Syllabus

Advanced Cases in Assurance Services explores fundamental and emerging issues in assurance services, focusing on evolving regulations, technologies, and business practices. Students will learn to assess audit risks, understand regulatory objectives, and leverage data analytics to enhance assurance and adapt to the changing landscape. This course uses case and data analysis along with discussion to cover fundamental and emerging issues in assurance services. The assurance field is constantly evolving due to changing regulation, new technologies, and changes in business practice. This means it is critical to not only understand the foundation of assurance techniques, but also be able to articulate current and potential business and audit risks, understand regulators’ objectives and adapt to the changing environment, make data-driven decisions, and identify techniques to improve assurance using data analytics and technologies.

Advanced Cases in Assurance Services (ACCTG 521) is a required course in the MPAcc and concentrates on the study of the analytical mindset through data-driven case studies in audit and assurance practices. Students will also enhance their adaptability and resilience mindset by examining different assurance settings and questions, using multiple software packages, and incorporating multiple data types and quality. Students will work in teams and communicate questions and conclusions drawn from data analytics, using verbal communication, written communication, and data visualization. Students will use the questioning and innovation mindsets when identifying the underlying purpose of assurance-related services, areas for judgment, and areas of opportunity for integrating data analytics and other emerging technology. The skills and tools from Data Analytics for Professional Accountants (ACCTG 522) will provide a foundation for data exercises in this class.

• Understand complex assurance issues, and propose and defend analytical solutions incorporating judgment.
• By undertaking data analytics such as regression analysis and t-tests.
• By examining data on various audit and regulation based data including internal control, misstatement and other data.

• Understand the benefits and issues brought by data analytics in assurance services, and how to implement them.
• By undertaking data analytics using audit specific tools.
• By conducting a simulated control walk through based on findings from data analysis.
• By undertaking an audit of cryptocurrencies.

• Understand and communicate innovative audit, compliance, and assurance-related topics.
• By undertaking risk analysis in real time using APIs.
• By undertaking an audit of cryptocurrencies
• By undertaking cybersecurity controls and compliance testing
• By understanding and undertaking Gen-AI governance related data integrity checks.

• Communicate complex assurance-related topics using supporting evidence and effective visualizations in both written documentation and verbal presentations.
• By undertaking a major project focused on using data to draw inferences about a public company in real time.

• Students are required to be enrolled in the MPAcc program. There are no other formal prerequisites for this course, however, students are encouraged to complete the Foster Microsoft Excel for Business online (or equivalent) course prior to starting, or during, the Autumn quarter.
• There is no required text for this course. If you wish to explore a topic in greater depth, please ask your instructor for recommendations.
• Materials outlining the required deliverables, templates, sample code/solutions, background readings and/or cases are accessed via Canvas.
• Students will be using specialized software in this course all of which will be made available on the Foster remote labs, an open-source or cloud-based setting, or from a subscription.

Assessment in this course is focused on providing you with feedback on how well you can undertake and communicate analysis in audit cases, with an increased weight on the use of data analytics. You will be assessed on both written and verbal communication as well as the ability to effectively work in your teams and as an individual. Deliverable submission portals and grades are all maintained on the ACCTG521 Canvas page. The deliverables page provides submission links. A summary of the components of the deliverables used to determine your grade are below, detail for each assessment follows:

Assessment	Assessment Type	Deliverables	Due Date	Grade Percentage
Professionalism	Individual	Polls; Verbal and Written Communication	All quarter	30%
Peer Assessments	Individual	Assessed by Team Members	End of quarter	10%
Client Interviews	Team	Memos and meeting	multiple (week 6)	20%
Proposal Update	Team	Memos and meeting	11/26	10%
ACCTG 521/522 Joint Capstone Project	Team	Memos and meeting	materials due: 12/3 11:59PM with presentations on 12/4 or 12/5	ACCTG521 30% (ACCTG522 40%)

Professionalism An individual assessment of student professionalism throughout the quarter. Students are expected to maintain a professional approach to work and approach all classes as professional engagements. Part of this grade is determined via deliverables relating to pollEverywhere engagement, written responses to cases and verbal communication in class.

Peer Assessments An individual assessment of student professionalism undertaken by their peers throughout the quarter. Students are expected to maintain a professional approach to work and approach all team activities as professional engagements. The grade is awarded by the other members of their Assessment Team.

