Good vs. Bad Online Content for Learning

Good vs. Bad Online Content for Learning Continuing Professional Education Session American Accounting Association Atlanta, Georgia August 11, 2001

“Creating and Teaching Accounting Courses in an On-line Environment”Robert J. WalshMarist CollegeSchool of ManagementPoughkeepsie, NY 12601

These transparencies are available at: www.academic.marist.edu/faculty/walsh

Overview of Typical Features in On-line Course 1) Lecture Notes 2) Problems/Examples 3) Email 4) Electronic Bulletin Board 5) Testing Devices 6) Chat Sessions

Difficult versus Really Difficult Lecture notes, problems, testing are difficult Chat sessions and bulletin boards are really difficult

Difficult….. Lecture notes - write it once, then again, then again… Give numerous examples, each building upon one another There are NO dumb looks

More on Lecture notes -- Instructors almost never cover the entire textbook, so be VERY explicit on what should be read and understood and what should not be in each chapter. Typically this can be put in the syllabus, and then reinforced by use of a weekly email and/or electronic calendar.- Point out what problems should be done and understood well, and what definitions should be memorized and applied, versus just memorized.

How do you answer the student that says “I want to do more problems at the back of each chapter?”- If at all possible, select a textbook with an solutions manual (or a partial solutions manual) which can be accessed electronic - OR - scan the answers into a web page - OR - be prepared for a much more difficult job teaching on-line.

More Difficult…. • Testing - • How often? • How do I know that the student is “really” the student? • Should I have the students do computations (fractions,etc.)? Are they required to show their work? • How much should I resort to multiple choice testing?

Now for Really Difficult… Course Communication - Particularly Between Students …and if you ask students after taking an on-line course: “what is the one thing that you missed from a regular on-campus course?” ….classroom interaction, particularly with other students

Drawbacks for Instructor • The course takes more time than a course on-campus, and any additional features in the communication part of the course take even more time. • The course may have more students than a course on-campus. • The instructor may not feel comfortable using computers, or the Internet, or communcating on-line.

Drawbacks for Students(same as on-campus, almost!) • Some students may be shy. • Others may say too much. • Some students may be non-native English speakers and/or writers. • Others may not be assertive enough to break into discussions. • Some may think they do not have anything important to say.

Communication Skills 1) Cited as important, even in the introductory accounting courses, and may become even more critical in an evolving business environment; 2) Builds critical thinking skills; 3) Knowledge of accounting is unimportant if the individual is unable to communicate this knowledge.

Communication in the On-line Course • Important socially - students miss the on-campus interaction • Important instructionally - students need to learn to synthesize and communicate answers to others.

Students and Instructors • For students, begin with a set of ground rules for students, which is particularly useful for those students who have not previously experienced an on-line course. • For the instructor, begin thinking about the ways in which you want to use the communication tools • how much focus do I want students to have? • what goals should they have? • what is my role?

Create Ground Rules for Students • Not a writing exercise - it is a dialogue. • Elaboration on only one or two ideas in a single bulletin board posting or “chat lines.” • Make sure students think first, especially before posting to the bulletin board. • Require students to check back to bulletin boards with 24/48 hours.

What are Some Broad Considerations for On-line Instructor to Remember? • Focus - it is more difficult to bring a chat session, and particularly a stream of bulletin board posting, back into focus. • Consider the design of the question - what are the possible answers? • Consider the possibility of other student responses. • Consider dividing one question in two or three different questions.

Another Broad Consideration • Goals- what do you want the student or students to learn from this chat session or stream of bulletin board postings? • Knowledge? • Analysis? • Application? • Synthesis?

Other thought • Instructors’ Role - how often do you, as the instructor, want to post comments and feedback? • Often? Perhaps the students will feel “overly monitored”… and also, remember students like and miss the student-to-student interaction in a on-campus course. • Seldom? How much learning will really take place?

Specific examples for chat session use • Make participation required. • Student led chat session on some topic with the instructor functioning only as a moderator. • Restricting conversation to only one topical area.

