Opportunities for accountants in academia
From teaching a single course to striving for a tenure-track position to teach and conduct research, there are a number of opportunities for accounting and finance practitioners to join academia. Written from a US perspective.
Ethics curriculum in accounting courses: Examination of student perceptions of delivery methods
The authors explore student perceptions about the need for ethics instruction within an undergraduate accounting curriculum. Students enrolled in an online, undergraduate accounting course were surveyed. The results suggested that over 92% of students desire an ethics component within their academic curriculum and that ethics courses should include case studies, real-world ethical situations, and ethical dilemma considerations.
Base skills for CPAs aren't always accounting oriented
The authors offer practical suggestions to support accounting educators as they prepare the next generation of accountants to enter the workplace. They have identified three main non-accounting skills which students need to develop: communication, critical thinking and collaboration are all highly desired competencies by employers. Opportunities to practice these skills can be provided by presentation assignments, role-playing, problem-based learning exercises, collaborative projects and case competitions.
Documentary maker offers online accounting course
Kelly Richmond Pope, a documentary filmmaker and accounting professor at DePaul University in Chicago, wants to transform the way accounting is taught. She has used her documentary skills to introduce a gamified approach to her Introduction to Financial Accounting course, blending engaging, beautiful-looking content with theory and story.
Preparing future accountants
The management accounting competencies needed in the future by all entry-level accountants have been identified by an Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) task force. The article includes example worksheets to help accounting programs evaluate the adequacy of their course for key management accounting competencies.
Observations from a Professor serving as Dean
Drawing on his experience as an accounting professor serving as dean of a business school, Douglas A.Shackelford gives advice for accounting academics interested in academic leadership positions. He observes that accounting professors have a competitive advantage in academic administration due to being naturally comfortable with financial information and budgeting.
The common denominator: Excel
Despite the variety of software tools available nowadays, being able to use Excel is still a critical, foundational skill for accounting and finance graduates. The authors present results from their survey asking accounting and business professionals to indicate the relative importance of 24 different Excel skills. They discuss the implications for accounting educators and highlight resources for academics integrating Excel into the accounting curriculum.
Accounting curricula in the digital age
Accounting programs need to ensure that students are equipped with digital capabilities that will prepare them for leadership roles in the profession. The article looks at the case for including Excel, financial modelling, process automation and data analytics and visualization in an academic accounting curriculum.
Today's graduates and the pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has shaped and impacted a new class of US accounting graduates in significant and lasting ways. The authors - three accounting professors and an administrator - contemplate the challenges of the pandemic for accounting students, and how the experience enhanced students' personal traits and skills.
Integrating sustainability into the accounting curriculum: Meeting an emerging student demand
As the prevalence of sustainability reporting has increased, the profession will need accounting graduates well versed in sustainability accounting. The authors look at attempts so far to integrate sustainability into the business and accounting curriculum. They present the results from their survey of 164 students at three US universities, which asked questions gauging student demand for education in sustainability accounting.