Pedagogy

How we approach our teaching makes all the difference to the student experience

These resources focus mainly on approaches to teaching, such as active learning, assessment strategies, effective feedback etc.

If you’re looking for specific ideas for the best way, the best order or the best words to use to teach accounting, try Teaching tips where there are lots of practical ideas for your teaching.

Pop-up Symposium 2024

Join us in London on Friday 13 December 2024, for “Pop-up Symposium 2024”. Everybody is welcome. Accounting Cafe and Accounting Streams are co-hosting a special event for accounting educators. We’ve planned a fun-packed day of short presentations and a workshop that will demonstrate how you can contribute to the Accounting…Read more

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Accounting courses of the future

Hugh Martin, founder of Procountancy, provides a step-by-step guide for guiding students to use AI prompts in accounting education. When you think about accounting courses, what comes to mind? For me, it’s gigantic textbooks, long-running lectures, lengthy examples, and several disparate resources like practice questions and summary notes. Even in…Read more

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Teaching sustainability accounting with case studies: a reflection on opportunities, challenges and solutions

Thuy Thanh Tran is an Assistant Professor of Sustainability Accounting at TBS Education, Toulouse, France. She has incorporated sustainability into the accounting curriculum in Europe and South America for many years. Here, she reflects on teaching sustainability accounting through case studies, highlighting the opportunities, challenges, and potential solutions. Sustainability is…Read more

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The transformative power of blending creativity with accounting education

Sondos Bannouri explains how blending creativity with education has sparked a small revolution in teaching accounting concepts at Tunis Business School. Teaching innovations with creativity At Tunis Business School (TBS), I’ve implemented creative techniques to enhance student learning experiences and encourage active participation. Recognising the impact that visual aids have…Read more

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A Journey from Campus to Career Insights

The ICAEW Southern Intra University Competition, sponsored by Mazars in collaboration with ICAEW, offers students from the University of Southampton, University of Portsmouth, and Bournemouth University an opportunity to challenge their business acumen. Highlighting the path for future accountants, the ICAEW Southern Intra University Competition stands as a beacon of…Read more

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Can the profession meet the demand for sustainability reporting?

A webinar hosted by IFAAC and IAAER on 7 February 2024 launching a literature review, Educating Accountants for a Sustainable Future. It highlights key themes relevant to education, learning and development, and insights into how the profession can meet sustainability reporting demands. Educating accountants to advance sustainability With the increasing demand for…Read more

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Joe Hoyle in tie and blazer

Eight Things I’ve Learned from 53 Years of College Teaching

Joe Hoyle, Associate Professor and Accounting Teaching Fellow at the University of Richmond, shares wisdom, perspective and advice he’s acquired over half a century in accounting education. Joe Hoyle strongly believes colleges and universities should freely share as much educational material as possible. He says, “The world desperately needs substantially more…Read more

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Embedding sustainability in audit and accounting education

“Embedding Sustainability in Audit and Accounting Education – A forum for professional accountancy bodies, academics & training providers” was an event organised by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA) at Alliance Manchester Business School on 1 November 2023. Toby York is a senior…Read more

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Netflix promotional poster for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

A “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” inspired activity

Dr Anwar Halari, Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Dr Daniele Tori, Lecturer in Finance, at The Open University. We explain how we applied the “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” concept to one of our online accounting modules. An interactive movie that allows you to shape the story with your choices and lets…Read more

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Pop-up Symposium 2024

Accounting Cafe members met in person at St Matthew’s Conference Centre in Westminster, London, on Friday, 26 January 2024, for “Pop-up Symposium 2024”. Attending Accounting Cafe’s Pop-up Symposium gave me lots of inspiration. First, because you realize there are many ‘like you’. Second, all the ideas fellow accounting educators are…Read more

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Firefighting the ChatGPT storm

Samantha Bell is a senior lecturer in accounting at the University of Bristol. Sam Bell considers the impact of AI in accounting coursework assessments. She explores how questions and rubrics can be adapted to deter improper use of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Google Bard and BingChat. She…Read more

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Stick man speaking

Using learning science in accounting education

I recently addressed accounting educators at a conference about using learning science in accounting education. My session was immediately after lunch. Anybody with teaching or training experience knows that these postprandial slots are challenging. You’re up against the biological processes of metabolism — your audience feels sleepy and has trouble…Read more

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Dual coding in accounting education

Summary: A simple way to embrace dual coding in accounting education is to use a concept map. This “almost certainly” improves learning. Don’t reinvent the wheel: there’s a free one that you can adapt, copy and distribute. Give credit to its creators. This is the BaSIS Board. It combines words…Read more

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Abolish or reform accountancy degrees?

This event was organised by Rethinking Accountancy, part of the Rethinking Economics network. This was their first live seminar in February 2023. Professor Joan Ballantine, University of Ulster Joan Ballantine outlined a historical context of accounting degrees, explaining that as their number has expanded, they’ve been shaped by increased competition…Read more

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Diagram showing a simple transaction cycle.

Using role play to teach accounting transaction cycles

How role play in accounting education creates an effective and engaging lesson about a topic that can feel very dry. This example uses a case study to explore the processes involved in simple transaction cycles. I introduced this activity in an Accounting Information Systems (AIS) course for first-year undergraduates studying…Read more

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Connecting the body with learning

Right after Christmas your body reminds you, uncomfortably, of all the extravagant dinners you’ve had. But have you thought about connecting the body with learning? Susan Hrach [pronounced ‘rock’] does so in her book ‘Minding Bodies’. [Ref. 1] She makes two claims. One, the body needs to be in a…Read more

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Cartoon of six hats of different colours colours: blue, red, white, green, yellow and black

Creative thinking in accounting education

Last month saw the IgNobel awards for “achievements that first make people laugh, then make them think”. My personal recent favourite is the 2019 award to economics researchers who tested which country’s paper money is best at transmitting dangerous bacteria. It’s precisely this ‘silly but serious’ theme that struck me…Read more

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Dr Umair Riaz, Dr Muhammad Al Mahameed and Lara Gee

From unrequited love to sleeping with the enemy

This Accounting Cafe online seminar on 25 March 2022 explored the future relationship between universities and the professional accounting bodies. Our guests argued that to protect the future of accounting education a new social partnership is necessary between universities and the professional accounting bodies. A significant problem is the current…Read more

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Susan Smith

Innovations in accounting education

Here are fifty minutes of ideas and practical suggestions to help you to deliver innovative accounting teaching, learning and assessment. We follow this with a discussion and experiences from other enthusiastic accounting educators from across the world. On 17 February 2022, Accounting Cafe hosted Susan Smith, an innovative and prize-winning…Read more

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Embedding a single company case in an IFRS course

Alice Shepherd is an Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance at Leeds University Business School, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and an award winning teacher with specialised knowledge of online and distance learning. Embedded case study A single company case study is embedded into the course, so that…Read more

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Phenomenon-based learning

Accounting Cafe online seminar on 19 November 2021 Liz Marsland is a trailblazer in phenomenon-based learning. She unpacks the methods, the challenges and the benefits to students and teachers in using this multi-disciplinary approach that has wide application across subject areas and throughout educational levels. Elizabeth Marsland CPA SHEA, from…Read more

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Concept maps in accounting education

Presentation by Toby York TACTYC Virtual Annual Conference on 15 May 2021 1. Background paper My presentation, in three parts, is based on a draft paper, The benefits of concept mapping in accounting education [PDF]. Part one: identifies some common problems with current accounting education practices, drawn chiefly from personal…Read more

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Accounting Cafe

Seminar: Deriving profit using a concept map

Toby York and Paul Jennings hosted a Zoom seminar on 20 May 2021 This was the third seminar in a series about using concept maps in accounting education. Session 1: Concept mapping in accounting education Session 2: The funding butterfly This approach emphasises the organisational structure of accounting knowledge, which…Read more

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Accounting Cafe

Seminar: The funding butterfly

Toby York and Paul Jennings hosted a Zoom seminar on 18 March 2021 Zoom cloud recording (34 minutes): Toby York demonstrates the “funding butterfly”, part of the Colour Accounting method, which he uses to introduce students to the accounting equation. Starts Content 00:00 Introduction 02:04 The BaSIS FrameworkTM 04:35 Where…Read more

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Accounting Cafe

PowerPoint design rules for educators

With the risk of sounding like the gun lobby, there’s nothing wrong with PowerPoint, only PowerPoint users. Like it or not, we’re in the communications business and our audiences know what good comunication looks and sounds like. Here are my rules for slide design. It is not lesson planning software…Read more

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Accounting Cafe

Games & simulations in accounting and finance education (GSAFE)

Aston Business School’s virtual conference takes place on 20 April 2021 The GSAFE virtual conference explores games, simulations and playful learning in accounting and finance education. The themes cover pedagogical techniques in learning, teaching practice and research. Plenary presentations: Professor Jordi Carenys (EADA Business School) Matt Davies (Aston University) Susan…Read more

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Accounting Cafe

Seminar: Concept mapping in accounting education

Toby York hosted a Zoom seminar on on 18 February 2021 Starts Content 00:00 Introduction 05:19 Module learning outcomes 06:60 The BaSIS Framework 10:45 Introducing accounting to students 14:27 Conversation 1: point of view 16:25 Conversation 2: the funding butterfly 27:32 Conversation 3: deriving profit 30:00 Materials and implementation 31:45…Read more

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Two towers of wooden blocks — one with blocks missing and the other solid and well built.

DEAD CLIC: it’s time to kill it off

Let’s be clear. Nobody learns the fundamentals of accounting by using DEAD CLIC. Mnemonics may have their place, but this isn’t one to keep. Let’s kill it off. A friend told me that when she was learning accounting, she dared to ask, “Why do debits increase both expenses and assets?”…Read more

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A concept map showing the five finacial statement elements and their relationships to each other

Why concept mapping is important

A version of this article was first published on LinkedIn on 30 July 2020. Concept maps are visual representations of information that show everything in a single view. They help students to create a clear mental model, which clarifies their thoughts and provides a shared language of understanding in a…Read more

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Accounting Cafe

Ask a stupid question

This article was first published on Linkedin on 4 July 2018. Last week I was in a meeting to plan a Jazz Mass at St Matthew’s Westminster next Autumn. During the conversation Ewan, the lead musician, assured us that the congregation would be able to sing along with the hymns…Read more

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