THE ROLE OF ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE INTEGRATION IN THE UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTING CURRICULUM

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the effect that accounting software integration has on the abilities and proficiency of accounting students and graduates of the University of Benin. It also aimed to determine the level of understanding that accounting students had of the relevance of accounting software, the proficiency of accounting graduates in using accounting software, and whether or not lecturers' experience with accounting software training had any bearing on the incorporation of accounting software into the university curriculum. The study's population included recent graduates of the University of Benin's accounting program (class of 2023), a chosen group of lecturers from the accounting department, current finalyear accounting students, and graduates of preceding classes (class of 2022). In this study, a descriptive and quantitative research design was employed, and the sample size was established using Taro Yamane's formula. A systematic questionnaire with 142 respondents was used to collect data. The study comes to the conclusion that the University of Benin's accounting curriculum incorporates accounting software to a very low degree. The study also finds that some of University of Benin accounting department graduates are adept at using accounting software. Furthermore, that accounting students are unaware of the importance of accounting software in the modern accounting industry. The research study's conclusions led to the following recommendations: Accounting software should be incorporated as a practical course within university accounting curriculum, with rigorous adherence enforced by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and other relevant educational agencies. Additionally, the University of Benin authorities ought to hire more competent IT specialists and arrange for accounting lecturers to receive training on accounting software. They should also launch an awareness campaign to inform accounting students about the importance of accounting and conduct a hands-on examination involving the use of accounting software.