partnering accounting students with professionals
TRANSCRIPT
“Partnering Accounting Students with Professionals: A Project for Increasing Student Success in the Real-World”
Allison S. Ambrose, Ph.D.Best of the Regions CompetitionACBSP Annual MeetingPhiladelphia, PAJune 13, 2015
Objective of this Presentation
• To demonstrate how a class project can meet a variety of institutional, educational and ACBSP objectives
AGENDA:1. Explain the objectives met by this class project
2. Explain the parameters of the class project
3. Explain the outcomes of the class project
4. Explain further details of the class project
5. Question and Answer
ACBSP THEME: Partnering with Business for Student Success—Integrating the Classroom into the Board Room.“The theme is centered on creating a ‘Global Market Classroom’ which is simply the integration of classroom with entrepreneurial activities to create a student ready for success in the business world. The ‘Global’ represents the community beyond the classroom which can be local, national, or international arena while ‘Market means the exchange of ideas’” (ACBSP Call for Proposals, 2014)@ACBSPAccredited
#ACBSP2015
MY CLASS PROJECT
•An Entrepreneurial Activity•Meets a Variety of OBJECTIVES!
OBJECTIVES – ACBSP Theme“Partnering with Business for Student Success – Integrating the Classroom into the Board Room”
•Creates a student ready for success in the business world
• Integrates a community beyond the classroom • Exchange of ideas occurs between students and a
national arena of alumni and friends
OBJECTIVES – Higher Education and Business Education
• Paradigm Shift in College Career Services• “an integrated model of customized connections and
communities that extends the responsibility of college employability beyond the walls of career centers” (Dey & Cruzvergara, 2014)
• Business Education’s Lack of Relevance (Bennis & O’Toole, 2005; Pfeffer & Fong, 2004)
• Integrates experiential knowledge and academic knowledge (Augier & March, 2007; Xie & Stenier, 2013)
• Links students with business professionals (Phillips & Phillips, 2002)
OBJECTIVES – St. Ambrose University
• Strategic Initiative #7 – Strengthen Collaborations• Integrative Learning: “takes place in the dynamic intersections across
disciplines, between curricular and co-curricular activities, and between campus and community life, in order to encourage students to recognize and reflect on connections among personal values, classroom learning, and experiential engagement. From forging connections among ideas and experiences, to applying knowledge to new and complex situations, integrative learning prepares students to meet the challenges of personal, professional, and civic life.
• Writing Across the Curriculum • WAC encourages our faculty to use writing in their classrooms to promote
deeper content learning and to foster stronger writing competence in our students. WI in the major helps the student engage more fully with the course content. Additionally, the recursive nature of the writing, with both peer and instructor response, helps the student writer recognize how to write for a wider audience as a professional in the field. WI courses balance the quantity of writing with attention to the continual process of writing to enhance student learning.
OBJECTIVES – College of Business
• Strategic Issue:• #1 Facilitate Transformational Learning and Development• Strategic Intent (1 of 3): Students will have outstanding
educational experiences across all levels and programs in the College of Business.
• #4 Connect Education and Service with the World of Practice • Strategic Intent (1 of 5): Undergraduate students will
have significant exposure to business professionals who provide practical perspectives as a regular part of their course experience.
OBJECTIVES – Accounting Majors
• Non-technical Skills– a call for better non-technical skills (AECC, 1990; AICPA, 2011)
• Grant Thornton Study: Soft skills (communication, critical thinking and problem solving ability) are the biggest challenge in hiring accounting professionals. (Grant Thornton, 2010)
• THE REAL- WORLD IS NOT A TEXTBOOK PROBLEM!
The PROJECT: Professional Interaction
• Intermediate Accounting (Juniors and Seniors)• Professional Partners• Alumni and Friends• Variety of Accounting Professionals
• Multi-phased• Email Correspondence• Partner Comparisons• Reflection Paper
Email Correspondence: Real-World Exposure; Professional Connections; Writing• Written Communication:
• Remember, as you write your emails, you will be MAKING AN IMPRESSION on your partner. Your email descriptions (these should be 3-4 sentences, at least!) should be clear and use correct grammar, punctuation (this is not Texting prose!), etc. If you would like me to proof you emails before you hit send, I would be happy to do so!
