Philippa Gerbic

Professional Skills and Capabilities of Accounting Graduates: The New Zealand Expectation Gap?

Much has been written about teaching and learning deficiencies in accounting education. Universities have grappled with the challenge and developed a number of strategies to address the concerns raised. Many of the recommended strategies for addressing these deficiencies have included a focus on the development of professional capabilities and skills. This paper reports on a study which has identified the capabilities which are considered to be the most important for successful practice in accountancy during the first years after graduation and identified the extent to which New Zealand universities have focused on these in the delivery of their study programmes. Most attempts to measure the nature and extent of change to accountancy degree programmes have collected data from current or graduating students or from the university itself. This study instead collected feedback from accountancy graduates employed in public practice with three to five years post graduation professional experience and from their workplace supervisors. This paper reports on the results of the graduate feedback, provides a useful insight into where progress has been made and identifies where further improvement is necessary.

Teaching for blended learning------Research perspectives from on-campus and distance students

The concept of blended learning has begun to change the nature of all teaching and learning in higher education. Information and communication technologies have impacted by providing a means of access to digital resources and interactive communication for all courses and the blending of pedagogy and technology has produced a range of approaches to teaching and learning. This paper discusses the research literature and the writers’ research, defining what they have concluded are teaching practices that use the concept of blended learning effectively. In investigating how ICT can add variation for student learning, they analyze this from two dominant modes of pedagogy, learning environment and pedagogy through both on-campus and distance education. In both modes, students acknowledged the power and effectiveness of blended learning.

Teaching Using a Blended Approach--What Does the Literature Tell Us?.

Teaching using a blended approach is a complex undertaking, where teachers have to address varied discipline and professional learning outcomes, different student capabilities and institutional conditions as well as creating an effective pedagogy by using the strengths of face-to-face and online settings in an integrated fashion. There is now a sizeable literature on student accounts of learning in blended environments; however, much less is known about teacher perspectives on blended teaching and that is the focus of this review. A critical analysis of the literature indicated two areas of development: (1) teacher conceptions and beliefs about blended teaching and (2) changing teacher roles, especially around course design and pedagogy.

Getting the blend right in new learning environments: A complementary approach to online discussions

This paper reports some of the findings of a case study investigation of undergraduate student learning in online discussions within a campus-based business course in New Zealand. The project explored predominantly Net Gener students’ perceptions of the differences between face-to-face and online discussions and the role of these differences in their learning. The study found that the students regarded the two environments as different but complementary for their learning and identified the features of each discussion environment that supported their learning. A complementary framework, based on these student perspectives is presented. These findings and the framework provide teachers and course designers with a new evidence-based approach for including effective face-to-face and online discussions for Net Gener and other students within their courses.

Learning in asynchronous environments for on campus students

Computed mediated conferencing (CMC) into asynchronous form, offers potential benefits for learning through its text based nature and space and time to reflect. The project investigates student approaches to teaming (deep surface) and teaming strategies, in this environment. The research is sited in a degree course where flexible teaming models are available for n campus students. The relationship between CMC and face-to-face activity in terms of student learning will be a part of the research. The project takes a student perspective, which is explored through a case study design.