It is also a popular elective for other non-business majors such as health care and arts. Since I joined CSULB, I have taught this course for three semesters to a total of approximately 360 …show more content…
Teaching an introductory course presents me with unique challenges, as this is the first time most of the students are exposed to the subject area, and it is the instructor’s responsibility to ensure that the student receives a proper foundation upon which to build his/her knowledge. This is especially true in accounting, a subject that requires the students to clearly understand the basic principles and concepts that underlie the multitude of complex and intricate accounting standards, rule, and procedures. In addition, the diversified student group in my classes makes effective teaching even more challenging, as a great portion of the students I taught are not business major. The most critical step to conquer these challenges is to stimulate interest in learning. To engage students in the learning process, I often link topics to real business situations to make the class interesting and relevant to them. For example, when I introduce the concepts of accounts receivable and bad debt expenses, I discuss in class that hospitals in the U.S. have a big problem in collecting their accounts receivables. This makes the class also relevant to non-business major students and stimulate their interests in