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This paper describes the development, evaluation, and the changes made to a research course for part-time Master of Science students in accounting. The course prepares students for their Master of Science thesis and aims to develop their research skills. On top of this, it managed to overcome barriers between faculty members who were chiefly involved in teaching, and those who mainly conducted research. In the course, students work in teams, closely supervised by faculty members, and go through a research process that ends with the preparation of a research paper. The course consists of 10 steps, which are described and critically discussed. Evaluation scores indicate that students appreciate the course and experience a steep learning curve. Faculty members also experience benefits, despite the extensive preparation time involved.

Publishing in academic journals leads to recognition among peers and contributes to northern scientific knowledge. Brazilian universities have encouraged the internationalization of scientific production in English. The English language has come to be considered the lingua of science and increasingly by the Accounting area. This study aims to is to provide English publications overview made by Brazilian Accounting researchers. We collected the papers published in English through the Lattes curricula of 489 accredited professors in the 36 Graduate Programs in Accounting Sciences over a 21-year period. Results show that the publishing of papers in English has increased over the years. However, the focus of these publications has been broad, diversified and of low impact. Typically, there has been a lack of papers by Brazilian researchers in top journals and/or journals which are specifically dedicated to the Accounting area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an exploratory study into the nature and patterns of usage of accounting education research. The study adopts the most accessible metric,Google Advanced Scholarcitations, to analyse the impact of research published in the six principal English-language accounting education journals. The analysis reveals a global readership for these journals but evidence of relatively low citation levels. However, papers tended to be cited more than expected in cross-disciplinary education journals, discipline-specific education journals, and non-education journals. Guidance is offered to authors seeking to maximise the impact of their research, and issues of concern are identified for editors and publishers. This is the first paper to look beyond content at the usefulness of research in accounting education as indicated by citations. In doing so, it contributes to the current debate on the quality of this research, and of research in accounting and finance in general. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When laws change the rules of the game, it is important to observe the effects on the players' behavior. Some effects can be anticipated while others are difficult to enunciate before the law comes into force. In this paper we have analyzed articles authored by Spanish accounting academics between 1996 and 2005 to assess the impact of a change in the Spanish university regulation. Results indicate a switch from publishing professional papers to academic ones and also to change research methodologies in order to meet the new requirements. This was to be expected due to the explicit mention of the law in favor of academic journals. However, we have also detected a significant decrease in the publication of professional papers. These side-effects could have a negative impact on the transmission of knowledge from university to society putting the relationship between accounting research and professional practice in jeopardy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper investigates the impact of the LEGO® Serious Play simulation technique on accounting students' learning outcomes. Data is from a stratified random sample of undergraduate accounting students at a leading higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerging market. This paper uses parametric statistical analysis techniques to test the study hypothesis. The empirical findings indicate significant differences between LEGO® Serious Play simulation and traditional learning techniques on students' learning outcomes. More specifically, the use of LEGO® Serious Play simulation significantly improves accounting students' higher-level learning outcomes, such as Analysis skills. In comparison, the traditional teaching technique attains a significant positive impact on accounting students' lower-level learning outcomes such as Knowledge and Application skills. The Comprehension learning skills showed no significant difference between the two teaching methods. This paper highlights the importance of alternative instructional approaches to enhance accounting students' learning outcomes and support accounting educators teaching activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accounting education has previously been slow to adapt to the rapidly changing educational and global environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a catalyst to reimagine and redesign innovative learning and teaching and assessment approaches that encompass a broader conceptualisation of accounting. This paper future orientates accounting education by firmly embedding technology, the development of professional skills and industry engagement at its heart. It also discusses vital supporting architecture and mechanisms to empower accounting educators to initiate and enact meaningful change. This paper contributes to the debate about the relevance of accounting education and provides several suggestions for ensuring its future applicability and ongoing sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER's) 12th World Congress of Accounting Educators and Researchers held in Florence, Italy in November 2014. Topics include the presentation of accounting education-related papers, discussion about accounting education authorship by Australian universities, and presentation of author and countries breakdown of education-related paper during the last three World Congresses of the organization.

