How academia is tackling the accounting talent shortage : Tactics include second-chance test taking, expanded curriucula, extra help for at-risk students, and more /
Andrew Kenney
- Durham Kenney : AICPA & CIMA , 2024-
- Vol 238 (3) Pages 18-26 : illustrations ; 28 cm
University and college accounting programs are changing their teaching approaches. Fundamentals courses are becoming showcases for the profession's opportunities. And in some places the focus is shifting from weeding out students to giving them a second chance to deepen comprehension and pass tests without lowering quality and rigor. The changes come at a time of - and in some cases are in response to - declining student interest and enrollment. In some cases, enrollment dropped severely and then rebounded, but not to pre-pandemic levels. In the past decade, accounting programs have faced growing competition from other business majors, as well as long-term demographic changes that are eroding college attendance overall. Even in accounting programs with strong enrollment, like Brigham Young University's, professors are adapting to the changing learning styles and interests of a new generation. Melissa Larson, CPA, Ph.D., the E. Dee and Patricia Hubbard Professor at BYU's School of Accountancy, could tell something was wrong when she noticed students' engagement and grades decline over the past decade. "I just knew students were not the same," Larson said. "I couldn't do the same things." The need for change is also driving more comprehensive reform efforts.