Creactive accounting education: Visioning future-oriented accounting programs through a reflective unlearning of current practice

Abstract

The future employment markets our graduates are likely to face are increasingly complex and unpredictable. Demands are being placed on higher-education providers to become more holistic and integrated in their approach. For business schools across Australia, this requires a significant (re)conceptualisation of how student learning is facilitated, in respect to content, processes and infrastructure. Future business professionals will be required to think in diverse and integrated ways, adopting transdisciplinary approaches to solve complex system-design problems. This calls for educators to focus on creativity and innovation; in response, we need to reinterpret our teaching philosophies, content and processes. In this paper we argue that, by exploring the Bauhaus pedagogical process of “unlearning” in accounting curricula, a dynamic, engaging, and creative space can be opened up for learners and educators alike. “Unlearning” can support a critical and reflective culture for both students and teachers that nurtures a deeper understanding of the “ways of thinking” as business professionals.