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. The challenges of teaching a
professional practical discipline
in an academic setting
Session co-presented by:
• Julie Barnaby, Senior Lecturer, Leeds Metropolitan
University
• Jamie Wells, Senior Lecturer, Worcester University
• Susan Whittaker, Senior Lecturer, UWE

2. Auditing
• The practical professional subject we teach is
Auditing
• Today we will discuss some of the challenges we
have experienced teaching Auditing to
undergraduates
• We will demonstrate the simulation we use to
help us teach this subject

3. What is an audit?
• An audit is a process of checking and verifying
financial accounts by an independent
accountant in order to give a written opinion
as to whether they present a true and fair
view of the financial position of an
organisation.

4. The changing world of the auditor
• The role of the auditor has had to continually
evolve to address changes in the business
world.
• Recent financial scandals have called into
question the usefulness of Audit in its present
form

5. ACCA comment
“A strong audit function promotes trust and contributes
to the working of efficient markets…when economies
throughout the world are shaken by corporate
corruption scandals, it is important to reassess what
the future of Audit should be….”
Steve Priddy, Director of Technical Policy and Research at ACCA
(2009)

6. What are issues with students learning
about auditing?
• It is a practical process carried out in the real
world by professionals
• Many students have never worked and cannot
picture what it is that the auditor is doing

7. Students don’t understand…
• Students do not understand how businesses
operate and therefore cannot also understand
the underlying accounting systems
• Students may try to memorise theory from
lectures and text book without understanding

8. Students don’t see links….
• Students can’t make links between subjects –
such as link to financial accounting

9. Students want a “correct” answer
• Students don’t see subjectivity in audit
process e.g. understand role of judgement or
materiality

10. Student don’t want to question..
• Students don’t want to question and debate….
• And we should be encouraging them to
question audit process – is it fit for purpose?
Could it be changed?

11. Leeds Met Issues
• Students choose the module for the exemptions…but
are often pleasantly surprised
• Large cohort joins final year from China (140
students on the module around 40 of whom are
Chinese and new to the UK)
• Discomfort with “wordiness” of subject
• Taught by ex-practitioners, strong focus on “how to”
• Recently franchised – challenges and opportunities
• Current issues week – student led (or should that be
pushed!)
• Module evaluations (can we do an audit?.....) led me
to seek out Susan and Glenn

12. University of Worcester – Experience
of teaching auditing
• Students found the subject very theoretical as they could not
relate to a lot of the material because they do not have the
relevant experience from which to draw upon
• The textbooks could be used to teach the theory but they
could not help students understand how auditing works in the
real world
• Employability – Module feedback highlighted the issue that a
significant number of students did not feel that they had
developed these skills in the auditing module.
• As a result an alternative strategy to deliver the auditing
module through the use of an audit simulation was put in
place in September 2013

13. Your experiences
• What are your experiences of teaching
auditing?