• Structured• Odd Weeks---set questions• Even Weeks --Take this week to interact by asking a follow up
question to something you learned from your partner in last week’s response.
Email Correspondence: Examples
• Week 3 -- Describe some of the things you are learning in your accounting classes, how you think you might be able to use these things on a job and lead into the question: • What is the most “textbook” thing you do at your job?
• Week 7 -- Describe some of the other things you are learning in your classes/have learned while at St. Ambrose and the value that you see in these things to your future work life and lead into the question:• What is a skill that you use at work that you never
thought you would need?
Partner Comparisons: More exposure; More writing
• Students /Professional partners paired together• Types of partners vary
• Partner Comparison Responses (2) – • You will be given class time to work with your student partner,
so that you can discuss and compare the differences between the email responses you have received.
• You (as a pair) are to prepare a 2 page paper that compares and contrasts the responses, particularly focusing on tasks and responsibilities based on job type and longevity.
• Please include specific quotes from your emails received to support your comparison (this will also provide me with evidence that the interactions are occurring!)
Reflection Paper: Assessment; More writing
• Paper is to address:
• What surprised you about what you learned about the “world of work?”• How do you think your accounting education will allow you to be a
successful professional?• How do you think the liberal arts education you are getting at St.
Ambrose will allow you to be a successful professional?• Compare/contrast what you learned about the duties and responsibilities
between a newer employee and a more seasoned employee• Address whether this exercise has confirmed or changed your careers
goals. How so?• Address something in particular that you learned that made the most
impact on you (What was the biggest “take away”, so to speak)• Overall, address the meaningfulness of this activity.
Outcomes: ACBSP Theme
• Student Readiness for Success:• Clarified expectations
• “The most interesting thing that I have learned so far is how different school is from professional work.”
• “It was interesting that he does a lot of different accounting work, but also works with different departments to come up with quotes and things of that nature. So, while he is a cost analyst, his job duties require him to go outside of accounting which I found very interesting.”
• Career Advice• “He gave me a lot of advice from personal experiences such as
taking on the tasks that nobody else wants to do, always try to do more and better yourself, etc. I can take many of his examples of success and translate them to my career which will be starting and see
if I can have the same success.”
Outcomes: ACBSP Theme
• Student Readiness for Success:• Confidence
• “It was helpful and encouraging to hear that he has support from co-workers and people above him that he can go to for help”
• “My partner said in order to be successful in the workplace you must not be afraid to ask questions”
• “The one thing I got from talking to my professional that surprised me the most is that as underprepared as I feel, I will be okay and I truly believe that. She informed me that it is absolutely normal to feel that way. Although we have taken classes for four years, nothing will 100% prepare us to be in the work force. Things will be rough and confusing at first, but our undergraduate education has given use what we need
to get through the initial roughness”
Outcomes: Connections (ACBSP, Higher Education and College of Business)
• A Community Beyond the Classroom• “The best part of my partner interaction was that he
worked for XXX Firm while I was interviewing with XXX Firm. He was able to reach out to the partner in the Davenport office and give me some advice on what I could do better in the future.”
• Connections Beyond the Walls of the Career Center• Alumni Relations• Extended to New Student Seminar; Utilizing
BeeConnections resource
Outcomes: Business Education
• Lack of Relevance; Experiential Learning (Kolb, 1984)
• “For me this project allowed me to ask questions about material in class and how much it is actually used in the professional setting.”• “It was very interesting to see how the stuff we were
learning in class was being used in the real world.”• “She mentioned that though the theory of accounting
was taught well at St. Ambrose, it is sometimes difficult to see how it plays into practice.”• “ [My Education] has given me a base of knowledge as
well as tools I can refer back to”
Outcomes: St. Ambrose University
• Integrative Learning/ Value of Reflection (Schon, 1983)
• encourage students to recognize and reflect on connections among personal values, classroom learning, and experiential engagement
“My partner made me realize that if someone really cares about their job and their company, and goes beyond doing the requirements and tries to advance themselves as well as helping the company, then I think that person will go a lot further in life and with their career”
• prepares students to meet the challenges of personal, professional, and civic life.
