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The questions below were raised at the April 2009 “New Curriculum” web casts.
Questions not specifically related to the new curriculum have been included for stakeholders' ease of reference. For assistance with any other operational matters, please click here for our Contacts page, select your topic, and use the corresponding email to contact CASB.
1. Are students going to lose any important learning with the reduced number of weeks? Has material been taken out of the modules to get them down to eight weeks from 10 weeks?
2. Will students who have already completed modules and only have one or two modules left be affected by the shuffle of material between modules?
3. What sort of changes will a student in Module 5 see?
4. I am starting work with the CATO in September but am starting Module 1 in May. How can I best prepare for it?
5. Will the modules' technical accounting focus only be on IFRS and the new private enterprise guidance under implementation? Will the Canadian Handbook sections be used at all?
6. With respect to IFRS, will CASB be making resources available to students to explain the changes, or is that something that employers are expected to do?
7. Will CASB be providing a detailed list of learning objectives and the Competency Map at the start of each module?
8. Is CASB going to implement the new FASB Mark-to-Market rules?
9. What is the expected time commitment to CASB tasks in a week by a student while in a module? Will the student workload per week increase?
10. How different are the assignments from current module tasks?
11. Will each week have more tasks?
12. Can weekly tasks be submitted early for evaluation as was the case in the old curriculum?
13. Is there an assignment due the first week of a Module, since it starts on a Monday?
14. How far in advance will students be given access to log onto a module?
15. Will the face-to-face interactive sessions (FFISs) be longer?
16. Are laptop computers required for the FFIS?
17. What is expected in the FFISs, particularly for those starting in May?
18. It was mentioned that more emphasis will be placed on pervasive qualities. Is that related to the FFIS?
19. When will the FFIS locations be released?
20. Will most evaluations now be on Fridays instead of Saturdays?
21. It is my understanding that there will be a multiple choice (MCQ) exam on the first face-to-face day. Is this correct?
22. Will the prior year cases still be relevant as practice material? Will the practice cases and assessments be updated to include the new reporting standards?
23. Will there be any significant changes to the format of the evaluation cases?
24. Is there a choice of writing the case on a laptop computer or on paper at the evaluation?
25. Are the laptop computers provided for the evaluation or is the student required to bring one?
26. Now that laptop computers going to be used, will the exams be harder and/or longer as a result?
27. Under the new system, are evaluations going to be marked in a similar fashion, i.e. with marking guides marked on integration, conclusions, etc. Also, is the FFIS going to be evaluated the same way?
28. What does “rubrics” mean and can you give us an example?
29. Given the changes in standards in CASB modules, does CASB expect a reduced UFE pass rate in 2010?
30. Will marks be scaled to keep the UFE pass rate at the current level?
31. Can students still fast-track the program?
32. How will the changes affect busy season?
1. Are students going to lose any important learning with the reduced number of weeks? Has material been taken out of the modules to get them down to eight weeks from 10 weeks?
CASB has worked through the Competency Map to ensure that there are no significant gaps in learning and that students will be well prepared for the UFE. CASB has endeavoured to ensure that the same coverage of the competencies will occur, but on a more efficient timeline. Material has been taken out and any redundancies eliminated where possible, but not learning. There should not be any disadvantage to students from a learning standpoint in moving from 10 to eight weeks.
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2. Will students who have already completed modules and only have one or two modules left be affected by the shuffle of material between modules?
No. Any topics that have been moved between modules will be covered off at the face-to-face interactive sessions (FFISs) to ensure that students at all stages of their progression are not affected negatively by the change.
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3. What sort of changes will a student in Module 5 see?
Because there are a number of students who will be transitioning from the existing program into the new curriculum at the Module 5 level in May, and then planning to go on to Module 6 and writing the UFE in September, CASB has taken that into consideration. The changes in Module 5 are as seamless as possible, and it will be the package of Modules 5 and 6 combined that will incorporate the new learning required. Module 6 includes significant changes this year to ensure that students who are interfacing at the Module 5 level are not in any way shortchanged as they prepare for the 2009 UFE. As per the CICA Competency Map, the IFRS requirements for the 2009 UFE are scaled back somewhat from what they will be in 2010 at which time students will be fully responsible for IFRS. CASB is working with CICA to ensure that the new curriculum adequately covers all the IFRS changes for the 2009 UFE.