This paper aims to identify and explore the learning objectives outlining the core knowledge for forensic accounting education. Bloom's taxonomy is used to outline and analyze the core knowledge for forensic accounting education (e.g. fraud examination, litigation support, business valuation, and IT forensic accounting) in 15 Australian universities that provide forensic accounting courses. Furthermore, this paper applies a qualitative method to forensic accounting curricula, handbooks, and syllabi. These educational documents were retrieved from Australian universities. The findings report learning objectives under core content knowledge distributed over Bloom's cognitive areas. This study also provides a unified set of learning objectives to harmonize forensic accounting courses' teaching and learning processes. The most promising contribution of the paper is to provide a set of learning objectives in all forensic accounting subtopics. The main implications of this paper are relevant to forensic accounting educators, students, standard setters, researchers, regulators, and curricula designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a Classroom Action Research (CAR) on the use of Nearpod, an online platform that facilitates the use of interactive teaching material using mobile devices, to conduct a formative assessment in the classroom. There are two aims of this study. First, exploring the effectiveness of using Nearpod to conduct in-class Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ) quizzes in an introductory undergraduate financial accounting class. Second, exploring its influence on the teaching and learning experiences at one of the top private universities in Egypt. In addition, the research attempted to find out how the instructor's use of Nearpod in the classroom affected students' interest in the subject matter and course material when compared to conventional paper and pen quizzes. Results from students' survey and focus groups indicated that using Nearpod heightened students' interest in the class and positively affected their learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development, evaluation, and the changes made to a research course for part-time Master of Science students in accounting. The course prepares students for their Master of Science thesis and aims to develop their research skills. On top of this, it managed to overcome barriers between faculty members who were chiefly involved in teaching, and those who mainly conducted research. In the course, students work in teams, closely supervised by faculty members, and go through a research process that ends with the preparation of a research paper. The course consists of 10 steps, which are described and critically discussed. Evaluation scores indicate that students appreciate the course and experience a steep learning curve. Faculty members also experience benefits, despite the extensive preparation time involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are increasingly focused on preparing graduates with strong disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills to increase student employability. In accounting education however, the development of employability skills remains a concern among graduates and employers. One strategy for enhancing employability is to engage students in industry-based experiences through work-integrated learning (WIL). This paper introduces a novel, industry-led WIL experience embedded in an Australian university's accounting and financial planning curriculum and investigates students' perceptions of employability skills developed through this intervention. In this WIL experience, industry professionals workshopped multidisciplinary skills and provided feedback to students following a simulated work-based scenario. Data was analysed from student surveys and reflections and showed that students perceived this approach as effective for developing employability skills such as teamwork and communication and for aligning theory to praxis. This paper supports endorsing alternative WIL models and industry collaborations in accounting education to enhance graduate employability skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is analytical and primarily focuses at the individual academic level. It examines the drive for academics to meet narrowly defined key performance indicators that is potentially leading to sub-optimal outcomes such as universities diverging from acting for the wider betterment of society and reduced quality of teaching and learning. This trend has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. For example, a heavy reliance on online learning has potentially reduced student engagement where these programmes have not been designed and implemented well. If academic performance is primarily judged by research outcomes, but academics face increasing expectations around developing high-level, online teaching materials, then this creates a tension for them. Turning to the ways forward, universities need to develop staff performance evaluation systems that re-orientate towards a broader set of indicators of success, and academics need more input into the performance indicators that are cascaded down to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to articles published within the issue is presented on topics including the factors influencing accounting education research, the generic skills competency of trainee management accountants, and aspects of learning within the undergraduate accounting curriculum.

