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Students experience of team teaching in an undergraduate accounting course (Chapter 2: Paper 1)
When team teaching, instructors operate in each other’s ‘zone of proximal development’ (Smith, 2004) (Illustration 3), and can achieve higher performance levels (Walsh & Elmslie, 2005). In this way, instructors achieve more than working individually (Gardiner & Robinson, 2010; Wenger, 1998). Framed by the socio-constructivist view on learning, the students’ learning experience becomes richer when they are confronted by multiple teaching styles and perspectives on the course material (Hanusch, Obijiofor & Volcic, 2009; Nokes et al., 2008; Tobin, Roth & Zimmermann, 2001). The students can interact with their teacher team and learn from observing the interaction within their teacher team. The students’ experience of the teaming model, which represents the highest level of collaboration in team teaching (Baeten & Simons, 2014), and perhaps the most visible form of team teaching as two instructors are in front of the class actively facilitating at the same time, has yet to be explored. Students’ perspectives of team teaching are important, as the students are key actors in the teaching process. Should the advantages of team teaching outweigh the disadvantages, instructors and university policy-makers may be encouraged to more widely adopt team teaching.
The development and the users’ experience of two Messenger bots Accounting Rookies and IFRS Rookies (Chapter 3: Paper 2)
Bots in mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications, such as Facebook’s Messenger app, offer opportunities for teaching and learning, particularly to communicate in a more natural and conversive manner, that existing technologies, explored in information communication technology research, do not. Early developers of Messenger bots have found indications of anthropomorphism (Pokatilo, 2016). This refers to the tendency of bot users to treat a bot as another human being. This phenomena may give Messenger bots a crucial advantage over apps and other forms of web-based learning. If the Messenger bot’s dialogue and the flow of discussion can closely mimic that of social interaction, it may be possible for the Messenger bot to facilitate social-constructivist teaching and learning (Bii, 2013), through the interaction between the bot and the users. Through careful design, Messenger bots may be able to effectively scaffold students’ learning in Vygotsky’s ‘zone of proximal development’ (John-Steiner & Mahn, 1996). The development of bots in a messaging app, to facilitate teaching and learning and users’ experience thereof, has yet to be explored.
The use of a team assessment with immediate feedback in a culturally diverse undergraduate professional accounting education course (Chapter 4: Paper 3)
The realignment of professional education towards increased emphasis on the development of generic transferable skills,requires a change towards a more competency- based approach (Biggs,1999).Competency-based education, inter alia,requires a broadening of assessment from its traditional focus on knowledge to approaches that integrate the assessment of knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitudes (Harris et al., 2017). Competency-based education places substantial focus on the use of formative feedback in assessment for learning (Harris et al., 2017). Formative feedback is behaviour- and/or task specific, based on direct observation, allows students to gain a timely awareness of their strengths and weaknesses (Epstein et al., 2002) and facilitates learning in a student’s ‘zone of proximal development’ (Chen, Breslow & DeBoer, 2018). The students construct knowledge through the social interaction during the collaborative team assessment. The design of a team assessment with immediate feedback, as a competency-based collaborative learning technique, to develop students’ generic transferable skills, in a multicultural professional undergraduate accounting education course, has yet to be explored.
SUMMARY
The competency-based approach to teaching, learning and assessment has been proposed for accounting education. Constructivism, and in particular social constructivism, provides a theoretical base for this approach. Rooted in social constructivism, this thesis reports on three approaches to social constructivist accounting education. In particular, this thesis reports on students’ experience of team teaching in an undergraduate accounting course (Paper 1); the development and the users experience of two Messenger bots, Accounting Rookies and IFRS Rookies (Paper 2); and the use of a team assessment with immediate feedback in a culturally diverse undergraduate professional accounting education course (Paper 3). This thesis is submitted in the form of three research articles (Chapters 2 – 4), each with its own reference list. Thereafter the thesis is concluded (Chapter 5).
INTRODUCTION
This study explores how students experience team teaching in an undergraduate accounting course. In particular, this study explores the students’ perspectives of the relative advantages and disadvantages of teaming, as a form of team teaching, in contrast to the more widely adopted equal status model of team teaching.
While definitions of team teaching vary (Lee, 2013), team teaching generally involves two or more teachers sharing responsibility for a specific course and student group (Wenger & Hornyak, 1999) and collaborating to varying degrees in lecture planning and delivery and course assessment (Baeten & Simons, 2014). Team teaching encourages teachers’ creativity and the construction of new knowledge about teaching through learning from each other as they plan, teach and assess collaboratively (Kerin & Murphy, 2015; Murphy & Scantlebury, 2010; Roth & Tobin, 2002). Exactly how responsibilities pertaining to planning, delivery and assessment are shared differs according to the specific context and is dependent upon curricula, student needs, availability of faculty and financial constraints (Robb & Gerwick, 2013).
While team teaching may enhance the teaching experience for teachers (Barahona, 2017; Knights & Sampson, 1995), it may also enhance the learning experience for students beyond mere knowledge accumulation (Shibley, 2006). Students may receive more timely feedback (Fuller & Bail, 2011) and be more engaged in the classroom (Donnison et al., 2009). Realising these advantages of team teaching for students may assist higher education institutions avoid the costs associated with extended periods of study by contributing towards improving student throughput and completion rates (Crawford & Jenkins, 2018).
The most prevalent team teaching model in higher education is the equal status model (Colburn, Sullivan & Fox, 2012; Money & Coughlan, 2016; Murawski, 2005). In this model, content, activities and/or student groups are divided amongst the teachers in the team (Baeten & Simons, 2014). Each teacher, therefore, takes responsibility for individually delivering content to a specific student group, however, shares responsibility for overall course and lecture planning and the teachers share textbooks, lecture plans and exercise problems. Assessment of the course is then usually a team effort with each teacher contributing content to the assessment, while moderating the content contributed by the other team member(s).
The teaming model represents the highest form of collaboration in a teacher team. The teaming model involves both teachers sharing responsibility and working collaboratively (Carpenter, Crawford & Walden, 2007) in the planning and delivery of the course and the lectures, and in matters relating to assessment (Austin, 2001; Carpenter, Crawford & Walden, 2007; Goodnough et al., 2009; Nevin, Thousand & Villa, 2009; Thousand, Villa,Nevin, 2006). Both teachers facilitate the lecture, with extensive interaction, discussion and debate between them (Al Saaideh, 2010; Helms, Alvis & Willis, 2005). The teachers may for example discuss ideas and theories in class (Al-Saaideh, 2010), taking turns in leading any subsequent discussion. Alternatively, one teacher may speak while the other demonstrates a concept or model (Cook & Friend, 1995). The teaming model has not been specifically explored in any context. This study, therefore, explores how students experience teaming as a form of team teaching and contrasts this with the equal status model. In particular, this study explores the students’ perspectives of the relative advantages and disadvantages of teaming, in contrast to the more widely adopted equal status model. In other words, are there differences in students’ perspectives of having one member of a teacher team in class (equal status) as opposed to both team members in class simultaneously (teaming)?
DECLARATION
ABSTRACT
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF TABLES
1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 BEHAVIOURISM
1.3 CONSTRUCTIVISM
1.4 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
1.5 RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVE
1.5.1 Students’ experience of team teaching in an undergraduate accounting course (Chapter 2: Paper 1)
1.5.2 The development and the users’ experience of two Messenger bots, Accounting Rookies and IFRS Rookies (Chapter 3: Paper 2)
1.5.3 The use of a team assessment with immediate feedback in a culturally diverse undergraduate professional accounting education course (Chapter 4: Paper 3)
1.6 SUMMARY
1.7 LIST OF REFERENCES
2 CHAPTER 2: UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES OF THE TEAMING VERSUS EQUAL STATUS MODEL OF TEAM TEACHING IN ACCOUNTING EDUCATION
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.2.1 Theoretical base
2.2.2 Advantages and disadvantages
2.3 METHOD
2.3.1 Research context
2.3.2 Research instrument
2.4 RESULTS
2.4.1 Teaming lectures are interesting and engaging
2.4.2 Teaming lectures provide faster and more individualised support
2.4.3 Teaming lectures may be confusing, intimidating and less structured
2.5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
2.6 LIST OF REFERENCES
3 CHAPTER 3: THE DEVELOPMENT OF MESSENGER BOTS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING AND ACCOUNTING STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCE OF THE USE THEREOF
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 MESSENGER BOTS AND LEARNING THEORY
3.2.1 Social constructivism theory
3.2.2 Instructional mediation
3.3 DEVELOPMENT OF ACCOUNTING ROOKIES AND IFRS ROOKIES MESSENGER BOTS
3.3.1 Initial development
3.3.2 Content
3.3.3 Post implementation review
3.4 TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ACCOUNTING ROOKIES AND IFRS ROOKIES
3.4.1 The flipped classroom
3.4.2 ‘Co-teacher’
3.4.3 Keeping students engaged
3.5 STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCE OF USING MESSENGER BOTS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
3.5.1 Method
3.5.2 Results and Discussion
3.6 CONCLUSION
3.7 LIST OF REFERENCES
3.8 APPENDIX A: INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF A MESSENGER BOT
3.8.1 Create a Facebook Page
3.8.2 Create a Messenger bot
3.8.3 Connecting the Messenger bot to the Facebook Page
3.8.4 Adding content to the Messenger bot
4 CHAPTER 4: STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCE OF TEAM ASSESSMENT WITH IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK IN A LARGE ACCOUNTING CLASS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 LITERATURE REVIEW
4.2.1 Competency-based accounting education
4.2.2 Team assessment
4.2.3 Intercultural team assessment
4.2.4 Feedback .
4.2.5 Immediate Feedback
4.2.6 Peer feedback
4.2.7 Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF-ATⓇ)
4.2.8 TAIF in a large accounting class
4.3 METHOD
4.3.1 Survey approach
4.3.2 Analysis
4.4 RESULTS
4.4.1 Descriptive statistics
4.4.2 Qualitative analysis
4.5 DISCUSSION
4.6 CONCLUSION
4.7 LIST OF REFERENCES
5 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
5.3 STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCE OF TEAM TEACHING IN AN UNDERGRADUATE ACCOUNTING COURSE (CHAPTER 2: PAPER 1)
5.4 THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE USERS’ EXPERIENCE OF TWO MESSENGER BOTS, ACCOUNTING ROOKIES AND IFRS ROOKIES (CHAPTER 3: PAPER 2)
5.5 THE USE OF A TEAM ASSESSMENT WITH IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK IN A CULTURALLY DIVERSE UNDERGRADUATE PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTING EDUCATION COURSE (CHAPTER 4: PAPER 3)
5.6 SUMMARY
5.7 CONTRIBUTION .
5.8 LIST OF REFERENCES.
