Project Step III - Implementation plan

EMGT N417 Basic Accounting and Finance, the course introduces concepts and skills for using basic financial and accounting information.

There are Five Learning Outcomes/Goals and they are spread over three parts in the course.  The first part deals with financial accounting for engineering managers which examines the assumptions and decision usefulness of financial statements that are prepared for creditors and shareholders.  Emphasis is placed on interpretation of financial statements.  The second part of the course provides an introduction to management accounting techniques that are useful in management decision-making situations.  The last section provides an opportunity to learn about financing and investment.  Ethical considerations and management in the global context are integrated into these topics.

There are five assessed tasks four of which are individual timed assessments and account for 90% of the grade. The remaining 10% is for a Group Project based on real life Industry Financial Statements.

The fundamental learning objective in any course is an in depth cognitive understanding of the concept which is then assessed through a variety of assessment techniques. ‘Wimba’ is the education technology that I have selected to implement in one of my courses this semester. I do not have any previous experience with Wimba but I think it will help my students accomplish their learning goals more effectively. Wimba will give them expansion of time and space as it allows them to learn anywhere and anytime. It also gives them the flexibility of individual pacing and sequence. It permits them to break step with the class and go at a pace and order that suits each student better.

My pedagogical approach is individual student oriented. I intend to blend conventional classroom learning with online distance learning so that I can reach out to all the students in my classroom, even the ones who are physically not present in the class room. As almost all the students are working, they come to college after work. Some of the students are off-shore students which imply they might need to travel frequently or have to be away for on-site duties for two or more weeks in a row! Also, a fairly large proportion of students commute from other emirates to reach in time for the class. Inevitably, there are frequent delays and at times they are too exhausted after a hectic day at work to drive all the way to Dubai for any class. I strongly feel that these working and off-shore students can immensely benefit from the use of Wimba in this particular course.

There is no substitute for face to face classroom learning environment but it can be supplemented through technology. I am already using BBVista but mainly as a repository. Wimba allows them real time interaction as well as they can benefit exponentially from repeated interaction with content and collaborative experiences. I intend to embed a wide range of activities within the Wimba classroom environment to engage all the students. These activities will be using technology-as-partner in the learning process relating to the article by Jonassen. We will be using technology not just for the delivery of lesson but as social medium to support learning by conversing and for collaborating with others. It will support student learning as intellectual partner when they reflect on what they have learnt and how they came to know it.

I am really looking forward to implement it and see how it goes!