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1 – 10 of over 102000The purpose of this paper is to consider how ethics is currently taught to trainee auditors and to evaluate whether some ethical instruction techniques can be assessed as more…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider how ethics is currently taught to trainee auditors and to evaluate whether some ethical instruction techniques can be assessed as more effective than others.
Design/methodology/approach
Two separate cohorts of auditing students (262) provided responses to audit/accounting ethical scenarios. Each cohort was then subject to three separate ethics teaching techniques (either active or passive), from the two different teaching methodologies (active v. passive) over a semester. Their ethical attitudes to the scenarios were then re‐assessed and the teaching techniques evaluated.
Findings
Both methodologies were found to impact positively, as both cohorts selected more ethical responses to the scenarios post instruction. Some evidence of active techniques having more effect than passive techniques, on ethical decision making was revealed.
Research limitations/implications
More research is needed into the impact of active and passive teaching methodologies on trainee auditors, in the ethics area.
Practical implications
Teaching ethics to the audit practitioners of tomorrow is critical. If the optimum mix of ethical teaching methodologies can be assessed, it will result in more effective ethical instruction. This study's results imply careful consideration must be taken in designing ethical training programs for trainee auditors.
Social implications
Improvement in the ethical behaviour of auditors will provide more confidence for users of accounting information in the business environment.
Originality/value
This paper is original in that it evaluates the impact of a series of ethical instruction methods, as opposed to a single teaching method (the focus of many previous papers) on ethical training. The tentative finding of active methods proving more effective than passive methods is significant, and paves the way for future research.
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Alan I. Blankley, David Kerr and Casper E. Wiggins
The purpose of this study is to explore the learning and teaching techniques that accounting professors use in their courses to educate students. In this chapter, we answer the…
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the learning and teaching techniques that accounting professors use in their courses to educate students. In this chapter, we answer the following questions: (1) What methods are accounting faculty currently using in the classroom? (2) To what extent are active learning techniques being utilized relative to passive techniques? (3) What are the perceptions of accounting faculty regarding the use of active learning in the classroom?
To answer these questions, we conducted an Internet-based survey of accounting educators (n = 300). We found that, on average, passive learning methods (e.g., lectures) comprise approximately 50% of class time, active learning methods cover slightly more than 35% of class time, while assessment activities (e.g., exams) use about 15% of class time. Regarding faculty perceptions of the usefulness of various learning methods, we found that the faculty recommend the use of every learning method included in the survey at higher levels than are currently being used. Our findings provide a baseline profile of the current use of both passive and active learning methods in accounting and their perceived usefulness by accounting educators. This baseline should enable future research to track changes and trends in accounting pedagogy, particularly the learning and teaching techniques employed in the classroom.
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Anastasia Misseyanni, Paraskevi Papadopoulou, Christina Marouli and Miltiadis D. Lytras
Active learning is not a simple practice. It is a new paradigm for the provision of high-quality, collaborative, engaging, and motivating education. Active learning has the…
Abstract
Active learning is not a simple practice. It is a new paradigm for the provision of high-quality, collaborative, engaging, and motivating education. Active learning has the capacity to respond to most of the challenges that institutions of higher education are facing in our time. In this chapter, we present active learning strategies used in STEM disciplines and we analyze the potential of active learning to redefine the value proposition in academic institutions. After providing the theoretical underpinnings of active learning as an evolving practice, an attempt is made to connect it with different learning theories and present an integrative model in which institutional strategies, learning strategy and information, and communication technologies work synergistically toward the development of knowledge and skills. We then present the results of a survey examining “stories” of active learning from the STEM disciplines, identifying good teaching practices, and discussing challenges and lessons learned. The key idea is that active engagement and participation of students is based on faculty commitments and inspiration and mentoring by faculty. We finally present a stage model for the implementation of active learning practices in higher education. Emphasis is put on a new vision for higher education, based on systematic planning, implementation, and evaluation of active learning methods, collaboration, engagement with society and industry, innovation, and sustainability, for a better world for all.
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Seth Dillard, James Buchholz, Sarah Vigmostad, Hyunggun Kim and H.S. Udaykumar
The performance of three frequently used level set-based segmentation methods is examined for the purpose of defining features and boundary conditions for image-based Eulerian…
Abstract
Purpose
The performance of three frequently used level set-based segmentation methods is examined for the purpose of defining features and boundary conditions for image-based Eulerian fluid and solid mechanics models. The focus of the evaluation is to identify an approach that produces the best geometric representation from a computational fluid/solid modeling point of view. In particular, extraction of geometries from a wide variety of imaging modalities and noise intensities, to supply to an immersed boundary approach, is targeted.
