Keywords

8.1 Introduction

The crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic represents a great challenge to every sector of the economy worldwide. Particularly, in several education systems, millions of students faced the sudden shutdown of their educational institutions, without warning. Teachers, students, and staff were required to adapt to a new way of teaching and learning, to continue the teaching process while meeting the needs of all students throughout all education levels (Daniel, 2020). In addition, to ensure the right to education, several governments resorted to their education ministries to outline a strategy to enable teaching, in this new context, relying mainly on the use of technological communication platforms (Zoom, Teams, Moodle, Blackboard, and others) (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020; Carrasco et al., 2021; Cervantes Holguín, 2020; Cóndor-Herrera, 2020). In Portugal, the State of Emergency was declared on March 18, 2020. Due to the uncertainty about the size and extent of the pandemic and to stop SARS-CoV-2 virus infections all educational institutions shut down. The education system was forced to a radical transformation concerning the exchange of knowledge: from traditional (face-to-face) teaching to online teaching—the biggest transformation in the last 50 years (Meade & Parthasarathy, 2020). With the worsening of the pandemic, the 2019–2020 school year was concluded through online teaching. By Government indications and following the governmental instruction of the General Direction of Health, in the 2020–2021 school year, several schools, particularly universities, and polytechnics, were forced to reduce the number of students in class, complying with the rule of compulsory minimum distance “whenever possible”. Thus, the various educational units in the country have adopted different solutions within their hemisphere of operation and different realities.

Such an adaptation is particularly difficult in the management simulations courses for its constant concerns with the student’s academic and professional performance and with the achievement of the demanding objectives.

This paper aims to analyse the students’ perception and the changes adopted in the teaching and learning process of the Curricular Units (CU) of Management Simulation Project (MSP) I and II, of the Accounting and Administration degree, at Porto Accounting and Business School belonging to a polytechnic higher education school in Portugal.

The fundamental pillars of these CU are the transmission of a set of experiences, similar to a real and working context. The main issue of this active methodology is to empower/develop students’ personal relationship skills with other colleagues (teamwork). Other pillars are the handling and organization of physical and digital documentation (mainly accounting and tax documentation), the use of management tools (namely integrated accounting and management software), and the digitalization of documents.

The main features of teaching in a simulated management environment are to orient training to the most demanding levels; prepare professionals for more specialized functions; foster the development of new skills; stimulate the capacity to structure, research, and reorganize information in an integrated environment and digital format; train and promote the group and cooperative work; measure work capacity under pressure; activate the ability to make decisions; enrich the ability to communicate; familiarize the student with the organizational structure; consolidate professional, personal, and ethical attitudes.

This study contributed to the study of higher accounting education based on management simulations highlighting the difficulties of adapting this kind of model. This adaptation model was considered suitable for the students, although they still prefer face-to-face classes.

8.2 Literature Review

During the pandemic period that began in late 2019 with the Covid-19 disease, the academic community launched a series of studies related to the crisis and its effects on the academic community. Presenting the most diverse effects, some of these studies evidence that the impact on the motivation of the academic community, particularly in the students, is related to the involvement and connection to the university (Meade & Parthasarathy, 2020; Reeve, 2012). Several studies focus on students’ motivation, involvement, and connection to the university (Chiu, 2021; Kim & Frick, 2011; Lazowski & Hulleman, 2016; Reeve, 2012; Rovai et al., 2007; Ryan & Deci, 2017).

Three aspects can enhance motivation: when learning tasks are challenging; when students establish emotional bonds, enabling them to belong to certain social groups; and when teachers and peers create a supportive collaborative environment (Camacho, 2020; Chiu, 2021). Daniel (2020: 91) points out an important aspect related to the pandemic and its effects on the academy. He studied the attitude that educational institutions should adopt, in a short period, to respond fully to the needs of their students and concluded that to continue to have quality teaching, it is necessary the support all the stakeholders of the school and to have the necessary digital means, so that the access to education will not be impaired.

This context required an urgent adaptation of technologies, contents, and forms of knowledge transmission. Despite the pandemic context, this subject is not new to academics. The distance-teaching model has been the subject matter of several studies in many areas for the past few decades (Bastos et al., 2021; Cameron & Rideout, 2020; Entwistle & Peterson, 2004; Sangster et al., 2020).

