Integrating XBRL Into The Accounting Curriculum

Abstract

The rush to conduct business over the Internet has led to increased pressure for up-to-date and on-demand access to financial and non-financial business information.  The providers and users of this information have banded together to create a standardized taxonomy based on XML to communicate business information over the Web.  XBRL, the eXtensible Business Reporting Language, will provide this mechanism.  Accountants and auditors will need to react quickly to the increased demand for accurate data that will make this feasible.  The article covers XBRL's development process, the underlying XML framework and examples of its use on the Web.  It introduces XBRL’s educational impacts, and discusses its incorporation into an Advanced Accounting Information Systems course. Recommendations for incorporating XBRL across the accounting curriculum based on an informal Internet survey conclude the article.