Clean Books: Integrating Managerial Accounting Concepts into a Chemistry Course

This chapter describes the use of an innovative instructional tool to teach managerial accounting concepts in a chemistry course at a small liberal arts college. Students engage in active learning by participating in a semester-long enterprise where they assume the role of both an entrepreneur and a manufacturer, as they explore different production combinations and plan profitability. This teaching tool offers several educational benefits. First, it actively engages students by requiring daily decisions having market consequences in a real-world setting. Second, it empowers students to create their own production environment and fosters cooperative learning. Finally, it develops in students an appreciation for the value of accounting information in decision-making.