The Accounting Educator

The Newsletter of the Teaching and Curriculum Section
American Accounting Association

Vol. X No. 4 - Summer 2001

Committee Reports

2000-2001 Curriculum Development Committee
Hartwell C. Herring III, Chair, Utica College of Syracuse University, Co-chair
Barry J. Bryan, The University of Mississippi, Co-chair

The charge of the committee for the academic year 2000-2001 was to develop a framework for classification of curriculum development research. The amount of accounting curriculum development currently taking place in both the United States and worldwide is probably at an unprecedented high, certainly as compared with any period of time in the last fifty years. The committee felt that a framework for classification of curriculum development research would be useful for both individuals and groups interested in this subject, whether their goals were to do research in the area or to change the curriculum at their institution.

Curricula change can be classified into four sequentially occurring stages. The time required for these stages to occur has no set agenda. In the case of accounting, there is a clear conflict between the need for results and the time required for orderly change. These four stages are:

  1. Identification of a need for change.
  2. Research to specify actions and processes.
  3. Research identifying ways of accomplishing actions and processes.
  4. Development and production of pedagogy which allows widespread application of the research results.

Editor's note: The full report explores each of these stages with appropriate reference to the literature and will be presented at the T&C Section Business Meeting in Atlanta. The full report, with citations, will be available after the Annual Meeting on the T&C Website.

Committees for 2001-2002

Bill Schwartz, Chair 2001-2002, has announced the formation of the following committees for the upcoming year:

Shared Experiences Committee
Chair, Paul Solomon-retired
Charge: To identify eminent senior faculty (retired or still serving) in each region who will share their professional insights with others and to conduct sessions at the AAA Regional meetings so these individuals can share their experiences and wisdom with their colleagues.
1. Mike Bitter, Stetson University
2. Mary Fischer, University of Texas - Tyler
3. Jerry Weinstein, John Carroll University
Additional volunteers are needed.

Membership Acquisition and Retention Committee
Chair, Nancy Foran-University of Michigan-Dearborn
Charge: Make recommendations to the T&C Executive Committee about ways to encourage individuals to join the Section and to remain in the Section. This Committee will work closely with the Chair and Vice Chair-Academic.
1. Roberta Cable, Pace University
2. George Klersey, Birmingham Southern University Additional volunteers are needed.

Introductory Accounting Committee
Chair, Lynn Mazzola - Nassau Community College
Charge: Monitor activities in the introductory accounting sequence. Specifically, 1. develop a survey for the introductory accounting sequence at all accounting programs concentrating on distance learning, 2. Follow up the survey with an in-depth examination of targeted institutions, 3. Disseminate information to Section members, 4. Provide the Executive Committee reports on the committee's activities.
1. Steve Adams, Cal State-Chico
2. Elsie Ameen, Sam Houston State University
3. Debra Kerby, Truman State University
4. Jerry Kreuze, Western Michigan University
5. Paul Mihalek, University of Hartford
6. Sakthi Mahenthiran, Butler University

Service Learning Committee
Chair, Alfred Michenzi-Loyola College in Maryland
Charge: Seek to identify "best practices" by contacting accounting administrators and asking if they have an entire course or courses with a service learning component and the name(s) of pertinent instructors. Committee members will interview these individuals. They may continue their efforts from last year 1) locating web sites, articles, journals and other media that focus on service learning, and 2) developing lists of resources and organizing them for the T&C website.
1. Dorothy Feldmann - Bentley College
2. Linda Malgeri - Kennesaw State University

PreMeeting Seminar Committee
Chairs, Julia Karcher, University of Louisville and Richard Ott, Kansas State University
Charge: To recommend to the Executive Committee a Teaching and Curriculum Section program to be offered immediately prior to the AAA Annual Meeting during the time continuing education programs are run. The Program will be made available to Section members at a very nominal fee.
1. Dan Deines, Kansas State University
2. Jessica Frazier, Eastern Kentucky University
3. Darrell Walden, University of Richmond

Research in Accounting Education Committee
Chair, Dennis Bline-Bryant College
1. Michael Brown, Abilene Christian University
2. Leslee Higgins, Georgia Southern
3. Susan Koch, Austin Peay University
4. Arthar Murtuza, Seton Hall University
5. Timothy Rupert, Northeastern University
6. Loren Wenzel, Marshall University

Assessment Committee
Chairs, Tom Calderon, University of Akron and Brian Green, University of Michigan, Dearborn
Charge: Identify "best practices" and make them available to section members.
1. Paul Bayes, East Tennessee State University
2. Leslie Kren, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
3. Mark Mitschow, SUNY-Geneseo
4. Lynda Murray-Jackson, Delaware State University
5. Terry Ward, Middle Tennesee State University

Pedagogy Committee
Chair, Susan Wolcott. Wolcott/Lynch Associates
Charge: Survey accounting administrators to determine how their accounting units have considered the AICPA Core Competencies in developing their pedagogical approaches to their classroom instruction. Based on the initial survey contact individuals for in-depth discussions of their approaches to determine some best practices and make them available to section members.
1. Barry Bryan, University of Mississippi
2. Jane Campbell, Kennesaw State University
3. Araya Debessay, University of Delaware
4. Patricia Essex, University of Texas at El Paso
5. Mary Harston, St. Mary's College in Texas
6. Sandra Kramer, University of Florida

Innovations in Accounting Education Committee
Chair, Catherine Usoff-Bentley College
Charge: Select several courses and contact accounting administrators to identify who are using innovative practices. Accumulate information from these individuals, pertinent materials, syllabi etc. and make them available to section members.
1. D'Arcy Becker, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
2. Larry Crumbley, Louisiana State University
3. Donna Dietz, North Dakota State University
4. Bart Hartman, St. Joseph's University
5. Carol Normand, Eastern Illinois University
6. Mark Rubin, Miami University


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