About

Frank Buckless is the Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Dean of the Poole College of Management at NC State University, a position he has held since 2019. Under his leadership, the college has experienced significant growth in enrollment and application numbers, improved its national rankings, and expanded its academic offerings to include new graduate programs, certificates, initiatives, and interdisciplinary collaborations. He has also overseen the launch of a thought leadership platform and the development of industry partnerships aimed at preparing graduates to make meaningful contributions in their fields. Prior to his deanship, Buckless led the Department of Accounting for 18 years, during which time the department achieved notable growth, recognition, and initial accreditation from the AACSB. He has been a member of the NC State accounting faculty since 1989 and holds a doctorate in accounting from Michigan State University. His professional background includes corporate experience as an auditor with Arthur Andersen and Company. His research interests encompass accounting education, audit, sustainability, and faculty issues, with publications in top journals and involvement in editorial boards. Buckless has received awards such as the American Accounting Association’s “Innovation in Accounting Education Award” and the College of Management Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Research topics

• Accounting
• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Business

Selected publications

• Contrast Coding in ANOVA and Regression

  2025-03-05

  book-chapterSenior author

  Contrast coding offers a statistically more powerful alternative to the usual omnibus F tests of main and interaction effects programmed by default in popular statistical packages. Contrast coding can offer an additional advantage of providing a focused test of the specific relationship being hypothesized rather than assuming and testing a one-size-fits-all relationship. We demonstrate the use of contrast coding first in research using ANOVA and extend it to applying contrast coding tools in regression tests as well. In response to critiques urging researchers to look beyond p-values, some researchers are using reliance on effect sizes as indicators of material significance. Therefore, we demonstrate how to determine effect sizes using contrast coding. We provide numerous examples to demonstrate how to apply contrast coding, how contrast coding results differ from traditional ANOVA or regression results, and when contrast coding offers advantages in analysing research results and when it may not.

  PublisherDOI

• The Interactive Effect of Personality Types and Learning Setting on Performance in Accounting Courses

  Issues in Accounting Education · 2024 · 1 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Psychology
  • Accounting
  • Business

  ABSTRACT This paper examines whether students’ personality types influence their performance in two masters-level accounting courses: one traditional lecture setting (Financial Accounting) and one active learning setting (Accounting Research). Research has shown that accounting student performance is related to personality types (Nourayi and Cherry 1993; Lawrence and Taylor 2000). However, the accounting profession is pushing for active learning to emphasize the importance of communication and critical thinking skills (Pincus, Stout, Sorensen, Stocks, and Lawson 2017). Our study is the first to relate personality types to performance in learning settings in the accounting area. We also extend prior personality type research to examine masters-level accounting student performance. We find that Extrovert students outperformed Introvert students in the active learning setting and Sensing students outperformed Intuitive students in the traditional lecture setting. Combining personality types into four personality temperaments and four MBTI cognitive function groups also resulted in significant effects on student performance. Data Availability: Data are available from the authors upon request.

  PublisherDOI

• Contrast coding in ANOVA and regression

  2017-11-06 · 10 citations

  book-chapterSenior author

  Contrast coding offers a statistically more powerful alternative to the usual Omnibus F-tests of main and interaction effects programmed by default in popular statistical packages. Contrast coding can offer an additional advantage of providing a focused test of the specific relationship being hypothesized, rather than assuming and testing a one-size-fits-all relationship. We demonstrate the use of contrast coding first in research using ANOVA and extend it to applying contrast coding tools in regression tests as well. In response to critiques urging researchers to look beyond p-values, some researchers are using reliance on effect sizes as indicators of material significance. Therefore, we demonstrate how to determine effect sizes using contrast coding. We provide numerous examples to demonstrate how to apply contrast coding, how contrast coding results differ from traditional ANOVA or regression results, and when contrast coding offers advantages in analyzing research results and when it may not.

  PublisherDOI

• The relation of student engagement and other admission metrics to Master of Accounting student performance

  Accounting Education · 2016-09-02 · 16 citations

  article1st author

  This paper examines whether the use of student engagement (SE) information as part of the admissions process can help us to predict student academic success in Master of Accounting (MAC) programs. The association of SE, undergraduate grade point average (UGPA), and Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) score to academic performance was tested using 890 MAC students enrolled at a large southern US university between 2004 and 2014. We find that SE is a strong predictor of student success in the MAC program, after controlling for GMAT score and UGPA. The results of this study support the use of SE attributes or characteristics by MAC Admission Committees when determining which students to admit into their programs.

