Overview
This unit introduces you to the technical aspects of accounting in Australia. You will gain a sound understanding and knowledge of the core accounting concepts for preparing financial statements. You will also learn the foundation principles and concepts of accounting, especially the accounting equation and accrual accounting and learn how to analyse and interpret financial statements.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
| Assessment Task | Part Weighting (% of assessment) |
Assessment Security Level | Gen AI Guidance Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. ASSESSMENT 1 (30% of unit · 2 parts ) | |||
| Part 1 – Excel Assignment: Group Written Task (Practical Assessment) | 57% of 30% | Low | AI Integration (Authentic Professional Use) |
| Part 2 – Excel Assignment: Group Presentation Task (Presentation) | 43% of 30% | High | AI Integration (Authentic Professional Use) |
| 2. ASSESSMENT 2 (10% of unit ) | |||
| Online Quiz (10% weighting) (Online Quiz(zes)) | 100% of 10% | Low | No Gen AI Use |
| 3. ASSESSMENT 3 (60% of unit ) | |||
| Online test (60% weighting) (Online Test) | 100% of 60% | High | No Gen AI Use |
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Academic Progression Policy and Procedure
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from UC's reflections
Need to update "list of weekly workshop questions" as a part of reviewing and redeveloping the unit'
Update "list of weekly workshop questions" as a part of reviewing and redeveloping the unit'
Feedback from UC's reflections
Need to update the workshop solutions to reflect the change in the list of weekly workshop questions for all 11 weeks
Update the workshop solutions to reflect the change in the list of weekly workshop questions for all 11 weeks
- Define accounting and identify the users of accounting information and prepare the financial statements
- Demonstrate mastery of core accounting concepts, such as accrual accounting, by correctly applying these concepts to contemporary business problems, and reporting on the outcomes
- Work as a team leader and as part of a team to acquire new knowledge, or to identify and solve accounting related problems.
- Correctly analyse and interpret the financial information contained within financial statements through the use of appropriate financial ratios, and provide professionally written reports on the results of those analyses.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
|
1.
Assessment 1
(30% of unit · 2 parts
)
Part 1 -
Practical Assessment
Part 2 -
Presentation
|
||||
|
2.
Assessment 2
(10% of unit )
Online Quiz(zes)
|
||||
|
3.
Assessment 3
(60% of unit )
Online Test
|
||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
Financial Accounting
- Edition: 9th (2021)
- Authors: Nobles, Mattison, Matsumura, Best, Fraser, Tan Willett
- Pearson Australia
- Melbourne Melbourne , VICTORIA , Australia
- ISBN: 9780655700357
If you are having issues accessing the eBook at the Library website, both paper and eBook copies can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
- Binding: eBook
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
No referencing style set.
m.kansal@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 09 Nov 2026Module/Topic
The role of Accounting in decision making
Chapter
One
Events and Submissions/Topic
Introduction to unit and assessments
Week 2
Begin Date: 16 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Recording business transactions
Chapter
Two
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 23 Nov 2026Module/Topic
The adjusting process
Chapter
Three
Events and Submissions/Topic
The teaching staff will organise students into groups of 3 for the written assessment and group presentation tasks.
Week 4
Begin Date: 30 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Completing the accounting cycle
Chapter
Four
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 07 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Retailing operations
Chapter
Five
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 14 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Retail inventory
Chapter
Six
Events and Submissions/Topic
Excel Assignment: Group Presentation Task Due: Week 6 Monday (14 Dec 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Mid-Term Break
Begin Date: 21 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 04 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Internal control and cash
Chapter
Eight
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 11 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Receivables
Chapter
Nine
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 18 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Non-current assets: Property, plant and equipment, and intangibles
Chapter
Ten
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 25 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Current liabilities and payroll
Financial statement analysis
Chapter
Eleven
Eighteen
Events and Submissions/Topic
Revision resources and "Mock Online test" released
Week 11
Begin Date: 01 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Unit review and Mock online test
Chapter
Revision resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Mock online test in classes
Week 12
Begin Date: 08 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Assessment 3
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 3, Invigilated Online test Due Week 12. Details to be published on Moodle.
Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 07 Feb 2028Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1. ASSESSMENT 1 ( 30% of unit · 2 parts )
Part 1 - Practical Assessment
This assessment comprises two components. This assessment requires students to complete an Excel-based accounting task and contributes to the unit's overall assessment. Students work in groups of no more than three and submit the assigned question by Monday of Week 6. Distance/Flex students may complete the written assessment individually if prior approval has been obtained. Students are permitted to use artificial intelligence tools in accordance with the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS) 4. Any use of AI tools must be disclosed appropriately, and any misuse or lack of disclosure will be treated as a breach of academic integrity.
Week 6 Monday (14 Dec 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Submit via Moodle
Week 8 Monday (11 Jan 2027)
Results available via Moodle grade book
Students will be assessed using the criteria in the detailed marking rubrics provided in the assessment.
Group written task
1. Excel worksheets with appropriate formulas
2. Interactive dashboards in an Excel spreadsheet
No submission method provided.
- Define accounting and identify the users of accounting information and prepare the financial statements
- Demonstrate mastery of core accounting concepts, such as accrual accounting, by correctly applying these concepts to contemporary business problems, and reporting on the outcomes
- Work as a team leader and as part of a team to acquire new knowledge, or to identify and solve accounting related problems.
- Correctly analyse and interpret the financial information contained within financial statements through the use of appropriate financial ratios, and provide professionally written reports on the results of those analyses.
Part 2 - Presentation
This assessment also requires students to deliver a presentation based on their Excel work, with both the Excel file and presentation due by Monday of Week 6. On-campus students must complete the presentation as a group. Distance/Flex students may submit their presentation individually with prior approval. Students may use artificial intelligence tools extensively throughout the preparation of their presentation under Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS) 4; however, students are expected to demonstrate their own critical thinking, understanding, and evaluation of the information presented. All AI use must be disclosed appropriately, and any misuse or lack of disclosure may be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Week 6 Monday (14 Dec 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Submit via Moodle as per the instructions in the assignment
Week 8 Monday (11 Jan 2027)
Results available via Moodle grade book
Group presentation
1. Explanation of Gen AI use
2. Language, Communication ability and Audience engagement
3. Explanation of dashboard functionality
No submission method provided.
- Define accounting and identify the users of accounting information and prepare the financial statements
- Demonstrate mastery of core accounting concepts, such as accrual accounting, by correctly applying these concepts to contemporary business problems, and reporting on the outcomes
- Work as a team leader and as part of a team to acquire new knowledge, or to identify and solve accounting related problems.
- Correctly analyse and interpret the financial information contained within financial statements through the use of appropriate financial ratios, and provide professionally written reports on the results of those analyses.
2. ASSESSMENT 2 ( 10% of unit )
Online Quiz(zes)
This is an individual assignment. All students must complete this assessment.
"This assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS) 1 below. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity."
Scale 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
Week 9 Friday (22 Jan 2027) 5:00 pm AEST
Marks will be available to students on the submission of the Quiz
Completion and Accuracy of the multiple choice questions
No submission method provided.
- Define accounting and identify the users of accounting information and prepare the financial statements
- Demonstrate mastery of core accounting concepts, such as accrual accounting, by correctly applying these concepts to contemporary business problems, and reporting on the outcomes
3. ASSESSMENT 3 ( 60% of unit )
Online Test
This is an individual assessment due in week 12. Details will be published on Moodle. "This assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS) 1 below. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity."
Scale 1: Use of AI is not allowed.
As per the details given in "online test advice" released on Moodle in Week 10.
No submission method provided.
- Define accounting and identify the users of accounting information and prepare the financial statements
- Demonstrate mastery of core accounting concepts, such as accrual accounting, by correctly applying these concepts to contemporary business problems, and reporting on the outcomes
- Correctly analyse and interpret the financial information contained within financial statements through the use of appropriate financial ratios, and provide professionally written reports on the results of those analyses.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
