A new interdisciplinary project for Accounting and Data Analytics students led them to help their peers build financial literacy skills.
Nineteen third-year students in the Business Administration – Accounting (Co-op) program recently took part in a financial literacy capstone project which led them to not only create presentations on various topics, but deliver them to different classrooms, with technical help from students in the Data Analytics program.
Introduced by Accounting Professor and Program Coordinator Kerri Simich, the project was designed to give her students an authentic, applied learning experience while benefiing students in the broader College community.
“I feel it went very well. The students demonstrated strong preparation and professionalism, and what stood out most was their ability to make financial topics practical and relatable for other students,” said Simich. “This is especially important for Accounting graduates, as the ability to clearly explain financial concepts to clients and decision-makers is essential in the workplace.”
Accounting students worked in groups to develop and deliver presentations on various topics – from payroll deductions and credit management to personal budgeting. They also tailored their presentations to meet the needs of diverse audiences in various classrooms.
Second-semester Data Analytics students joined the venture as an assignment for their Data Mining course. Through the interdisciplinary collaboration, students applied their coding expertise to real-world data problems. They developed digital tools, such as custom interest calculators, which the Accounting teams integrated into their presentations via QR codes.
Professor Nick Farnell, who teaches the Data Mining class, said his students gained experience in building user-friendly interfaces for a non-technical demographic, through the project, and had an opportunity for his students to look beyond the code.
“Often, we think about data analytics as a technical problem that can be solved with code, but this project reminded all of us about the human connection. Working with the accounting students to define the goals and priorities of this digital app was a critical piece of the project,” said Farnell. “Students come into our program with subject matter expertise in their respective areas (sport, finance, health, marketing, and more) and spend two semesters diving deep into understanding how to use data to make better decisions.”
Marcella Sustrean, who is in her final term of the Business Accounting (Co-op) program, valued the experience.
“As a future accountant, I understand the importance of clearly communicating financial information to individuals who may not have an accounting background,” said Sustrean. “The ability to translate complex data into practical, understandable insights is a critical skill, and one I continue to develop intentionally.”
Sustrean’s team focused on the understanding of credit scores and delivered their presentation to Esthetician students. They presented an interactive “myth or fact” activity to help gauge where common misunderstandings lie and how to correct them. They also introduced a financial tool available through a free registration with Credit Karma, that allows participants to simulate their own credit score.
“We believe this type of financial knowledge should be accessible to everyone. Empowering others with tools and understanding that can positively impact their financial future was both meaningful and rewarding,” said Sustrean. “We are grateful to Kerri Simich for creating an innovative learning experience that bridges academic knowledge with real-world application.”
By the time the week of February 17 concluded, the presentations were successfully delivered to seven different classes across the School of Business and Environment and the School of Hospitality and Tourism.
