Mindful Ramblings

What is it? 

Professor in A Box is literally just like having a professor in a box!  The convenience of studying from home, with the expertise of a real college professor make his product worthy of consideration. 

This High School accounting course is composed of 28 video/slide style lessons and all the worksheets and tests you need to complete the course.  According to their website, once successfully completed, the student should have all the necessary tools to pass a college CLEP test for first year accounting! 

Here’s what Professor in a Box has to say:

“Financial Accounting by Michael P. Licata, Ph.D. is a first accounting course for home educated high school students. Many high schools offer an accounting course as an elective for students interested in pursuing a career in business. Now home educated high school students have such an elective available to them. Financial Accounting by Michael P. Licata, Ph.D. is a challenging college level course similar in content to the first accounting course taken by all students in university and college schools of business across the country. Any high school level student with basic math skills can handle this course.”

About the Professor:

“Michael P. Licata, Ph.D. is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Accountancy in the Villanova School of Business[1] at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Professor Licata has taught the financial accounting course dozens of times in his 24 plus years as a Professor at Villanova University. The past eight years Professor Licata has specialized in teaching 100% distance learning courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Throughout his career students have consistently rated Professor Licata among the best teachers in his department and in his college at Villanova University according to the Course and Teacher Surveys (CATS) at Villanova University. He lives with his wife Jeannie and their two home schooled children in South Jersey.”

My observations:

This course is very thorough with enough information to get students who are interested in a Business or Accounting degree an excellent foundation for understanding the accounting process.  From a terminology standpoint, it may be more difficult for younger high-school students.  But any high school student proficient in Basic Math skills could accomplish this course.  While there are only 28 lessons, due to the length of each lesson, this course could easily be stretched over a typical school year; but a more determined student could complete the entire course in one semester, similar to a college level pace.   (Sample schedules are included on the Instructor’s CD.)   Here’s what a narrated lesson looks like:

After the student watches/listens to the lecture slides, they can then print the Lesson Problems to complete.  The chapter problems are in pdf format, making them simple to download and print.    Solutions to each problem are also included in a pdf file.  

While it was not a great fit for our family due to the maturity level of the concepts, it would be an excellent course for any Junior or Senior High  student preparing for a career in business or accounting.  Additionally, it would be beneficial for any adult who owns or operates a business.  

Here are some of the topics included in the course:

Introduction to Accounting

Financial Statements

Accounting Cycles

Inventory/Depreciation

Financial Assets (Long & Short Term) & Liabilities

Cash Flow Statements

Analysis of Financial Statements

In addition to the students lectures and worksheets, the Instructors Disc includes sample lesson plans, a course syllabus, quizzes, exams, and templates for use in the course.   Every thing you need to complete the course is there….in the box!   Looking forward to using this in more depth with my students when they are a little older. 

For more information or to purchase on this product, visit their website at ProfessorInABox.com 

Price:  $99.95

Age/Grade Level:  11th Grade – Adult

Other Products Available:  Principles of Marketing

Entrepreneurship (Coming Spring 2011)

Money Back Guarantee 

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Disclaimer:   Members of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew were given a free copy of this product in exchange for their honest review.  No other compensation has been received.