UCT COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTING. ITC Boost Course

Transcription

1 UCT COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTING ITC Boost Course Information Pack 2015

2 INTRODUCTION The UCT Board Course is a suite of courses specifically tailored to the professional education of future Chartered Accountants. It aims to prepare Candidates for SAICA Examinations, and more importantly, to ensure that they are well equipped to make a meaningful contribution to the accounting profession. The UCT Board Course is offered under the official and reputable banner of the University of Cape Town s College of Accounting in partnership with premier online education company, GetSmarter. COURSE PURPOSE The ITC Boost Course is essential, as it will provide: Opportunities to refine knowledge, exam technique and question answering skills Motivation and structure to ensure that the necessary material is covered during preparation for the ITC exam A detailed review and analysis of Candidates January 2015 ITC Script identifying weaknesses in the Candidates understanding and exam technique and providing guidance on ways to improve COURSE OVERVIEW The ITC Boost Course gives a solid grounding to prepare Candidates for the June ITC. Our methodology focuses on providing Candidates with a structured approach to preparing for the ITC, recognizing their prior learning and the limited time they may have available for revision. Course support is offered through notes, tutorials questions, mock exams, a review of candidates January 2015 ITC Script, weekly subject guidance and academic support via an online discussion forum. These components are synchronized by means of a daily study plan. The course culminates in the completion of a simulated ITC examination paper which Candidates complete in their free time as final practice prior to writing the actual ITC presented by SAICA. Our methodology is backed by a high degree of personal service designed to identify weaknesses and encourage participants to work at rectifying them. Course INFORMATION COURSE DATES: Registrations open: 1 April 2015 Course starts: 4 May 2015 COURSE DURATION: 6 weeks online COURSE FORMAT: Recordings of lectures will be made available online. Candidates will write a selfassessed, simulated exam on completion of the course. COURSE FEES: R3,200 including study material. R3,000 excluding study material. A payment plan is available upon request. CONTACT US: Please direct any additional queries to Lee-Ann van Wyk: leeann@uctboardcourse.co.za UCT Board COURSE COMPONENTS Candidates will have access to the following: LEADING ACADEMICS from the University of Cape Town s College of Accounting - Our course is presented by a first rate team from the University of Cape Town who have consistently been evaluated as amongst the top in their respective fields. Page 2 of 6

3 A REVIEW of candidates JANUARY 2015 ITC SCRIPT - A successful component of our ITC Boost course is the reviewing of candidate s previous ITC attempts. - The purpose of the review is to provide guidance to candidates on areas of improvements and exam technique suggestions based on their ITC January 2015 attempt. - Candidates will be required to obtain their January 2015 ITC scripts from SAICA and pay any associated costs. Sixteen hours of ONLINE RECORDED LECTURES - Available online through the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). - Lectures available for Financial Reporting, Management Accounting & Finance, Auditing & Governance and Taxation. - Lectures focus on fundamental principles, issues and techniques. - Recordings of lectures allows candidates flexibility and accessibility, to work where and when they want to. Sixteen hours of RECORDED TUTORIAL SESSIONS - Available online through our VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). - Group tutorial sessions have always been an integral part of the teaching strategy of UCT, these recorded tutorial sessions will allow for: Guidance and structure to be given to candidates on how to approach ITC type questions, including analyzing the required Enable the identification of any learning problems in tutorial questions Encourage issues to be discussed in greater detail than in the four hour contact lecture Comprehensive COURSE NOTES - The notes have been structured to focus on the following: A syllabus overview of the core SAICA subjects Critical points Common pitfalls and problem areas Exam technique COURSE REQUIREMENTS Candidates will need to: Have successfully passed their CTA or equivalent University programme; Register online at Provide a physical address to receive couriered material; and Have paid the course fee in full. In order to view video lectures online, Candidates will need to: Have paid the course fee in full; Have a current account; Have access to a computer and the internet; and Be able to download and watch videos. This course does not require submission of any assessments. A simulated exam will be provided as final preparation for the ITC Exam. Completion of this course is not a mandatory requirement of SAICA in order to write the ITC Exam. Comprehensive and balanced TUTORIAL QUESTIONS - The tutorial pack has as wide a coverage as possible, with focus on the type of questions asked in the ITC. - This will ensure that candidates have maximum practice possible on exam technique with ITC type questions Page 3 of 6

