Easy to understand and broken up in easily digestible content. The professor provides enough examples and exercise to grasp content.

The information was good and explained in an easy to understand manner. I don't like that the only options to close out the course is to either unenroll or pay for the upgrade to take the graded quizzes. There should be a way to show that I completed auditing this course - even if just for my own information.

Need a lot of working. I liked more Wharton's accounting courses.

I had some knowledge of financial accounting prior to the course. By the end of week 4, I was so bored with this course that I ended up taking the quizzes without watching the videos. Professor Lynch is not the best presenter and I consider the Brussels sprout thing completely ridiculous. 2/5

Not very well explained. Could have been better simplified. See investopedia. Better class notes requried

No one responds to the questions asked in the discussion forum

In my opinion, this course is ideal for a beginning accountants or any specialist who would like to understand accounting basics. I especially want to note the professional way the material explained and presented. Professor Luann succeded to run the course with the most accessible and understandable clarification. I also really liked the original terms associations. The material itself fully covers all the fundamental principles of accounting. A nice addition was a practical example where there was an opportunity to work with Excel. Despite the short time the course was designed for, the teacher introduced the practical part, which is a big advantage. The only thing that could be improved, in my opinion, is the content of the tests. After studying lectures and practical materials, it is quite possible to solve tasks a little more complicated.

In general, I want to thank Professor Luann and all involved in this course.

This course provides the basics of financial accounting--the accounting cycle framework and the details and implications of the three financial statements--balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows--and their relationships with each other. It is taught clearly in short videos, each of which deals with a discrete concept. The professor has a nice sense of humor. Weekly quizzes can be taken numerous times and prepare the student well for the weekly exams. The lectures are the sole source of information (no textbook)--which is fine. The 5-week timeframe for the course makes this Coursera course very doable. It is empowering to understand accounting terminology and components, as well as to apply a method to sort through numbers published in annual reports.

This is an excellent introduction to accounting. Given the "easy is better" approach of modern accounting software, one may not be able to learn all these principles by pure experience. Even after six years experience in the weeds of accounting, this course has been educational for me. I have learned principles that I did not know before and have asked myself several times, "How did I get to where I am without knowing that? How much of the work I have done would have been easier if I had known that from day one? Why didn't I take Grandmother's advice to 'take an accounting course'?" In the spirit of true education, I have begun to see more clearly how much I do not know, and to understand more of what I should understand as an accountant.

I have worked in the accounting area in Latin countries, so I took this course to familiarize myself with the accounting terminology in the US, and my expectations of the course were fully met. The videos are short, but with enriching content. Professor Luann Lynch explains all the concepts in a professional, simple and entertaining way, and with the practices prior to the evaluations, it is possible to put the knowledge into practice and clarify everything learned. I highly recommend the course for anyone who is interested in acquiring accounting knowledge or applying their accounting knowledge to their own company or in their workplace.

A tremendously effective overview of fundamental accounting principles and practices. Dr. Luann Lynch is a superb instructor; she is at all times clear, concise, and easy to understand. Going into this course, I had absolutely no experience in finances, and I have to say I never felt overwhelmed by this class. Dr. Lynch guided me as a learner through the basic ideas, approaches, and strategies for recording and analyzing financial statements. I have a greater appreciation and understanding of those statements, how they were prepared, and why. Highly recommended course for beginners!

Absolutely Incredible Course! Professor Luann Lynch is very knowledgable, clear, and breaks everything down step-by-step. Videos are short and to the point. There is even some well-placed humour to make the experience entertaining. I never thought I'd say this, but I actually looked forward to my evenings so that I could study this course. Now, I am able to manage my small business's books far more effectively and interpret and use financial statements rather than be intimidated by them. I cannot thank the creators of this course enough -- THANK YOU!

This course is very helpful especially for beginners or students with limited accounting background. Professor Lynch is knowledgeable about the topics and explains thoroughly and directly the concepts that are vital to understand the course. It feels like a real classroom set-up and she makes learners feel at ease with accounting, being an objective and concrete course. I feel satisfied having refreshed my university accounting skills and I feel confident to move to more advanced accounting topics with a solid introductory course.

