Thought Leadership, Research & CPA Spotlights

Digital Certificate in Predictive Analytics for CPAs

This new partnership between the University of Waterloo and CPA Ontario gives participants the tools necessary to harness the power of data and build intelligent data-driven strategies.

Simply being fluent in the language of data isn't enough. The true power of data comes from being able to turn insights into transformative decision making. When leveraged effectively, these insights provide elevated competitive advantage and stronger strategic direction.

If you have multiple participants from your organization, please out to [email protected] to discuss a group rate.

To be notified when the next course is open for registration please fill out this form by clicking the button below.

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Overview

Date: Coming July 2022

PD hours: 20 CPD hours of blended learning

Event pricing: TBC

Sharpen your predictive analytics skills

Expectations around data continue to increase at an exponential pace. Gaining the right skills to navigate complexity to make timely and informed decisions is vital for every business leader, particularly CPAs.

Position yourself for the future and gain confidence to lead with data with this new digital certificate.

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Program experience

Instructor led sessions

1 group project

Self-paced learning activities

Case studies

Digital certificate upon completion

And more...

Who this program is for

This certificate is designed for those who lead (or aspire to lead) individuals or teams that benefit or could benefit from the application of the predictive analytics.

After completing this certificate, you will be able to have a deeper understanding of predictive analytics and will be able to plan and oversee the use of predictive analytics in your organization.

Course details

Participants will need to log in prior to the course starting to prepare for the first live session.

Modules are self-paced to be completed in advance of the weekly live sessions.

Module 3: Leveraging domain knowledge to improve models

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What you will learn

Identify applications and limitations of predictive analytics.
Organize activities and resources required to complete a data analytics project using the industry standard process for data mining (CRISP-DM).
Translate a business problem/question into a predictive analytics project description.
Compare the insights from and reliability of different forecasting models developed to answer the business question.
Evaluate the predictive accuracy of forecasting models.

Course testimonials

“Phenomenal and Brilliant Instructors, great in imparting knowledge. Excellent course, smooth linkages and very much practically oriented” - Chief Financial Officer

“…a great refresher of analytics capabilities in problem solving and decision making. Excelling in the broadening the entire CRISP-DM processes” - Chief Administration Officer

“This has been one of the best learning experiences I have ever had…I have learned a lot that will help in my career. I would encourage everyone to take this course and I would be interested in more courses from the University of Waterloo.” - Senior Manager/Director

Course authors and instructors

Nancy Vanden Bosch, CPA, CA, CMA

Stan Laiken Teaching Fellow, School of Accounting and Finance | Course Author

Nancy Vanden Bosch is the Stan Laiken Teaching Fellow at the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF). She is also Associate Director, Education for the joint SAF-CPA Ontario Centre for Performance Management Research and Education. Nancy has a B.A. and MAcc from the University of Waterloo.

Prior to returning to Waterloo as a faculty member, she spent 15 years with Deloitte Consulting, the last five of those years as a partner in the firm’s Finance and Performance consulting practice.

Theo Stratopoulos

Associate Professor, School of Accounting and Finance | Course Author and Instructor

Theo is the PwC Chair and Associate Professor at SAF. His teaching and research focus is on data analytics and emerging technologies. His research has been published in The Accounting Review, JMIS, Communications of the ACM, Journal of Information Systems, Information & Management, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, IJAIS, and Accounting Horizons.

Prof. Stratopoulos has authored numerous articles and open-source texts on data analytics and blockchain (see SSRN). He is a member of the CPA Canada - Audit Data Analytics committee and senior editor for the Journal of information Systems.

Will Xiang, CPA, CA, CITP, CAMS

Adjunct Professor, School of Accounting and Finance | Course Instructor

Will brings over 13 years of consulting experience gained through working in San Francisco, New York, and Toronto. Will has provided clients in the Americas, Europe, and AsiaPac with cybersecurity, data analytics, privacy security, and process optimization advisory services. Most recently, Will has worked for a multinational manufacturer in building predictive analytics around the risk management program.

Outside of work, Will invested his time as an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Accounting and Finance. Will graduated from the University of Waterloo’s Accounting and Financial Management, and MAcc programs.