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are valued in accounting education and management simulation courses in particular. The education system must change towards the growing digitalization of business. The need for timely information is fundamental and has a determining influence on the organization and development of the accountant’s work. For this, new skills need to be enhanced to create new accounting professionals, namely digital skills, such as knowledge about the design and handling of integrated information and management systems based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) (Gulin et al., 2019). The challenges of the profession are reflected in the need for rapid adaptation and transformation of the practice and business processes, always based on the rules and principles of accounting. Therefore, the process of teaching accounting requires updated educational practices at the level of ICT and the role of teachers is fundamental (O’Connell et al., 2015). Digitalization and Information Technology (IT) development represent an excellent opportunity for companies and businesses to expand (Gulin et al., 2019: 434).

Current trends include the advance of Big Data, advances in automation, and continuous auditing. The focus and relevance of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) depart from the professional sphere to education as a result of the developing business world. Big Data promotes more informed decisions and requires new skills, namely statistical processing, and process management, which must be acquired at an academic level. Automating processes allows the creation of speed, accuracy, breadth, and accessibility, but requires the human capacity to create appropriate rules for the execution and aggregation of reports. The continuous audit ensures higher organizational quality if it relies on the analytical skills of the auditors/accountants (Krahel & Vasarhelyi, 2014).

The accountancy profession is changing and requires skills in data analytics, Blockchain, AI, and Cloud Computing (Moore & Felo, 2022), as well as Microsoft Excel skills. Technology is an inextricable part of learning and the business world. Employers expect accounting students to master IT. Hence the creation of CUs with AIS, Computer Accounting, and Introduction to Computer Accounting (Baswara et al., 2020). The use of technologies in accounting education positively affects performance in the long run (Morris et al., 2015), and transforms the functions and role of the accountant (Osmani et al., 2020), improving the efficiency and quality of work, optimizing business decision, and risk management (Liyan, 2013).

Still, on the IT front, Industry 4.0 requires workers to have skills in Digital Literacy (DL), Technology Literacy (TL), and Human Literacy (HL). Universities should increase both (DL, TL, and HL). To have greater DL, educational institutions must create a habit and culture for students to access diverse information using IoT. TL is the ability to use, understand, regulate, and evaluate an innovation that involves processes to solve problems. So, educational institutions should foster the use of ICTs and create in students, knowledge skills, critical thinking, and decision-making.

Regarding the development of HL, the university may require, an Internship or an MSP, so that students develop leadership spirit and teamwork so that they become more motivated and ready to face the world of work (Lestari & Santoso, 2019).

Accounting is dynamic and not merely a technique for getting the right numbers. It must be thought of in a way that aggregates integrated and sustainability reports. The accounting professional is the most suitable for this combination of numbers and sustainability (O’Connell et al., 2015: 74–75). Industry 4.0, termed the fourth industrial revolution, has at its genesis sustainability accounting and reporting based on the Triple Bottom Line Model, (Tiwari & Khan, 2020), by the definition and implementation of measurement and performance techniques in the companies’ reports (Bebbington & Larrinaga, 2014). Sustainability reports should include management approaches for measuring variables, thus facilitating the sharing of real-time information on monitoring and control variables (Burritt & Christ, 2016). This new approach of analysis is responsible for sustainable development that covers organizational issues (stakeholders), economic, social, and environmental policies, which, was not feasible to accomplish without the implementation of new ICTs within the scope of era 4.0.

In accounting education, the use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is suggested, which allows easy, integrated, and reliable access to a company’s data. Therefore, makes it possible, based on this information, to carry out more in-depth diagnoses of existing needs and the measures to be adopted to meet them. Also, the provision of telephone lines and laptops to teachers and students (Ezeani & Akpotohwo, 2014), becomes important to enhance the link between IT and accounting knowledge, which will bring a positive impact on the quality of financial statements (Hanifah et al., 2020).

