Professor Himme receives KLU Teaching AwardHimme teaches financial and managerial accounting for the BSc, MSc, and EMBA programs. His courses are entitled “Fundamentals of Accounting”, “International Financial Accounting,” and “Accounting and Budgeting Across Borders,” to name just a few … topics that might not be extremely popular among the students at first glance.
Making numbers come to life
“Accounting is often considered a very technical, numerical subject, But it isn’t,” Himme said. “Yes, we need the numbers and some rules of the game to a certain extent. But ultimately, the students learn that accounting is not only interesting, but also highly relevant for companies.” In order to lead his students to discover this insight, Himme combines different approaches. He uses teaching methods like exercises, case studies, and role-playing to draw his students into the subject. And he shows them that accounting cannot only be applied to companies, but also to their personal situations. “I always try to make accounting as lively as possible,” the professor explained. “How? Simply by demonstrating that it is all around us.”
At the same time, Himme keeps a very close eye on his students’ learning progress and needs. The small classes at KLU offer excellent conditions for doing so. “I can permanently assess the learning progress of my students and adjust my speed or provide further examples,” explained Himme. This special learning atmosphere seems to work in both directions: “The more I feel the students’ enthusiasm, the more motivated I am to present interesting content in the classroom.”
Top ranking for accounting classes
In their evaluations, the students showed that they appreciate the way Himme sets up his courses. At the end of each course, KLU students are asked to express their opinions on the topics and the way they were presented. The results of these evaluations are used to determine the winner of the Teaching Award. For Himme’s courses, the evaluations are full of praise. “Thanks for making accounting such an interesting course,” wrote one student. Another one pointed out that Himme was able to “make finance entertaining.” The professor is very happy about this outcome because it helps him achieve his main goal. “Accounting is the language of business,” Himme said. “My aim is to convince my students that the better they speak the language, the more successful they will be in the future.”