Whether corporations voluntarily reduce their negative impacts on the environment and society depends upon management advocacy. As future corporate leaders, accounting students will have a critical advocacy role, but they have been taught that shareholder value should not be sacrificed to reduce the externalized environmental and social costs caused by corporations. We believe accounting students are unable to break through the shareholder value maximization doctrine without understanding threshold concepts of corporate externalized costs and revised conceptualizations of corporate ownership and corporate governance. This paper proposes a new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Learning Model that accounting instructors can employ to understand the threshold concepts. Threshold concepts are reconstitutive and fundamentally change students' worldviews so that new understandings may emerge and advocating for ESG initiatives becomes possible. The paper concludes with instructional strategies aligned with three pedagogical modalities to help students absorb the ESG threshold concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing and implementing accounting programms that develop relevant skills for industry are in greater demand from practitioners. In accounting courses, complex topics may require an approach beyond traditional lectures and workshops. Experiential learning provides an alternative approach and is particularly relevant to forensic accounting students where legal rules and processes are taught. This paper presents the results from implementing Kolb's experiential learning model including a mock trial to improve student learning on the role of the forensic accounting expert witness. The study is a qualitative design and examines a collection of reflective writing accounts of student experiences over three years. Using Kolb's four-stage cyclic model, the paper examines student learning outcomes and how learning was enhanced from the experience. Findings from this study identify that active learning and continual feedback are critical to student learning and that complex topics can be better understood with practical experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research contributes to helping educational establishments across the world develop self-efficacy techniques to improve communication skills within an accounting course design and other disciplines. This paper asks the research question: Does self-efficacy enhances accounting students' communication ability? Previous research has identified the business community requiring accountants to display high levels of communication ability. However, despite many deliberate pedagogical interventions over the years, communication skills are lacking in graduating accounting students. This paper describes a new approach of deliberate self-efficacy interventions in one UK university's undergraduate accounting curriculum to improve accounting students' communication ability. In addition, a self-efficacy framework of Stone and Bailey [(2007). Team conflict self-efficacy and outcome expectancy of business students. Journal of Education for Business, 82(5), 258–266. https://doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.82.5.258-266.] is developed to model communication self-efficacy, outcome expectancy and behavioral intentions of the students. The data consists of the results of 131 first-year accounting students, and this paper contributes by helping to pinpoint two self-efficacy techniques to improving students' communication skills: 'personal mastery' and 'mentor support'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the potential contribution of engagement between accounting education researchers and practitioners. Drawing from a case where researchers and practitioners worked together to improve student employability, the paper examines researcher:practitioner engagement from both sides by exploring the potential benefits of participating in a collaborative process. Drawing from the existing literature, the paper notes the implications for accounting education of a perceived gap between accounting research and practice. Next, the paper examines how greater engagement might address this gap and make a contribution to accounting education research. Then, drawing from data accumulated by working with a group of accounting practitioners over a five-year period, the paper reports on the benefits identified by the practitioners of engaging in a collaborative process. Having examined engagement from the perspective of both researchers and practitioners, the paper concludes by discussing the implications of the engagement process for researchers and for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we use the context of a global pandemic and subsequent movement between on-campus and online teaching to explore the concept of students' sense of belonging. We ask how the sense of belonging in accounting students has been impacted during the pandemic and what are the lessons learned from such observations. Considering teaching and learning at University A (The University's name is blind as per the review requirement of the journal), New Zealand as a case study, and the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment, we explore a sense of belonging in our accounting students. We speculate that whether the new circumstances be beneficial or detrimental to students' sense of belonging would depend on many factors. Our study offers practical implications for accounting educators and the higher education sector to enhance students' sense of belonging when facing disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the need for a gamification approach in supporting the teaching and learning process of fundamental financial accounting at Universiti Putra Malaysia. It briefly reviews the already available gamification approaches from the literature, and addresses important issues in efficiently delivering the gamification exercise as part of classroom learning. The paper introduces Putra Salamanis, the game developed by the authors and which is inspired by the well-known board game, Monopoly, as a suitable board game in teaching financial accounting fundamentals. In this game, business transactions are recorded based on the double-entry rule. This requires students to recognize the five accounting elements of assets, liabilities, equities, revenue, and expenses, which are vital in accrual basis accounting. A pilot group of students who engaged themselves in the game provided positive feedback, implying that the game facilitated students' learning in understanding the basic concept of double-entry bookkeeping and accrual accounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although accounting is perceived as a numerical discipline, previous research has produced useful insights suggesting that non-proficiency in English language affects accounting education among some Asian students. However, there is a gap in the literature in terms of understanding how exactly accounting lecturers encounter this problem in the classroom. Without a narration of the experiences of accounting lecturers, who are the frontliners in the accounting education process, understanding the issues involved and policy responses would be limited. The present study responds to this challenge by conducting interviews with lecturers who have many years' experience in teaching accounting among Asian students in Malaysian Universities. Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis which uncovered three themes and how they affect accounting education. First, these students have limited vocabulary and find it difficult to understand explanations of basic accounting concepts. Second, lack of confidence arises from limited vocabulary and limits students' productive interactions with their teachers – active learning is thus severely hampered. Third, students shy away from theoretical aspects of accounting and only memorize formulas and steps which they regurgitate during examinations. Implications of these findings and policy recommendations are discussed at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a model of inputs–environment–process–outcomes, our focus is the students' point of view on writing the master's thesis in accounting. We analyze the factors that influence the complexity of a thesis and the satisfaction of students with it. We used the answers received on two matched questionnaires distributed during the second semester of the academic year 2021–2022. The results of the path analysis show that planning and involvement in research and university support can increase the effectiveness of students' time management and improve satisfaction with the research outcome. Resource use increases the thesis complexity, too. The paper comprises a couple of implications: first, the quality of the thesis depends to a great extent on the initial planning phase, indicating that university support is crucial during preliminary work; second, university management must ensure the existence of necessary resources, which are a complex mix of supervision, collaboration, guidelines, and scientific sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses whether using analogies to integrate knowledge from other scientific areas increases the level of accounting knowledge. We defined two sets of analogies, one between the physical states of water and the economic and cash flows, and another between the concepts of stock, flow and feedback that were taken from the System Dynamics field and the financial statements. An experimental study was conducted with students from a European university, who participated in an accounting revision class. The grades of the students who attended the revision class using the analogies were higher than of those who did not attend this class. These findings reinforce the power of analogies as a useful tool and validate the benefits of integrating knowledge from other areas in accounting education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the integration of ethical considerations in management accounting (MA) education. Drawing on the work of Alisdair MacIntyre, it is argued that MA instruments such as performance measurement are not morally neutral, but instead bear moral implications. Therefore, this paper contends that MA students should be trained to take these moral implications into consideration alongside MA's technical aspects. A content analysis is carried out to examine the integration of ethical considerations in top-ranked MA textbooks. The findings indicate that these textbooks, particularly the introductory textbooks, marginally integrate ethical considerations. Furthermore, the findings point to the risk of detaching ethical considerations from the discussion of MA's technical aspects, which may weaken the potential of the ethical considerations and turn them into 'afterthoughts'. Finally, this paper offers practical suggestions for the improvement of the integration of ethical considerations in MA education and concludes with directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through qualitative analysis of a dozen semi-structured interviews, this study identifies the issues that limit the ability of accounting education programmes to prepare students for the workplace in Libya, a country in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Factors include: faculty's lack of practical experience; weak links with the profession; a traditional curriculum; teacher-centred pedagogy; traditional forms of assessment; the number and quality of students; limited or outdated resources; and poor physical infrastructure. As a study of the preparation of students for the workplace in a developing country, which takes account of both faculty and practitioner views, this paper also contributes to the limited literature on accounting education in Libya. Considering the findings through the lens of institutional theory concepts leads to recommendations for options that are likely to be relevant not only to Libya but also to the wider MENA region and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of empirical lecture capture (LC) research in business education from the last ten years. Lecture capture was selected as it is a common delivery tool in both online and blended learning courses. By summarizing extant empirical LC research in business education, we lay the foundation for future (post-COVID-19) research in online and blended learning. We believe it is important for future research to meaningfully integrate past empirical results in order to fully assess, understand, and predict the learning modalities that will best serve business education stakeholders in a post-COVID world. To that end, we provide a compilation of empirical lecture capture results by theme that is useful for both research and teaching purposes. We also provide a condensed summary of empirical findings and recommendations that can be easily disseminated to faculty in order to facilitate instructor preparedness for teaching in this modality and as well as inform pedagogical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many face-to-face accounting classes were canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and were subsequently delivered exclusively in an online and distance learning format. This paper investigates the impact of this migration on accounting students' engagement and satisfaction in the early stages of the pandemic. A survey was administered to all the students registered in the undergraduate and graduate accounting programs of a large state-funded university in Canada. The study finds that the variables stress/anxiety, social interactions, instructor strategy, technological accessibility and delivery mode flexibility are related to accounting student engagement, while social interactions, instructor strategy, and engagement affect satisfaction. Using factors previously studied in non-pandemic settings, the study shows what drives the extent of accounting students' engagement and satisfaction during a health emergency. Practical implications include the importance of providing emotional/psychological support to anxious/stressed students, fostering frequent and easy interactions with instructors, and offering added flexibility through asynchronous instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are increasingly focused on preparing graduates with strong disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills to increase student employability. In accounting education however, the development of employability skills remains a concern among graduates and employers. One strategy for enhancing employability is to engage students in industry-based experiences through work-integrated learning (WIL). This paper introduces a novel, industry-led WIL experience embedded in an Australian university's accounting and financial planning curriculum and investigates students' perceptions of employability skills developed through this intervention. In this WIL experience, industry professionals workshopped multidisciplinary skills and provided feedback to students following a simulated work-based scenario. Data was analysed from student surveys and reflections and showed that students perceived this approach as effective for developing employability skills such as teamwork and communication and for aligning theory to praxis. This paper supports endorsing alternative WIL models and industry collaborations in accounting education to enhance graduate employability skills.

