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most accounting courses is a review of homework problems to reinforce the covered material. Electronic solu- tions that publishers provide are an easy way to provide answer keys to students, especially with course man- agement software such as Angel, WebCT, or Blackboard. But what works best in the actual classroom? My experience has been that elec- tronic solutions cannot be enlarged enough for classroom use—if any student beyond the front row wants to see them, he needs a pair of binoculars. I can zoom in, but then only a portion of the solution can be seen, which wreaks havoc on explaining more complex problems. So I go back a technological gen- eration. Solution transparencies work well, since enlarging the entire prob- lem merely requires moving the cart with the overhead projector up the aisle. Such a low-tech solution bene- fits not only my front-row students, but also any sleeping beauty in the back of the class. I don't disagree that technology has become an indispensable addi- tion to the classroom. But what hap- pens the day I walk into the high- tech classroom with thumb drive and remote mouse in hand, ready to deliver a chapter's worth of material, and the classroom computer isn't functioning or the keyboard battery is dead? Or the day my students are just in the mood for something dif- ferent they haven't seen in a while? These are the days I'm glad I packed my entire bag of tricks. I go back to first-generation teaching technology and pull out that old reli- able piece of chalk. ■ z Margaret Ruggieri is an assistant professor of accountancy at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005 53 The person chosen to create America's first public auditing standards comes from a place that's been setting standards for years. Baruch. It was no surprise to us that Douglas Carmichael was chosen to be chief auditor of Accounting Oversight Board. We chose him first. This award-winning author had been a professor at Baruch for over twenty years, the kind of world-class professor we actively seek. Because, at Baruch, we believe a great education begins with great faculty. the Public Company T H E A M E R I C A N D R E A M S T I L L WO R K S. 646-312-1300 ● http://zicklin.baruch.cuny.edu