Allison S. Ambrose, Ph.D. Conference on Teaching and Learning Accounting August 8, 2012

1. “The Social Auditing Course: Enhancing Student Learning through an Experiential Project Based Course” Allison S. Ambrose, Ph.D. Conference on Teaching and Learning Accounting August 8, 2012

2. Experiential Learning: Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Kolb, 1984, p. 38). A Four Stage Learning Cycle: • Concrete Experience (Act) • Reflective Observation (Reflect) • Abstract Conceptualization (Think) • Active Experimentation (Apply)

3. Internships: APPLY = CONTINUED WORK ACT = WORK THINK = “AHA” MOMENTS REFLECT = JOURNALING

4. Project-Based Learning: “PBL integrates knowing and doing. Students learn knowledge and elements of the core curriculum, but also apply what they know to solve authentic problems and produce results that matter.” “PBL refocuses education on the student, not the curriculum--a shift mandated by the global world, which rewards intangible assets such as drive, passion, creativity, empathy, and resiliency. These cannot be taught out of a textbook, but must be activated through experience." (Markham, 2011)

5. Project Based Learning IS Experiential Learning • Experience through the project allows students to ACT – REFLECT– THINK – APPLY APPLY = Report on findings / make recommendations ACT = PROJECT THINK =Relate new knowledge to old and new content and skills REFLECT = Web Discussions / Paper

6. BENEFITS of Project – Based Learning • Real-world problems capture students’ interest • Prepares students for the thinking and collaborative skills needed in the workplace • Requires students to gather evidence and think critically • More positive attitude towards subject matter • Inequities less pronounced (David, 2008)

7. The COURSE : Social Auditing • Masters of Accounting Course • No set class time – Project Based with Web Learning / Reflection • Academic Content: This course will examine corporate social responsibility, responsibility reporting and the audit of such reports (social auditing) • Primary emphasis will be hands-on learning by student completion of a social audit

8. The PROJECT -- The Social Audit: Students are to gather evidence to determine whether St. Ambrose lives up to one of its Values Statement For example: Catholicity We treasure and build on our strong Catholic identity in relationship with the Diocese of Davenport. As an independent institution of higher learning, St. Ambrose University embodies our faith tradition through teaching, learning, scholarship, and service, through openness to those of other faith traditions, and through the pursuit of justice and peace.

9. Auditing and Professional Skills • “Students will be conducting a live social audit and thus will be required to meet as groups throughout the semester to determine evidence to be gathered, to develop tests to be performed to gather such evidence, to evaluate the evidence, and to prepare a written report of results. Students will present the report of findings to the President of St. Ambrose at the end of the semester.”

10. Fit for St. Ambrose • Mission Based: • Examines the Core Values of the University • Corporate Social Responsibility • Experiential Learning Focused Accounting Program • Not all students can secure internships

11. In addition • This project addresses Thomas’s (2000) five criteria to define PBL: • (a) “Projects are central, not peripheral to the curriculum”; • (b) “projects are focused on questions or problems that ‘drive’ students to encounter (and struggle with) the central concepts and principals of the discipline”; • (c) “projects involve students in a constructive investigation”; • (d) “projects are student-driven to some significant degree”; • (e) “projects are realistic, not school-like” (p. 3-4). • Collaboration is also included as a sixth criterion of PBL.

12. ACT • You will be looking for evidence (both positive and negative) of policies and activities or performance showing the university’s commitment to this area and reporting on your findings. • Decide on what types • Develop strategies to gather • Carry out strategies • Evaluate Evidence

13. REFLECT • Web Assignments: Discuss the following– Ben and Jerry believe that “Internally the social audit is our best way of keeping true to our mission.” Do you agree with this statement in reference to any business? Why or why not? What about in regards to St. Ambrose and its statement on Diversity? • Experience Reflection Paper: Each student will write a 2-4 reflection paper on the class experience. Particularly, you are to address what you learned and how what you learned will enhance your life as a professional accountant.

14. THINK • About Academic Content • Literature Review / Annotated Bibliography required • In teams, you will develop a Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography of significant writings on social reporting and auditing that addresses the following questions: What is social reporting and auditing? What is the purpose of a social audit? What are appropriate methods for conducting a social audit? What are the costs and benefits of social reporting and auditing? Who should perform a social audit? Who should get a social audit? What is the professional status of social auditing?

15. THINK • About Evidence Gathered • Assignment: • Hold a discussion with your partner about how you can go about gathering evidence to support the claims in the values statement. Are there pros and cons to these methods for what you are tying to gather/find? • About Professional Skills • Addressed in Reflection Paper

16. APPLY • What Did you Find? • Once the evidence is gathered and evaluated, you will prepare a written report (Social Audit Report) that summarizes the evidence gathered and as well as what the university is doing to demonstrate its commitment to catholicity. Recommendations for improvement in this area should also be included in the final report. You will present (Social Audit Presentation) your findings to the president of St. Ambrose at the end of the semester. What gets presented should reveal findings in a logical and cohesive manner. Visual aids are required.

17. Additional Learning • IRB Proposal • Red Tape • Covering your bases • Informed Consent • Research Methods • Survey Questions • Focus Group Facilitation • Interviews • Knowledge of SAU – Better Alumni???

18. OUTCOMES --SKILLS • “This course helped me to further my ability to question and understand the viewpoints that others have.” • “I will take a few things from this class into the “real world”. The first and perhaps most important, is being able to work together as a group effectively.” • “I have developed stronger analytical skills, learned the proper methods of evidence gathering, and draw strong well-informed conclusions from our findings.”

19. OUTCOMES -- AWARENESS • “There is a lot of useful information that can be gathered from non-financial sources in an audit.” • “Social auditing seemed to me to be a litter bit harder that just financial statement audits, as there are no specific legislations requiring complying with specific rules on social reporting; a social audit involves more of a professional’s judgment.” • “Social auditing increases the reliability, credibility and usefulness of these internally generated reports. Therefore, independence is crucial.”

20. OUTCOMES --PERSONAL • “This project has helped to increase my confidence. After the rough semester I had as an intern, I had some doubts about myself in regards to how successful I would be outside of an academic setting.” • “It has already been beneficial to my career in that I was able to talk about this class on one of my recruiters.” • “It also helped my evaluate myself and has increased my pride as an Ambrosian. As a result, I have reclaimed my own faith.”

21. OUTCOMES --OVERALL • “The practice we have received developing strong conclusions in Social Auditing will help ease that transition to the workplace.” • “I learned why research can take so much time and how difficult in can be to receive needed information.” • “I felt like the information we gathered and the conclusions we came up with actually had a purpose.” • “We produced something far greater than we could have done individually”

22. CHALLENGES • TIME -- IRB! • Keeping students moving forward • Student time constraints (ie: working students) • Different way of thinking

23. Sources (cont). • Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. • Pfeffer, J. & Fong, C. (2004). The business school “business”: Some lessons from the US experience. Journal of Management Studies, 41(8), 1501-1518. • Phillips, C.R. & Phillips. A.S. (2002). Helping business students bridge the gap with the real world. Proceedings of the Academy of Education Leadership, 7(1), 65-68. • Schon, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books. • Wenger, e. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. NY: Cambridge University Press. • Xie, C. & Steiner, S.D. (2013). Enhancing management education relevance: Joint creation of knowledge between business schools and business. Business Education and Accreditation, 5(2), 1-15.