Whether corporations voluntarily reduce their negative impacts on the environment and society depends upon management advocacy. As future corporate leaders, accounting students will have a critical advocacy role, but they have been taught that shareholder value should not be sacrificed to reduce the externalized environmental and social costs caused by corporations. We believe accounting students are unable to break through the shareholder value maximization doctrine without understanding threshold concepts of corporate externalized costs and revised conceptualizations of corporate ownership and corporate governance. This paper proposes a new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Learning Model that accounting instructors can employ to understand the threshold concepts. Threshold concepts are reconstitutive and fundamentally change students' worldviews so that new understandings may emerge and advocating for ESG initiatives becomes possible. The paper concludes with instructional strategies aligned with three pedagogical modalities to help students absorb the ESG threshold concepts.

This paper aims to identify and explore the learning objectives outlining the core knowledge for forensic accounting education. Bloom's taxonomy is used to outline and analyze the core knowledge for forensic accounting education (e.g. fraud examination, litigation support, business valuation, and IT forensic accounting) in 15 Australian universities that provide forensic accounting courses. Furthermore, this paper applies a qualitative method to forensic accounting curricula, handbooks, and syllabi. These educational documents were retrieved from Australian universities. The findings report learning objectives under core content knowledge distributed over Bloom's cognitive areas. This study also provides a unified set of learning objectives to harmonize forensic accounting courses' teaching and learning processes. The most promising contribution of the paper is to provide a set of learning objectives in all forensic accounting subtopics. The main implications of this paper are relevant to forensic accounting educators, students, standard setters, researchers, regulators, and curricula designers.

Visualisations, in the form of Multimedia Digital Learning Objects (MDLOs), offer accounting educators potential efficiency in the creation of effective learning materials. Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) can guide instructional design by providing a theoretical framework to help the educator understand the mental processes involved in learning. Recognising the linguistic and cultural differences of international students for whom English is a Second Language (ESL) helps sensitise the educator to the additional cognitive demands that these students face. Visualisations offer a powerful way to increase the efficiency for ESL students’ learning. This paper describes CLT and uses it as a theoretical model to ex-post evaluate the initial introduction of MDLOs, and then to inform and evaluate the modification of those MDLOs. This paper responds to Mostyn’s (2012) call [Cognitive load theory: What it is, why it's important for accounting instruction and research. Issues in Accounting Education, 27(1), 227-245] for accounting educators to recognise the insights of CLT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper raises concerns about entry-level positions within large organisations as corporate accounting tasks are re-engineered, automated and relocated. Reduced opportunities for accounting graduates to start their careers are but one factor in a confluence of challenges to accounting education; not least, that in England and Wales study debt is around £50,000 for a typical degree programme. Drawing on discussions from an education/employer stakeholder group, the enquiry finds that longstanding tensions about the optimal mix of intellectual, technical and generic skills in accounting education might be better framed within a broader process of helping students to develop a social identity relevant to their work context. A key proposal is that educators should play a pivotal role in mentoring students so that they develop their own sense of preprofessional identity and thus, become work-ready on graduation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine whether early warning signals from accounting courses (such as early engagement and early formative performance) are predictive of first-year progression outcomes, and whether this data is more predictive than personal data (such as gender and prior achievement). Using a machine learning approach, results from a sample of 609 first-year students from a continental European university show that early warnings from accounting courses are strongly predictive of first-year progression, and more so than data available at the start of the first year. In addition, the further the student is along their journey of the first undergraduate year, the more predictive the accounting engagement and performance data becomes for the prediction of programme progression outcomes. Our study contributes to the study of early warning signals for dropout through machine learning in accounting education, suggests implications for accounting educators, and provides useful pointers for further research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recognition of the high value placed on interpersonal skills (IPS) by education, business and government stakeholders, this area of skills development only has a limited place within MBA programs. This paper introduces and tests the effectiveness of a mock-business simulation named 'Practice Aspects of Management' incorporated into an early-stage accounting course within an MBA Program, with the aim of accelerating students' IPS development. We investigate whether embedding a client interface simulation within an MBA course can improve the IPS that employers are now seeking. Following the science of training and Bedwell and colleagues' 'stepping stones' to assist IPS integration within existing MBA programs, we outline a successful initiative to address the IPS deficits. We contribute to the literature by detailing how IPS can be integrated into an accounting course and utilised to equip students with both the technical and IPS attributes now desired by