The literature indicates that there is a lack of learning outcomes in economics that can be attributed to the reliance on traditional lecture and the failure to adopt innovative instructional techniques. This study sought to investigate the student learning effects of academic controversy, a cooperative learning technique that shows promise in the…

Student learning outcomes and course satisfaction scores are two key considerations when assessing the success of any degree program. This empirical study was based upon more than 3,000 end-of-semester course evaluations collected from 171 courses in the 2010-2011 academic year. The study, conducted at a Midwestern business college, considered the…

This paper describes a pedagogical experiment that used feature films in a senior accounting class to stimulate development of student competencies and raise ethical issues. Rather than being content driven, this active learning technique focuses on skills development, while engaging the students' emotions in the learning process. Encompassing…

Learning Curves has its roots in economics and behavioral psychology. Learning Curves theory has several business applications and is widely used in the industry. As faculty of Operations Management courses, we cover this topic in some depth in the classroom. In this paper, we present some of our teaching methods and material that have helped us…

The computer age is here. Students are tuned in to the latest digital devices and methods available today. Most students are exposed to short messages with video enhancements. This gives rise to a student who gets frustrated and bored with the standard lecture technique of years past. To achieve a greater effectiveness and learning outcome in…

There is always something mysterious about music as it affects us so powerfully. This paper looks at the role of music in enhancing students' understanding of economic concepts, such as money and inflation. Music lyrics were used as a source for teaching some economic concepts to a group of Office Management (OM) students. A quiz was given to test…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of group testing as a pedagogical technique to enhance learning in a difficult subject such as statistics. Individual test scores were compared to their group test scores for the same, identical test. A t test was used to compare the scores for 157 randomly selected MBA students enrolled…

The research question addressed in this study is to compare and identify differences between academics teaching auditing classes and practicing accountants regarding the importance of topics covered in the first university auditing course. This is accomplished by surveying academics and practitioners regarding their perceptions of the importance…

There is much discussion about whether online instruction is as effective as face-to-face instruction. To address this question, a comparative study was made of two sections of an MBA organizational theory course, one taught online and the other face-to-face. The content covered by both sections was the same with similar assignments and a common…

The study compares the performance of distance learning students with full-time students in a traditional face-to-face learning environment. This study is one aspect of a larger research project designed to gain insight into factors that may influence the performance of distance learning students. The data used in the study represent the…

Accounting educators struggle with ways to incorporate the development of critical thinking and communication skills into the curriculum. Case analysis is one tool for developing these skills. We examine whether students' case analysis scores improve as a result of participation in peer grading and peer review. We find that students improve their…

Pre-tests are a non-graded assessment tool used to determine pre-existing subject knowledge. Typically pre-tests are administered prior to a course to determine knowledge baseline, but here they are used to test students prior to topical material coverage throughout the course. While counterintuitive, the pre-tests cover material the student is…