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ACCT 2110, “Principles of Financial Accounting,” is a staple of many Auburn students’ education, being a requirement for all business majors while offering a valuable introductory course for students from many other fields. It is therefore not surprising that the Honors version of this course, ACCT 2117, is a highly sought-after class in the curriculum. Gregory Heston, CPA and professor of practice in the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business School of Accountancy, “was thrilled” when he was asked to teach it starting in fall 2024.

Professor Heston came to teaching from 38 years as a practitioner of accounting, with 24 of those years as a partner with Ernst & Young, a global professional services firm. He attributes much of his teaching approach to his deep background in industry, noting, “I attempt to bring my practice experience to the classroom to provide real-life examples associated with many of the financial accounting and reporting concepts covered in the course.”

A classroom of students sits at long, curved desks with laptops open while a person at the front of the room gives a lecture. A large screen displays a slide titled “Chapter 4: Internal Control and Cash” from a financial accounting textbook. The classroom includes a whiteboard, overhead lighting, and a central instructor’s podium with various devices.

Small Size, Big Outcomes

The smaller size of the Honors section, which typically caps at 30, makes it possible for Heston to “get to know the students and learn what their aspirations are,” while “making sure students understand the vast variety of opportunities that becoming a CPA could present to them.” It also allows for a more interactive approach in the classroom that leverages his career experiences and facilitates a more analytical, nuanced engagement with the subject matter.

As Heston explained, “Financial accounting and reporting is used by investors, lenders, regulators and others to make decisions about the company/entity preparing financial statements. In addition to understanding basic accounting principles and the accounting cycle, I want the students to be able to read and critically evaluate basic financial statements.” Financial statements are much more than lists of numbers, because “the preparation of these documents involves many judgments and estimations, and these can be subject to bias and manipulation.” By developing a deeper understanding of these reporting documents, students prepare themselves to make better-informed decisions and become leaders in the business world.

Students internalize these lessons in part through an individualized assignment in which every student gives a class presentation on a publicly traded company of their choosing. “In addition to reading the annual report on Form 10-K and responding to questions on the same, the students are also asked to listen to a quarterly earnings call and prepare a short capstone presentation to critically evaluate whether they believe the company would be a good investment.”

A full classroom of students sits at curved desks arranged in a semicircle, each with a laptop or notebook in front of them. The students appear focused on a lecture at the front of the room, which is out of frame. The room is brightly lit and features neutral walls and multiple mounted screens.

Confidence and Career Direction

This pedagogical approach clearly has had a positive impact on many of Heston’s former students. Ava Heath, a sophomore biomedical sciences major, cited this course as a “favorite,” especially because Heston “had us apply what we learned in class to a real company’s financial statements.” Heath feels empowered that she now is “able to look at a financial statement and make informed decisions on investing based on the company’s health.” This is “valuable knowledge” for students of any major, being something that Heath “can apply to financial decisions I make in my life.”

Maxton “Max” Yeast, a junior double majoring in aviation management and finance, described the course as “a terrific experience,” inspiring him to pursue further study in several areas of management consulting and finance. In addition to preparing him for more advanced courses in accounting and finance, the smaller class “allowed me to engage more deeply with the content and build connections with Professor Heston and my peers.”

The personal connections and mentoring facilitated by the smaller setting were also crucial to Brooks McCoy, a sophomore double majoring in accounting and supply chain management. McCoy, credits Heston with changing the course of his life and career by “encouraging him to become an accounting major.” This kind of encouragement was only possible because they could get to know each other over the course of the semester and Heston could advise McCoy based on his developing interests and skills. “Taking financial accounting in the Honors section with Heston has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in college.”

Heston reciprocates the positive opinions his Honors students conveyed of his teaching, citing their “exceptional desire to learn and excel, as well as their intellectual curiosity.” As he summarized, “There is a level of classroom engagement with Honors students that sets them apart.”

Every semester the Honors newsletter features one or two courses that epitomize the Auburn Honors educational experience. No single requirement or feature defines all Honors classes. Instead, these courses, which involve almost all fields of study, share the goal of providing intellectual enrichment for the Honors College’s students, enhancing the already rigorous offerings of an Auburn curriculum. Taught through a variety of approaches, they often take advantage of smaller class sizes to utilize more active and collaborative forms of learning.