4 - Candidates can expect to have at least 200 marks of tutorial questions per study day. - Tutorials are ranked from easy to complex. This allows candidates to appropriately assess their understanding. - ITC type questions will include annotations and common pitfalls highlighting common errors and areas where students struggled when writing the question as a test or examination. Course INFORMATION COURSE DATES: Registrations open: 1 April 2015 Course starts: 4 May 2015 ACADEMIC SUPPORT - The Course Presenter for each topic will provide academic support through , telephone and our online discussion forum for the duration of the course. Self-evaluated WEEKLY ASSESSMENTS QUESTIONS - This course is focused on teaching practical, formal skills that can be applied in the writing of the ITC. - Candidates will receive 10 hours of simulated assessment question examinations, divided into four 2½-hour self-study assessment question papers spread over the duration of the course. - All assessments are appropriately balanced for the study topics and contain ITC type questions. The objectives of the assessments are to enable Candidates to practice exam technique on ITC type questions under exam conditions and provide candidates with feedback as to their strengths and weaknesses regarding the material covered during the course. COURSE DURATION: 6 weeks online COURSE FORMAT: Recordings of lectures will be made available online. Candidates will write a selfassessed, simulated exam on completion of the course. COURSE FEES: R3,200 including study material. R3,000 excluding study material. A payment plan is available upon request. Self-evaluated SIMULATED ITC EXAMS - The four 2 ½ Hour Simulated ITC papers should be written in June 2015 as a Mock ITC, approximately three weeks before the actual ITC. - The Mock ITC is essentially a dress rehearsal which will acclimatize candidates to the rigors of the four ITC papers. Feedback on the SIMULATED ITC EXAMS - Via our VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). A designated Course Coach will also be available on and telephone to provide administrative support. CONTACT US: Please direct any additional queries to Lee-Ann van Wyk: leeann@uctboardcourse.co.za UCT Board VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) - Our online learning website is an interactive website which provides a communication tool between course presenters and candidates. - Queries may be submitted via the discussion forum on the VLE. The VLE provides us with the facility to communicate with students through announcement s and downloads of additional information. Page 4 of 6

5 COURSE DELIVERY Recognizing that most candidates who will be writing the ITC in June 2015 are working the ITC Boost Course follows an online blended learning format. All course content and delivery takes place via our VLE. Recordings of our ITC Preparatory Course lectures, recorded in December 2014, are available online through our VLE, hosted by GetSmarter. COURSE DATES Candidates will be expected to begin self-study on Monday 4 May 2015 once they receive the course material. The SAICA ITC will be written on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June COURSE APPROVAL This course is approved by the University of Cape Town s College of Accounting in partnership with online education company, GetSmarter. WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE This course is a valuable preparation tool for all Candidates who are planning to write the ITC in June In order to be eligible to write the ITC, Candidates are required to have successfully passed their CTA or equivalent University programme. COURSE MATERIAL Candidates who were participants of the ITC Preparatory Course in December 2014 need not obtain course material for the ITC Boost Course and can make use of the course material used in December These course notes will be supplemented by additional assessment questions and simulated examinations available online. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Candidates will need to: Have successfully passed their CTA or equivalent University programme; Register online at Provide a physical address to receive couriered material; and Have paid the course fee in full. In order to view video lectures online, Candidates will need to: Have paid the course fee in full; Have a current account; Have access to a computer and the internet; and Be able to download and watch videos. This course does not require submission of any assessments. A simulated exam will be provided as final preparation for the ITC Exam. Completion of this course is not a mandatory requirement of SAICA in order to write the ITC Exam. There has been no change in the SAICA Examinable Pronouncements for the June 2015 ITC from the January 2015 ITC. However should a Candidate wish to obtain new material or where a candidate was not a participant of the UCT Board Course ITC Preparatory Course in 2014, course material will be available from 30 April 2015 provided that registration is submitted timeously and full payment is received by 1 May Course material for Candidates will be dispatched via courier. Page 5 of 6

6 COURSE FEES The following applies to course fees: The course fee is R per candidate who did not previously do the ITC Preparatory Course. This includes study material and courier fees The course fee is R per candidate for candidates who previously did the ITC Preparatory Course and do not require study material Course fees should be settled in full by 1 May 2015 A payment plan is available upon request Candidates outside the South African borders are charged an additional distribution premium of R UCT Board Course does not charge VAT Note that no material will be distributed prior to full settlement of fees. ENROLMENT AND PAYMENT DETAILS Please complete the online registration form on the UCT Board Course website. Final payment to confirm registration is due by 1 May PAYMENT METHOD: ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER (EFT) Group bookings: Please make use of the firm name and location as a reference. Training Officers will be contacted by telephone to obtain details for group payments that are sponsored by the relevant firm. Individual bookings: Please make use of the Candidate s name and surname as a reference. BANKING DETAILS: ACCOUNT NAME: GetSmarter BANK: Standard Bank BRANCH: Claremont BRANCH CODE: ACCOUNT NUMBER: SWIFT CODE: SBZAZAJJ Course INFORMATION COURSE DATES: Registrations open: 1 April 2015 Course starts: 4 May 2015 COURSE DURATION: 6 weeks online COURSE FORMAT: Recordings of lectures will be made available online. Candidates will write a selfassessed, simulated exam on completion of the course. COURSE FEES: R3,200 including study material. R3,000 excluding study material. A payment plan is available upon request. CONTACT US: Please direct any additional queries to Lee-Ann van Wyk: leeann@uctboardcourse.co.za UCT Board about getsmarter GetSmarter is a premier online education company that partners universities and leading organisations to offer a variety of online courses and education solutions. For more information visit Page 6 of 6