IMA^® (Institute of Management Accountants) will again host its popular “Faculty Friday” webinar series, with the next one taking place on January 31. These hour-long webinars are available to educators (and anyone else who may benefit) and cover in-demand topics that can add excitement and energy to the classroom experience. They offer one hour of continuing professional education (CPE) credit.

The next webinar, “Bridging the Professional-Education Gap: A Beginner’s Guide to Blockchain,” will be held on January 31 from 1 to 2 p.m. EST. Leading the webinar will be Kimberly Swanson Church, Ph.D., assistant professor of accounting information systems at University of Missouri-Kansas City; and Pamela J. Schmidt, Ph.D., associate professor at Washburn University. Please click here to register. 

During the webinar, Church and Schmidt will discuss how emerging blockchain technology, most commonly associated with bitcoin, will drive disruption and has the potential to create in new business models, reduce transaction intermediaries, and lower operation costs. They will explain how as blockchains become increasingly integrated into the mainstream, financial practitioners need to establish and refine their technical comprehension to avoid blockchain becoming a so-called “black box,” limiting transparency and visibility into financial operations due to a lack of understanding. 

Church and Schmidt will break down the technical components of blockchain into components that listeners can understand, explain, and apply as this disruptive technology evolves in the marketplace.

Upcoming webinars in the first quarter of 2020 will include the topic of the enhanced IMA Management Accounting Competency Framework; that webinar will take place on March 6. Watch your email inbox for details.

You can view the entire Faculty Friday library on the IMA website. Note: Recorded webinars are not eligible for CPE credit.

Said Jodi Ryan, CAE, IMA director of student engagement, “The success of this webinar series demonstrates the commitment of our academic members to share their knowledge and support each other and our profession’s future leaders. We are always open to new ideas, so please share them.”

If you have an idea for a webinar or would like to lead one, please contact Ryan at jryan@imanet.org.