Exhibit 1: Example of making participation required in the on-line chat sessionInstructor>>ok, suppose I set up a corporation by contribution $10,000cash to the company. What is the journal entry?Student 1>>DR Cash $10k, CR Owners Equity $10kInstructor>>correctInstructor>>Now on a balance sheet, under assets, I would have$10,000(for cash) and under liabilties and owner's equity or capital,I would have $0 liabilities and $10,000 of capital (so assets =liabilities + owner's equity)Instructor>>ok, next, student 2. Suppose I provide a service and received $5000 cash for it. What is the journal entry?Student 2>>DR Cash $5k; CR Service Revenue $5kInstructor>>correctInstructor>>ok, next, Student 3, suppose I pay an employee $500 cash in wages for work he provides to me. What is the journal entry?Student 3>>DR Salary Expenses $500 CR Cash $500Instructor>>correct

Using leader 1, leader 2 and student 8, student 9 and student 10 and the instructorLeader 1>>ok, any questions tonight?Student 8>>How important is it that we know the j/e’s for jobcosting?Leader 1>>for job order costing?Student 8>>yesStudent 8>>I understand the concepts but I fear I will neverremember the flow ...Instructor>>there is one important problem -- I had the solutionoptically scanned at the bottom of the lecture notes for chapter 20. If you know that, you should be ok as a start.Leader 1>>i think it is important to understand that the cost neverget expensed until the inventory product is actually soldLeader 2>>so by moving raw materials into work in processLeader 2>>or wip into finished goods, you are merely switching an asset for an assetLeader 2>>only when you sell the inventory -- DR-- COGS, CR-- Finished Goods, and that is when we recognize an expenseStudent 9>>the j/e's DR - WIP CR - Manufacturing O/H doesn't recognize an expense as the item is made?Leader 1>>no -- WIP is an asset (a type of inventory)Instructor>>Remember when you paid your factory employees, previously you would DR--Wage Expense, Cr-- Cash -- but now you DR-- Manufacturing Overhead and Cr—Cash where MOH is again a type of asset that gets put into inventory

Exhibit 3: Example of instruction restricted to only one topical areaHere is a chat session with the instructor and students 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The discussion is restricted only to the computation of depreciation methods. Notice that some students (3,4 and 5) wish to ask questions in other topical areas. By focusing the discussion on only one area, however, students are able to answer the instructors’ questions more easily.Instructor>>As an example, let's say we buy a truck for $30,000, with a 5 year useful life and a $5000 salvage value. What is sl in first year?Student 1>>$5kInstructor>>ok, $5000 is correct. what about ddb for year 1?Student 1>>.40X30kInstructor>>($30,000)* 1/5 * 2 = $12,000Student 2>>$10k Student 2>>Oh, I forgot that ddb uses the whole amountStudent 3>>Why do I want to capitalize interest expense? Doesn'tit overstate my assets and owner's equity?Student 4>>the expense would be less so net income would be higher

Specific examples for bulletin board session • (Warning - Incorrect usage - one or two answers - which is VERY common in accounting courses.) • Asking students to provide answers to specific questions looking up different web sites. • Having “master students” monitoring different forums.

Other specific examples • Asking students to integrate real-life business experiences into accounting concepts. • Having students posted questions from the examination, and other students answer their questions.

Exhibit 4: Example of incorrect usage of electronic bulletin board posting • Instructor – Question on depreciation. • “Suppose your company purchased a truck on January 1, 2000 for $30,000. It has a 5-year useful life and no salvage value. How much depreciation expense does the company recognize on December 31, 2000 (at the end of year one) assuming straight-line depreciation?” • Student 1- $6,000 • Student 2 - $6,000 • Student 3- $6,000 • Student 4 - $6,000 • Student 5- $6,000 • Student 6 - $6,000 • Student 7- $6,000 • Student 8- $6,000

Exhibit 5: Asking students to provide examples of companies using specific rule in accounting (and providing URLs) • Instructor – Project 3 for students 8, 9 and 10. • “Go to a website of a hotel chain (Hilton, Holiday Inn, etc.) Review their income statement for cost of goods sold and report what you found. Then, go to financial statement footnotes. Tell me what types of inventory items they listed and the method of inventory used. As always, do not use the same company as a previous poster. Also, other students will receive one credit for making constructive comments about your postings.” • Student 8- Hilton Hotels. • “Hilton Hotels (at www.hilton.com) does not report cost of goods sold directly. I went to their footnotes (footnote 1) and it is reported that cost of goods sold was $63 million. It does not say in the footnotes what this is for, but I think it is for things like towels, pillows, soap, furniture, etc.” • Student 23 – Comment to Student 8, Hilton Hotels • “Hilton Hotels cost of goods sold can only be for things that they intend for resale, like stuff in the gift shop or food.” • Instructor – Comment to Student 23 • “That is correct, student 23. One credit for you.” • Student 28 – Comment to Student 8, Hilton Hotels • “Student 8 probably swipes the towels and pillows from Hilton. So in fact it is a cost of goods sold to Hilton Hotel.”