employers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse how contact with professional auditors influences undergraduates' career decisions to become an auditor as a public interest profession. Students may decide not to join an auditing company due to stereotypes of auditors and, consequently, audit firms may not find professionals with needed skills. Undergraduates were selected by a professional body to shadow an audit team for a workday. A pre-post survey was conducted with the participants of the activity to analyse their perceptions. Some years later, their LinkedIn profiles were checked to determine whether the alumni work or have been working in the auditing industry. The survey responses were linked to the employment history that the former participants have posted on LinkedIn. Our results corroborate the effectiveness of contacts with auditors that improve participants' perceptions about their intention to become an auditor and consideration of auditing as a public interest profession. Thus, negative perceptions of auditors could be minimised with greater understanding of the job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is accounting today? Are conventional definitions of accounting adequate for the early 2020s? What definition do you teach? Accounting is positioned in this study as not a mere neutral, benign, technical practice. It is also a social practice and moral practice as understood based on the important research of accounting scholars across the past 40 years. The paper supports a new definition of accounting as technical, social and moral practice, proposed by Carnegie, G., Parker, L., & Tsahuridu, E. [(2021a). It's 2020: what is accounting today? Australian Accounting Review, 31(1), 65–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/auar.12325; (2021b). Redefining accounting for tomorrow. IFAC Knowledge Gateway, April 6. ]. The era of calculative order in which we live is illuminated using a tailored case study on global university rankings, using the lens of the proposed definition of accounting. It is intended to provide a better understanding globally of the effects of accounting emergence and change to both professional accountants and non-accountants. Readers may ask 'why'? Accounting has not attained its full potential and can contribute to shaping a better world from tomorrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the institutional pressures and responses associated with introducing integrated reporting into university-level accounting education in Sri Lanka. In particular, we are looking to see whether those responses lead to deep or surface learning in students. Drawing on the theory of new institutional sociology, the institutional pressures framework, and the model of constructive alignment, the analysis spans data on Sri Lanka's ten universities that offer accounting degrees. We find that most universities have incorporated integrated reporting into their accounting degrees by following either a 'compromise' or 'acquiescence' strategy. This comes in response to numerous isomorphic pressures at the institutional level. These pressures are brought to bear through the extent to which teaching, learning and assessment activities follow constructive alignment. In this context, the institutions themselves can be categorised into four response groups: beginners, followers, impressionists, and prospectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether universities are delivering pedagogical value to international accounting students commensurate with the costs of studying abroad. The paper uses survey and interview methods to explore the extent to which Chinese Learners (CLs) in an Australian postgraduate accounting subject have distinct learning needs. The paper then reviews universities’ responses to these needs, especially in light of funding and resource pressures. The paper reinforces findings that CLs have different learning approaches to local students, but not inferior or ‘shallow’ approaches. However, since CLs face distinctive financial and social pressures to achieve high results, their learning practices may be more sensitive to changes in teaching and assessment, such that cost constraints on educational resources might disproportionately affect their learning. This suggests that a paradoxical result of the funding pressures on many universities may be to encourage large international student cohorts while constraining available resources to meet their learning needs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There is increasing pressure on higher education institutions to better prepare students for future work, augmented by widespread measurement of their performance using graduate employment metrics. Accounting is no exception with growing attention on whether, and in what ways, accounting curricula is aligning to labor market demands. This paper considers the importance of career preparedness among accounting students and higher education institutions' effectiveness in achieving graduate outcomes that meet the needs of the profession. It contemplates the challenges in preparing accounting students for contemporary work and explores current practice in authentic and practical learning, particularly emergent forms of work-integrated learning (WIL) that are considered pivotal for engaging diverse student cohorts with the profession. We present key considerations when designing and implementing quality WIL programs, along with suggested strategies for enhancing WIL in the accounting discipline. The paper broadens thinking beyond internships to effectively strengthen accounting curricula in meeting industry needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to determine whether the integration of digital pedagogies into the entire student learning lifecycle can improve exam performance. Since the inception of the so-called internet age, the use of technology has been explored as a platform for knowledge transfer. In formal education, this phenomenon has prompted higher education institutions to enhance their teaching and learning practices by integrating digital pedagogies into their courses. Accounting education, however, has been criticised for lagging behind mainstream educational developments in this area. This study bridges this gap by assessing whether