American Accounting Association 2006 Midwest Region Meeting March 30 – April 1 Chicago, Illinois

Friday, March 31, 2:00 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.
Concurrent session 3D - Core Competency (Teaching and Curriculum)

Title: An Active Learning Exercise and the AICPA Core Competency Framework Survey

Judith A. Sage University of Illinois at Springfield

Lloyd G. Sage University of Illinois at Springfield

ABSTRACT: This paper examines an active learning exercise (financial statement analysis case) used in intermediate accounting, which incorporated more than one-half of the competencies (elements) recommended in the AICPA Core Competency Framework for Entry into the Accounting Profession [Framework] (1999). With as little as two hours of class time, the exercise (Case) exposed the students to elements of all three categories of the Framework (functional, personal, and broad business perspective). This Case gave the students an opportunity to experience teamwork, prepare written reports, make oral presentations, and evaluate other students. The results of Exam II (before the Case) and the Final Exam (after the Case) were used to measure the effectiveness of this active learning exercise technique. There was a significant difference of p = .01 between the mean scores on Exam II and on the Final Exam. Also, the students’ perception of the core competencies that they believed were accomplished were obtained by a survey and analyzed. The students ranked on the survey 76.92% of the expected elements as either strongly agree or agree. In addition, the project permitted the students to (1) be active participants in the learning process; (2) use actual company figures in analyzing and interpreting financial data; and (3) locate, obtain, and organize information as recommended by the Accounting Education Change Commission (1990).

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