The First Course in Accounting: An Assessment Program Based on Student Learning Outcomes and Alternative Pedagogies

Although most accounting programs have made great strides in meeting assessment requirements of accreditation agencies, many have yet to actually use the data they compile to make tangible improvements (Bisoux, T. (2008). Measures of success. BizEd, March/April, pp. 22–30). This paper describes our college's assessment of learning experience in the principles of financial accounting course. Our program was based on the Association for the Advancement Collegiate Schools of Business's assurance of learning and continuous improvement paradigm. We specifically discuss how we used assessment information to promote course improvement through the sharing of teaching methodologies. Our assessment experiences in this introductory course highlight the potential value of such data in curriculum development and improvement.