The use of the right IT, and contact with colleagues and teachers in more informal environments (promoted using real technologies and communication tools), leads to higher levels of student motivation and engagement in the classroom. However, in the pandemic context, students were forced to take online classes and often encountered limitations in their access, due to external circumstances. This lack of control over the choice of access “to class” may have undermined students’ sense of competence and autonomy, with negative implications for motivation (Camacho, 2020).

Indeed, recent international studies show an alarming increase in mental health symptoms in youth, such as anxiety and depression (Racine et al., 2020). Considering such evidence, it is reasonable to suspect that academic achievement and, more precisely, student motivation may also have deteriorated. Some recent research suggests that when individuals find their mental/emotional health unstable, they tend to show a lack of motivation to learn (Smith et al., 2021). Also, according to Chiu (2021: 2), individuals feel strongly fragmented, isolated, and reactive when they lack three universal and psychological needs and that leads to motivation or demotivation. These needs are autonomy (feeling self-governed and self-approved), competence (feeling competent and effective), and relationship (feeling connected, loved, and interacted with), which move them to act or not (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2017).

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) stands out the fact that sustainability accounting may be the next emerging issue for accountants. To put this vision into practice, accountancy professionals will need a greater awareness of how they can make a difference, as well as developing the professional skills and competencies to support stronger and more sustainable organizations (Bakker, 2015).

Activities, such as the impact on the environment, customer relations, highly trained employees, or product innovation, are not always reflected in the numbers but are valuable assets for the organization and that information should be provided to the shareholders and decision-makers. Financial accounting is intended to reflect a company’s current position, recording transactions based on book value. Sustainability issues are difficult to price and will often look to the future, where there is uncertainty (Rogers, 2016).

To ensure that professional accountants are effective, they need to broaden their knowledge base from the application focus that they may traditionally have had. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) points out the fact that accountants and students of accountancy must have a set of competencies, namely related to digital and sustainable environments. The future of the profession depends on the preparation of professionals in this area of knowledge in terms of technical, digital, and sustainability skills. The concern with the investment in the digitalization of the profession cannot evolve disconnected from the concern with the environment. Accounting and its professionals have a fundamental role in this narrative.

The digital agenda is transforming our lives in many ways. How we both interact and conduct business is radically different from those in the environment often, and perhaps even five, years ago (Brand, 2020).

8.3 Methodology

This paper studies the student’s perceptions and the adaptation in the teaching and learning process in a Portuguese CU, of an accounting and management degree, namely in the MSP.

8.3.1 Operation Mode of Management Simulation Project

Being the scope of this study the changes that occurred in the operation of the MSP (I and II), in the academic years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, it is essential to present these CU as to their main rationale and mode of operation.

The MSP aims to raise students’ awareness of the challenges they will face in the labour market, more specifically in the business world. To this end, the updating of contents covered in these CU is a constant, given the mutations that the business world faces, in all areas and in a transversal way.

Students use technological tools existing in the labour market, to promote greater proximity to the real life of companies.

The fact that these CU are taught in the third year of the course, allows students to apply a whole set of concepts, knowledge, and skills, acquired throughout the course, in the various areas of knowledge, always in a predominantly practical perspective.

To bring the working sessions of the CU closer to the business reality, the students of each class are grouped normally into teams of three, thus constituting an autonomous company, with its own identity and social object. The companies, managed by the students, initiate commercial transactions (buying and selling goods) with other companies in other classes. Thus, a broad virtual market is established, where students have total responsibility for its operation, with its vicissitudes, as if it were a reality.

In each session, the companies have a set of tasks relating to transactions carried out that involve administrative, accounting, and tax treatment, based on a previously established plan. All work sessions are carried out in a classroom format, in blocks of three hours, on alternate days.

8.3.2 Purpose and Data Collection

This work aimed to highlight the learning process of the course of MSP, during the pandemic where students were confronted with two types of teaching: remote and mixed (remote and face-to-face alternating).

The research questions are: 1—Do students acknowledge the changes implemented at MSP? 2—Do students agree with most of the changes? 3—How do students perceive the usefulness of technological tools? 4—Do students perceive its adequacy to the profession?