Client Interviews Teams will meet with the instructor and conduct a simulated Client Meeting in class. Teams will present only to the instructor, and are required to only attend their time slot. A pre-meeting memo is due before the meeting and a post-meeting memo is due after the meeting.

Proposal Update Teams will present their revised proposals and progress for the final project. Teams will present only to the instructor, and are required to only attend their time slot.

ACCTG 521/522 Joint Capstone Project The ACCTG 521/522 Joint Capstone Project which is a team based presentation focusing on the use of real-time data to support analysis around the broad concept of "know your company" (KYC) for a chosen public company. KYC emphasizes a comprehensive understanding of a company’s structure, operations, financial health, culture, risks, and strategic goals. This concept is crucial for both internal stakeholders, like employees and managers, and external stakeholders, such as investors, auditors, or regulatory bodies. Teams select how they will narrow their analysis to an important aspect of KYC for their chosen company. Teams will present in the final classes of ACCTG522 on 12/4 or ACCTG521 on 12/5. All teams are required to attend all presentations on both days.

Instructor:	Asher Curtis, PhD. Herbert O. Whitten Endowed Associate Professor of Accounting. (abcurtis@uw.edu).
Class Times:	Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30PM to 3:20PM..
Location:	PACCAR 292..
Office Hours:	Monday and Wednesday 1:30PM to 2:00 PM in PACCAR 414 or by appointment; Zoom by appointment.

Religious Accommodations:

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

MPAcc Policies and Further Questions:

Questions about the content of this course should first be directed to the instructor. Please see the MPAcc orientation materials for important administrative details regarding the program that apply to all courses in the MPAcc program and the UW https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/syllabi-guidelines/ for important university policy and guidelines. If you have any additional questions, please contact the MPAcc Office (mpacc@uw.edu).

This policy establishes the guidelines and expectations for the responsible and ethical use of generative AI, including Large Language Models (LLMs) in the graduate accounting programs. Generative AI can be a valuable tool for enhancing learning, productivity and creativity, but it must be used responsibly to maintain a productive and respectful learning environment. Generative AI should primarily be used for educational purposes, such as assisting with research, generating ideas, or editing documents. Students are responsible for the work that they submit, any errors introduced by the use of Generative AI will reduce the grades on individual or team submissions.

Class	Date	Day	Topic
Class 1	Thursday, September 26, 2024	Thursday	Introduction to Advanced Cases in Assurance Services
Class 2	Tuesday, October 1, 2024	Tuesday	Introduction to Audit Analytics
Class 3	Thursday, October 3, 2024	Thursday	Economics of Disclosure, Audit, and Assurance
Class 4	Tuesday, October 8, 2024	Tuesday	Audit Risk and Materiality
Class 5	Thursday, October 10, 2024	Thursday	Misstatement Risk
Class 6	Tuesday, October 15, 2024	Tuesday	Transaction Analysis 1
Class 7	Thursday, October 17, 2024	Thursday	Transaction Analysis 2
Class 8	Tuesday, October 22, 2024	Tuesday	Audit Analytics with Helix for Students, with guests
Class 9	Thursday, October 24, 2024	Thursday	No ACCTG 521, Class swapped with ACCTG 526
Class 10	Tuesday, October 29, 2024	Tuesday	Client Interviews
Class 11	Thursday, October 31, 2024	Thursday	Post-Preliminary Proposal Group Project Workshop II
Class 12	Tuesday, November 5, 2024	Tuesday	Blockchain Audits
Class 13	Thursday, November 7, 2024	Thursday	Cases in Cybersecurity
Class 14	Tuesday, November 12, 2024	Tuesday	Risk Analytics, with guests from PwC
Class 15	Thursday, November 14, 2024	Thursday	Cybersecurity and Generative AI, with guest
Class 16	Tuesday, November 19, 2024	Tuesday	Cases in Generative AI Risks part I
Class 17	Thursday, November 21, 2024	Thursday	Cases in Generative AI Risks Part II
Class 18	Tuesday, November 26, 2024	Tuesday	Final Project Update and Check-in meetings
Class 19	Thursday, November 28, 2024	Thursday	Thanksgiving
Class 20	Tuesday, December 3, 2024	Tuesday	Course conclusion and team project workshop day
Class 21	Thursday, December 5, 2024	Thursday	Final Group Project Presentations