Effectively Teaching Accounting Online or

HybridKate Demarest, CPA

Carroll Community College

Greetings from Carroll Community CollegeKate Demarest, CPAProfessor, AccountingAssessment and Program Analyst

Why go hybrid or online?Build enrollment Generate additional revenueFree up tight resourcesEngage learnersCreate flexibility

But…Higher drop rates Lower grade distributionsConcerns about rigorQuestions about student integrity

Chronicle of Higher EducationJuly 18, 2011Community-College Students Perform Worse Online Than Face to FaceBy Ryan Brown

Community-college students enrolled in online courses fail and drop out more often than those whose coursework is classroom-based, according to a new study released by the Community College Research Center at the Teachers College at Columbia University.The study, which followed the enrollment history of 51,000 community-college students in Washington State between 2004 and 2009, found an eight-percentage-point gap in completion rates between traditional and online courses. Although students who enrolled in online courses tended to have stronger academic preparation and come from higher income brackets than the community-college population on the whole, researchers found that students who took online classes early in their college careers were more likely to drop out than those who took only face-to-face courses. Among students who took any courses online, those with the most Web-based credits were the least likely to graduate or transfer to a four-year institution.

Before you startDo I have the resources?General technology skillsResponsiveness to emailLearning management systemInstitutional supportTolerance for ambiguity

Getting started

Course learning objectives in the classroom

=Course learning objectives online

=Course learning objectives in a

hybrid class

Developing a course platform

Build your ownBlackboard, Moodle, Angel, etc.

Publisher site

Build your ownCustomized solutionLimited cost to the institutionLots of time for you, your TA, or an

instructional designerLimited functionality

Blackboard, Moodle, Angel, etc.Common student experience across coursesNo additional cost to studentBuilt-in gradebook and discussion boardSome integration with publisher content

Publisher siteLots of content and assessmentsDiscussion board and gradebook with some

publisher solutionsAdditional learning support (varies widely by

product)

My experience

FrontPage

Blackboard

MyAccountingLa

b

Designing your courseFor each student learning objective,how will students be introduced to the

concept?how will students learn the material?how will you assess learning?

Choosing the right course designMultimedia learning

Choosing the right course designHelp when students are“stuck” or don’t know the next step.

Choosing the right course designMultiple learning activitiesMultiple assessmentsOpportunity for additional help

Required or optional?“If the MyAccountingLab homework were not required, I would not do it. I would also probably fail the class.”

Sheila Huskey, Principles of Accounting 1 and 2

More student feedback“With MyAccountingLab, I can complete homework anywhere I have internet access. Although, I still consult my text frequently, I find that I can learn just about everything in the text (general concepts) by use of MyAccountingLab and it's resources. I think it is saving my back, since I don't have to struggle with carrying the large textbook around all the time.”

Tom Cossentino,Principles of Taxation 1 and 2

Best practices for online classesKeep in touch

Be a trail guide

Best practices for online classesGet real about collaboration

Algorithmic problems on homework and testsProctored final examsIndividualized assignments

Best practices for online classesFeedback, feedback, feedback!

Email response time Feedback on written assignmentsRegular professor -> student contactNon-digital connection

Best practices for online classesBe clear about:

Email response timeTurnaround time for gradingAccepting late work

Best practices for online classesDon’t forget the feedback loop!

Design/redesign your online course

Implement your design

Collect data

Identify opportunities

for improvement

What about hybrid classes?What is a hybrid class?

Designing your hybrid classIn the classroom:

Introduce new concepts

Review difficult concepts

IntegrateApplyTake tests

Online:Interact with

multimedia learning aids

Complete homework and assignments

Take tests

Questions?Kate Demarest, CPA

Professor, AccountingAssessment and Program Analyst

Carroll Community CollegeWestminster, MD

kdemarest@carrollcc.edu