What do accounting students think about remote learning?
Published Jun 16, 2024 · Updated Oct 12, 2025
remote learningaccountingAccounting students regard remote learning as useful but uneven. Across the National Student Survey (NSS), the topic reads net negative (53.8% negative; index −3.4), with full‑time students more negative (−11.2) and part‑time cohorts mildly positive (+6.5). Within accounting, overall mood is more positive in the round at 54.5% positive, yet remote delivery still surfaces friction. The category aggregates UK NSS open‑text across providers, while the sector’s subject classification lets us compare accounting like‑for‑like, so these signals map directly onto design choices for programmes and modules.
As educational providers have changed to remote learning, accounting students have found themselves facing both new opportunities and significant challenges. This shift presents a complex scenario where students must master sophisticated financial theories and adapt to online interaction. Remote learning offers flexibility and can support self‑paced study, but the implications run beyond delivery format. Staff and institutions need to address engagement and the fitness of remote assessments. Using student voice from surveys and text analysis helps teams refine teaching approaches and module design. Good use of digital tools also bridges communication between students and tutors. Methods must be robust and flexible enough for a digital‑first approach while sustaining high‑quality education in accounting.
How are students adapting to online tools and software?
Students rely on spreadsheets and specialist accounting packages, and the dual effect is obvious: these tools expand analytical range but add barriers for those with weaker digital access. Programmes should smooth the digital start with a brief online orientation, a one‑page “how we work online” playbook, and a single, stable link hub per module. Provide captioned recordings and transcripts as standard and maintain parity for asynchronous students by posting a concise summary of each live session. Gather student input regularly to iterate platform choices and reduce avoidable friction.
Institutions and staff should adopt comprehensive strategies to ensure all students can use core systems. Streamline platforms, reduce link churn, and provide targeted support for software set‑up. Seek regular student voice to pinpoint gaps and improve toolkits so technology remains a facilitator of learning, not a barrier.
Where do accessibility and technical issues constrain learning?
Connectivity and device variability continue to disrupt participation, especially for students in rural locations and those on older hardware. Providers should publish low‑bandwidth versions of materials, standardise file formats, and offer practical device or loan‑kit routes. A responsive support channel, clear service levels, and time‑zone‑aware office hours support international and commuting students. Track the top friction points weekly (access, audio, links, timetable slips) and close the loop with brief “what we fixed” updates so cohorts see issues resolved.
How can remote group work actually function?
Team assessment simulates professional practice but falters without scaffolding. Use tools that enable shared workspaces and real‑time collaboration, then structure the task: define roles, milestones and decision‑rights; set expectations for responsiveness; and give a simple conflict‑resolution route. Templates for critique and shared artefacts reduce ambiguity. Student voice from accounting points to uncertainty about “opportunities to work with other students”, so make requirements explicit in the assessment brief and align marking criteria to both process and output.
How do we sustain engagement and interaction with instructors?
Engagement dips when rhythm and routes vary. Prioritise cohorts that NSS data show as more negative about remote modes by using a consistent weekly pattern (same platform, day and joining route), shorter live blocks (10–15 minutes) with signposted tasks, and reliable virtual office hours. Every live session should have a timely, searchable recording and a concise set of takeaways. Keep staff presence high around assessment points and ensure students can reach the right person quickly.
How do we retain practical application and internships?
Virtual internships and live projects can still develop applied skills if designed for pace and feedback. Partner with employers on real data tasks, embed structured supervision online, and integrate reflective components in the module. Accounting cohorts often value career guidance; sustain that advantage by making routes to internships, accredited pathways and professional bodies visible and timely. Use written follow‑ups for critical announcements so students navigating time zones or caring responsibilities stay included.
What works in performance and assessment online?
In accounting, students scrutinise how assessment works in practice. Feedback dominates comment share and trends slightly negative when criteria feel opaque or returns unpredictable. Address this directly: publish annotated exemplars aligned to the marking criteria; use checklist‑style rubrics that show “what good looks like”; and set an explicit service level for feedback turnaround. Combine open‑book, application‑focused tasks with integrity safeguards that reflect authentic accounting work. A mixed assessment diet reduces risk while maintaining rigour and relevance.
What protects mental health and wellbeing in remote study?
Isolation and blurred boundaries increase stress. A stable timetable, predictable communication, and parity for asynchronous routes reduce anxiety. Embed regular check‑ins, peer spaces, and fast signposting to professional services. Encourage students to set routines that separate study from personal time, and avoid assessment bunching through coordinated programme‑level timetabling.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
- Track remote learning and accounting topics with sentiment over time, from provider to programme and cohort.
- Compare like for like by mode, age, domicile/ethnicity, disability and subject, so you can benchmark accounting against peers and the wider remote learning picture.
- Generate concise, anonymised summaries and representative comments for programme teams and committees.
- Export tables and charts to brief colleagues and evidence continuous improvement in NSS and internal reviews.
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