Incorporating new technology
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, in particular, have drawn interest across the board, raising paradigm-shifting questions in business and academic work and research, as well as broader social and ethical implications of machine-learning algorithms and innovative disruption.
“In 10 years, we’ll see more of the real impact that AI is going to have on our workplaces,” Kane said. “Right now, we have a proof of concept and developing examples, but it’ll take time for skillsets to be fully optimized for AI. The good news is that it’s not too late, and everyone should be learning.”
That’s why Kane incorporates AI-based analytics in executive education courses at UGA’s Buckhead campus. Most executive students, he said, haven’t used tools such as ChatGPT or other language learning models, and he encourages hands-on practice.
“Many professionals haven’t had time to test these tools, or their organization discourages it,” he said. “Our classroom becomes a sandbox for them to learn. These are skills that everybody will need, and they should be infused at every part of the educational structure at this point.”
The IIBAI, for instance, could serve as a testing ground for large higher education institutions, including UGA, to understand how AI and other tools can be integrated into instruction effectively.
“We’ve never before had a resource like this, and we’re all trying to find the right way going forward,” Cornwell said. “Although it remains a challenge, we need to help people navigate.”
Working with industry groups has also prompted a new way of teaching and incorporating data analytics into undergraduate curriculum. By partnering with the EY Academic Resource Center several years ago, Professor Margaret Christ developed and integrated context-specific technology cases into her accounting analytics courses, which continue to evolve today.
“Using a case-based curriculum and incorporating real-world content into classes has been extremely helpful for students to develop an analytics mindset,” said Christ, director of Terry College’s J.M. Tull School of Accounting.
Students learn to understand a firm’s questions, prepare relevant data, apply the appropriate data analytic techniques, and clearly communicate results with stakeholders. Critical thinking and careful analysis are key.
“Our profession is fundamentally changing, and the way that our graduates work is very data-focused,” she said. “We’re now able to look at much more complete and complex data than before, and our skillset has to change to reflect that.”
For instance, in 2020 research, Christ and colleagues analyzed how drones are being used by farm auditors to count cattle. Previously, farm workers and auditors were required to physically count livestock. Now, drones and other new tools can capture images and tally numbers, resulting in better efficiency and accuracy, and less stress on the animals.
“We’re seeing so many interesting ways to use new technology along with the traditional methods of accounting and analytics,” Christ said. “We’re just beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible—and how various stakeholders feel about it.”
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