The study is exploratory, and data were collected through a questionnaire sent to final-year students who concluded MSP at Porto Accounting and Business School (IPP-ISCAP). Data collected were disaggregated according to the teaching method followed during the pandemic: at distance, face-to-face, and hybrid model. The students enrolled are 259.

The questionnaire was created in Google Forms and has 22 closed-ended questions and an open question. It was divided into five parts: sample characterization (I), learning model (II), assessment process (III), teachers support (IV), used tools (V), learning format in non-pandemic context (VI), and an open question (VI). In the IV and V parts, there were used Likert scales with 5 levels (where 1 is “totally disagree”, and 5 is “totally agree”). The questionnaire was emailed by the four teachers to each class (six classes) in July 2021. To reduce the possible non-respondent bias, the questionnaire was sent twice with an interval of two weeks.

Once the questionnaire was closed, the responses database was prepared, and the data were processed with statistical analysis software. All quantitative data analyses were performed with the IBM SPSS V26© program. In the first approach, an exploratory analysis of the items was made using descriptive statistics. It was also observed that all the distributions of the responses were strongly symmetric. In addition, Cronbach’s alpha presents a value of 0.733, which indicates strong reliability or internal consistency, of a composite score of the instrument used in the study.

8.4 Findings

8.4.1 The Adaptations in Management Simulation Project

This study focuses on the pandemic period and reports one and a half years, three semesters, of MSF. Due to the appearance of the pandemic on March 18, 2020, in the second semester of the academic year 2019–2020 (MSPI) and the academic year 2020–2021 (first (MSPI) and second semester (MSPII)), changes were made to the normal functioning of the work sessions.

At the beginning of the second semester of the academic year 2019/2020, the sessions were carried out in the online teaching modality (at a distance model). In this modality, given the specificity of the MSPI, an adaptation was promoted in the use of the computer tools necessary for the accounting and management work of the students’ companies, to comply with the established program. The changes became a challenge not only for the teachers but also for the students. Because there was no possibility of remote access to the integrated software in use, other computer tools were introduced to allow the continuity of the working sessions.

The use of the communication platforms ZOOM, Microsoft TEAMS, Moodle, Moodle Avalia, and the combination of computer applications, such as Microsoft Excel, was the almost immediate solution, in the space of a week that allowed to continue the initial planning of the MSPI activities, always taking care of the approach to the business reality.

The MSPI (in the first semester) and MSPII (in the second semester) of the third curricular year, in the academic year 2020/2021, were taught in a hybrid model (blended learning). Simultaneously, half of the students, (even mechanographic number) attended the classes in an online format and, the other half (odd mechanographic number) in a face-to-face format, alternating every week.

It should be noted that, in this mixed model, the presence of students in the physical classroom and the virtual classroom was simultaneous, in the same period, with online students in permanent contact with the teachers and with their teammates/groups.

The experience in this blended learning modality was challenging for all the intervening parties, teachers, and students, since the face-to-face and online sessions took place simultaneously, with each group (company), at this stage, consisting of four students, two in the online class and two in the face-to-face class simultaneously. The processing of all documentation and computerized registration was carried out by the two students present, accompanied by the two students in online classes, from the same group (company), via “ZOOM” installed on the computers of each company (two per company), alternating each week. Students were given the freedom to communicate through other avenues, namely the WhatsApp app.

All the previously planned tasks were carried out, discussed, and analysed by the team of teachers assigned to the CU, and the proposed objectives were achieved.

The concern for the development of competencies identified in MSP, namely soft and hard skills, such as oral and written communication, interpersonal relationship, management, leadership, motivation, resilience, and professional ethics, among others, following the competencies defined by the IFAC, representative body of the accountancy profession, of which the Portuguese Certified Accountants’ Association (OCC) is a member, and also the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

8.4.2 Data Analysis

The sample of 207 students corresponds to a rate response of 79.9% (207/259 students). About 84% of the students are between 20 and 25 years old (V1), 82.1% attend classes during the daytime (V2), and only 28.9% have work experience (V3), which means that most of them have not yet entered the labour market. Of the working students (24.6%) about 55% labour is in accounting and administration, namely as an accounting technician, administrative, and financial worker; 13.3% labour is in auditing, fiscal controlling, and consulting; and 22% work in different areas, namely services, logistics, and commercial. Table 8.1 presents the Mean and Deviation of the sample.

