Good Practices in Accounting Education: Classroom Configuration and Technological Tools for Enhancing the Learning Environment

This article explores how classroom configuration and instructional technologies (IT) can be used to leverage good practices in accounting education and improve core competencies of undergraduate students. The Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, (Chickering and Gamson 1987, AAHE Bulletin, 39(7), pp. 3-7.) and the AICPA core competencies provide a framework to rethink educational practices in accounting and to evaluate the benefits of classroom configuration and IT within accounting curricula and pedagogy. Benefits of the enhanced classroom design and IT were assessed through a three-part student survey conducted at the end of semester coursework. Overall, students reported that classroom configuration and technology leverage certain of the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Higher Education, such as 'cooperation among students' and 'respect for diverse talents and ways of learning,' and enhance the development of core competencies identified for accounting education, including communication skills, decision-making skills, and social and teamwork skills.