Guest speakers: reflections on the role of accountants in the classroom

Over the last decade, the academic accounting profession in the USA has made a concerted effort to improve academic curricula in order to improve the early employment experience and retention of accounting professionals. The pedagogical method presented here involves guest speakers in the classroom, with the objective of exposing accounting students to accounting professionals who share their early and current career experiences. This exploratory study includes a detailed description of the planning and implementation of a guest speaker event and a summary of student feedback regarding the merit of such an event. According to student feedback, accounting professionals in the classroom provide a very effective real–life learning experience for students. A successful guest speaker event benefits students, educators, guest speakers, and the university. Feedback from student surveys indicates that the students enjoyed and benefited from the speaker events. Additional student comments provide strong support for the use of guest speakers in the classroom. © 2002, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.