Category Archives: Featured

Helping Students Study for Accounting

June 27, 2014Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiesaccounting software, e-learning resources, Microsoft Excel 2013, Technology in Higher Learninglablearning

accounting teaching resources — Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Some subjects need to be approached with well-defined study guidelines in order for the student to adequately understand and retain the information. While learning styles do vary, the below structured approach has consistently provided a large majority of students studying accounting with optimal results in both material comprehension and retention.

Have them read all assigned material before each class. This way they already have a general overview of what will be taught that particular day. Be responsive to their questions.
Remind students to come to each lecture prepared with the required tools, including calculators, notebooks, textbooks, laptop, or tablet. Instruct them to take detailed notes on any topic you have previously focused on, especially those subjects you know aren’t discussed in length in the textbook. Make sure you’ve provided them with a safe environment to ask questions — this is important in a student’s learning experience.
Talk to the students about reviewing their notes as soon as possible. When studying accounting, comprehension is a major concern, so this tip allows them to fill in any blanks while your lecture is still fresh in their mind.
In addition to reviewing notes, online videos, and PowerPoint presentations — have students rework some of the more difficult problems. If the textbook offers online sample quizzes, let them take advantage of this study aid.

Please contact us at Labyrinth Learning for additional educational assistance.

Easy Ways for Students to Learn Basic Accounting on Microsoft Excel

June 26, 2014Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiesaccounting software, e-learning resources, Microsoft Excel 2013 Textbooks, New Microsoft Windows Softwarelablearning

Microsoft Office Excel includes easy to use spreadsheet functionality which can simplify basic accounting tasks. Plus it supports additional add-ons when more sophisticated programs are required. Date importation from outside financial sources and even additional competing software platforms can all be accomplished when handling basic accounting with Microsoft Excel. The program offers a lot in terms of accounting abilities, making it a fantastic teaching program for students beginning to learn the accounting basics.

Budgeting and statements: Microsoft Office Excel comes complete with a wide variety of templates for creating basic accounting statements, including profit and loss, cash flow, and budget. More complex templates can be downloaded from the Office website and adding on specialized templates from other software vendors is a simple and easy task.
Spreadsheets: When performing basic accounting with Microsoft Excel, expensive accounting calculators are no longer required to figure out complex formulas. Excel spreadsheets are designed to handle both in-line and summation calculations.
External data: Microsoft Excel allows external data from numerous sources to be uploaded. This data can also be stored in a variety of different file formats without requiring additional data entry.
Integration: Another major advantage of introducing basic accounting with Microsoft Excel is that it provides easy integration with many other popular accounting applications. Many of these software applications include wizards, which work with both Excel and a separate accounting program.

For more information on how teaching basic accounting with Microsoft Office Excel can benefit your students, please contact us at Labyrinth Learning today.

Easy Strategies to Increase Your Typing Speed

June 2, 2014Featured, Teaching Tips & StrategiesLabyrinth Learning, teaching computer literacy, teaching in a computer lab, teaching tips for computer instructorslablearning

Have you been looking to improve your words-per-minute on the keyboard? Here are some quick and easy shortcuts on how to increase your typing speed:

Research has shown typing ability is broken down into 80 percent technique, 10 percent speed, and 10 percent accuracy. Proper hand placement technique is vital for increasing typing speed.
Practice makes perfect when it comes to improving your typing skills. While practicing might not seem like a very quick strategy, as little as 30 minutes a day works wonders on increasing your speed.
Fast and accurate typing skills are based on muscle memory and just as when learning anything new, repetition is the best way to train those muscles.
Keep your eyes off the keyboard. This might be difficult at first, so try covering the keyboard or consider starting out with a blank keyboard until you build up your confidence.
Correct posture while sitting at the keyboard ensures your hands are resting in the proper position and reduces strain on your back and neck. This also keeps your energy levels up and allows you to type faster and without injury.
Realize your errors are great learning tools. While it is frustrating to make the same mistake over and over, keeping a positive mindset while working to correct the problem goes a long way in improving both speed and accuracy.

If you’re looking to update and improve your teaching style and curriculum, please feel free to contact us today at Labyrinth Learning for more information on everything we offer!

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

How You Can Engage Introverts and Extroverts in the Classroom

May 29, 2014Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiesassessing student performance, Labyrinth Learning, tips for teaching computer skills, tips on teaching adultslablearning

One of the biggest issues in teaching is being able to engage a large number of students at the same time despite their differences. The teaching strategies that capture and retain the interest of extroverts won’t produce the same results in introverts — extroverts tend to be more eager to participate in the open.

Teaching extroverts and introverts at the same time is not an impossible task, though it does mean that teachers will have to be observant and take both groups into account when crafting their lesson plans.

Here are some suggestions for teaching extroverts and introverts in the same classroom:

Facilitating both extroverts and introverts begins with telling which people are which. Extroverts tend to be more social, meaning that they will make more of an effort to talk with more people. In contrast, introverts tend to be more reserved — they need time to process their thoughts before participating. Bear in mind that both extroverts and introverts fall on the same spectrum, meaning that teachers must be flexible in handling their students.
In class, let extroverts speak first so that the introverts will have time to mull over their thoughts. This ensures that both will be able to participate without being pulled out of their comfort zones.
Set up a means for the class to communicate outside of meetings. Extroverts can continue to socialize, while introverts can communicate at their leisure.

Are you looking for more tips on teach introverts and extroverts? Contact us at Labyrinth Learning about more resources for engaging students.

