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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to Financial Accounting by University of Pennsylvania

4.7
stars
8,037 ratings

About the Course

Master the technical skills needed to analyze financial statements and disclosures for use in financial analysis, and learn how accounting standards and managerial incentives affect the financial reporting process. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to read the three most common financial statements: the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows. Then you can apply these skills to a real-world business challenge as part of the Wharton Business Foundations Specialization....

Top reviews

MM

Feb 3, 2016

I took Brian Bushee's course and found him to be one of the BEST INSTRUCTORS I'VE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. If you've had trouble with accounting courses in the past, HE IS THE INSTRUCTOR FOR YOU!!!

EY

Sep 19, 2019

The course is very easy to understand, and most importantly it is fun to learn accounting! I find this course covers basic yet comprehensive contents compared to other basic accounting online courses.

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101 - 125 of 1,884 Reviews for Introduction to Financial Accounting

By Salem M H

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Sep 21, 2017

I am so grateful to Prof Brain Bushee and Wharton University of Pennsylvania for this great opportunity. I am totally new to financial accounting and it seemed very difficult at first. But with all the video presentations and the sample company reports, I have been able to get a good grasp of the building blocks of financial accounting. I wish to expand on the basic knowledge I gained from this course. I thank you all.

P.S. I liked the virtual students. They kept me on track when I thought I lost it.

By Oneil C

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Oct 27, 2022

This course is truly a gem from teaching the basics to a level of understanding far better than any I have seen before. The instructor was excellent and very informatative with great examples to help understand in full detail all listed objectives. I am very confident on transitioning in the field of accounting from Information technology it shows that the posisblities are endless. I must honestly say that I was extremly nerves on taking the course, but now I am excited to keep going to earn MBA.

By Siti A F

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Jan 2, 2019

As someone who graduated with bachelor of economics eight years ago and wants to refresh my knowledge (I had intro to acc 1 and 2 at the uni) I thought this course would still be challenging. But with the help of Professor Bushee (great teaching method from the Professor), everything seemed easier than I'd thought. I completed the course in 7 days! Now I have more confidence to return to job market (after 2 yrs of hiatus due to pregnancy and maternity leave). Thanks Professor, UPenn, and Coursera!

By Jessica G

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Oct 22, 2020

I can't believe I am saying this...but I actually really enjoyed this course. I think Professor B did a great job, and I liked all the quirky and snarky videos. It injected funny into a super bland topic - loved it. The tests, for me, were really hard...and the Final Exam took me days to pass, but all and all, I am walking away feeling much more knowledgeable than I did at the start. I will have a bit more confidence navigating a 10K and making investment decisions based on what I am seeing.

By Anind D

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Jun 24, 2020

Being from a non-commerce background I was too scared of accounting and wanted to get my basic accounting concepts clear before I get myself enrolled in MBA and to be honest Professor Brian has done an excellent job in teaching accounting from the basics. Though week 4 was the toughest where I had to revisit the whole syllabus in order to have a proper grasp of all the concepts to prepare myself well for the final assessment. Now, I don't think I will suffer in my accounting class in MBA.

By Daniele P

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Jul 4, 2020

I started with absolute zero knowledge of accounting. I found the course well taught and engaging. The exams were challenging but I found the material prepared me very well for it. I don't use accounting in my day to day life so I am not sure how much I'll remember in six months from now or a year from now but I took good notes, I hope that will help me in the future. I enjoyed Prof Bushee style and the virtual students. The subject is really technical but the Prof made it interesting.

By Yogish K

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Nov 19, 2015

Prof. Bushee brings out the nuances of Fin.Accounting in an interesting and humorous manner. His explanations make it easier to understand the finer aspects of why accounting is done the way its mandated. The examples, moving from the simpler to the more complex ones and the use of annual reports to bridge the reality gap is fantastic! I enjoyed every session of this course, although a lot of off-course reading and practice is required to ingrain the contents for practical use.

By Guilherme F J S

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Apr 4, 2016

Accounting always meant headache to me. The reasons for this? A University where accounting is taught as something purely theoretical, with no relation to the real world.

I found this course to be simple, practical and really helpful. You will not become a pro in accounting, but you will get a really helpful overview.

The teacher has a huge role on why this course is so great, and mostly that results from his sense of humor.

Thanks to all those evolved in providing this course.

By Partha P C

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Feb 13, 2016

It's perfect course for someone willing to understands the financial books of a company and how to read them to evaluate performance of that entity. This is must for every aspiring mid to senior managers. Professor Brian Bushee was outstanding in the way he explained all aspects of accounting. He made the whole course delivery simple for understanding with real examples. The teaching technique was great and I am glad that I attended the course. Thank you Prof & Coursera.

By Roberto M

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Jun 23, 2020

Mr Brian J Bushee can hardly be called a professor, he is a HERO. Anyone who takes the time to create fictitious arguments with fictitious students in order to make an explanation clear is a hero in my book. This has been one of the best learning experiences in my life. I am supplementing this course to complement for a lacking MBA finance course and I have to say the quality of the content and the masterful way in which professor Bushee delivers it is to me, world class.

By Kendall R

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Apr 20, 2020

Great course!! I went into this course without any prior knowledge of accounting or business concepts and it was challenging, in a very good way. Analyzing a start-up company from start to finish, as well as looking at real annual reports from an actual company, really helped reinforce the concepts learned in class. The virtual students broke up the material nicely and added humor as we went. Thank you Professor Bushee for presenting such an excellent and engaging course!