“My partner helped me realize that my formal education is only meant to serve as a basis of knowledge that I will build on after I enter the working world. Such a reality is empowering and provided me with a much needed boost of confidence. Whereas before I felt inferior because I can’t always and easily recall all accounting concepts that I’ve learned on demand. This realization is, by far, the most potent and useful piece of knowledge that I’ve gained from this experience”
Outcomes: St. Ambrose University
• Writing• Weekly Emails: students writing to a professional
audience as a professional in the field• Partner Comparison Papers: discussing interactions
with another student helps the student engage more fully with the course content (Wenger, 1998)
• Reflection paper: by reflecting on the overall experience, student learning is enhanced (Schon, 1983)
• Reflection paper: Rubric Results on writing showed paper mechanics and organization to be at the accomplished level
Outcomes: Accounting
• Non-Technical Skills• Student interaction allows them to enhance their
communication skills • “Overall, the meaningfulness of this activity to me was
being able to work on my communication skills and to help me get an idea of what the work force is like”
• In addition, students realized the value of non-technical skills• “Additionally one piece of information that I learned was
jut how crucial public speaking is in the accounting profession”
• “I was always surprised at the ability he had at looking at the company as a whole and how what he did affected it. I realized that the big picture is always important.”
Outcomes: Transformational Learning
• The Real-World is NOT at Textbook Problem!• “He stressed how the correct action to a problem can be
unclear and based on incomplete information. Therefore, one must rely on personal judgment to determine the best way to handle it. Many tasks cannot simply be done by the book like the textbook portrays.”
• “She also went on to elaborate that not everything had a “textbook” answer. That is, there were different procedures that went with different situations and heavy research is often involved when deciding on a certain accounting treatment.”
• Impact – “Lastly and most importantly, I can see how my education now is going to help me conquer
any difficulties that arise”
ACBSP Standards
• Standard 2: Strategic Planning – carrying out strategy • Aligns to key plan performance requirements• Innovation and creativity
• Standard 3: Student and Stakeholder Focus• Enhances relationships with stakeholders (alumni and
business community)
• Standard 4: Student Learning and Performance• Addresses Learning Outcome: Effectively present
information, both in writing and orally• Assessment too!
Logistics
• Finding the partners• What to do when partners don’t respond?• Student expectations on partner relationships• Are students sending the emails?• Assessment
•“The accounting world is always changing with new regulations, statements and procedures. It is essential to have the ability to learn, understand and apply new information or methods”
THANK YOU!
For further information, CONTACT:
Allison Ambrose, PhD; Accounting Professor and Associate Dean, College of Business, St. Ambrose University
Sources
• American Education Change commission (AECC). (1990). Objectives of education for accountants: Position statement number one. Issues in Accounting Education, (Fall): 307-312.
• American Institute of Public Accountants. (2011) CPA Horizons 2025 Report. http://www.aicpa.org/Research/CPAHorizons2025/DownloadableDocuments/cpa-horizons-report-web.pdf
• Augier, M., & March, J.G. (2007). The pursuit of relevance in management education. California Management Review, 49(3), 129-146.
• Bennis, W.G. & O’Toole, J. (2005). How business schools lost their way. Harvard Business Review, May, 96-104.
• Dey, F. & Cruzvergara, C.Y. (2014, July). 10 future trends in college career services, LinkedIn Pulse
• Grant Thornton. (2010). The Evolving Accounting Talent Profile: CFO Strategies for Attracting, Training and Retaining Accounting Professionals. http://www.grantthornton.com/staticfiles/GTCom/Grant%20Thornton%20Thinking/Whitepapers/Accounting%20talent%20WP/Accounting%20talent%20-%20FINAL.pdf
Sources (cont).
• Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
• Pfeffer, J. & Fong, C. (2004). The business school “business”: Some lessons from the US experience. Journal of Management Studies, 41(8), 1501-1518.
• Phillips, C.R. & Phillips. A.S. (2002). Helping business students bridge the gap with the real world. Proceedings of the Academy of Education Leadership, 7(1), 65-68.
• Schon, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books.
• Wenger, e. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Xie, C. & Steiner, S.D. (2013). Enhancing management education relevance: Joint creation of knowledge between business schools and business. Business Education and Accreditation, 5(2), 1-15.