  PublisherDOI

• How Widely Used Sustainability Metrics Distort Actual Performance—And a Solution to This All‐Too‐Common Problem

  Environmental Quality Management · 2015-06-01 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Using Virtual Worlds to Simulate Real-World Audit Procedures

  Issues in Accounting Education · 2014-04-01 · 47 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  ABSTRACT It is not uncommon for educators to struggle with providing their students real-world experiences within the classroom environment. This is particularly true when teaching a subject as application-oriented as auditing. This article furthers existing literature on using virtual worlds in the classroom by describing the learning strategies of using a common virtual world application, Second Life, to simulate a physical examination of inventory in a master's-level auditing class. Specifically, this article explores how an inventory simulation exercise can be used within a virtual world to maximize learning objectives focused on critical thinking and professional judgment, project management and teamwork, effective documentation, interviewing skills, and applying auditing standards. It also examines the feedback received from students in incorporating virtual worlds into the classroom, and lessons learned for future application. Based on pre- and post-assignment surveys, the results demonstrate that students significantly improved their inventory observation knowledge, interviewing, audit documentation, critical thinking, and group work skills completing a virtual world inventory simulation experience. The most significant lesson for instructors to take away is how to include virtual worlds into course activities to maximize the learning objectives.

  PublisherDOI

• Accounting education in the Second Life world: opportunities for students, faculty, and businesses

  Development in Learning Organizations An International Journal · 2012-06-22 · 3 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Auditing Cases 4E

  2009-01-01

  articleSenior author
  Publisher

• Comprehensive Assurance & Systems Tool: an Integrated Practice Set

  2004-04-01

  book1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

• EDITORIAL BOARD

  2002-01-24

  paratextOpen access

  Citation (2002), "EDITORIAL BOARD", Schwartz, B.N. and Ketz, J.E. (Ed.) Advances in Accounting Education Teaching and Curriculum Innovations (Advances in Accounting Education, Vol. 4), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. ix-x. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1085-4622(2002)0000004002 Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Copyright © 2002, Emerald Group Publishing Limited Book Chapters LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS EDITORIAL BOARD STATEMENT OF PURPOSE A SERVICE-LEARNING APPROACH TO ACHIEVING TAXPAYER COMPLIANCE IN ALASKAN NATIVE COMMUNITIES USING THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND THE INTERNET TO IMPLEMENT THE AECC'S INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNTING RECOMMENDATIONS DEVELOPING INTERMEDIATE ACCOUNTING STUDENTS' ANALYTICAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS THROUGH THE ANNUAL REPORT PROJECT EXPANDING THE GLOBAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHING SKILLS IN DOCTORAL PROGRAMS VS. FACULTY PERFORMANCE EVALUATION A NOTE ON EQUIVALENT UNITS CALCULATIONS TEACHING ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS USING PERSONAL COMPUTER MOVIES MEASURING THE PROBLEM-DEFINING ABILITY OF ACCOUNTING STUDENTS BUDGETING FOR SNOW REMOVAL COSTS USING MONTE CARLO SIMULATION AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF STUDENT BELIEFS IN THE RESPONSE RELIABILITY OF TEACHING EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Sue Ravenscroft

  4 shared

• Kathy Krawczyk

  North Carolina State University

  3 shared

• David E. Stout

  2 shared

• Gilroy J. Zuckerman

  North Carolina State University

  2 shared

• John M. Hassell

  Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis

  2 shared

• D. Scott Showalter

  North Carolina State University

  2 shared

• Barbara Apostolou

  Louisiana State University

  2 shared

• James E. Rebele

  2 shared

Education

• Ph.D. Business Administration, Broad College of Business

  Michigan State University

  1988

• Bachelor of Arts, Broad College of Business

  Michigan State University

  1981

Awards & honors

• American Accounting Association’s (AAA) “Innovation in Accou…
• College of Management Board of Governors’ Award for Excellen…
• Hewlett Fellow (NC State Inquiry Based Education Grant)
• Outstanding Auditing Dissertation award issued by the Americ…