AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF LEARNER USE OF A COMPUTERIZED ACCOUNTING TUTORIAL

• Published in: Information technology, learning, and performance journal Vol. 23; no. 2; p. 17
• Main Author: Handy, Sheila A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Morehead Organizational Systems Research Association 01.10.2005
• Subjects: Accountancy; Accounting; Attitudes; CAI; Case studies; Cognitive style; Communication; Computer assisted instruction; Computers; Curriculum development; Distance learning; Education; Educational Environment; Learning Processes; Multimedia; Student Attitudes; Students; Teachers; Teaching methods; Virtual offices
• ISSN: 1535-1556

The accounting profession has indicated that graduates should be better prepared to meet the challenges of the profession. One way to accomplish this goal is to increase students' exposure to technology. This study qualitatively examined the experiences of eight students using a computer-assisted tutorial as a method of instruction for two chapters of a financial accounting course. I collected data on a real-time basis in the form of think-aloud protocols, observations, and interviews. Findings revealed that the students had a positive learning experience. They indicated that the tutorial exhibited social presence-the ability of a communications medium to approximate face-to-face communication, an extension of this definition from distance learning literature. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]