Equipping accountancy students with data analytics competencies

Data analytics skill which encompasses the three skills (i.e, critical thinking, tools and communication) are becoming essential for the accountants and auditors. Consequently, training the existing professionals in the area and developing a pipeline for future accountants and auditors equipped with data analytics skill is critical. Professional accounting bodies address this challenge by conducting continuing professional education and developing guidelines for data analytics. On the other hand, higher education institutions are taking the initiative to integrate data analytics into their accounting curriculum. The purpose of this proposal is to describe our experience in developing data analytics roadmap that is relevant to accountancy students. The roadmap started with overviewing existing academic and industry data analytics curricula. We then evaluated the existing modules that can be integrated with relevant data analytics topics. Next, we seek feedback from our industry partners regarding the curriculum model we developed. The next step is formulating the learning objectives and strategies. Lastly, but also critical is the technological consideration.