Washburn University Professor Receives International Accounting Education Award

One of Washburn University’s School of Business faculty members has been internationally recognized for excelling in her field. The American Accounting Association (AAA) has awarded Dr. Louella Moore, professor of accounting, with the international Innovation in Accounting History Education Award. Moore earned the award for her innovation in incorporating accounting history topics into the courses she teaches.

“Accounting is much more than simply the organization of financial data; it’s the application of critical thought and decision making,” said David Sollars, dean of Washburn’s School of Business. “Integrity and ethics are values that we want every one of our students demonstrating. Dr. Moore does an excellent job at putting these values into practice in her classroom.”

“I have always been interested in knowing the ‘rest of the story’ on where practices came from,” said Moore. “I became increasingly aware that business textbooks are explaining techniques, but omitting discussions about how humans can be negatively impacted by some widely accepted practices. I wanted to represent a more balanced narrative in my classes.”

Since the fall 2018 semester, Moore has been including a special focus on ethics and social practices in her curriculum and encouraging her students to think beyond the textbook about accounting’s influence on relevant social problems. She incorporates readings in her classes that challenge students to think about accounting as a social practice that is part of a bigger picture.

One of Moore’s students said, “The textbook teaches us from an ‘ideal’ accounting world, however the readings she uses tell us there is no actual ideal accounting world.”

Moore has taught at Washburn since 2012. Her areas of research include accounting theory, culture and educational policy.

The AAA’s Innovation in Accounting History Education Award recognizes and rewards novelty thinking in accounting education. Eligible teachers must demonstrate that they are incorporating accounting history into their courses in a unique way and identify the ways in which that has enriched the education of their students. The award has been in existence since 2001, however it is only given if the committee feels an entry meets their high level of quality. Twenty-two professors have won; Moore is only the third Kansas professor to win and the fourteenth in the United States.

Accounting