Registry Summit Calls for Growth Mindset

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What continuing professional education will need to bring to the accounting profession at a time when emerging and advancing technologies are coming into use by the profession was discussed at NASBA’s 2018 National Registry Summit, September 24-26 in Denver. The program covered not only emerging technologies and the current state of the CPA profession, but also how to create a mindset open to learning and how to use the guidance provided by the NASBA CPE Sponsor Registry for measuring course validity and avoiding compliance pitfalls. “Taking Learning to a Higher Level” was the theme of this year’s conference, which brought together program sponsors and developers with representatives of the State Boards of Accountancy for a total attendance of 142.

Dr. Jay Van Bavel, of the NeuroLeadership Institute, explained to the audience that different biological processes occur when someone sees a change as a challenge instead of a threat. They perform better when they conceive of something as a challenge. He discussed how a “growth mindset” is a person’s understanding that his or her skills are not fixed, that he or she can get better, and then focuses on how that improvement can occur.

How to analyze and maximize results from continuing professional education programs was outlined by A.D. Detrick, of MetriVerse Learning Solutions. He mapped out the advantages of different types of questions in evaluation questionnaires and praised the CPE Sponsor Registry for providing clear guidance on what needs to be measured.

The CPE Standards, which are appended to the Uniform Accountancy Act, are in the process of being reviewed and evaluated for revisions, Jessica Luttrull, Associate Director of the NASBA National Registry, reported to the audience. She presented an update on the status of the proposed revisions. Besides presentations from NASBA staff members on best practices for CPE sponsors, there were speakers addressing the convergence of technologies and positioning the profession to respond.