Table 8.1 Characterization of the sample
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Pearson correlation shows a linear association between the learning process (hybrid model and at a distance) regarding the theoretical and practical application of the contents. The theoretical and practical application presents in both learning models a variation around the line of best fit of 0.553 and 0.616 representing a strong association, while the association between the practical applications of the contents presents a small and a medium-strength association of 0.246 and 0.344. Table 8.2 presents the correlations.

Table 8.2 Pearson correlation
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Through the data analysis the questions: “Do you consider that the tools used in distance learning (ZOOM or other equivalent platforms) were the most appropriate/effective?” and “Do you think that the tools used in the face-to-face classes (Primavera software, teacher connection via VNC viewer, phone/mobile phones, WhatsApp) were the most appropriate/effective?” students consider the technological tools appropriated, more than 84% answered positively. Table 8.3 presents the students’ perceptions of technological tools.

Table 8.3 Technological tools
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Despite the figures presented in the previous questions, in the open question, where students were asked to give their opinion about the changes made and the mixed model used, 16% of the respondents considered that teamwork would be more efficient if they had access to the ERP remotely, allowing them to work at home. Remote access to the ERP in the MSP was once possible, but only with user consultation permissions, thus allowing the students, outside the face-to-face classroom environment, to reflect on the work developed in the face-to-face work sessions and prepare the next session, based on the documentation provided by the teachers.

Regarding the teacher/student relationship, the level of proximity, the level of availability and support to students during face-to-face and distance learning and outside of class time, during this pandemic context, the answers obtained are explained below.

Regarding the question “Do you think you had the necessary support from your teachers during the current context?” 90,9% of the students considered to have the necessary support from teachers during the current context and 93,7% of the students considered that teachers “were always available”.

When questioned about the level of closeness between teacher/student in this context, 13.5% of the students considered that there was no close relationship with the teachers, however, 63.8% of the students considered that there was a close relationship with the teachers. Around 22.7% did not express their opinion.

Since the students’ work is, in its totality, developed in group/team, and, in this pandemic context, as previously mentioned, the number of students per group and their simultaneous presence in face-to-face and distance classrooms has changed, it became fundamental to understand the students’ opinion regarding the way the groups are created and the imposition of group/teamwork and, if this form of organization is a factor associated to a higher quality in the performance of their work. The answers to the question “Do you think that the group work, imposed in these CU was effective in promoting the execution of the tasks with quality?” revealed that 70.5% of students agree with this method of organizing teamwork to obtain quality work. The average response was 3.86 (on the scale of I agree and totally agree) with a standard deviation of 1.050.

The focus on remote or mixed learning during the period under review was the solution found to cope with the measures imposed, to provide the community safety and health necessary to contain the pandemic. From the literature review carried out in the previous section, and the experience of the researchers (in a year and a half of distance and blended learning in these curricular units), it is essential to understand the students’ emotional state. Therefore, students were asked questions to understand if they found a balance between their academic, professional, and personal lives.

When asked about the existence of this balance during the period when teaching was entirely at a distance (online) 75.8% of the students considered that they obtained this balance. During the later period in which teaching was mixed/hybrid, the students maintained their agreement at 75.4%.

However, when crossed with the question “If you had to attend MSP next school year in a non-pandemic context, which option would you consider most appropriate for the CU” the answers present a different reality. Table 8.4 shows the values obtained.

Table 8.4 Teaching/learning methods
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Most students who attended MSP revealed that, in a non-pandemic context, face-to-face teaching and face-to-face teaching with some distance components would be the preferred teaching/learning modalities, 72% of the answers. Still, about 28% of the students consider that the mixed model identical to the MSPII used would be an option to consider in the future.

When questioned about the teaching/learning methods which “do you consider to be the best fit for the accountant's training”, the students kept the same tendency of answers as in the previous question, with 72.9% of them considering face-to-face teaching and face-to-face teaching with some components at distance.

