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4.5.3 Faculty and Course Evaluation
Many faculty are reluctant to attempt innovations in their teaching because change may result in poor teaching evaluations from students and/or administrators. We recognize the risk involved in change. Not every innovation will succeed and not every student will be happy with the changes suggested here. Yet it is clear that if accounting students are to be prepared to deal with the changes in the profession, accounting professors must risk making changes in accounting education.Faculty who plan to change their courses should consider meeting with relevant administrators to discuss their plans and reasons. Accounting faculty can point to the demands of the profession and marketplace as reasons for change. They may wish to negotiate support from the dean and/or a modified evaluation process to assess the changes being made. The issues statements of the AECC, particularly Statement No. 1, "AECC Urges Priority for Teaching in Higher Education," and No. 5, "Evaluating and Rewarding Effective Teaching," should be particularly helpful.
We recognize that many accounting faculty must use standard student evaluation forms in their classes. These forms probably will not adequately assess the kinds of learning goals we have been discussing here. Faculty may want to add their own section to the standard form, both to assess the effectiveness of their innovations and to remind students of the goals of the class. Faculty may also remind themselves that the best course is not always the most popular course. The ultimate evaluation of learning to learn as a goal of accounting education will be in the performance of accounting graduates who are lifelong independent learners with successful professional careers.