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Learn how to incorporate engaging and interactive live class sessions in online accounting courses. Experience the benefits of virtual classroom technology and participate in live chats that mimic an onsite classroom experience.
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Synchronous (Live) Class Sessions in Online Accounting Classes Dr. Connie Fajardo Professor and Program Lead for Bachelor of Science in Accountancy National University, California, USA cfajardo@nu.edu
Want to have an engaging and interactive live class sessions in cyberspace? Come and see how this is done. Teaching and learning in the confines of your own room, but feel like you are in an actual onsite classroom!
Poster Session Objective • This poster session will focus on the incorporation of synchronous (live) chat sessions in online accounting courses. The technology allows application sharing whereby instructors can show on their computer screens virtually any software application including Power Point Presentations, Word documents, and Excel spread sheets. Both instructors and the students should have a combination of head sets and microphones.
The Process • These live class sessions can be scheduled once or twice a week lasting for one and one half (1 & ½ hours) to two (2) hours. Enrolled students from all around the world can participate in learning chats that mimics onsite classroom experience. The sessions are recorded and students can playback in case they were unable to participate in a particular session.
Theoretical Construct • Andragogy is the art and science of helping adults learn (Knowles, 1970). It focuses on the characteristics of adult learners and a set of assumptions for most effectively teaching adults: self-concept, experience, readiness to learn, orientation to learning, and motivation. Adult learners need to be self-motivated and to be active participants in their own learning.
Continuation • Kearsley (2000) in his Engagement Theory posits that the learner must be actively engaged in a meaningful task to achieve effective learning. It states that all learning must have three important characteristics: (1) collaboration or the interaction among students, teachers, and subject-matter experts via e-mail, discussion forums, and conferencing, (2) problem-based, which means that all student activities involve completing assignments or projects rather than just taking tests or exams, and (3) authenticity where all course materials and activities are realistic and directly related to the student’s interests.
Instructions for Live Online Sessions • The chats will be learning chats, not just chats without any direction or desired outcomes. Chats are conducted similar to class recitations in on-ground classes. I will call on a student to respond and only that student must respond. In this manner, the other members of the class can focus on the response of a particular student. Please prepare your answers in advance to chat exercises, cases & problems to maximize your learning. Complete solutions for chats will be posted in the WEEK area. So far, in my experience, this is the best way to give all of you a chance to participate in an orderly and organized way resulting in more efficient and productive live class sessions.
Continuation • Once you have the combination headset/microphone (Stereo USB Headset 250-highly recommended), you should log on to www.myonlinelogin.com. Your Login ID is your 9-digit Student ID number. You will need to insert two zeroes in front of the 7-digit number you have been using in the past. Your password (until you change it) is: “national” in lower case.
Continuation • There will be eight (8) Live Chat sessions for this course. Students are expected to participate in all chats and will be graded based on the quality of your responses(0-10). Be sure to look at the Chat schedule to determine what exercises or problem will be discussed in the chat. Bring your book and a calculator. Read and solve the assigned case or problem before you get to the chat so that you are ready to participate and the chat will work out effectively and efficiently. Unnecessary distracting remarks are not welcome, since those will waste time and prevent students from comprehending the topic being discussed. Please do not type on thetext box unless you have no microphone to maintain the class concentration on the chat.
Continuation • For unavoidable circumstances, which you have to communicate with me in advance, you can make-up the missed chats (the day before the chat by submitting solutions to the chat assignment or the day after the chat by preparing a one page comprehensive summary of the chat discussions (One to two pages, Single spaced, 12 font New Times Roman). Please e-mail to me and label it as a make-up chat and please save your file with your name and chat no. being made up. e.g. “FAJARDO. ACC 612M Make-up CHAT 1”. There will be no point (zero point) for make-up if submitted beyond those dates.
Conclusions • Engaging students in synchronous (live) class sessions provides more opportunity for students to be actively engaged in the learning process and facilitates their successful completion of online courses. Students demonstrate more positive attitude and higher level of performance when online classes are highly interactive. Active learning, as opposed to passive learning, has become a key concept in the online classroom.
Continuation • As more universities incorporate live class sessions into their online courses, students who, because of location or commitments at work or at home, are unable to attend on-campus classes, will have available in their online courses a learning environment that is comparable to the traditional face-to-face classroom experience.
