Teaching

Teaching Interests

• Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Data Analytics,

• Cost Accounting and Introductory Managerial

• Audit

Teaching Philosophy

I believe my purpose as an educator is to equip students with the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in their future careers. In this recent age of digitalization, automation, and distributed work, I believe the importance of critical thinking and an analytics mindset, oral and written communication, and the need for lifelong learning is heightened. To incorporate these essential skills into the classroom, I draw on the concepts of autonomy, competence, and relatedness from Self Determination Theory. I try to create a learning environment where students feel empowered to take control of their learning, can build self-efficacy, and have the opportunity to develop connections with peers. I believe that by creating a learning environment that meets these objectives, it is possible to not only develop the foundational knowledge covered in a textbook but also the skills and abilities necessary for success in an increasingly digital world.

I believe that this learning environment is impossible to create without a strong foundation. I strive to create a strong foundation by developing a clear course structure and making thoughtful connections between the course learning objectives, course materials, and assessments. Once that is established, I then layer on the skills and abilities as the course progresses including,

adopting an analytics mindset. Technology has advanced to the point where routine, objective tasks are automated. The ability to develop a solution to a problem using the resources available and data provided is imperative to succeed in any career. I encourage students to develop a questioning mindset through the use of the Socratic method and an emphasis on projects and discussion board posts throughout the course.

mastering written and oral communication. Clear and concise communication of ideas to clients, superiors and peers is important for success. I structure my courses to include a mix of written and oral assignments as well as at least one group project.

becoming a lifelong learner. While not exactly a skill, in the age of digital transformation, learning new skills isn’t a luxury it is imperative to survive as workplace demands change. I encourage students to lean into the feeling of being uncomfortable with the unknown, to focus on progress and not perfection, and to explore own content that might not be covered in the course but is interesting to them.

My goal is to be able to take the textbook material and apply it to the “real world” through the incorporation of outside material, guest speakers, and group projects. One specific example is that I maintain an Instagram account (@profkralik) where I showcase a local business each semester I teach.

I remain up to date on current developments in practice by reading newsletters, attending CPE events and teaching conferences, and listening to podcasts. I am constantly updating my course materials make improvements based on prior semesters' feedback and ideas from conferences.