Tag Archives: Trends in Higher Education

Learn Why Payroll Accounting is Important for Students

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Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Like so many other occupations, accounting has now become a career choice with specialized fields. There is specific training for areas including construction accounting, tax accounting, and one of the most security sensitive: payroll accounting. When teaching students payroll accounting, it is important they understand how having a separate payroll accounts and an accountant assists in maintaining proper internal controls:

  • One reason to separate the payroll account is for reconciliation simplicity and time management. When payroll checks and taxes are paid out of the same bank account as routine general ledger invoices, it generates numerous transactions which in turn makes monthly bank statement reconciliation more complicated and time consuming.
  • Internet identify theft and online scams in relation to payroll services is rampant these days. By creating a separate payroll account, which is linked to the company’s main banking account, money can easily be transferred to cover payroll with an additional protective layer of security guarding against fraud and theft.
  • A payroll accountant is privy to personal information including social security numbers and financial legal proceedings such as wage garnishment. Employing a separate payroll accountant who understands the confidentially requirements helps keep internal controls in place and ensures only authorized personnel have access to private payroll files.

For accounting instructors, Labyrinth Learning has a new solution available: Payroll Accounting: A Practical Real World Approach by Eric Weinstein. For information on our other outstanding curricula and teaching aids, please contact us today.

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Technology Use in the Classroom Will Become More Important Over Time

The days of traditional textbooks, white boards and students in one setting, all being taught the same material, is slowly dying out only to be replaced with rapidly developing classroom technology. Educators, parents and students are quickly realizing technology in higher education is becoming more commonplace and embracing the change.

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Source: Wikimedia Commons

Because of technological advancements, educators are having to rethink the established teaching methods of presenting information and then having students repeat it back in rote. The future of education is requiring teachers to develop techniques on how to present critical thinking and long-range problem solving.

For all the negatives that people think of with new age technology, like concerns surrounding social media interactions, online gaming and off-topic websites, the positives are so much stronger.

Some of the advantages of classroom technology include:

  • Keeping students attention even longer
  • Increases in students willingness to learn
  • Freedom for students to learn at their own pace
  • Better preparation of students for more advanced technology

Of course, no article on technology in higher education can be complete without a nod to the long range advantages and potential impact that remote classrooms are already having worldwide. Cultural, geographical and financial boundaries are all reduced through nothing more than a strong internet connection, a webcam and a microphone.

For more ways to help engage your students and improve your classroom, feel free to contact us at Labyrinth Learning.

The Social Learning Trend is on the Rise

The Social Learning Trend is on the Rise
Break students out of the traditional mold of interacting in class with social learning.

With even more people becoming connected to the Internet on a global scale, the increased availability of smartphones, and the growing popularity of social media, it is no wonder that social learning — the use of mobile devices and social media to assist in eLearning and enable peer review — is on the rise.

The following statistics explain how the trend is expanding on an international level:

  • Worldwide Internet users — In 2014, it is estimated that 2.8 billion people will be using the Internet worldwide. This is up from 2.1 billion in 2010 and just 1 billion in 2005.
  • Facebook — In 2013, there were 1.15 billion users on Facebook, which is a marked increase from 1.06 the year before. The number of users accessing Facebook on mobile devices has increased even more significantly: by 51 percent in a 12-month period, reaching a total of 819 million users.
  • Smartphones — The cost of smartphones is rapidly dropping, which has provided Internet users with a cheaper way to get online. In 2012, the average cost of a smartphone was $298, but by 2013, this number had fallen to $180.
  • Peer review — Of students surveyed, 92 percent said they benefit from reviewing the writing of others and 82 percent found peer review helped their own writing.

As an educator, you should already be taking advantage of all social learning has to offer. For more advice about how to incorporate technology into your classroom or training program, contact us at Labyrinth Learning.

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A Look Back at the “Future” of Technology in Education

A Look Back at the "Future" of Technology in Education
The current classroom setting isn’t even close to the future predictions created by leading minds of the past.

Remember The Jetsons? As kids, we watched The Jetsons in delight, looking forward to the days when flying cars and meals-in-an-instant would be the norm. Well, some of the Jetsonian technologies have become reality – like microwave dinners – but others have yet to come to fruition. The same is true for predictions made regarding technology in education.

A recent article on Gizmodo took a look at 15 Technologies That Were Supposed to Change Education Forever…but haven’t. We’re highlighting a few of our favorites.

Instant travel. Back in 1912, an Iowa newspaper predicted that the distance required to transport students to school would be eliminated via pneumatic tube shuttles, monorails, and gyroscope cars. Alas, the mileage from students’ houses to school has remained the same. The only improvement is the speed and fuel efficiency of school buses.

Radio Books. During the 1920s radios became a mainstay of American entertainment. Thus, it didn’t require a stretch of the imagination to think students would all be connected to radio books in the future. Granted, these predictions were somewhat accurate in the sense that audio books are the preferred method of reading for students with vision impairment, as well as those who are predominantly auditory learners.

T.V. Teachers. By the late-30s, forward thinking educators imagined a world where teachers were no longer necessary in the classroom. Instead, students would watch and listen to lectures via the television. Instead, computers have dominated the scene and online learning is more popular than every before.

Contact Labyrinth Learning to stay in touch with real-life advancements of technology in education.

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2014 Trends in Higher Education

2014 Trends in Higher Education

2014 Trends in Higher Education
Higher learning trends are affecting college campuses across the nation. Source: Wikimedia Commons

It’s important for colleges and universities to stay abreast of current trends in higher education to ensure graduates emerge prepared to fill positions in the modern workplace. In the global marketplace, that means being in touch with trends both in America and abroad.

Here, detailed in length below, are some trends in higher education you can expect to see throughout 2014:

Focus on the community. Corporations are beginning to place more attention on how business models impact the earth as well as the community at large. As such, many corporations, non-profits and other organizations have coined the term corporate social responsibility (CSR). We expect to see institutions of higher education paying attention to their CSR as well.

A de-emphasis of ranking. Many academics have grown weary and distrustful of the myriad of “ranking” that takes place across the university spectrum. Rushed research and hyper-pressure to publish is detrimental to the academic process, resulting in shoddy and potentially corrupt work.

Fine tuning technology in the classroom. With MOOCs at one end of the spectrum and PowerPoint presentations at the other, higher education will continue to fine-tune the implementation of technology to enhance learning. 2012 saw a major emphasis placed on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), but high-dropout rates indicate that higher learning is most successful when learning incorporates a blend of technology, online/distance learning opportunities and engaged classroom learning, depending on the subject matter.

Keep up with technological trends in higher education. Contact Labyrinth Learning to learn more about eTextbooks, course management systems, and more.