MIS and computer applications in accounting courses—Report of a survey

This paper reports the results of a questionnaire survey of AACSB member universities to determine how the computer is currently used in accounting courses. Faculty attitudes regarding computer utilization in upper-level accounting courses is also reported. Results indicate that educators are actively experimenting in several directions, but integration of the computer into accounting curricula is not yet very extensive.     

Computer-assisted teaching and learning in accounting: pedagogy or product?

The availability of cost-effective computer technologies is a dynamic that has the potential to dramatically change university accounting education. There are various motivations for university accounting departments to adopt computers and computer-assisted learning technologies, and a range of applications are available. The application of computer technologies has implications for student performance, efficiency and effectiveness within accounting departments, and course content—all of which should be considered. The possibilities for generating broad accounting education reform with computers are also significant.Computer technology should not be seen as a passive addition to the classroom. If driven by the desire to economise on the inputs to the educational process, or to expand the conventional content of accounting courses, such technology may have dysfunctional consequences.This paper examines the role of computer technologies in accounting education, the motivation for their introduction and use, and the impact they may have on the contemporary education of accounting students.     

FIELD STUDIES IN THE ACCOUNTING CURRICULUM*

This paper describes the introduction and evaluation of a field study component in the management and cost accounting subjects of two undergraduate accounting courses. The three types of participants in the field studies — organizational contacts, College staff, and students — were surveyed using questionnaire (semantic differential) and telephone interview techniques, to ascertain attitudes toward the field study. Results of the survey demonstrated strong support for the studies from all three groups of participants, and several useful suggestions for improvement were received. From these results the field study concept seems to warrant further development and evaluation.     

Using information systems as a basis for teaching accounting

This paper describes how Brigham Young University reorganized the way it teaches financial, managerial, auditing, tax, law, and information systems (the accounting core). It discusses why information systems (IS) is the first topic taught, why it is a central focus throughout the core, and how teaching the functional areas of accounting is integrated.The paper discusses the results of a survey of core students. The survey shows that studying systems first helped these students integrate IS and accounting concepts, understand the underlying accounting framework, and understand other areas of accounting. Integrating systems with other subjects helped the students understand the role of systems in accounting and how systems relates to other accounting areas. Survey results show systems concepts can be taught in an intensive manner without reducing the level of coverage or affecting student comprehension. Finally, the results show professors can receive high teacher evaluations in systems courses and students can have both a quality and an enjoyable learning experience.     

Selecting instructional design for introductory accounting based on the experiential learning model

Introductory accounting courses are usually taken by all business majors. The teacher is the manager of the instructional system and must select an instructional strategy from among the many combinations available. It is important for educators to recognize the diversity of learning styles of students in the introductory accounting class so the course can be a more enriching experience for both accounting and nonaccounting majors. The experiential learning model is discussed in association with the teaching modes available to accounting educators. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (1985) was used to determine the learning preferences for a large group of introductory accounting students. The results of this inventory and direction for the instructional design of introductory accounting courses are presented in this study.     

Building a market simulation to teach business process analysis: effects of realism on engaged learning

The emphases of student involvement and meaningful engagement in the learner-centered education model have created a new paradigm in an effort to generate a more engaging learning environment. This study examines the success of using different simulation platforms in creating a market simulation to teach business processes in the accounting information systems course. Specifically, this paper details the use of virtual world simulation using Second Life^TM, Blackboard^TM discussion board simulation, and face-to-face simulation to test the relationship among students’ perception of realism, computer efficacy, and student-learning reflections. Results indicate perceived realism and computer efficacy positively contribute to learning reflections in the simulations. In addition, simulations in online course provide positive learning reflections when compared to face-to-face simulation in a traditional course setting. Additional analyses indicate that gender affects learning in online courses using simulations, but this effect goes away if students are more efficacious in using computers.     

Book Reviews

In 1990, the Department of Accountancy in the Faculty of Business at RMIT undertook an experiment to combat the effects of reduced resources and increased pressures on teaching. It looked hard at what is known about good teaching and student learning and considered the ways in which an innovation that built on this knowledge might use education technology. This paper describes and evaluates an innovation that used videos, workbooks and a computer package to teach a component of management accounting. Overall, the innovation increased the level of critical and reflective learning by students and reduced considerably the formal student/staff contact time.     

Tell me a story: Using creative writing in introductory accounting courses to enhance and assess student learning

Low student motivation, apprehension and anxiety towards accounting, and diversity in learning styles are a few incentives for employing non-traditional tools for teaching introductory accounting courses. Three modes of storytelling – fairy tales, fables, and poetry – are used in financial and managerial accounting courses to enhance and assess student learning. We find the storytelling exercises give us good insight as to whether students genuinely understand course content. Students indicate that storytelling helps them to understand accounting concepts and make the course more fun. Assignment outcomes have been used at conferences and campus events and have generated conversations about accounting beyond business faculty.     

Tackling an accounting coursework assignment - action research on the student perspective

The study focused upon first year undergraduates' experiences and perceptions of a major coursework assignment in accounting. The context was a modular programme with several hundred students from many different courses taking a common first year, first semester introductory accounting module. In the role of a reflective practitioner, the author adopted an action research approach, and gathered various forms of evidence including in-depth interviews with four students at key points during and after completion of their courseworks. The main issues highlighted were: (1) the effect which the university, as a new environment, has on learning in the early weeks of a course, and the fractured nature of learning in a semesterized course; (2) the personal strategies which students adopt for scheduling time on coursework, and the way in which this may differ from the expectations of staff; (3) the variety of learning approaches represented within the student group. These issues are reflected upon and implications for both the author's practice and for other practitioners are considered.     

会计教学体系研究:来自英国大学的借鉴

通过在英国有关大学的实地调研,文章对英国大学会计教学目标、会计专业课程体系、会计教与学、会计课程考评等几个方面进行了考察和分析。在此基础上,借鉴英国大学的做法,提出了改进中国会计教育的教学目标、教学过程、课程体系和学生学习过程等的具体途径和方法。     

Computer integration into the accounting curriculum: Learning benefits,problems, and guidelines

The successes and difficulties reported by accounting educators are used to identify learning benefits and problems associated with computer integration. Many of the learning benefits posited for computer use relate to characteristics inherent in computers. On the other hand, many of the problems created by computer integration generally result from assignments that do not facilitate the learning of accounting. The authors present three guidelines for computer use which rely on learning theory instead of the capabilities of the computer.     

UK intermediate financial accounting courses: a survey

This paper reports the results of a survey carried out in 1991/92 inquiring into intermediate (usually second year) financial accounting courses, taught in UK accounting and/or finance degree programmes. The areas reviewed were: course objectives, syllabus, lecturers' perceptions of syllabus, textbooks used, other teaching aids (including computers), student contact hours, follow-on courses and assessment. The response rate was 79%. The courses tended to be integrated combinations of accounting theory and practice. The growing number of accounting standards did not prove to be a significant problem as most lecturers did not aim for comprehensive coverage. Over half the respondents used computers in teaching their course.     

Modeling Accounting Workplace Interactions with Text‐to‐Video Animation

This article describes a new pedagogical tool, text‐to‐video animation software, that accounting instructors can adopt to easily generate quality videos that address a variety of accounting learning objectives. Although this tool can be used to enhance traditional pedagogical methods, such as case analysis and discussion, it can also be used to address accounting learning objectives not currently addressed by traditional pedagogical methods. This article outlines the benefits of adopting and using this tool in financial and managerial accounting courses, and encourages further study of its effectiveness.     

Internet uses in accounting education: survey results

The authors conducted a survey to determine how, where in the curriculum, and for what purposes accounting educators were using the Internet. The results indicate that pioneering accounting educators generally include Internet-based applications in their courses in order to familiarize students with the Internet, locate current materials to promote in-class discussion, and help with the completion of research projects. The authors report how accounting educators are using the Internet in specific courses and which resources and Web sites are found to be the most useful. The results also indicate that accounting educators experimenting with Internet-based applications in their courses are doing so with very little department or college support and little or no merit or official recognition for their efforts. The paper should be interesting to anyone currently using or contemplating using the Internet in accounting education.     

Development of and student reactions to an international consolidation case problem

Use of case problems is a well established pedagogy for enhancing student learning. This paper describes development of an international consolidation case problem and reports how students responded to its assignment. The case problem could be effectively used in accounting classes such as international accounting and advanced accounting. Further, the case could be used to introduce professional accountants, who may not have previously faced this issue, with a basic overview of the international consolidation process. The issue of consolidation is typically covered in advanced accounting courses, and international financial reporting is covered in international accounting or intermediate accounting courses. The international consolidation case described in this paper makes a unique contribution by incorporating both consolidation accounting and international financial reporting (specifically, foreign currency translated financial statements) into one comprehensive case problem. When a subsidiary corporation is located in a different country from the parent corporation, the difficulty of consolidating the financial statements becomes more complex than for a strictly domestic company, as a result of different GAAPs and different currencies. The case problem has been used in two southwestern US universities. Student feedback indicates that the problem was well received and benefited student learning.     

The effectiveness of using spreadsheets to teach financial accounting

There have been numerous attempts to integrate micro-computers into the teaching of accounting courses in higher education. Two of the reasons that have been suggested for using computers on accounting courses are: firstly, the educational benefits and, secondly, that students will then be equipped with the computing and spreadsheet skills that they will require in the workplace. One method of using the computer is to use it as a computational tool, allowing the student to develop models from scratch. Such an approach was developed by Marriott & Simon (1990a). However, as there is little evidence regarding the educational effectiveness of using such methods, a rigourous and structured research project was conducted using first–year accounting degree students at Cardiff Business School. This article outlines the rationale for the project and analyses the results obtained. The results indicate that while spreadsheets can be successfully integrated into an accounting course, their use had no measurable impact on test performance. However, the use of computers can still be deemed to be worthwhile as the students' computer skills are enhanced and it permits further integration in other courses where educational benefits may be more readily obtained.     

The integration of behavioral accounting in graduate accounting curricula

This paper reports the results of a survey of the administrators of graduate accounting programs in 186 accredited business schools on the incorporation of behavioral accounting materials in graduate accounting curricula. The majority of respondents (57.7%) reported that their accounting programs do incorporate behavioral accounting materials. A greater number of respondents (84.2%) favored inclusion of behavioral accounting in the future. Teaching behavioral accounting in a hybrid course is the most popular approach, and managerial accounting and auditing courses are most likely to include behavioral accounting materials.     

Tax education in the UK: a survey of tax courses in undergraduate accounting degrees

This paper presents the results of a postal survey designed to examine the teaching of taxation in UK universities. The project looks at taxation in undergraduate accounting degree programmes and adopts an objective centred focus. The principal aim of the survey was to examine the relationships between some characteristics of individual tax courses, including the course objectives and coverage, staffing, teaching and assessment methods, in an attempt to draw some conclusions on the nature of tax education in UK accounting degrees. The results of the survey and consequent analysis may provide taxation and accounting educators, professional bodies and researchers into accounting education with an insight into approaches to, and methods used in, taxation teaching. It may also present a framework for comparative international research in tax education.     

The Use of Computers in Accountancy Courses: A New Perspective

Bhaskar (1982, 1983) proposed a list of 26 topics, classified under three categories (computer science, computer as a computational tool, computer-aided instruction), for the use of computers in accountancy courses. This scheme is argued to be confusing, as some topics are classified wrongly, and is replaced by a new seven-category scheme. Among other things, computer-aided instruction is found to have doubtful value as judged from the collected experimental evidences. An important question is raised as to the necessity and desirability of the use of computers in accountancy courses. It is argued that not all topics proposed by Bhaskar are absolutely necessary, and that his list contains disturbing omissions and unrealistic expectations of accounting students' time. A new list of necessary computing topics is proposed. Each topic requires 2–3 hours of terminal time during a supervised laboratory session, and can be incorporated easily into existing accounting curricula. It is felt that a postgraduate diploma should be introduced for accounting graduates to cover the ever expanding fields of computer science, artificial intelligence, information systems, and their utilisation in accountancy. Finally, in the light of the Japanese fifth generation project, it is argued that the computer should be viewed as the accountant's intelligent assistant rather than merely as a computational tool.     

Accounting information systems and learning theory: an integrated approach to teaching

A background to the adoption of computing in accounting education is discussed. There has been considerable pressure by the accounting profession for information technology to be taught in tertiary accounting courses. While accommodating these expectations, accounting academics have been concerned that such teaching should focus on conceptual understanding, rather than training. Research on effectiveness of computers and the learning of accounting concepts has been considered and found to be inconclusive and conflicting. It has been argued that an understanding of learning theory is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of teaching computerized accounting. An approach to teaching computerized accounting information systems and integrating learning theories is presented via a practical example: the objectives of teaching computerized accounting and reasons for adopting the SYBIZ Rev L software package are presented. The chosen approach in developing the teaching and learning material is outlined and linked to learning theory. It is argued that computers in accounting education should not merely be treated as a fait accompli, but be recognized as a part of a process which we should understand and influence. Research needs to continue on a number of methodological fronts. Suggestions are given for more specific empirical research, as well as suggestions on how to incorporate the findings of other related disciplines.