Accounting curricula: Soft skills at the expense of technical competency or a happy merger of the two?

SOFT skills; COLLABORATIVE learning; ACCOUNTING education; STUDENT participation; SELF-evaluation; ACCOUNTING

This study explores whether soft skills can be developed through students' participation in collaborative learning projects in entry level accounting courses without sacrificing time allotted to the coverage of technical content. Results indicate that after emphasizing technical competencies throughout the semester, capstone group projects involving collaboration require the exercise of soft skills. Analysis of students' written peer and self-evaluations found instances of soft skills development indicating that, during the project, students display soft skills critical for success in the accounting profession. A model is proposed depicting the observed outcomes of this collaborative learning activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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