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4. I am starting work with the CATO in September but am starting Module 1 in May. How can I best prepare for it?
You can look at the resources that are already online on CASB's website and you'll receive more resources when you log onto the module itself.
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5. Will the modules' technical accounting focus only be on IFRS and the new private enterprise guidance under implementation? Will the Canadian Handbook sections be used at all?
Yes, the module coverage will still include the Canadian Handbook sections. IFRS, for one, has been incorporated into a lot of Handbook sections in Canada already. New private entity standards are yet to be finalized. For the most part, students will be directed to do the research on those areas - this is a good introduction to the fact that accountants are always dealing with change. The focus will not exclusively be on IFRS; it will be matched up to the Competency Map to a large extent of the UFE.
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6. With respect to IFRS, will CASB be making resources available to students to explain the changes, or is that something that employers are expected to do?
The resources that students need for IFRS will be provided as part of the technical resources within the program. Students are encouraged to regularly visit the CICA website to follow along with the dialogue that's going on there. Some firms are providing courses, but CASB has endeavoured to provide self-standing coverage of International Standards for both Accounting and Auditing.
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7. Will CASB be providing a detailed list of learning objectives and the Competency Map at the start of each module?
No. The learning objectives will be provided to students on a weekly basis with their feedback review from their facilitators. At that point, each student will be advised as to what the objectives were for that week's task assignments and how they tie back in to the Competency Map.
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8. Is CASB going to implement the new FASB Mark-to-Market rules?
No. The CASB program is based upon IFRS because that's where Canadian standards are going; it's not based upon the American system.
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9. What is the expected time commitment to CASB tasks in a week by a student while in a module? Will the student workload per week increase?
The new curriculum was designed to maintain the current average workload of 12-15 hours per week, per module. The equivalent of 10 weeks of tasks has not been compressed to fit into eight weeks.
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10. How different are the assignments from current module tasks?
There is no design change to the format or the approach taken. The tasks themselves will change based on the content coverage.
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11. Will each week have more tasks?
No. There are four to six tasks per week on average, same as before.
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12. Can weekly tasks be submitted early for evaluation as was the case in the old curriculum?
Yes. There are no changes to the administration of the task assignment process.
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13. Is there an assignment due the first week of a Module, since it starts on a Monday?
Yes, there is an assignment due every week.
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14. How far in advance will students be given access to log onto a module?
Access is typically granted within the week before a module starts. Registered students will be notified of administrative issues.
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15. Will the face-to-face interactive sessions (FFISs) be longer?
No. They'll be the same length of time as in the old system.
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16. Are laptop computers required for the FFIS?
The use of laptop computers is being introduced to some FFISs in spring 2009 and will eventually be required for all FFISs. This is a work in progress – please check CASB's website regularly to see if it applies to your module.
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17. What is expected in the FFISs, particularly for those starting in May?
Come prepared and participate. Students are evaluated based on their performance at their FFIS. FFISs are not remedial sessions designed to bring students up to speed on things not learned in the online portion of the course. They are designed to help students develop and for CASB to assess some of the pervasive qualities that can't be assessed in a written or computer-based exam. Students are required and expected to participate as best they can. Content changes will be addressed at the FFIS sessions in transition to ensure no gaps in learning.
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18. It was mentioned that more emphasis will be placed on pervasive qualities. Is that related to the FFIS?
Yes, but not entirely. Critical thinking skills and communication skills are, as the word describes, pervasive in all that students do. They affect submissions in the task assignment portion of the online requirement as well as being important during the FFIS. CASB works with students to help develop those competencies. There are a number of guides and assessments – some will be self-help and some will be prepared by your facilitator to give you an idea of your progress.
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19. When will the FFIS locations be released?
