Presentation at the HEA-funded workshop 'Using an online, virtual reality audit simulation to enhance teaching and learning within Accounting and Finance' The event was an opportunity for interested parties to meet together to experience an online audit simulation designed to enhance teaching and learning for Accounting and Finance students. The event also provided opportunities to build upon current expertise in sector by promoting knowledge exchange and sharing resources between institutions. This presentation is part of a related blog post that provides an overview of the event: http://bit.ly/1qer5PH For further details of the HEA's work on active and experiential learning in the Social Sciences, please see: http://bit.ly/17NwgKX

1. Experiential Learning
Situating the theory within the context
of current research and debate;
Introducing the audit simulation
Dr Susan Whittaker,
Senior Lecturer, UWE
and Glenn Duckworth,
Learning Technologist, UWE.

2. Situating simulations within current
research and debate
• This session will look at current research and
debate on the use of simulations in teaching
and learning starting with a review of two
contrasting philosophical views:

3. Constructivist vs behaviourist
• Constructivism – Students develop their own
knowledge through their interactions with the
world around them – students take responsibility
for their own learning and are active learners
• Behaviourist view – (Skinner 1976) – learning
takes place by reinforcing and repeating material
– focus on quantification and a belief learning can
be measured.

4. Simulations
• Simulations involve the ideas of experiential
learning
• Experiential learning means learning from
experience and sits within constructivism
ideas

5. Situating the theory within the context of
current research and debate
• Rogers (1969) – education should be based on
active discovery rather than passive
accumulation of knowledge
• Walters and Marks (1981) - student learns
best by being actively involved

6. Kolb’s Learning Loop: 4 stages
(1) a new
experience is
encountered
(concrete
experience)
followed by:
(2) observation of
and reflection on
that experience
which leads to:
(3) the formation of
abstract concepts
(analysis) and
generalizations
(conclusions) which
are then:
(4) used to test
hypothesis in
future situations,
resulting in new
experiences.
(http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html)

7. Kolb’s Learning Styles
Doing (Active
Experimentation)
Watching (Reflective
Observation - RO)
Feeling (Concrete
Experience)
Accommodating
(CE/AE)
Diverging (CE/RO)
Thinking (Abstract
Conceptualization)
Converging (AC/AE) Assimilating (AC/RO)

8. Learning in Accounting
• (Marriott 2002) – educational content and
method of assessment of accounting courses
may favour students who have a learning style
that is more reflective and analytical – yet
concrete experience is an essential part of the
learning process

9. The use of simulations
• Simulations give students opportunity to engage in
concrete experiences on which they can reflect and
use to develop new experiences
• Marriott (2004) – opportunity for students to learn
from their own mistakes in an unthreatening
environment
• Mohrweis (1993) help students develop analytical,
judgemental and other transferrable skills

10. Use of simulations
• Examples include:
• Accounting simulations : Marriott 2004;
Wynder 2004
• Finance simulation: Marriott and Tan (2010)

11. Audit simulation
• Dennis (2003) – key issue was to make subject
seem real to students.
• Students worked in audit teams and Dennis
and his colleagues played roles of audit
partner and client
• Students had to present their work for review
• Role play helped to enhance credibility of
simulation

12. Audit simulation
• Students fed back they found simulation
stimulating and enjoyable
• Staff working on simulation also fed back that
they enjoyed the simulation and found it
stimulating
• Some evidence of improved exam results

13. Benefits of simulations
• Marriott (2004) – acknowledges limitations of
his study but states that the main benefit is:
• “provides a concrete experience of accounting
in a real world context. It enables students to
practice and learn accounting skills.”

14. Our audit simulation
• Glenn will now show you an introduction to
our audit simulation…