What Do the Numbers Meme? A Creative Assignment to Encourage Student Engagement and Higher-Order Thinking in Accounting Education

ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine the effects of a creative assignment involving the creation of course content-related internet memes on students’ academic performance. The assignment, designed to increase student engagement and stimulate higher-order thinking, requires students to create a meme related to one of the concepts covered in an introductory accounting course. Our findings indicate that participation in the meme assignment enhances students’ academic performance on the final exam, particularly on items requiring higher-order thinking. Furthermore, we find that the meme assignment engages students and increases their active involvement in learning about accounting topics. We also find that the meme assignment is positively related to lecturer evaluations and that lecturers view the assignment as a positive addition to accounting courses. Our findings suggest that integrating meme assignments into accounting courses can enhance student engagement and learning outcomes, providing an impactful yet low-cost tool for accounting educators. JEL Classifications: A20; A22; M41; M49.