Design/methodology/approach
Two- and three-dimensional images, acquired from optical, X-ray CT, and ultrasound imaging modalities, are segmented with active contours, k-means, and adaptive clustering methods. Segmentation contours are converted to level sets and smoothed as necessary for use in fluid/solid simulations. Results produced by the three approaches are compared visually and with contrast ratio, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio measures.
Findings
While the active contours method possesses built-in smoothing and regularization and produces continuous contours, the clustering methods (k-means and adaptive clustering) produce discrete (pixelated) contours that require smoothing using speckle-reducing anisotropic diffusion (SRAD). Thus, for images with high contrast and low to moderate noise, active contours are generally preferable. However, adaptive clustering is found to be far superior to the other two methods for images possessing high levels of noise and global intensity variations, due to its more sophisticated use of local pixel/voxel intensity statistics.
Originality/value
It is often difficult to know a priori which segmentation will perform best for a given image type, particularly when geometric modeling is the ultimate goal. This work offers insight to the algorithm selection process, as well as outlining a practical framework for generating useful geometric surfaces in an Eulerian setting.
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Pablo Leão, Caio Coelho, Carla Campana and Marina Henriques Viotto
The present study aims to investigate an unsuccessful implementation of an active learning methodology. Active learning methods have emerged in order to improve learning processes…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study aims to investigate an unsuccessful implementation of an active learning methodology. Active learning methods have emerged in order to improve learning processes and increase students' roles in the classroom. Most studies on the subject focus on developing learning strategies based on successful implementations of such methods. Nevertheless, critical reflections on unsuccessful cases might also provide material for developing further contributions to this literature.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted an intrinsic case study of an unsuccessful application of the flipped classroom method to an undergraduate basic statistics course at a Brazilian business school. The data collected comprised the course's syllabus, evaluation forms and two rounds of interviews with students and the professor.
Findings
The findings indicate that, apart from that which had been mapped by past literature, three additional aspects may limit the chances of successfully implementing a flipped classroom methodology: students' educational backgrounds, the course's structural issues and methodological and relational issues.
Originality/value
The present study contributes to the literature on active learning methodologies mainly by mapping additional aspects that should be considered in the implementation of the flipped classroom methodology. Additionally, the authors investigate an unsuccessful case of such an implementation, an investigation that is still scant within this literature.
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Ahmad Sukkar, Moohammed Wasim Yahia, Emad Mushtaha, Aref Maksoud, Salem Buhashima Abdalla, Omar Nasif and Omer Melahifci
This study analyzes the effect of the techniques of active teaching and learning as a way of delivery on the outcomes of quality learning. Focusing on the courses of architectural…
Abstract
Purpose
This study analyzes the effect of the techniques of active teaching and learning as a way of delivery on the outcomes of quality learning. Focusing on the courses of architectural science taught in a nontraditional method using various active learning strategies, the study takes the case study of the course Building Illumination and Acoustics (BIA) delivered in the academic year 2019–2020 at the University of Sharjah (UoS)'s Architectural Engineering Department (AED).
Design/methodology/approach
Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research approaches, the study applied a case study and survey as methods. A questionnaire was designed and performed to assess the level of students' satisfaction with the implemented active teaching method.
Findings
The vibrant learning setting made the students actively engaged and more motivated and enthusiastic. The active learning practices used, including employing senses as in sight and hearing, reasoning rationally and intuitively, reflecting and acting, working steadily and in fits and starts, creating mathematical models, visualizing and memorizing and drawing analogies, were efficient in boosting their ability to comprehend theoretical concepts more effectively. The delivery style effectively enhances quality learning when various active techniques are used pedagogically beyond being merely a utilitarian instrument to prepare novice students of architectural engineering to fulfill practical challenges.
Research limitations/implications
This article focuses specifically on a theoretical, scientific non-studio course in a particular program of architectural engineering in a particular semester before the dramatic changes in styles of teaching delivery that happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research could further highlight its results by comparing them to statistical evidence of the development of the course, especially for the duration of online teaching during the pandemic and the hybrid teaching period after it.
Originality/value
This article contributes to the development of teaching and learning of architectural engineering in the local Emirati context by putting original theories of teaching into practice. This paper further contributes to the field of architectural pedagogy in terms of the effect of active learning in the architecture field in the non-studio courses in higher education in the United Arab Emirates.
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Ana Paula Lista, Guilherme Luz Tortorella, Marina Bouzon, Matthias Thürer and Daniel Jurburg
This study aims to investigate the impact of traditional teaching and active learning methods in lean management (LM) on the development of both soft and hard skills.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of traditional teaching and active learning methods in lean management (LM) on the development of both soft and hard skills.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a longitudinal study, team members from two different organisations (the administrative sector of a public higher education institution and a public teaching hospital), each adopting different teaching methods to support their LM trainings, were systematically examined at four moments during an 18-month period. How teaching methods impacted team members’ development and knowledge was then assessed using multivariate data analysis techniques.
