Law Students' Perceptions of Online Self-Assessment Assignments in an Accounting Module

Abstract

The low throughput of accounting students constitutes a major challenge at the University of South Africa (Unisa), a distance education institution, and in particular, to Law students who need to pass a basic introductory Accounting module as part of their Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree. As this module normally involves these students’ first encounter with accounting concepts, it was evident that a different learning approach was needed from that used for their Law subjects. In South Africa, where internet connectivity remains an obstacle for synchronous learning, distance-learning institutions are constantly being challenged to lessen the negative effect of distance on the students’ learning experience. Therefore, asynchronous online student support is often used at Unisa to improve current distance-learning practices as such support also has the potential to enhance students’ learning outcomes. To assist these LLB students, lecturers in the Accounting module incorporated various asynchronous online learning tools. By combining online self-assessment assignments, regular e-mail notifications and discussion forum communication, lecturers encouraged the students to work progressively through their study material and to do regular tasks. The instant feedback provided by the online self-assessment assignments assisted students in resolving problem areas before their work was formally assessed. As time issues and self-pacing play an important role in distance education courses, use was made of regular e-mail notifications and reminders on the module’s discussion forum to aid the students with their time management and study planning. It was noted that students regularly engaged with the study material during the semester as well as by participating in the online discussions. This paper gives examples of the online self-assessment assignment questions used and reports on the students’ perceptions and experiences of these. The qualitative data provided insight into how the LLB students perceived the use of online learning tools to assist them in grasping the various accounting concepts and in guiding them through the syllabus. Based on the evidence provided, it was evident that these interventions supported the learning experience of these students.