This information is released by Student & Support Services as soon as it is available. Please check regularly for updates on www.casb.com . For further assistance with this and any other operational matters, please click here for our Contacts page, select your topic, and use the corresponding email to contact CASB.
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20. Will most evaluations now be on Fridays instead of Saturdays?
Yes. Given the logistics associated with the greatly increased number of students, this change is necessary to ensure that results can be evaluated and returned to students prior to the start of the subsequent modules.
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21. It is my understanding that there will be a multiple choice (MCQ) exam on the first face-to-face day. Is this correct?
No, the exam process has not changed. There are no exams at the face-to-face sessions. The MCQs and the four-hour case are both administered at the evaluation (assessment day) which takes place one week following the end of the module.
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22. Will the prior year cases still be relevant as practice material? Will the practice cases and assessments be updated to include the new reporting standards?
The cases are being modified. Due to time constraints, there will initially be two full practice cases per module that have been fully updated to incorporate IFRS and other changes. The first practice case will be discussed at the FFIS session.
The 4-6 tasks per week that students submit for eight weeks during the course of their module are designed to adequately prepare students for the evaluation. It is recommended that students review this material in addition to writing the practice case on their own.
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23. Will there be any significant changes to the format of the evaluation cases?
No. The format will be very similar to what it was before. The only change is that evaluations are on Fridays instead of Saturdays, and laptop computers are being introduced in all modules.
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24. Is there a choice of writing the case on a laptop computer or on paper at the evaluation?
No. Once laptops are introduced for evaluations, there will not be a choice. Everyone will need to use a laptop computer unless there is a medical reason not to, in which case the student will need to apply for an accommodation.
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25. Are the laptop computers provided for the evaluation or is the student required to bring one?
Students are responsible to bring a laptop computer to their evaluation.
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26. Now that laptop computers are going to be used, will the exams be harder and/or longer as a result?
The answer is an unequivocal no. This change is simply to catch up with the reality of today's world where everything is moving towards use of technology. It's also an advantage for those students with harder to read handwriting, and is good practice for the UFE for which laptop computers are now mandatory.
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27. Under the new system, are evaluations going to be marked in a similar fashion, i.e. with marking guides marked on integration, conclusions, etc. Also, is the FFIS going to be evaluated the same way?
Yes, and yes.
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28. What does “rubrics” mean and can you give us an example?
A rubric is essentially a marking guide that provides feedback. It's an assessment answer key setting out exactly what was being looked for and the extent to which the objectives were fulfilled by the respondent. The advantage of having a rubric is that it's a structured format that will ensure a high level of consistency in the feedback that is provided.
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29. Given the changes in standards in CASB modules, does CASB expect a reduced UFE pass rate in 2010?
CASB sure hopes not! That is not an acceptable outcome from CASB's perspective. The revised curriculum builds on our experience with the old model over the past 8 years. The new model has been designed to maintain, and in fact enhance, the learning experience. We do not anticipate a negative change in the UFE pass rate.
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30. Will marks be scaled to keep the UFE pass rate at the current level?
There is no such thing as marks scaling in the CASB or UFE program. Expectations are carefully set for each evaluation and scaling does not take place.
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31. Can students still fast-track the program?
All of the modules now are regular modules, in a sequence, with a number of offerings of each module available as per the schedule. Students can still complete the program in 16 months, though it's not recommended. One of CASB's primary objectives is to parallel what students are learning in the CASB program with what they are experiencing in their work environment. This fosters a comprehensive understanding of the material being learned as it's applied. The student is better prepared for both the UFE and their career as a CA if they take two years or longer to complete the program. Another benefit of taking longer is students avoid taking a module during the respective firm's busy season – a benefit to both the student and the CATO.
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32. How will the changes affect busy season?
In the new schedule, the obvious busy seasons have been avoided as much as possible, with no modules running during the first six weeks of the year. Unfortunately, busy seasons can vary dramatically depending on the type of practice, industry or public sector situation. The multiple offerings of modules should accommodate most situations with the least amount of disruption to business.
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