The Impact of an Integrated Assignment on the Engagement of Undergraduate Students with the Content

The World of Work, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Society 5.0 necessitate interdisciplinary thinking and problem-solving skills. In response to this and the drive of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) toward integrating competencies, an integrated assignment (IA) was developed. It was rolled out to second-year B.Com students with the vision of enriching their understanding of the horizontal and vertical integration. This study’s aim is to investigate students’ understanding of the IA and identify the IA’s impact on their ability to integrate content. The study applies a mixed-method research design, using a pre- and post-questionnaire, through the Qualtrics platform. Closed- and open-ended questions were included, necessitating quantitative and qualitative analysis. Findings showed that students experience the IA as challenging but beneficial. Students’ attitudes toward the IA impacted their willingness to engage with the assignment, their group members and the integration of disciplines. No similar IA study could be found thus, researching the impact of the IA will assist educators with understanding the value of the intervention.