[Photo Caption: From L-R first row, Gary Pan, Professor of Accounting (Education) and Yuanto Kusnadi, Associate Professor of Accounting (Education)
From L-R second row, Clarence Goh, Assistant Professor of Accounting (Practice) and Benjamin Lee, Lecturer of Accounting]
SMU Accountancy faculty, Gary Pan, Professor of Accounting (Education), Yuanto Kusnadi, Associate Professor of Accounting (Education), Clarence Goh, Assistant Professor of Accounting (Practice) and Benjamin Lee, Lecturer of Accounting, have clinched the Howard Teall Award for Innovation in Accounting Education for 2023, presented by The Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA). The Howard Teall Award, named after Professor Howard Teall who is an outstanding educator, recognises educators who go "above and beyond" to create original learning activities and to motivate students to pursue future learning opportunities, with unique and innovative approaches to accounting education. This marks the second time that SMU professors have clinched first place in the Howard Teall Award for Innovation in Accounting Education.
This year’s submission “Enhancing Digital Readiness in Accounting Curriculum through Industry-University Experiential Learning Consulting Projects” described how the Accounting Analytics Capstone course in SMU, offered as an SMU-X course, serves to prepare accounting professionals for ‘intelligent accounting functions’ in businesses, as the CEO and the Board increasingly turn to accountants to help make sense of data, to help cut through this complexity, and to provide more informed analysis on the business and its operation.
The 2022-2023 Howard Teall Innovation in Accounting Education Award Committee applauded the use of the Accounting Analytics Capstone Course to prepare future accounting professionals to solve complex business problems with data-driven analytics.
Professor Anna Czegledi, Chair of Howard Teall Innovation in Accounting Education Award Committee (CAAA) Canadian Academic Accounting Association commended the Accounting Analytics Capstone Course in her award letter addressed to the professors, “This innovative approach allows students to gain insights into business challenges and appreciate digital transformation in accounting. As this project focuses on data analytics and real-world issues, it provides students with practical solutions for clients and helps them become industry ready.
Your project uses data visualization tools, programming, and advanced data query to complement accounting concepts, allowing students to leverage technology and data analytics for better decision-making and problem-solving.
In addition to the technical skills, this approach helps enhance collaboration and networking skills as students work closely with industry partners, providing opportunities for students to interact with professionals in the accounting and analytics field and expand their professional network. Additionally, the group-based nature of the project encourages collaboration and teamwork among students.”
Yuanto Kusnadi, Associate Professor of Accounting (Education) and Academic Director (SMU-X), shared that “the award has brought about recognition to the Analytics Capstone Course (AAC) as well as the experiential learning approach we have blended in our accounting curriculum through the SMU-X pedagogy. We certainly hope that more accounting courses can adopt our SMU-X pedagogy to close the gap between what we teach in class and the real industry practice”.
As the winning submission for the Howard Teall Innovation in Accounting Education Award, the professors received $500 CAD complimentary registration to the 2023 CAAA conference. Their achievements were also announced on the CAAA website.