Helpful Strategies for Teaching Auditory Learners

May 7, 2014Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiesassessing student performance, Helpful Tips for Teachers, teaching tips for computer instructors, tips on teaching adultslablearning

headphones — Auditory learners digest knowledge better from lectures.

There are many different types of learners — kinesthetic, auditory and visual. An auditory learner is a person that learns best through active listening. They take on information through listening and active discussions. If you feel that you or your student may be an auditory learner, there are a few things you can do to help.

Here are some great strategies for teaching auditory learners:

Questions are key — By asking questions, auditory learners can receive verbal clarification on learning material. Putting an idea into words can help the listener to retain the information. When asking questions, a student is becoming an active participant, helping those around them know that they are taking in the information.

Repeat study material out loud — Whether reading out a whole text or paraphrasing as they read, auditory learners can take in the information they need by hearing themselves repeat it out loud. This works better than reading the text or information.

Beware of distractions — When it comes to auditory learners, too much noise or things going on around them may become a major distraction. While some people do well listening to music while they study, others find it distracting. Awareness of the things that cause you or your student to become distracted can help increase focus.

If you are interested in learning more about teaching auditory learners, contact us today at Labyrinth Learning.

Emerging Trends That Will Push More Technology into Higher Education

April 25, 2014Featured, Teaching Tips & StrategiesTechnology in Higher Learning, Technology Trends in Higher Learning, Working in Higher Learninglablearning

Cloud Computing — Technology in the classroom is improving the line of communication between professor and student.

Recently the New Media Consortium published its annual higher education report. Much of the report focused on emerging trends in technology, their uses in both online and classroom settings, and the positive impact that is being derived from this higher science.

Promoting the momentum in adopting a variety of technological platforms is seen as a group effort. Social media is finding a place in higher education as a way for professors and administrators to interact with students outside the traditional classroom. For example, Vanderbilt University has a dedicated YouTube channel allowing viewers to see the inter-workings of certain areas of the campus, while at Texas State University, Facebook and Twitter have been incorporated as learning platforms.

Through social media, students and educators are generating large amounts of untapped data which has the potential to reveal algorithms that ultimately can assist in individualizing the learning experience. Universities hypothetically have the ability to use this information to increase the success and graduation rate for at-risk students.

While online learning has been seen as a realistic alternative to a traditional classroom setting for sometime now, there are still strides to be made in improving and integrating specific asynchronous and synchronous tools. Studies have shown that it is vital for professors and students to be able to interact while online through eye contact, body language and additional human gestures to build a strong unspoken connection.

For more information on emerging trends in technology, please contact Labyrinth Learning today.

Image Source: freedigitalphotos

The Benefits to Asynchronous Learning

April 21, 2014Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiese-learning resources, Labyrinth Learning, teaching tips for computer instructors, tips for teaching computer skillslablearning

The traditional form of learning in a classroom setting has already been demonstrated as useful in an online format. While these interactive – or synchronous – forms have held sway in the educational community for the last several centuries, it is the new, asynchronous form that is leading the way in the online community of the 21st century.

laptop — Asynchronous learning is changing the way that modern students approach course material.

Here are just a few benefits to asynchronous learning:

It is Unbiased – Teachers are people and will exhibit their biases whether they realize it or not. Asynchronous seminars avoid this problem altogether as there is no “face-to-face” interaction between teacher and student. This means no cultural bias and no bias against those in other time zones.

They are Available 24/7 – The world no longer runs on a 9-to-5, Monday through Friday, schedule. People work all through the day and night and on weekends. Asynchronous learning allows them to schedule their classes at a time that is convenient and most learning-efficient for them.

They Do Not Rely on Expensive Technology – Many synchronous meetings utilize bandwidth-intensive graphics and videos. For those students without the necessary “high-end” equipment, these seminars may be all but useless. Asynchronous ones, on the other hand, allow a slow connection to buffer the signal and transmit the entire seminar.

For more information on the benefits of asynchronous learning and other, creative teaching techniques, please contact us at Labyrinth Learning, today.

Image Source: freedigitalphotos

Teaching with Technology: What the Students Want

April 16, 2014Featured, Teaching Tips & StrategiesAiding Struggling Students in the Class, e-learning resources, Preparing a College Student, Using Technology in the Classroomlablearning

With the advent of the Internet, the demands made on the modern educational infrastructure have become ever more severe. Thanks to the fast paced world around us and opportunities available, students require a greater flexibility in their courses, their schedules and their technology.

Teaching with Technology: What the Students Want — Outside of the computer lab, here are a few ways students expect to see technology in the class.

Here is what students are looking for in particular:

Mobile, Integrated, Cutting Edge Interfaces – This means that students want access to the class, no matter the time or their location. Wherever they have an internet connection, students appreciate being able to access discussion boards, reporting, online tools and a classroom response system. These are the bare minimum, and the technology can support far more.

Less Disruptive, Disinterested Students – While technology brings many great benefits, it also allows the less disciplined to engage in counterproductive activities during classroom time. Real students are looking for valid ways to avoid distractions and concentrate on their studies.

Off-Site Access – Modern students, especially those that are connected online, want and need the versatility that our present technology affords. And, most importantly, they want it where and when they want it.

We live in the age of technology, and our students are veterans. They’ve grown up with and have seen more technological advances and breakthroughs than anyone. So, make sure your lesson plan and teaching style fit their expectations and needs by using these helpful tips.

For more about these and other teaching tips, please contact us at Labyrinth Learning.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons