Engaging Diverse Students in Required Modules: My Discussion with an Accounting Professor
I recently had an enlightening conversation with my long-time colleague Dr. Sue Blackett, an Associate Professor of Accounting Education at Henley Business School. She faces consistent challenges teaching required accounting modules to broad cohorts of disinterested first-year business students. I invited Sue on my podcast to detail how she actively engages these large and diverse groups of students in subject matter considered dry and irrelevant by many.
Right off the bat, Sue outlined the main barriers she encounters. As accounting is compulsory for students pursuing other specializations like marketing or operations, there is an automatic disinclination towards it. Plus, the perception it requires math skills causes anxiety for those turned off by numbers. With no inherent interest and preconceived ability beliefs erecting obstacles, student engagement suffers from the start.
To counteract this, Sue and her team record their lectures as digestible 15-20 minute chunks students can revisit at their own pace. This self-regulated approach is more suitable than cramming content into one long classroom session. However, Sue then brings students together for applied workshops so they can practice using the concepts to solve problems. Alarmingly, attendance at these vital sessions tends to decline over the course of the term when the modular knowledge builds, causing a skills gap.
Sue utilizes active learning techniques so students demonstrate their understanding by collaborating to tackle mini case studies. But some expect shortcuts – avoiding the lecture videos and just being taught solutions in the workshops. Sue aims to cultivate psychological safety amongst the cohorts so they feel comfortable experimenting, even if it involves failing and trying again. This facilitates the deep learning required for topics like accounting.
We riffed on the importance of “chunking up” content to leave reflective space, preventing overloaded cognitive processing during marathon lectures. I also applauded Sue’s clever integration of intrinsic rewards like entertaining activities to motivate students. We discussed how the prevalent fixed mindsets and heightened time poverty of today’s digital native learners exacerbate engagement issues. I acknowledged the enduring debates around spoonfeeding students versus allowing them to explore and fail. Sue makes a case that a moderate level of scaffolding time management skills is entirely sensible.
My biggest takeaway was Sue stressing the need to start preparation early when facing a large multifaceted class. Carefully considering optimal resourcing and teachers is critical. Utilizing specialist instructors experienced with reaching a spectrum of abilities is hugely beneficial. Building in varied activities and assessments to capture different interests is also key. Above all, nurturing patience as an educator and meeting students where they are at is essential for successfully unlocking broad cohort potential.
This conversation with Sue reaffirmed that effecting widespread behavioral shifts to studiousness is unrealistic. Instead, we must embrace the diversity of modern students and mold our educational strategies accordingly. Her phronetic guidance will stay with me as I continue striving to maximize student engagement and outcomes across the board.
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