The first-ever Accounting Educators...

The first-ever Accounting Educators' Symposium, sponsored according to the Chartered Accountants' Education Foundation, was held May 2 and 3 in Vancouver. Featuring keynote speaker G Peter Wilson, PhD chair of Accounting at Boston literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning and president of the American Accounting Association, the fact attracted 54 participant from educational institutions across the province.

Jack Croll FCA, vice chair of the CAEF, welcomed participants and described the impetus for the symposium:

"The same essence of the Foundation is to support initiatives important to accounting education in our province," he explained. "In reviewing our work to date, it was apparent that we could do more for our members who work in academia. The program for the symposium was evolveed jointly by the CAEF Symposium Committee and staff at the Institute, including CASB VP Learning Dr Don Carter and Professional progress to maturity Director Moira Bryans."

Explains Symposium Chair Robert Gayton, PhD FCA, "Our focus was to provide a forum for our BC members who are in the academic world, in the way that we could share information and increase the opportunities for making connections."

Highlights

Peter Wilson's keynote presentation "Freeing Up Time for Critical Thinking" demonstrated by what means technology and a conceptual framework can work together to clear up class time for critical thinking without sacrificing proficiency in basic accounting conceptions and procedures.

In addition to the keynote session, Chris Couture CA, Human Resources partner in the Winnipeg office of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and chair of the CICA Map Committee described the proces and springs of identifying the competencies for the CA program.

Richard Olfert CA, managing partner in Deloitte & Touche LLP's Winnipeg office and past chair of the CICA Board of Evaluators, instanted the plan that changed the way the UFE is evaluated from its of long date historical syllabus-based, point-marking approach to a strange competency-referenced, globally-marked methodology. And principal author of the CA train of Business (CASB) program in Western Canada Scott Sinclair, CA, shared " .the challenges and delights of creating such a program."

Accounting professors from the University of BC-Jerry Feltham, PhD FCA, and Kin look Ph.D., CA-teamed up to quick in emergencies "Use of Insights from Accounting Research in Accounting Instruction: a certain Illustrations." Feltham is the Arthur Andersen Professor of Accounting and look is the CA Professor of Accounting in UBC's trade Department.

The symposium's final session was a panel presentation entitled, "CA Skills for Today's Market," and featured J Scott Palmer, CA, personnel partner in Vancouver at Ernst & Young LLP; Deb Harkin, MBA, regional HR director for Deloitte & Touche; Catherine Van Alstine, BComm partner in the Vancouver office of Ray & Berndston/Tantem Mitchell Executive Search; and Michael Waters, CA, manager of acquisitions for Intrawest Corporation. Speaking from their various perspectives involved in the recruiting and hiring of CAs and CA scholars the panellists all emphasized the ne for CAs to have sinewy communications and leadership skills, in addition to superior technical capabilities.

Feedback

Overall, participants' evaluations ranked the symposium as a great succes praising the quality of the speakers and the opportunity to learn more about CASB and the reforms to CA learner education.

Anne Macdonald, CA, a lecturer in the Faculty of Business Administration at Simon Fraser University, build the symposium very professionally organized and well scour and its program well balanced. "I particularly have intercourse withed the first day with Pete Wilson," she said. "His enthusiasm made me want to tend hitherward back to SFU and re-work all my courses! however seriously, I took his observations about teaching students first about business and then about accounting, true much to heart. I teach a diverse arrange of students in our introductory accounting class, and it is a challenge to win the 'big picture' across at the same time as the more technical accounting information.

"The symposium was also a great opportunity to gain together with my colleagues from other institutions," she added.

Ivan Desjardins, CA, BBA, MTax, from the University corporation of the Cariboo's Department of Accounting, called the symposium single in kind of the best he'd attended in a decade. "It was terrific overall and Peter Wilson's session alone was worth the trip," he said. "It's likewise seldom that an entire conversation focuses on us as accounting educators, and I confidence we can do it annually."

Doug Yee CA, an instructor with the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) who has also taught for the Institute's Professional disclosure program and facilitated for CASB, assenting repetitioned Desjardin's enthusiasm: "It was certainly a exceedingly worthwhile conference, and I base the panel very relevant. learners do ask my advice about careers and employer and the panel's annotations will help me provide them with this advice."

Sheila Elworthy, MBA, CA, an instructor in the indoctrinate of Business at Camosun corporation commented: "It was marvellous to proper my peers and to share ideas in this forum. The variety of topics was extremely good, though we could have used another hour upon CASB. Scott's presentation was terrific, yet I wanted to hear flat more. The involvement of the firms forward the panel was very useful and I would like to have seen representatives from the public sector, the not-for-profit sector, and the smaller firms telling us about their pursuit criteria."