KU: Center for Teaching Excellence

Center for Teaching Excellence

CTE Home

Preparing to Teach

Advancing My Teaching

Documenting Teaching

Teaching at KU

Portfolio Gallery

Using Research Skills to Meet Community Needs — Raquel Alexander

Mouse-over a link for a summary; click a link for more details.

Background

ACCT 731, Tax Research, is a graduate course that develops students' writing and research skills as they prepare for careers in accounting. Previously, students enrolled in the course had the option to engage in service learning by completing projects related to Hurricane Katrina and the Greensburg tornado, but in Fall 2007 I decided to include a formal service-learning component within the course. I felt this was the best way to help students retain the work they completed throughout the semester and to focus the class so that students understood the value of individual course assignments. I hoped that by applying their research skills to real-world situations, students would gain a new awareness of their role in making the tax system manageable for others. | Implementation

Implementation

Students completed two service-learning projects in the course. Both required students to complete research questions and write a memo summarizing appropriate tax laws. In the first, they worked together as a class to draft legislation that would provide tax credits to disabled veterans hoping to return to higher education. The second project asked students to work in teams to present tax and financial planning workshops to performing arts students at KU. I graded student work based on the quality of content, PowerPoint slides, and general presentation skills. After the second project, I asked students to reflect on the value of their service-learning experience in a short paper. They considered how the two projects connected to other work in the class, what effects the projects had on their future professional role in the business community, and how the projects improved their communication skills.

| Student Performance

Student Performance

Students worked hard to research and prepare both the tax credit legislation for disabled veterans and their presentations to fine arts students. Business students do not often challenge one another, but in this project they offered advice and constructive criticism to their peers. Though students faced some initial obstacles as they tried to make their presentations well organized and easy to understand, the final presentations were outstanding. I gave students a group grade, and this project helped most students in the class achieve high overall grades. Some papers failed to demonstrate deep reflection, but the best demonstrated awareness of how the two projects moved students toward expertise or suggested ways to improve in the next semester.

| Reflections

By simulating a professional tax-consulting environment, both service learning projects helped engage and motivate students. Students learned how to research and communicate more effectively as they saw the connection between their coursework and their presentations. They became more aware of their place in the community as they helped disabled veterans, as well as other students about to embark on professional lives in the fine arts. In the future, I will only ask students to complete the fine arts presentations, since maintaining a stable relationship with that department allows me to prepare students from the beginning of the semester. I will also develop my presentation and reflection paper rubrics so that students better understand expectations and can begin thinking carefully about their work early on in the project.

| Summary

Project Summary

An accounting professor implements service learning in her graduate course on tax research to help students contribute to the university community and better understand how to apply their knowledge of the tax system.

Center for Teaching Excellence
135 Budig Hall
1455 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045-7604
Phone 785.864.4199