Project Name: Learning While Gaming

Brief Description

The course is designed to help students gain critical thinking, analytical, communication, and teamwork skills. Students enrolled in this course are senior accounting majors, mostly in their last semester before graduation. Many already have internships and/or job offers.

Rather than repeating what they have learned in all previous accounting classes, this course aims to map their textbook knowledge to the real world and facilitate their transitions to the beginning of their professional careers.

The course focuses on stimulating students’ intrinsic curiosity in learning, honing their abilities in working in a self-discovery mode, and functioning effectively in an environment where problems are not clearly defined, information is incomplete, and optimal solutions do not exist.

Discover, Define, Analyze, Formulate, Articulate, and Persuade.

To achieve these goals, we're going beyond traditional teaching methods. We propose to gamify the classroom, creating an engaging and interactive learning environment that will keep you excited and intrigued throughout the course.

In today's environment, many diverse forces are pulling and fighting for our students’ attention. Motivating these students to learn and see the relevance of textbook knowledge to their future careers in a classroom is ever-challenging.

On the other hand, they can be easily (relatively speaking, that is) lured into online games for hours. We plan to leverage business simulations to help ignite students' passion for “games,” extrapolate their curiosity about uncovering the links between textbook knowledge and business practices, and subsequently generate intrinsic interest in learning.

Learning can be and should be fun, and FUN keeps learning going!

Let’s make students want to learn and understand why they learn!

Pitch Deck

To learn more about this instructor's experience in the FLC, please review the presentation slides below.

Pitch Deck (accessible) - Deng-1.pptx

Reflection

My participation in the “Incorporating Entrepreneurship into Your Career Learning Community” has been enlightening!

Campus Resources: Through this program, I discovered a wealth of campus resources extending beyond traditional learning and teaching. These resources empower both students and faculty members to explore innovative projects. Whether it’s launching a startup, creating a social impact initiative, or diving into research, these resources provide essential support.

Like-Minded Colleagues: Meeting faculty members who share my passion for innovation and entrepreneurship has been a game-changer. These like-minded colleagues offer not only intellectual stimulation but also emotional support. Knowing that I am not alone in my pursuits fosters a sense of community and camaraderie.

Guest Speakers’ Insights: The guest speakers brought real-world experience. Their stories illuminated entrepreneurs' challenges—navigating market dynamics, managing finances, or building a resilient team. Their candid advice and firsthand accounts provided a roadmap for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Preparing for Challenges: Understanding the hurdles ahead is crucial. I have gained insights into the entrepreneurial journey, including the importance of resilience, adaptability, and strategic thinking. Armed with this knowledge, I am better equipped to tackle obstacles head-on.

Lean Canvas: Lastly, the concept of Lean Canvas caught my attention. This powerful tool helps me distill my ideas into their essential components. By focusing on key elements like customer segments, value propositions, and revenue streams, I can refine my vision and create a solid foundation.

In summary, participating in this learning community has broadened my horizons, connected me with inspiring individuals, and equipped me with practical wisdom. Keep nurturing my entrepreneurial spirit—it’s a journey filled with growth and opportunity!

Plans

I have my sabbatical this fall, and this project is on my to-do list. My goals during the fall include the following:

Based on university-approved course objectives, identify managerial accounting topics covered in traditional textbooks and map them against the business simulation we plan to use so all the “objectives” are achieved in gamification, just like in our traditional classrooms.
Developing a system to execute simulation plays over a semester so that learning is purposeful, productive, and rigorous.
Developing assessment tools that reflect learning characteristics of gamification, effectively capture learning outcomes, and satisfy the needs for accreditation purposes.

The project's initial adaptation in teaching will be in Spring 2025, and then it will continue to improve in Fall 2025. In 2026, I plan to introduce the project to a required course: Cost Accounting.

**Faculty Bio**
	I do research in the areas of managerial accounting and behavioral accounting. My work has been published in leading academic journals, including the Accounting, Organization and Society, Journal of Managerial Accounting Research, ABACUS, Managerial Finance, International Journal of Accounting, Auditing, and Performance Evaluation. With a bachelor's degree in engineering and a Ph.D. in accounting, I worked extensively in various industries, including naval architecture, offshore exploration supports, import/export, software testing, electronic equipment design and manufacturing, and fabless. Before returning to academia, I served as the senior VP and CFO for Routon Electronic Co. (Google Translate of the website is needed if you cannot read Chinese). I took the company to IPO on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2002. I also served as the VP of finance and corporate affairs for Chipnuts Technology Inc., a US VC-backed fabless startup based in China. I am also a certified management accountant (CMA). In addition to my full-time job, I am actively involved in local communities through consulting and volunteering. I serve on the Audit Committee of Sacramento Asian Community Center, and I am one of the Board Directors of Alta Regional Center and serve on the board’s Board Development Committee, Finance Committee, and Strategic Planning Committee.