Exhibit 6: Example of master student group using the topic of responsibility accounting (note that some responses have been shortened by the authors) • Instructor – Question for master students group for week 8 • “Go to the annual report for 1999 for Ford Motor Company at their web site of www.ford.com. Discuss the presentation of Ford’s operating results by each division. Label each division as a responsibility center of revenue, cost, profit or investment. Then take questions as other students might present.” • Master Student Group for week 8 – Answer to instructor’s initial question • “Ford Motor Credit Corporation is a revenue center. The annual report reports only revenue for that division. Its Hertz division is a profit center……….” • Student 13- Question for Master Student Group for week 8 • “I think FMCC should have been reported as an investment center…..What do you think?” • Master Student Group for week 8 – Answer to Student 13 • “We don’t think so. FMCC had no control over the level of investment they receive from their parent, Ford Motor Company….” • Instructor – Reply to MSG 8/ Student 13 • “I don’t think we really know that – discretion over level of investment, through just reading the annual report, do we? Can anyone else in the class find this information for certain?”

Exhibit 7: Example of integration students’ real-life business experiences into instructor’s questions • Instructor – Question for Students 1, 2, and 3 • “Ok, students 1, 2 and 3. I would like you each to provide an example of internal control at your place of work.” • Student 1- SAP R/3 • “We use SAP R/3 at work. It is password protected and I can only use certain components of the system.” • Student 24 – Comment to Student 1 • “We use SAP R/3 too, but anybody can logon to anyone else’s site.” • Instructor – Open question to students on Student 24 comments • “Does anyone else have this problem at work (with any computer system.) Does anyone see any problem with this? List a few of the problems…..” • Student 2 – Magnetic cards. • “At the place I work at, everyone wears a magnetic coded ID card. And certain areas of the building can only be accessed with people scanning entrance doors to these areas.” • Student 3- Verification of receipt of inventory • “My business authorizes only certain individuals to sign in for receipt of inventory items.”

Exhibit 8: Student interaction on the electronic bulletin board by providing correct explanations to graded examination answers • Student 1- M/C question #17 • “For question 17, I answered c. The problem wanted to know the 12/31 adjusting entry for prepaid insurance, 1-year policy, purchased on June 1 for $1200. I figured expense would be $700, so answer c.” • Student 2- Correct answer to #17 • “The expense is $700, but answer c is crediting expense, not debiting it. Therefore, the answer is e (none of the above.)” • Student 3 – Correct answer to #17 • “I took the same one… stupid mistakes kill me…” • Student 4- Question #26 • “ For question 26, I took “b.” For double declining balance, I thought you would take asset’s purchase price and subtract salvage value and divide by the years of the asset’s useful life then times it by 2.” • Student 5 —Correct answer to #26 • “For double declining balance, you do not subtract salvage value – only the previously taken depreciation. In this case, there was no depreciation previously taken since the asset was just purchased.”

Some other examples for usage in bulletin boards and chat sessions • Debating teams where students formulate ideas and defend their position. • “Jigsaw groups” where members break into subgroups to discuss various parts of a topic. • “Mock trials” where students assume various roles of individuals in a real world setting.

Final Warning! • All of these may seem like great ideas…BUT…. • Not all can be implemented into a single course - you need to pick and chose, consistent with your goals for the students in the course, along with the amount of time and effort you, the instructor, can put into your on-line course.

Final Words…(as opposed to “Final Warning”) • Limit your initial expectations • Limit your initial implementation • Do not be reluctant to make changes semester-to-semester • Start each semester with a non-graded assignment (for bulletin boards)

These transparencies are available at: www.academic.marist.edu/faculty/walsh

Good vs. Bad Online Content for Learning