Using Data Visualizations in an Introductory Financial Reporting Course

ABSTRACT The introductory financial accounting course provides an excellent opportunity for all business majors to learn to read and interpret companies’ financial visualizations. We provide an overview of data analytics, design theory, and types of visualizations to aid instructors in teaching these valuable skills. We also include a student version of this overview. The Teaching Notes provide real-world data visualizations from companies’ financial reports and presentations and discussion questions and answers to enable instructors to lead class discussions about these visualizations. Our materials span most topics covered in an introductory financial accounting course, and feedback from instructors indicates that these materials are easy to use, adaptable to a wide range of situations, and effective at stimulating students’ interest in financial accounting topics.