Abstract:

The education and training are no longer possible without technologies. The teaching demands have increased. Teachers have to deal with a large amount of information, accordingly, specific software must be developed to support education and training. We present a qualitative case study. We rely on a course created in 2002 in the graduation of Accounting and Administration in a polytechnic higher education institution. In the course, students are organized in groups. They have to manage a virtual company, throughout the school year, with the same legal and organizational requirements of real-life companies. Our aim is to analyze the software used by the course, particularly the one developed for the assessment. This course is supported by three types of software: business, classes, and evaluation. The business software is available on the market. However, in order to support both classes and the evaluation/assessment specific software was developed for the course and is based in a Visual Basic interface. Concerning the software developed for the evaluation/assessment, we highlight the evaluation summary grid. This grid covers all the evaluation tasks such as oral presentation, written tests, execution of tasks, assessment of physical dossiers, punctuality and attendance, ethical behavior and company management report. This software supports teachers in the sessions and allows transparency in the student’s evaluation process. This grid leads to a constructive perception of the evaluation instead of a negative one. It is also a motivating factor since students follow the quantitative growth of their grade. The software can be accessed through a remote desktop available for teachers and students. It allows access to all information related to the organization and evaluation of sessions. This link stimulates and enables e-learning, allowing access to all pedagogical, organizational and business contents of the course, in any place at any time. We conclude that the course is arduous for both students and teachers, requiring a daily follow-up. The developed software softens hard work. The teamwork, the approach to business reality and the evaluation feedback are motivating and distinctive factors.

Keywords:

Accounting, e-learning, Evaluation, High Education, Pedagogical Innovations, Software.