Sharpen Your Teaching Skills Sessions

Presented on Friday and Saturday at the meeting, sessions in this track will feature presentations by educators from across the country sharing valuable teaching tips that you can put to use immediately in your classes.

April 20, 2018

10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Session 1.01: Utilizing Practitioner Resources for FASB Updates
Moderator: Maureen K. Flores, Troy University
Panelist: Joann David, AICPA
This panel of academics and practitioners will discuss how curriculum materials, resources and tools from accounting firms and organizations may be utilized in the financial accounting courses to provide students with relevant content on current and emerging accounting topics.

1:45 pm - 3:25 pm
Session 2.01: Shaping the Learning Experience Utilizing Technology
Presenters: Markus Ahrens, St. Louis Community College-Meramec, Cathy J. Scott, Navarro College
Are you having difficulty keeping up with how quickly technology is changing? Do you feel that you already have too many topics to cover in your accounting course? This interactive session will examine where you and/or your campus are on the technology curve. Resources will be introduced which can help to successfully integrate technology into your classroom environment. Participants will be provided the opportunity to determine which technology resources can best facilitate meaningful learning in their courses, as well as fit with their teaching style.

3:55 pm - 5:35 pm
Session 3.01: Using a Competency-Based Learning Method in Managerial Accounting
Presenter: Brenda Mattison, Tri-County Technical College
The competency-based learning method requires students to demonstrate proficiency on each learning objective before moving forward. The presenter will show how she used publisher provided software to implement this method in her managerial accounting classes. She will also include data comparing the results from this method to more traditional methods. Attendees will learn about the competency-based learning method and leave the session with tips on how to implement this method within their courses.
Tackling Teaching Together
Presenter: Cynthia E. Bolt-Lee, The Citadel
This audience-centered session addresses some of the toughest questions faced by accounting educators. Topics discussed include: "How do you get your students to read their book?" "How should team participation be graded on group projects?" "How do you incorporate topics such as big data/cyber-security/ethics/leadership in your classroom?" "When grades are lower than usual, what do you do?" "What are top tips to reduce grading and preparation time?" "How do you ensure the depth and breadth of a topic is covered given limited class time?" "How do you leverage online resources such as your LMS in a face-to-face classroom?"

April 21, 2018

9:05 am - 10:45 am
Session 4.01: Supplemental Instruction: Making A Mark on Principles of Accounting
Presenters: Diania McRae, Ronald D. Parker, Western Carolina University
It seems across many college campuses the first accounting class is one of the classes with the lowest success rate. In an attempt to alter the perception and increase success while maintaining quality, the coordinator of the Principles of Financial Accounting course at Western Carolina University began to utilize a modified supplemental instruction model for the course. Many have used supplemental instruction in tough courses like math to improve success but it is not something often heard of in accounting. Can this model be used in accounting? The session will detail how the model works at Western Carolina University, who is involved, and review the data from three semesters to see if there is a correlation to the success rate in the course and the implementation of a modified supplemental instruction model.

11:15 am - 12:30 pm
Session 5.01: Keeping AIS Current
Moderator: Tara H. Saracina, Claflin University
Panelists:
Emma E. Cole, Troy University
Earl H. Godfrey, Gardner-Webb University
Sandra Mankins, Gardner-Webb University
Amy A. Williams, Bethune-Cookman University
With the changing nature of technology and the increasing expectations on accounting professional, academics are faced with tough questions. What knowledge and skills are necessary to meet talent demands? What is the best way to equip students with the technology skills necessary to meet the demands? How may case, studies, assignments, and traditional textbooks be used to support experimental learning in AIS courses? What development opportunities are available to ensure that faculty attain the relevant expertise needed to teach these skills? This panel of AIS instructors from throughout the Southeast region will discuss these questions and more.