Encouraging Information Search in Accounting Cases by Using Avatars as Sources – But Students Still Wanted to be Given the Information on Paper!

Abstract

Real-world relevance can be developed through classroom case pedagogy that has an in-situational orientation, requires information search in and of the situation, and expects the use of this information for in-situational analysis and critical thinking. This paper reports on a case-based pedagogical developmental project using interactive avatars as situational sources of accounting information that students needed to search for and find. Students preferred, however, to be given the information on paper, perhaps because this is what they had learned to expect. Powerful organizational processes in business schools militating against situation-analytical and real-world relevant teaching are identified