By Alexey Z

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Mar 24, 2020

Although I'm more of a "mute consumer", this course was so unbelievably great, that the feedback is a must. The material delivery by Professor Bouche is not just entertaining, as much as "Fun with Accounting" could be, it's thoroughly detailed and productively supported by cheeky virtual classmates. As for the tests - be assured, by the sheer brute force you shall not pass :) Thankful for the efforts and knowledge put into the course. With kind regards, Sincerely, Alexey.

By Harsheel S

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Jul 9, 2018

The course was amazing - it's very rare to see people explain topics in as clear a way as Prof. Bushee. The course covered some great content and that was tied up well with 2 long running examples throughout the course that helped solidify my understanding. The virtual students, who ask clarifying questions, were an amazing add. I did feel that the course was tough, if you do not have a background. So don't wait till last day of assignment submission deadline.

By Sheila

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Jan 3, 2018

Brian (the instructor) is fantastic. I am a total newbie to financial accounting. But, he was able to explain it in a way where I was able to get it. I also loved the slides and examples to illustrate. He also provides explanations when you do the quiz of why an answer is wrong. Trust me, this is a hard course if you don't have any accounting background. However, with Brian's help you are able to get a good foundation. I definitely recommend this course!

By Mohammad H A

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Aug 16, 2019

A great course content, and the greatest professor in the world in teaching accounting. I have learned more about accounting where some topics were obvious to me since the last 10 years just in two weeks....I would recommend the course for anyone who want to learn Financial accounting from ABC.... to Z... I hope to follow the second course "More Introduction to accounting" of completing this course.

Thanks Professor, and coursera team.

Mohammad Haider

By umesan p

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Feb 25, 2016

Course executed excellently. I learnt something more from your classes. It should help many to understand the nuances of Financial Accounting.

Thank You very much Prof.Brian J Bushee. You did execute the sessions in a profoundly educative manner , that too , in an interesting way , which may erase the impressions of general public that Financial Accounting is boring. Hope to meet you again later. Till then Goodbye.

With Regards,

G Umesan Pillai

By Ayo S (

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Dec 29, 2018

THIS COURSE GIVES ME A GOOD INSIGHT INTO READING AND UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS BETTER; PUTTING ONE IN A POSITION TO ACTUAL DEDUCE AND SEE WHAT POSSIBLE CHANGES CAN BE EFFECTED TO INCREASE A FIRMS PROFIT BY LOOKING AT PRODUCTIVITY NET INCOME OR THROUGH FINANCIAL LEVERAGE.

NEVER EXPECTED TO LEARN THIS MUCH IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE THAT THINKS THAT ACCOUNTING IS HARD.

THANK YOU PROFESSOR BRIAN, YOU ARE A GREAT TEACHER...

By Syed M M G

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Jun 18, 2016

I love this course! It provides simple explanations and helps one to develop new concepts. The instructor was very articulate and provided easy to learn and humorous examples to decipher often times bland material. Good thing I am enjoying the course and it would help me further my Business education, possible switch my role in my current company and hopefully prepare me as a better candidate for a MBA admission to the Wharton Business School.

By Jesus S F

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Jan 6, 2024

Amazing way to teach Financial Accounting. I am a Non-Financial executive, and I have taken a few accounting courses; this has been -by far- the best course ever. The way to keep the learner engaged is impressive. The concepts are very well explained, so they are easy to understand and learn. The practice problems (where the professor adds the "Pause" sign) are great for reinforcing the concepts reviewed. This course is highly recommended!!

By Aleksei B ( E

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Feb 1, 2016

Thank you for the course. It was really well-structured and easy to grasp even for non-professionals (which I am). Many basic yet crucial points were properly iterated where one could recap them easily afterwards. Material was also illustrative and "imitated dialogue" helped to better focus on the train of statements which made it easy to follow. The professor's humor served well to overcome the cliche of accounting as fully boring matter.

By Anna M V

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Dec 3, 2017

I really enjoyed Prof. Brian's class. I used to be scared of accounting, but Prof. Brian was great at explaining the concepts through examples and real life applications, so it made the course less intimidating. I thought that the "virtual students" and occasional jokes were also a nice touch! Overall I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn accounting for the first time or get a refresher on the basic concepts.

By Quentin B

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May 18, 2020

I started this course as I paid for the access to Corporate Finance and wasn't expecting to finish it because... well, financial accounting. This is actually the online class I enjoyed the most on any learning platform. The professor Bushee genuinely has fun teaching this course. I was even looking forward to start the next video. I also think this course is useful for people having to have a general understanding when reading accounts

By Deepak G

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Feb 18, 2016

Excellent coursework. Great insights from Professor Bushee on how accounting happens in the real world, with working examples and ways to do fundamental analysis on the cash flow of a company all by ourselves. I am new to this domain and I have gained so much from this course. I would recommend this to anyone to get a very comprehensive understanding of the language and techniques of accounting. Thanks to the Professor too!! Cheers :)

By Jasmine W

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Jan 18, 2016

I have not finished the course yet, I am on my last week, but I have truly enjoyed it. The instructor is very knowledgeable about the topic he is teaching about and he comes up with very creative ways on how to remember and apply the material. I needed a refresher on accounting and this course has been helpful. I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn the basics of accounting or just needs a refresher on accounting.

By Brian G

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Jun 7, 2018

The material was conveyed in an easily digestible manner. I also thought the material was logically and intuitively structured. My only recommendation would be to include optional exercises on which students can continue working through questions and issues in order to become more familiar with the material. That said, I realized this is simply an introductory course, so perhaps some of that repetition comes in following classes.