AUT onboard with Xero Learn launch
AUT academics and students are among the first in the world to use Xero’s training platform aimed at upskilling tomorrow’s accounting leaders.
Launched this month at Xerocon in Brisbane, Xero Learn allows educators to integrate Xero into their curriculum, giving accounting students real-life experience, including setting up dummy Xero businesses pre-loaded with data, and an in-app overlay within Xero to guide students through the course content manage and monitor student access to ensure guided learning throughout the course material.
AUT was included in a group of early adopters that were part of an initial access programme helping fine-tune the design of Xero Learn, originally branded Xero Lifelong Learning Program (XLLP).
Dr Cherrie Yang, senior lecturer in accounting at AUT Business School, was invited to be on the educator panel at Xerocon, alongside Professor Rahat Munir, head of the Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance at Macquarie University and Dr David Bond, senior lecturer in accounting at the University of Technology, Sydney, to share her experience of using Xero Learn to deliver lessons to students. It was the first time Xero had invited educators to speak at Xerocon.
“I was honoured to share my experience as one of the first and most robust testers of Xero Learn at Xerocon Brisbane,” says Dr Yang.
“It is fun to teach accounting concepts and software skills using Xero Learn. Since it is cloud-based, it can be accessed at anytime, anywhere and from any device. Both my undergraduate and postgraduate students’ feedback on Xero Learn was great.
“Thanks to Xero Learn, our students can gain the skills they need to walk into an accounting role straight after graduation, add value and be successful,” Dr Yang says.
Dr Paul Wells, senior research lecturer in accounting at AUT Business School, says by using Xero Learn students will be able to develop an understanding of how accounting works in practice and develop better business reporting strategies.
Anna Curzon, Chief Partner Officer at Xero, says Xero Learn will revolutionise and future-proof the way educators teach their financial lessons.
“By partnering with educators such as the Auckland University of Technology, University of Southern Queensland and Macquarie University, we’re delivering on a joint mission to empower the next generation of accountants, bookkeepers and business owners with in-demand skills, knowledge and job opportunities.”
In July, Xero was awarded best service innovation for Xero Learn and named third on the list of 2018's 100 Most Innovative Companies in Australia and New Zealand, as judged by the expert panel assembled by The Australian Financial Review and consulting firm Inventium.