the text say about it?
• What  Cases in the text cover the subject matter of your question?  What light do the Cases shed on your question?
• Ninth, print an extra copy of your homework to retain (and refer to) during class.
• Tenth, and only AFTER you have completed the first nine steps, above, take the Quiz for the upcoming class on Blackboard, prior to class.   Note:  Quzzes are not made available until 24 hours prior to class.  Be sure to make a copy of your quiz prior to submitting your quiz.  Upon completing your quiz, add to your list of questions as necessary (and cross out questions as you discover the answers while studying).
  
• Eleventh, on the day of class (or the evening before class), review your study outline prior to class, so that you will be "fresh" when you are called upon for class participation.
• Twelfth, Peruse any chapter(s) listed for persual in the Schedule of Assignments.  The best way to do this is to prepare a brief study outline of that chapter using the headings and subheadings, and then page through the chapter to get a basic idea of the material.  Chapters assigned for perusal will often contain terminology and concepts that will have been included in your classroom lecture notes, but not necessarily included in the "assigned" textbook chapters (that is, will not be included in the primary chapters assigned for rigorous  study, for quizzes, and for homework).  Therefore, your review of the chapter(s) listed for persual in the Schedule of Assignments will help you better understand the classroom lecture material (and will help you perform better on exam questions drawn from the lecture material).
• Finally, bring to class your handwritten study outline, your text, your printout of your homework for your own reference, your printout of your quiz, prior lecture notes you have taken during previous class sections,  your printout of the outline of the chapters that will be introduced durinng the next class, and your list of any unanswered questions.  Arrive early for class, so that you do not miss anything.

Asking Questions about Homework or Other Matters

Students are strongly encouraged to ask questions during class or by email at any time.  If a student has a question, the student should be prepared to answer each of the following questions in the process of going over the homework question:
• What page of the text covers the subject matter of your question?  What does the text say about it?
• What  Cases in the text cover the subject matter of your question?  What light do the  Cases shed on your question?

Your Study Outline

Your handwritten study outline is the most important component of your preparation for class and your preparedness for examinations.  Your study outline, developed pursuant to the study method described above, is the key to your success in this course, and is the key to your success on examination materials that refer to material in the textbook.  If, for example, a student asks Prof. Spalding to review an exam or other score, Prof. Spalding will be able to fully and completely review and consider an appeal of a examination score of a student only if the student submits his or her fully completed, handwritten study outline and related materials as evidence of his or her efforts to follow the above recommended study method.  Only if the student's study outline is complete,  can the student's questions as to the "quality" or "fairness" of a grade or a particular examination question be given the fullest consideration.

Questions versus "Excuses"

Sometimes a student will discover that parts of the assigned material are difficult to understand.  It is important that the student take responsibility for overcoming her or his unfamiliarity with the material.  Whenever there is something you do not understand, go over that material or that item a few more times, slowly.  It even helps to read hard-to-understand material aloud.  If, after several tries, there is a specific item in  your readings or other assignments that you do not understand, simply add to your list of questions as necessary (and cross out questions as you discover the answers while studying).  (See Step Nine above.) When you plan to ask a question about written homework, be prepared to indicate (and paraphrase or explain) the following as part of your discussion of the homework problem in question:
• What page of the text covers the subject matter of your question?  What does the text say about it?
• What  Cases in the text cover the subject matter of your question?  What light do the Cases shed on your question?
However, never let an unanswered question stop you from continuing your studies in this course, or from completing your assigned readings and other homework.  Press on!  

`            Need More Help?

For More Information on How to Study, See:

• How to Study
• Especially,  Don't Take Notes on a Computer
• Study Tips for Business Majors
• Effective Study Skills




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Last revised:  07/15/2007
Copyright 2002 and 2007:  Albert D. Spalding, Jr.