“I have to say I’m sad this unit is coming to an end, but I have made some lovely contacts and I am sure that we will keep in touch.  Some of you might even be doing ACCT11081 Introductory Financial Accounting with me next term, which I am really looking forward to.  I would like to say a huge thank you to Martin & Maria. I found the way they structured the unit amazing. I have learnt so much from them, the way they engaged with all of us and encouraged us to explore accounting on our own terms rather than just being taught.  I know that the knowledge I have gained from this unit is already helping me in my day to day job which is amazing. BRING ON NEXT TERM!!!!”

Hi

We have now marked almost everyone’s ASS#2 Steps 7-10.

We are also still marking a few people’s earlier assignments and we expect to have everything marked and returned to you shortly.

We are now at the ‘end of the road’ for ACCT11059 Accounting, Learning and Online Communication.

On our journey together we have been part of 400+ people, spread right across Australia from every State and Territory; and from large cities, towns and quiet (and not so quiet) rural places.

My bike riding group (which rides early on Sunday mornings) visited the Kinka wetlands on the Capricorn Coast last weekend. We saw that the pelicans have returned to the area (after an absence visiting the wet interior of Australia), with a group of five pelicans fishing on the water; there were large numbers of swans and many other birds; and three brolgas noisely flew overhead, honking their disapproval at our presence.

Beautiful place, the Capricorn Coast: sitting on, yes you guessed it, the Tropic of Capricorn (which makes us just in the tropics). Others in our unit are living in a wide-range of places in our beautiful, and sometimes not-so-beautiful, country. 🙂

Quite a few people have experienced some real, active learning in our unit this term; and others have simply focused on ‘getting the grades, and getting out of here’. Some people have warmed fairly quickly to the learning opportunities in our unit; while others have resisted and just wanted to be ‘given the answers’. Some people have seen the ‘magic’ and benefit of connecting meaningfully with others and learning with and from each other, both face-to-face and online with a large number of people in many parts of Australia. While others have doggedly pursued a ‘lone ranger’ approach and invariably at times felt ‘stuck’ and stressed at not knowing the way forward and feeling  unsupported.

There have been a lot of people involved in this unit to help make it as good a learning experience for you as we could. Our teaching team (Maria, Karen McP, Carmen, John, Lois, Peter, Mitch, Chris, Nova and myself) and our marking team (Bridget, Karen D, Kathy P, Kathy J, Nicole, Harry and Renee) – we have enjoyed being a support to you and experiencing and sharing with you on your learning journey in accounting.

We all value education and learning. It can open new doors, and new windows, and new worlds to us. We can start to imagine and envisage bigger worlds and longer paths for us to experience and pursue. And yet we can often do things to limit what we learn; and stifle any burgeoning curiosity and developing interest.

And for those staying on the ‘accounting train’, there is more to come next term.

I have been spending some time recently sitting at the Jolt cafe and Chapter cafe in Yeppoon writing materials on some of the bookkeeping we will be looking at in the early weeks of next term in ACCT11081 Introductory Financial Accounting.

Here is a sneak peak: there are three things we will need to memorise. That’s right, memorise. The first thing? … “An increase in an Asset is a debit”. We will learn that if we just repeat a fact like this 40 times, and then have occasional repetitions over the years in future, we will never forget it; even if we want to!

So, there’s some preparation for those planning to do ACCT11081 Introductory Financial Accounting next term: “An increase in an Asset is a debit.” And for the other two things to memorise, you will just have to wait.

We will have a different unit Facebook page for ACCT11081 (and we will also be using PeerWise again).  We will each have a new company with which to explore further the world of accounting. And we will also use a textbook in ACCT11081 (which will provide a useful reference source throughout your degree and into your working life).

And we are, of course, also having ACCT11059 Accounting, Learning and Online Communication next term. Yes, next term there will be lots of people feeling nervous and worried about studying accounting; concerned about it involving numbers; and perhaps fearing it may being boring for them and that they might fail. As well, there will be others excited at the prospect of starting university and studying accounting. What would be great, if at the beginning of next term, lots of people from our unit this term would welcome and greet those studying ACCT11059 Accounting, Learning and Online Communication next term. You could say hi on our ACCT11059 unit Facebook page; and give people a tip or two about how to succeed in our unit: What you would have liked to have known before you started our unit this term. A few people from previous terms did that for you on our Facebook page at the beginning of this term.

The time has now come to say adieu to each of you on behalf of the whole teaching and marking team. For many, this will be your one-and-only experience of learning about accounting at university. May you find value in what you have learnt with us these past few months, as in the years to come you pursue careers in business and in a range of other endeavours.

And here is a picture of my wife Margie and I relaxing with a green smoothie when my daughter Claire came to visit a week or two ago (she took the photo) – a belated Mother’s Day visit. Claire is an Emergency Department doctor in a large hospital in Sydney and managed to squeeze in a few days mid-week to visit us.

 

 

Cheers and best wishes for your future!

Regards

Martin

9 June 2017