International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
degrees in disciplines other than accounting, or people employed in business, with the foundation studies to
become a professional accountant. Special attention is placed on mature and motivated student seeking a career
in accounting for which no prior professional experience will be required. This group of people represents the
group at risk due to their high unemployment (FASTER consortium, 2013).
The field of finance & accounting is a profession with a key role in strengthening national economies and the
promotion of entrepreneurship. Based on the analysis of labour market, and European Commission documents
and activities done in the field of education and accountancy the FASTER partnership defined main aims and
objectives of the project (FASTER consortium, 2013):
• to produce a modern technological e-learning & knowledge-sharing environment on finance and accounting
which allows both students and professionals in pursuit of lifelong learning to gain practical knowledge on
their discipline, but not restricted to national borders. Apart from e-learning environment platform will
propose a job seeking mechanism,
• to link studies & working environment and widen transnational pursuit of jobs in finance and accounting,
• to offer new incentives and produce a prototype ICT environment expandable to all languages and to all
disciplines.
All project consortium countries (United Kingdom, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland and Slovakia) are countries with
different types of economy and different taxation and accounting legislation systems. Therefore, engaging
partners from these countries, guarantees that FASTER outcomes will meet multiple European Union (EU)
needs in accounting education and employment. Another parameter the consortium meets is the geographical
coverage of EU (North, Middle and South-eastern Europe), so it has potential in increasing employment
mobility and integration of job markets within involved EU member states. (Palova & Vejacka, 2013)
The developed platform improve the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training through the
review of its primary structure and curricula qualification, setting professional rights and establishing a system
of formal accreditation of learning at a Pan-European Qualifications Framework. Furthermore, FASTER aims at
fostering long-term career advancement and international mobility, ensuring that the professional development
of certified general accountants remains a lifelong experience which distinguishes graduates with any
accounting qualifications in the job market while at the same time providing graduates with degrees in
disciplines other than accounting, or people employed in business, with the foundation studies to become a
professional accountant (FASTER consortium, 2012).
Modern information and communication technologies bring crucial changes into the educational system,
including accounting courses. These technologies enable to obtain knowledge using more senses and without
presence of a teacher. Slovak universities offer long distance education through self-instructive materials,
educational technologies, Internet and tutor’s help. In Slovakia Authors of educational textbook scripts share
them in both paper and electronic version, while in Poland academics give access to educational materials
through their own web page close to university web page. In Slovakia textbooks have a compact style, they
separate crucial information from secondary data, and they specify entry knowledge necessary for the study of
different chapters. Methodical instructions and system of tests and accounting examples are important
components of the textbooks and they allow verifying of the accounting knowledge and skills. The new
technologies change the entire educational process and they offer the education to the bigger amount of students.
(Tusan & Stasova, 2008)
LITERATURE REVIEW
There was considerable debate in the accounting literature about a gap between competencies taught at
universities and those needed in the workplace (Sundem, 1999; Brungardt, 2009) and opinion that students were
not being prepared for the business world (Albrecht and Sack, 2000).
The accounting education follows the national legislation of the accounting and accounting procedures,
furthermore it follows mandatory accounting chart in Slovakia and “model” accounting chart in Poland – each
company obligated to conduct accounting books has to create their own accounting chart. When accounting
education is focused on the transfer of the bookkeeping skills and knowledge, students are tempted to habitually
match the accounts with the accounting transactions. (Tusan & Stasova, 2008)
Beginning accounting students struggle with the new terminology and the unfamiliar concept of accounting
for transactions and using financial information for managerial decision making. Bryant and Hunton (2000),
Farley and Ramsay (1998), and Krausz et al. (1989) found that learning is enhanced when students relate new
knowledge to a previous experience, putting it in a context that can be used. Students did not think profoundly
about the final impact of the business transaction on the financial situation of the accounting unit. This explains
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