The Audit Planning Visit: Meeting AECC Objectives in the Audit Classroom

In the traditional cycle approach to the auditing course, students are introduced to the public accounting profession and learn about the audit process by applying auditing concepts to each of the primary business operating cycles. In this article, the author presents a variation to the traditional cycle approach to audit education. The Audit Planning Visit introduces students to auditing concepts such as audit objectives, risk, internal controls, and audit tests and evidence by requiring students to visit a local business and design an audit approach for the purchases/payables, payroll/personnel, inventory/production, or cash cycles. The exercise provides an opportunity for participants to visit a local business, observe a business operating cycle, develop a group oral presentation, and write an individual audit planning memo tailored to that cycle. Evaluations provided by past participants suggest that the exercise effectively integrates Accounting Education Change Commission learning objectives into the standard auditing course. Additionally, students acquire interpersonal and communication skills, improve their understanding of technical auditing concepts, and perceive the exercise as a valuable addition to the traditional curriculum.