Findings
Results indicated that LM trainings can provide significant impacts when a combination of traditional teaching methods and active learning is adopted. Traditional teaching methods can be a good choice for learning hard skills depending on resources’ availability. However, it is recommended to include active learning methods to assist in the comprehension of more complex and abstract LM concepts (soft skills).
Originality/value
Although there exists a large number of publications on the relationship between LM implementation and teaching methods, the number of studies that consider the development of both hard and soft skills is rather limited. This study complements the existing literature on LM by identifying which teaching methods can support the development of hard skills and which the development of soft skills. Such identification facilitates the work of both scholars wishing either to begin or to dig deeper into this sphere and practitioners pursuing the best outcomes from LM.
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Mira Sabat, Roula M. Abdel-Massih, Amjad Kanaan, Sara Salloum, Mireille Serhan, Roula Fares, Nicolas Haddad and Antoine Melki
The purpose of this paper is to: (1) explore existing practices of STEM faculty at a private Lebanese university and (2) assess the extent of implementation of active learning…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to: (1) explore existing practices of STEM faculty at a private Lebanese university and (2) assess the extent of implementation of active learning among faculty members of selected STEM departments.
Design/methodology/approach
The Working Group on “Integrating Modern Scientific teaching methodologies in STEM” (IM-STEM) at a tertiary university in Lebanon advocates for novel research-based methods to enhance STEM education. This pilot study investigated, using a modified version of the Wieman and Gilbert “Teaching Practices Inventory”, the current teaching methods used by faculty members in selected STEM departments.
Findings
Remarkably, most respondents admit a willingness to incorporate new teaching methods. Main findings indicate that traditional teaching via didactic lecturing remains prevalent in the STEM classrooms at the tertiary academic institution in Lebanon despite sporadic individual efforts by faculty members to utilize unconventional methods and active learning.
Research limitations/implications
One major limitation that influenced the efficiency of this study is the small number of respondents (71 faculty members). More in-depth data collection combining quantitative and qualitative data should be done in future studies.
Practical implications
Gaining insight into the actual methods used in STEM fields in various departments can help the university management to better understand the key importance of educational reform.
Originality/value
The main value of this paper is to serve as a prelude for educational reform at a tertiary academic institution.
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Guilherme Luz Tortorella, Rogério Miorando, Diego Fettermann and Diego Tlapa Mendoza
This article identifies the association between two methods for teaching lean manufacturing (LM): problem-based learning (PBL) and classroom lectures, and students' learning…
Abstract
Purpose
This article identifies the association between two methods for teaching lean manufacturing (LM): problem-based learning (PBL) and classroom lectures, and students' learning styles of a postgraduate course.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from graduate students LM courses that present different teaching approaches. Thus, students' learning preferences were gathered through the application of the Index of Learning Style questionnaire, and their performance assessed after each course.
Findings
Results indicate that learning styles are indeed associated with LM teaching approaches, and comprehending interaction effects between learning style dimensions is essential for properly adapting the teaching method. However, these interactions have different extensions.
Originality/value
Although teaching LM has significantly evolved over the past decades, the single application of traditional teaching methods jeopardizes learning effectiveness of graduate students because of the practical nature of LM. This study provides evidence to better understand the effect of complementary teaching methods and their relationship with students' preferences, empirically examining that there is not one best approach for understanding LM.
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Matilde Martínez Casanovas, Noemí Ruíz-Munzón and Marian Buil-Fabregá
The purpose of this paper is to analyse which are the active learning methodologies, which had better contribute to acquiring competences for sustainable development (SD) in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse which are the active learning methodologies, which had better contribute to acquiring competences for sustainable development (SD) in higher education.
Design/methodology/approach
Cluster analysis is used to define 252 students’ skills patterns and their perception of the different active learning methodologies conducted in class to promote SD.
Findings
The results show how different learning methodologies enhance SD, the quality assessment perception of students regarding the methodologies used in class and present real-world experiences, problem-based learning and case studies as the active learning methodologies that had better promote SD.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of the study are that the results obtained are particular for one university and are not generalizable to other institutions and could vary depending on the degree and year of study of the group of student participants.
Practical implications
The research proposes to introduce active learning methodologies in general and real-world experiences, problem-based learning and case studies in particular, in education for sustainable development.
Social implications
These research findings could be used for those interested in applying active learning methodologies to foster the acquisition of SD competences to promote the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development goals.
Originality/value
This research study aims to shed light on the nascent stage of the relationship between pedagogical approaches used in higher education to develop sustainability competences.
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