The purpose of this assessment is to create a product at the EMCC MakerSpace and then apply the practical application of concepts, learning outcomes, and key topics of ACC212, managerial accounting.
The necessity for the assessment arose in the Fall of 2024 when an independent honors student inquired about completing an honors project. Working with the student, I created an honors project that required them to visit the EMCC MakerSpace to design and create the prototype. This is an item that could theoretically, be mass-produced. This step was completed in conjunction with identifying costs associated with production.
The project is congruent with with the 3 identified course learning outcomes (CLOs):
- Students will be able to identify accounting differences and similarities between financial and managerial accounting.
- Students will be able to prepare budgets applicable to the master budget and flexible budget.
- Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of accounting information by applying financial measures to help managers make decisions
The student was then tasked with identifying the required equipment to produce the item, calculating the depreciation of the machine(s) used to produce the item, compute the direct materials, direct labor, and factory overhead per unit, among others.
The project spanned the most of the semester and included identifying the product to be produced, calculating the factory overhead; an element of process costing, completing a cost-volume-profit analysis, creating a flexible budget, and computing and analyzing the relevant cost for managerial decision-making including, but not limited to, sell or process further.
I met with the student two times during the semester as “check-ins” to review the progress and accuracy of the project, to ensure the project was feasible and producing the intended outcomes. The project began as a draft and I knew it would require minor modifications. Fortunately, the student was willing to make very minor adaptations, successfully produce a product, and complete the corresponding analysis. At the end of the semester, the student presented via Google Slides the completed analysis of the project and included the prototype of the product for demonstration.
To develop a greater understanding of the student experience, aside from completing the required elements previously identified for completing the honors project, I asked them for their feedback on their learning experience. The responses to the questions are:
Do you feel that the experience reinforced the concepts in a practical manner that we discussed throughout the course? Why or why not?
The project adequately reinforced the concepts covered not only in ACC212 but also in the previous accounting courses that were built upon. The project required that I walk through creating a product, calculating the cost associated with production, and predicting future revenue opportunities. This project ensured that I understood how Managerial accounting applies in the real world. It also encouraged a partnership with the school’s Makerspace, bringing in even more opportunities for other students to see what resources EMCC has to offer and how they can apply them to their academic journey.
What did you enjoy about completing the project?
I truly enjoyed the project as a whole! Some of my favorite aspects of the project were working with the makerspace to develop a product, and working with Dr. Song to problem-solve to turn our ideas into realities.
How do you think your experience of completing the project would support future students who are tasked with a similar assignment?
This project is excellent for students going through ACC212, Honors or not. The foundation Dr. Song and I established will significantly benefit students in the future, allowing for more opportunities to go even deeper into learning and applying the class concepts to reality.
An independent honors student completed a project in ACC212 that the subsequent semester was piloted as a group assignment for an in-person course. The project provided the real-world application of producing a product and calculating and analyzing the associated production costs. An update to this CATS will be provided with a comparison of the student population who completed the group project versus those who did not upon completion of the Spring 2025 semester.