Business Administration Assessment Report 2014-15 Prepared by Dr. Donald L. Crooks Chair Dr. Richard LaRocca Director of Assessment Dr. Shani Carter Assistant Director of Assessment 1. What are the learning goals and/or specific learning outcomes for the students in the department? The Business Department’s goals are to provide the academic and practical skills necessary to enhance business knowledge at all learning levels. The department seeks to continue to develop student learning to enhance business concepts and theories which are necessary for graduates to succeed. The department looks to prepare students to be effectual communicators of real-world business constructs and ideas via oral and written presentations and the subsequent critical feedback provided from instructors. The department also looks to provide students with the ability to develop critical thinking, quantitative, and decision making skills which are necessary for today’s business environment. We believe that it is imperative for our students to be able to implement effective actions based upon the synthesis of the data presented to them. 2. How are learning goals/outcomes made evident and discussed with students? a. At the department or academic program level? b. At the course level? The department voted to implement learning/assessment tools at the course level several years ago to help students improve oral and written skills with the addition of rubrics to any and all oral and written presentations. At the course level, before each class, the students are given copies of the rubrics explaining
Transcript
Business Administration Assessment Report 2014-15
Prepared by
Dr. Donald L. Crooks Chair
Dr. Richard LaRocca Director of Assessment
Dr. Shani Carter Assistant Director of Assessment
1. What are the learning goals and/or specific learning outcomes for the
students in the department?
The Business Department’s goals are to provide the academic and practical skills
necessary to enhance business knowledge at all learning levels. The department
seeks to continue to develop student learning to enhance business concepts and
theories which are necessary for graduates to succeed. The department looks
to prepare students to be effectual communicators of real-world business
constructs and ideas via oral and written presentations and the subsequent
critical feedback provided from instructors. The department also looks to
provide students with the ability to develop critical thinking, quantitative, and
decision making skills which are necessary for today’s business environment.
We believe that it is imperative for our students to be able to implement
effective actions based upon the synthesis of the data presented to them.
2. How are learning goals/outcomes made evident and discussed with
students?
a. At the department or academic program level?
b. At the course level?
The department voted to implement learning/assessment tools at the course
level several years ago to help students improve oral and written skills with the
addition of rubrics to any and all oral and written presentations. At the course
level, before each class, the students are given copies of the rubrics explaining
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how they will be graded. An anonymous copy is submitted to the Department’s
Administrative Assistant, and the data is included in the cumulative data files in
order to provide quantitative assessment data for the department. The graded
oral and written rubrics are then given to the students to provide feedback in
order to help them assess their oral and written skills and help determine the
areas needed for improvement. Copies of rubrics may be found in the Appendix.
An exam, CompXm, was added to the senior RFT Capstone course and all MBA
programs as part of a virtual simulation pertaining to a corporation with 5
products and 5 competitors. The CompXm measures cumulative knowledge
gained over the 4 years of matriculation for undergraduates and varies for MBA
students depending on the program they are enrolled in. This allows the
department to gage year-over-year changes for each academic program level at
the time of completion of the degree. CompXm has the ability to assess and
quantify students’ critical thinking skills. This has allowed the department to
assess year-over-year critical thinking scores and to provide insight into the
strengths and weaknesses of these skills being developed by our students.
An undergraduate Management Lab (MG 201L) was added to MG 201 in the fall
of 2014. Every student in the business department is required to take this lab
which will provide students with the ability to enhance practical application of
management practices by managing a business enterprise via an on-line
simulation. This lab should help prepare the students for the CompXM
simulation which they will be taking in their Senior LC. The department is hoping
to see at least a 10% increase in the senior CompXM scores as a result of the
implementation of the MG 201 Lab simulation.
The Masters of Science in Accounting has its own individual assessment tools,
which are different from the MBA’s assessment tools. They include a
comprehensive accounting instrument, which is a cumulative accounting exam.
This exam has a satisfaction target score which has been set Margaret H.
Horanat at 55.
The department believes that a critically constructive input engine has been
put into action via our stakeholder groups. We have made several changes to
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our overall curriculum in the past 3 years based upon this advisement and
encouragement of our various groups.
a. SAC (Student Advisory Group) comprised of undergraduate students from all
grade levels. This committee meets twice each semester and results are
shared with the department in our regular meetings and many initiatives have
been reviewed, vetted, and enacted with a turnaround time of one semester.
Several student suggestions were accepted by the department for
incorporation into our undergraduate program. Suggestions brought before
the department for serious suggestion this past year include decoupling of the
two Senior LC classes. This would allow students more flexibility with
internships and preparedness for the Capstone course.
b. PAC (Professional Advisory Group)--this group in entirely populated by our
Adjunct faculty. Their being connected to the professional world on a daily
basis has provided critical insight for the direction of our program. Adjunct
faculty are encouraged to attend every department meeting.
c. GSAC (Graduate Student Advisory Committee) Newly formed in 2014, this
group meets once each year in person and virtually multiple times per year.
This committee will eventually play a critical role in shaping our graduate
programs going forward.
Provide data that documents assessment of department/major student
learning goals. If General Education goals have been assessed include relevant
data as well.
Results for rubric scores and CompXm for the past 5 years are shown below.
We gather data on 10 learning outcomes across the undergraduate and MBA
programs using multiple sources of data (i.e., rubric-based scores on student
work, student surveys, and standardized tests). First, the undergraduates’
scores on the standardized test, The CompXm (cumulative knowledge) have
shown an upward trend since 2011, with 2015 scores averaging 744 of 1,000.
These results indicate faculty have made steady improvements in their courses
during that time.
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Second, the undergraduate Written Communication scores (measured via
rubric) also have shown an upward trend since 2011, with 2015 scores
averaging 4.09 of 5, again showing steady improvements in courses over the
period.