To know the students’ perception of the success/failure achieved in the way these CUs have functioned in the last year and a half, along the lines described in this study, we asked the question “Do you think that, because you had the MSPI and MSPII experience, you are better prepared for the world of work?” the majority of students, 92.8% consider that they have a better preparation to face the labour market.

8.5 Results

Educational institutions must promote the implementation of ICT to allow students to obtain skills in Human, Digital, and Technology Literacy (Morris et al., 2015). Still, despite the technological advances in communication and educational platforms, courses such as MSP based on simulated practices are the most difficult to replicate in distance learning contexts.

Future changes in didactics and technological methods should allow students to experience the same situations and problems that occur in real working life, mirroring the duties and the role of an accountant when acquiring knowledge, critical thinking, and decision-making (Lestari & Santoso, 2019; Liyan, 2013; Osmani et al., 2020).

The strong association by Pearson Correlation concerning the theoretical and practical application of the contents in the mixed learning process and the online model (at a distance) states the positive perception by students regarding the changes implemented during the pandemic in those two subjects.

As far as this association goes, the practical application of the contents shows lower values, due to the limitations of the mixed model (in which part of the group of students was online supporting the other part of the group that was in the classroom performing the tasks). Students considered the technologies used (ERP, communication platforms—ZOOM and equivalents, and VPN viewer) the most appropriate. However, some point out that there was no possibility to access the ERP used during classes remotely, which could have made it easier to complete the proposed work in certain lessons which may have impaired their sense of competence and autonomy (Camacho, 2020).

Most students pointed out that they were able to balance the time spent studying with their personal and professional lives, both during the distance and the mixed learning periods.

Those students consider possible a future where the existence of a mixed model that embraces the balance between theoretical contents and practical application, nevertheless, their preference lies in face-to-face education with the possibility to combine some components, such as theoretical ones and the realization of some type of tasks at a distance (online). This fact would allow them to have more time to perform the tasks more effectively in the face-to-face classes.

Furthermore, when asked about the type of teaching most suitable to prepare them for the profession, the students showed a clear preference for face-to-face education.

8.6 Conclusions

This paper explores the perception of the students regarding the changes made to the learning and teaching process of the subjects MSP I and II due to Covid-19. Of the 259 students inquired 207 responded. The obtained answers reflect that the mixed model (face-to-face and online simultaneously) isn’t easy to implement in a subject of this nature. However, the sudden transition to online teaching allowed students to experience the same issues faced in the work context. The greater reliance on technology is noticeable in the accounting sector and the job description of an accountant. Therefore, accounting education needs to evolve to meet market requirements and prepare students for this new and changing ICT environment (Dangi & Saat, 2021).

The students can perceive these changes and consider that the alignment of the accounting education with the newfound requirements of the accounting profession will most likely add value to future graduates and that the technologies used were suitable despite the limitations to accessing the ERP remotely. In addition, students acknowledge that despite the pandemic context, the use of the mixed model allows them to accommodate their work life, study time, and social life.

In sum, it is important to reinforce that the students do show a greater interest and preference for face-to-face teaching and value the effort and commitment of the teachers. A combination of theoretical and practical content is crucial to keep the students motivated. The construction of a profession starts with an education focused on its future and requires teachers, students, and accounting professionals to be aligned with the institutional missions and see their role recognised in society.

The solution must rely on the combination of face-to-face teaching and learning with online learning. Meaning that Higher Education Schools in accounting should provide teachers and students with advanced technologies to enable them to have an online environment where they can interact outside the classroom.

These practices would provide students with permanent contact with the teachers and with documentation and tools to prepare classes ahead—with the teacher’s feedback. The dialogue among the involved would take place in a digital environment fostering the use of digital skills to empower students with these skills, allowing students to deal with digitalization before entering the real labour market.

This innovative practice allowed students to engage in an online environment to act and interact with them and with teachers. The innovation of this approach lies in the fact that teachers and students had a simultaneous work environment aligned with real.

The focus of these “smart solutions” is the growth and awareness of both teachers and students which is fundamental to developing smart skills in higher education courses following the real professional context.

We suggest, as future research, to compare the skills developed in these simulated environments with the real practice of the profession.