the integration of digital pedagogies into the entire student learning lifecycle improves exam performance. An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was used in order to build the digital pedagogy, which was co-constructed with students. The pedagogy was then implemented and tested. The findings revealed that the treatment group outperformed the control group in exam performance (p < 0.01). This article contributes to the existing body of knowledge on accounting education by presenting an approach to working together with students to co-construct and integrate digital pedagogies into the entire student learning lifecycle. The study also proves that this holistic approach of technology integration can be effective in improving student exam performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is much debate in the literature concerning the changes necessary for university accounting education to meet the needs of the business environment and broader society. In the USA the Pathways Commission has responded by implementing a programme of evaluation and improvement. In the UK there is no formal agenda for change. This paper compares the situation in the UK to that set out in the Pathways Commission. Two research questions are asked. (1) What should be included in a programme of change in the UK? (2) What are the impediments to the change? The questions are answered by reviewing the literature to firstly consolidate the calls for change and secondly to analyse the circumstances affecting UK accounting degrees. The paper calls on the accountancy profession, universities and academics in the UK to embark on a programme of change similar to the USA to agree a core curriculum, an appropriate academic resourcing strategy and a revised pedagogy. It argues that for significant and lasting change to emerge impediments in three areas need to be addressed. (1) The interface between professional accountancy bodies (PABs) and university academics. (2) The impact of institutional policies on accounting degrees. (3) The identity of UK university accounting academics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports on the author's experiences of working with accountancy employers to develop a deeper understanding of skills development and employability in the accountancy profession. It notes that while there is a well-developed literature that examines skills development amongst university accounting students, there is also evidence of a gap between skills development in the university setting and the reported experiences of new entrants into the accountancy profession. The paper examines the nature of this gap and attempts to bridge it, using the experiences of working together with employers. The evidence from this study is that accountancy employers seek new recruits with the capacity to establish professional credibility amongst colleagues and clients through their attitudes and behaviours, something subtly different from much of the literature, which focuses on the importance of discrete generic skills. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper reports on qualitative research carried out with qualified accountants who have made the move into Higher Education, to explore their perceptions of the knowledge and skills, attitudes and behaviours needed by accountants new to academia who wish to develop as researchers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 professionally qualified accounting academics. Template analysis, based around the cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of learning, enabled quotes from the interviewees to be used to underpin the new Researching Accountant Development Framework (RADF). All three dimensions proved key to successful transition. Accountants needed the relevant knowledge and skills and an understanding of themselves and the opportunities provided by an academic environment. The literature shows the benefits arising from qualified accountants moving into academia and the challenges they may face. The findings in this research and the resultant RADF will help accountants succeed in that transition and develop their research capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review and interpret two propositions published by Ellerman [2014. On double-entry bookkeeping: the mathematical treatment. Accounting Education, 23(5), 483–501] in this journal. The paper builds on this contribution with the view of reconciling the two, apparently dichotomous, perspectives of accounting measurement: the stock and the flow approaches to income. It claims that T-accounts have an underlying algebraic structure suitable for approaching measurement from either or both perspectives. Accountants' preferences for stocks or flows can be framed in ways which are mutually consistent. This is a first step in addressing this consistency issue. We avoid the difficult mathematics of abstract algebra by applying the concept of syntax to accounting numbers such that the accounting procedure qualifies as a formal language to convey meaning. We are addressing those educators responsible for designing accounting degree programmes, for whom grasping the issue of syntax is important when offering cross-disciplinary options to accounting students with interest in, or need for, engaging with information science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design of a blended learning intervention to enhance the student learning experience, incorporating innovative technologies and pedagogies within introductory accounting. The design-based research (DBR) methodology involved 68 learners in the participatory design of the intervention across three design iterations. Emerging from the design process, a framework informed by the key themes of Pedagogy, Autonomy, Collaboration, Engagement, Interaction and Technology (PACE-IT) was conceptualised, tested and developed. This study presents the PACE-IT model which offers guidelines to practitioners who seek to design blended learning to provide students with a rich and meaningful learning experience. The emergence of COVID-19 underscores the relevance of these findings. PACE-IT provides direction to accounting educators working within an unfamiliar educational context, today and in the future, where there is an imperative to develop new approaches to