A thoughtful and essential course for navigating the initial phases of the accounting field! The course pleasantly introduces the accounting subject and then confidently guides students through accounting basics, foundational concepts, and even a little history. This course serves as a perfect beginning step for students interested in just learning the basics of accounting as well as experienced or professional individuals who desire a refresher in accounting fundamentals.

No sabía nada de contabilidad, ni me gustaba, sin embargo tenía la curiosidad por aprender un poco más del tema. La profesora nos anima diciendo que si ese es el caso, estamos en el lugar indicado. Y tiene toda la razón. Ella te lleva paso a paso desde no saber ni un solo concepto, a dominar un Estado de resultados (Income statement) , un Balance general (Balance Sheet), y Estado de flujo de efectivo (Cash flow statement). De los cursos más útiles que he hecho.

This class laid down the fundamentals of accounting very well. It began with recording a single journal entry, then following to prepare financial statements. The professor was enthusiast and fun such that she motivated me to go through course material without boredom. After this course, I feel more confident to read actual corporates financial statements in stock market, knowing what's goinig on behind the scenes and better understand the business.

This course was well prepared with quality instructional videos and solid resources. Everything you needed was provided and the content was presented in a way that maximized learning and retention of material. I am very pleased to have chosen to take this course and would highly recommend it to anyone who does not have a business background but finds themselves in need of business knowledge for a new role, or starting a business. Thank you!

The instructor is great!!! The problems on quizzes were very challenging to me. I need to take more courses on Basics of Accounting, because this one is a bit too advanced for me. During the presentations, i felt like i got the material, but in Quizzes, i got lost and anxious and i could not apply what i learnt in the Lectures.

Overall, it was great. Numbers was never my fortee anyway lol

Definitely feel inspired to delve deeper!!!

This is the course that you need if you are serious about producing your financial statements and/or if you want to understand your accountant's work. The teacher is fantastic, the quizzes are challenging but have feedback so that you can learn from your mistakes. I was going in circles watching videos online and through web searches. Be smart. Learn the proper way, at the university! Highly recommended for small business owners.

Top to bottom excellent! You will go from a layperson to someone with a working knowledge of accounting. The professor is one of the best, she thoroughly explains everything in detail and you don't feel lost. The quizzes can be challenging but they make you think which is good. Overall great course and you will learn so much about accounting, business and how important the data accountants review help decision makers.

Wow! This is a really great course for us beginners. The instructor is clear and really drills in the foundation of accounting with tons of practice. She is funny and keeps my interest. Thank you University of Illinois for taking the time to create this course. It's so helpful as I try to make my career change.

I am very thankful to Coursera for allowing me to audit this course before I make a commitment.

As a data analyst without a background in accounting, this course was very helpful when I switched roles and ended up supporting the accounting department. I have no idea how helpful it might be for someone looking to be an accountant, but it did a great job at covering the accounting basics so I could understand what my new boss was talking about when she veered off into accountant-ese.

The course is equipped with the essential tools to navigate the intricacies of financial accounting. Through engaging and concise videos, real-world financial records analysis of a small business, and hands-on "your turn" activities, I have gained a deep understanding of the three fundamental financial statements: the Balance Sheet, the Income Statement, and the Statement of Cash Flows.

Thank you very much for such precise & to the point course. It helped me to fill the missing links with ease. I have been working in ERP space for few years. My work has been almost always on non-finance side. I always had a sense of 'incomplete understanding' on GL impact of various transactions. This course helped me to fill those missing links to good extent. Thanks again!

The course is really great!

Professor is patient, and content of the course is very detailed, basic and easy to understand, especially with many suitable, various and interesting examples. Every part of the course shows the care of the professor and her team.

If you are searching for a course to lay a good foundation for financial accounting, this one is an excellent choice!