Motivation
Student motivation and engagement in accounting courses are relatively low. In addition, soft skills such as adaptability, critical thinking and resilience receive little attention in current knowledge-based education. Moreover, the National Student Survey shows that the connection between education and professional practice is weak. Can coopetition help address these challenges?
Hypothesis
Coopetition combines two seemingly opposite elements: competition and cooperation. Companies such as Google and Tencent have used this principle successfully for decades. In education too, coopetition can prepare students for complex environments where both teamwork and individual performance are important. Students are encouraged to share knowledge, but also to think critically and innovatively and to distinguish themselves. This promotes both personal growth and group success.
Desired solution
Research shows that coopetitive strategies lead to better performance, higher motivation and more effective knowledge retention than purely competitive or collaborative strategies. Although this method has not yet been applied in accounting courses, similar effects are expected. In this innovation project, Thomas Niederkofler and his team develop two to three coopetition assignments based on practical cases. Students work in teams on these issues with both cooperative elements, such as developing strategies and sharing knowledge together, and also competitive elements, where points can be earned individually for creativity, speed or quality, for example.
This mix is expected to create a learning environment in which students challenge as well as support each other, leading to increased engagement, higher motivation and the development of essential soft skills. Moreover, the material links up with the reality of the business world, where collaboration and competition are often inextricably linked.
Plan of action
The project consists of two phases. In the first year, the material is developed and presented internally for feedback. It is also applied for the first time and evaluated again. Evaluations are done through surveys, interviews among some students and linking engagement to exam results. In year two, the material is further optimised, again applied in teaching and evaluated. The results are presented at conferences and form the basis for a scientific article.