Discover the fun side of learning

Who is Bob van den Brand?
Bob van den Brand is a teacher and researcher, part-time at the University of Tilburg and part-time at the TIAS School for Business and Society. I combine these two and I especially have fun in teaching people and learn them new things. I like teaching stuff that people find very difficult for example mathematics, accounting and bookkeeping. The aim of this is to bring these lessons in a funny way so that people will remember it later and that they also have something that they can use. Further, I live in southern Netherlands, Brabant, I am married and I have three children.

What did you study and how does your career look like?
After high school I studied teacher training at Fontys in Business Economics and Economics, which lasted for 4.5 years. Then I studied Economics here at the University of Tilburg, at first I thought overall economy was very fun, but during the study I found accounting and external reporting more interesting. After my graduation, I started at the University of Tilburg. Here they sought people who could give a good education and the dean had taken a good look at my resume and then approached me. I mostly taught accounting in bachelor years 2 and 3. Later on, other things came on my path, such as business courses for all different companies. Then, I also did research for being promoted here in Tilburg; my research was about financial reporting in the Netherlands and Belgium. After that I started teaching in Rotterdam, RSM, I have worked 7 years, at the accounting department. I set up and decorated it. When I was asked by Jan Bouwens to come back to Tilburg, at that moment the accounting course had a very bad name. I had the honor to address this. The success rate was between 20 and 30 percent. I then started with the E-learning. Later, in Tilburg I did about everything from bachelor’s to master. In Tias, I am particularly concerned with online learning. You have to imagine that you enter at a business school to learn, but everyone there has a totally different background. Trying to use all kinds of fun interactive social media design you bring in those people custom knowledge. It’s a very international school, which also makes it great fun.

Why did you ever choose accounting?
The teacher program gave the same amount of all subjects, micro, macro, marketing, finance, accounting and organization. Just like here at the university at the beginning of your bachelor’s degree in Business actually. I found consolidating and everything what is related to it and the laws and regulations surrounding very interesting. That is why I thought accounting was something for me. The topics just appealed to me, I did something with it. I also see it in my family; so much is also a bit towards accountancy. That would have influenced me stuck in my choice of accounting. At that time there was also a lot of work in the accounting industry, I have a job in accounting and external reporting. Perhaps, it influenced my choice, but most of all I had just fun in accounting!

What does your typical week look like?
There are colleges, lectures and seminars. They are scheduled in the beginning of the week, I teach financial accounting and bookkeeping. I am very busy with it. That is actually the first half of the week. Second half of the week, I do my tasks as Chair of the Examination Board at TIAS and I run a big starter module there. Furthermore I am also very busy with making weblectures; I do this both for Tilburg University as well for Tias. I especially like to make funny weblectures and that preparation takes really a huge amount of time! When I record one day, I need three days to prepare. It takes a while before you really have a nice product. If you record an hour, you have only ten minutes of good film. Often I want to create a nice background, or with a football shirt or a Burberry bag or something. I try to dress it in an attractive way and that takes time, but makes it more engaging. Accounting topics are not only about sports and football, there is also fashion included.

What is the i-STAR method and why did you start this program?
We started i-STAR because we only had 7 lectures and the students needed more time to understand the course. The students were motivated but we wanted to activate them as well. Therefore, in 2008 we started to make digital lectures which we call interactive weblectures. We record or broadcast the weblectures live so students can respond immediately. The S represents the Snippet Practice. This includes exercises which we try to make in a fun way. Trying Tests and Bonus Tests, do you understand the information which was discussed in class. Ask Questions, several times during the semester where you can ask questions. 60 to 70% of the registered students watch these weblectures. Results, after the examination the exam will be discussed again live. 40 to 60% of the students attend these weblectures and afterwards they are viewed more often. The weblectures consists of two parts, the part where I explain the question and the part which has a poll to rate the question.

Furthermore, we want to implement more gaming activity in I-Star. For instance, if your answer is wrong, we will lead you through other questions so you will understand it eventually. This will lead to more gamification. In addition, we would like to have more open educational resources. So everything is available everywhere, for example via YouTube.

How do you see the future of i-STAR?
Because everything is free available at the moment, I believe that one will invent a business model for online education. I support online education but combined with traditional education. We call this combination Blended. In the beginning I was afraid that students would not attend the lectures anymore. But the opposite was the case. For instance with the course Accounting 1, students thought ‘there is a great chance I can pass this exam’. You have to make sure you explain something when it is important, which is not online. This information is not online because you’re making movies that last two to three years. A weblecture of Sesame Street about the fraud of Bernad Madoff with his Ponzi scheme is an example of a funny weblecture which has been viewed a lot.

Awards and titles
For the last one I felt great to be nominated even though I didn’t won. I was selected for the 5 best teachers of higher education. The minister would award the prize and arrived as I just was giving my speech. She saw my whole act and this was my prize. Eventually the prize went to TU Delft. The awards in the United States are fantastic, it’s like a great event. But the best prize is when colleagues like for instance Peter de Goeij start with the program I created. All people who are standing for the camera should be trained because it is important to make these weblectures a good product. On average, I train two hours a week to pronounce properly and to keep the attention of the students.

How do you see the future of the accountancy profession?
The accountancy profession in general, so being able to read financial statements, is increasing in importance. Nowadays, a director in a hospital or of a high school manager should understand the financial statements. Advice is getting more broad and good financials are needed. But this is going to change, more rules are introduced. I don’t hope it will become a government function just as in Belgium or France. The role of the accountant is getting more important. The AFM and the AMC (former known as NMA) are focused on annual reports which will become a more essential document. This will be a golden future but what that future will look like exactly, I do not know. After a few frauds the public opinion is not positive but that of the banks is even worse. Still the elementary controls are needed. Consulting and auditing are already present but is hardly possible together. It have to be considered at much more stringent. In addition, there is also a large piece of automation. Most importantly, accountants should be taught to discover liars. Control pressure is becoming bigger so employment is growing. It changes gigantic, but the profession is will be different. That is everywhere the case.

Do you have any advice for the students of Tilburg University?
Go abroad! Now is the time where you have a lot of free time but little money, afterwards you have more money but little free time. It all becomes more international, even as an auditor. Previously, it stopped at the border. If you can experience some of the internationalization, do it! Also internships are very important. I heard that internships will be part of the bachelor program in the future. Just to feel how the working life is and to taste the corporate culture.