accounting education that combine face-to-face with online interaction and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the higher education sector, it also provided opportunities for accounting academics to rethink their assessment strategy. This paper adds to the limited literature which has reported on how accounting academics responded to such an opportunity. Drawing on Freire's dialogical education theory as the theoretical underpinning, we provide an autoethnographic account of an academic's experience of championing a dialogical informed assessment. Focusing on assessment, this autoethnographic study contributes to the growing dialogic pedagogy accounting education literature and challenges accounting academics to consider engaging in an open-book portfolio assessment informed by the dialogical education approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key role of universities is the credentialing of student learning by awarding degrees and diplomas. This requires universities to have confidence in the integrity of their assessment processes and in turn, external stakeholders to have the same confidence. This study investigates the following research question: 'Has COVID-19 had an impact on the assessment and invigilation of accounting courses in Australia and New Zealand and, if so, how?' This is a critical issue for accounting faculty in many countries as COVID-19 has forced a shift in the way assessments are administered – from face to face to online. The study involved a survey of accounting faculty in Australia and New Zealand and found changes occurred to how students were assessed because of COVID-19 and a variety of institutional responses to this. The paper makes recommendations for accounting educators, universities, and the professional accounting bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite studies on the perceptions of benefits and costs of joining a professional body little empirical evidence is available on the deciding factors for joining one specific professional body, let alone multiple ones in an emerging economy. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) theoretical lens, this paper investigates, through surveys, the factors affecting the decisions by final-year university students and associate members to affiliate with one or more professional bodies in Vietnam. This study used a quantitative approach design. Questionnaires were sent to students studying an undergraduate accounting degree in Vietnam (N = 167) and candidates completing the foundations levels of a foreign professional accounting body programme in Vietnam (N = 145). The results show that attitude is the most significant factor in explaining the intentions of accounting students and foundation candidates to affiliate with a professional accounting body while subjective norm is only marginally significant and perceived behavioural control is not significant. The comparison between those who intend to professionally affiliate and those who do not reveal that the main factors affecting the decision are the reputation of the professional body, career and networking opportunities, international recognition, professional status, international mobility opportunities, perceived expertise of members and continuing professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a gap in the literature on student work placements, specifically the challenges of returning to final-year study after a year out. We focus on students in an Accountancy and Finance Department at one UK University who alerted us to the ways in which they struggled during the transition back to full-time study. Their accounts were surprising in the light of, albeit limited, research and our own perceptions that students who go on placement fare better in the final year than those who do not. We draw two inferences from this research, which we discuss in this paper. First, there is a need to refine analyses and evaluations of the benefits of a placement year. Second, there is a need to expand the repertoire of methodologies in empirical placement research to include those that provide opportunities for students to articulate what matters to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the performance of accounting and finance students entering university via a ‘widening participation’ scheme that seeks to attract students who have been historically under-represented in higher education. Focus is placed on the policy of providing contextual entry offers that recognise that academic qualifications be judged in the social context in which they were achieved. Accounting and finance recruits the highest proportion of ‘widening participation’ students at a UK ‘Russell Group’ university and provides a key arena for investigating widening participation policy. The study is based on a quantitative analysis of relative performance levels over 12 years and interview findings with 27 students. The quantitative results show that those receiving contextual offers perform at least as well at university level as students with equivalent entry qualifications, thereby supporting contextual entry offer policy. The paper also provides insights into why accounting and finance is popular with‘widening participation’ students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Given that the usage and complexity of spreadsheets in the accounting profession are expected to increase, it is more important than ever to ensure that accounting graduates are aware of the dangers of spreadsheet errors and are equipped with design skills to minimize those errors. Although spreadsheet mechanics are prevalent in accounting curricula, less attention has been given to design considerations that can reduce the incidence of spreadsheet errors. The extant literature provides evidence of the most common types of spreadsheet errors and explanations as to why they occur. Using the work of Panko and others, this paper outlines a three-step approach for introducing spreadsheet design practices to novice spreadsheet developers. To facilitate design instruction, this paper provides a summary of foundational readings related to spreadsheet errors as well as specific teaching strategies for addressing the most common spreadsheet errors identified in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]