FAQ for users

1. What is the Professional Ethics Module?

The ACCA Professional Ethics Module is a component of the ACCA Qualification. StudJgooents, affiliates and members are eligible to access the module.

2. Do students have to complete the module?

Students registering or re-registering after 1 January 2007 - are required to complete the Professional Ethics module before they apply for membership. Students are given access to it as soon as they become eligible to take Paper P1, Professional Accountant.

Students who registered before 1 January 2007 - completing the professional ethics module is not a requirement for existing students transferring over to the new qualification, although they are encouraged to complete it.

3. When can students do the module?

Students are given access to the Professional Ethics module as soon as they become eligible to take Paper P1, Professional Accountant. The ethics module can then be accessed via the portal homepage at myACCA.

It is recommended that students take the Professional Ethics module at the same time as, or before, the Professional Accountant paper. While they have the flexibility to complete the ethics module in their own time, it must be completed before applying for full ACCA membership.

Students can return to the module at any time to 'top up' or check their awareness of professional ethics.

4. Can affiliates or members do the module?

Affiliates: Yes - affiliates can access the module at any time via the affiliate portal.

Members: Yes - members can access the module at any time via the member portal.

5. I don't have access to the internet.

The best way for users to access the module is online. If a user does not have reliable internet access, they may order a cd-rom or paper module from Connect. See below for information on fees.

6. Is there a fee?

No - The online module is available free to all eligible users.

If a student, affiliate or member does not have reliable internet access, they may order a paper workbook from Connect for £6 or a CD version for £3.

7. How long does it take?

Users can work through the material at their own speed and they can take as much or as little time as they need. Because it is an online learning environment, the speed of the user's internet access and their familiarity with the English language may impact the time required.

The average user takes about 3.5 hours to complete the module.

Since this is a reflective module consisting of nine units, we encourage users to work through one or two units at a time, think about the material, then go back and work through a few more units.

8. Can I go back to the module after I have completed it?

Yes - users can re-access the module at any time. ACCA encourages trainees and members to return to the module throughout their careers to help maintain their awareness of professional ethics.

9. Is there an exam?

There is no exam. Instead, the user must submit a short statement of no more than 250 words describing what they learned while completing the module. Receipt of this statement by ACCA signals that the module has been completed.

10. What is the pass mark?

There is no pass or fail mark. ACCA will only record that a user has completed the module.

11. Will I get a certificate?

Yes - A certificate is issued from Glasgow upon completion of the module (once the statement has been received by ACCA).

12. Am I being watched?

ACCA reserves the right to monitor your activity in this module. Both the content of your learning statement and the length of time you spend in the module will be monitored by ACCA.

What this means is that our monitoring team will be reviewing the records of users who have completed the module and randomly inspecting selected records in more detail.

The scores from the self-tests may be included as part of group analysis for research purposes. In that case, the identities of the individual users will remain anonymous.

13. I've heard something about the module in relation to Oxford Brookes, can you advise?

The user will need to complete the Professional Ethics module before submitting the Research and Analysis Project, and the degree class will be based on the ACCA average mark determined from the exam marks in the Part 2 papers that you sat and passed, and the grade achieved for the Research and Analysis Project.

Students are given access to take the Ethics module as soon as you are eligible to take paper P1. The ethics module can then be accessed via the portal homepage at myACCA.

More information on the application for the Oxford Brookes degree is available from: http://www.accaglobal.com/students/study_exams/qualifications/degree/conversion/

14. Can the module count towards CPD?

Yes - members who have not attempted the module before can count it towards the CPD requirement.

15. I went online. Now what do I do?

Click the words Professional Ethics either in the left hand column or where they appear on the yellow background at the right.

If the user is already looking at the list of units, click the first unit titled "Start here". When they have finished working through the first unit, its status changes to Completed and they can click on the next unit title.

The module consists of nine units. The user must complete the units in the order in which they are presented. They cannot jump ahead.

The units sit in a database that tracks the status of each unit. Users can see which units they have completed and which ones are still to be done. The database also records the amount of time they have spent in each unit. The ACCA monitoring unit will also have access to that database.

Common technical problems

Here are some of the more common problems that a user may encounter:

16. I finished a unit and its status won't change to Completed.

Most units (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8) end with a self-test. The user must do the following in those units before the system registers the unit as complete:

• answer all the questions, and
• click the link to have the answers checked, then
• click Save to leave the unit and return to the list of units

The case study in unit 7 consists of 11 sub-units. Each of those sub-units must be completed. In most cases, the user must listen to or watch the scene of the case study through to the end, then click Save.

A dropped connection can sometimes cause the data not to be saved. Before progressing further, the user should re-attempt the section and click Save.

17. I can't see anything or view the case studies in Unit 7.

If you cannot see anything in Unit 7, Meet the Audit Team, you may not have Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer or the content may be blocked by your computer's firewall. We have found that some computers, especially in corporate settings, encounter this issue.

You will need Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or equivalent, with Javascript enabled in your browser, and Adobe Flash Player version 7 or higher in order to view the animated case study. If you can, you can download it from http://www.adobe.com. If that is not possible, you could try accessing the module from another computer, possibly from home.

18. I can't hear the sound.

The case study in unit 7 is available in a high and a low bandwidth. The low bandwidth consists of written text and graphics of characters. The high bandwidth consists of the written text as well as the sound of actors reading out the text while the characters move.

If you cannot hear sound, be sure that there is a sound card in the computer - can you hear sound from other sites for example? You may need to adjust the volume on your computer.

19. I keep getting asked for a login and password.

This can happen if a user merely bookmarks the module and tries to return to it from their browser. The online user must always access the module through the ACCA website, via myACCA.

20. Other technical problems.

If you are experiencing other technical difficulties please send a description of the problem and the unit in which it occurred, along with some information on the computer's configuration. Information should include platform, operating system, browser type, browser version, Flash player version and Internet connection speed.

Create an e-mail, including the information and send as follows:

To: info@accaglobal.com

Subject: Professional ethics module / TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

21. I have a problem with something written in the module.

If you have a question or a problem with the content, please provide a description of the problem and your details to ACCA.

Create an email as follows:

To: info@accaglobal.com

Subject: Professional ethics module / CONTENT ASSISTANCE

22. I think I have an ethical problem.

ACCA Connect are here to help you with all of your dealings with ACCA and your life as a student. We are not able to help with ethical problems.

As a student, if you feel you are experiencing an ethical dilemma at work, you may first want to clarify your thinking about the issue. Are you sure that you have all the relevant facts? Are you sure that it is a real ethical dilemma?

You might try working through the ethical decision-making framework in Unit 6, for example, as a starting point to help you organise your thoughts. If possible, you should also refer to the ACCA Rulebook, section 3.3 The conceptual framework.

You may wish to consult someone whose opinion you respect. However, if you are speaking to someone else, remember the confidentiality requirements that may apply to you. As a student, you may be working with an ACCA member who would be able to consult the local Technical Advisory Services. They may wish to do so, especially if the issue also involved them.

In short, there are several sources of assistance open to you. It is important that you be clear about the facts and about the fundamental principle or principles that you think are being threatened.