Third, the undergraduate Oral Communication scores (measured via rubric)
have fluctuated over the 2009-2015 period, but have shown a slight upward
trend, with the 2015 scores averaging 9.07 of 10. We will need to determine
the reasons for the fluctuations.
Fourth the Undergraduate Exit Survey (Quality of Business Foundation
Courses) scores have been fairly steady from 2012 to 2015, with the 2015
average score being 3.81 of 5. These results indicate students are satisfied with
the quality of their courses.
Fifth, the undergraduate student survey of Measurement of Capstone,
Practicum & Internship Quality showed a slight decline from 4.05 in 2014 to
3.80 in 2015. We will need to examine the data in detail to determine the root
cause of the change, which may have been due the quality of placements.
Sixth, the undergraduate student survey of Measurement of Faculty
Advisement, Knowledge has shown small but steady increases since 2013, with
the 2015 average being 4.02. These results indicate the faculty are
continuously improving their knowledge for course and for advising.
For the MBA students, we administer four assessments, including two
standardized tests and two rubric-based assessments. First, the CompXm
(cumulative knowledge) scores for traditional MBA students have shown a
steady increase since 2009, with the 2015 average score being 785 of 1,000.
These results indicate faculty have made steady improvements in their courses
during that time.
Second, MBA Written Communication scores (measured via rubric) have
remained steady since 2011, with 2015 scores averaging 8.60 of 10. These
results indicate a continuing emphasis on students’ writing ability.
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Third, the MBA Oral Communication scores (measured via rubric) have shown
a slight decline in the last two years, with the 2015 scores averaging 8.65 of 10.
We will need to determine the reasons for the fluctuations, and to determine
whether the change is significant.
Last, the scores on the Comprehensive Accounting Instrument have remained
fairly steady since 2012, with the 2015 average score being 0.55 of xyz. These
results indicate a continuing emphasis on students’ acquisition of important
accounting concepts.
Overall, across the undergraduate and MBA programs, for most indicators, we
have seen steady upward trends over the long term. For a few indicators, we
have seen slight short-term declines, and we will need to determine whether
these small declines are significant or whether they are due to small sample
sizes.
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Undergraduate Assessment Data
CompXm scores have a range of 100-1000
Undergraduate Writing Rubrics have a scale of 1-5
564
700 722681
744
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
10-'11 11-'12 12-'13 13-'14 14-'15
UG CompXM Scores
3.3
3.853.54 3.49
3.71 3.734.09
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
08-'09 09-'10 10-'11 11-'12 12-'13 13-'14 14-'15
Undergraduate Written
Total Score
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Undergraduate Oral Rubrics have a scale of 1-10
Undergraduate Exit Survey has a scale of 1-5
8.16
8.76
8.388.45
9.21
8.57
9.07
7.6
7.8
8
8.2
8.4
8.6
8.8
9
9.2
9.4
08-'09 09-'10 10-'11 11-'12 12-'13 13-'14 14-'15
Undergraduate Oral
Total Score
3.74
3.79
3.88
3.81
3.65
3.70
3.75
3.80
3.85
3.90
Category 1
Category 1 Measurement of Quality of Business Foundation Courses
2012
2013
2014
2015
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3.84
4.04 4.05
3.80
3.65
3.70
3.75
3.80
3.85
3.90
3.95
4.00
4.05
4.10
Category 2
2012
2013
2014
2015
Category 2 Measurement of Capstone, Practicum & Intership Quality
4.21
3.82
3.89
4.02
3.60
3.70
3.80
3.90
4.00
4.10
4.20
4.30
Category 3
2012
2013
2014
2015
Category 3 - Measurement of Faculty Advisement, Knowledge
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Graduate Assessment Data
MBA CompXm Scores have a range of 100-1000
MBA Writing Rubrics have a scale of 1-10
490
593650
542
780 785
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
09-'10 10-'11 11-'12 12-'13 13-'14 14-'15
TMBA CompXM Scores
7.44
6.64
7.88 7.82
8.74 8.51 8.60
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
08-'09 09-'10 10-'11 11-'12 12-'13 13-'14 14-'15
MBA Written
10
MBA Oral Rubrics have a scale of 1-10
MS in Accounting
8.83
7.89
8.22
8.59
8.91
8.738.65
7.2
7.4
7.6
7.8
8
8.2
8.4
8.6
8.8
9
08-'09 09-'10 10-'11 11-'12 12-'13 13-'14 14-'15
Graduate Oral
0.5473
0.6118
0.56630.5744
0.5575 0.5542
0.5
0.52
0.54
0.56
0.58
0.6
0.62
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Ave
rage
Sco
re
Year
Comprehensive Accounting Instrument
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3. Describe curricular and /or pedagogical changes made during the year
based on assessment results from the current or previous years.
Based upon the feedback from students, employers, and the student advisory
council, the department determined that in order to help further our students’
careers, implementation of Excel into every business class was essential. The
department voted to make it mandatory for all professors to incorporate at least
one Excel assignment per class. This is meant to help expand our students’
knowledge base in Excel and to promote better analytical skills needed in
today’s business environment.
To further enhance our students’ analytical skills, BU 260 (TC) Excel for the
Business Professional was created and has become a core requirement for all
business administration students. It is highly suggested that the student take BU
260 in their first semester of declaring.
The Management Lab has been in place for two semesters now, and the data
should provide the department with a foundational benchmark to assess
changes in critical business skills currently being measures in the CompXm
scores in the undergraduate senior year.
A department-wide consensus and effort has been made to ensure that all
students (on the graduate and undergraduate levels) have the ability to
demonstrate proficiency in business software such as Excel, Word and
PowerPoint to solve business problems. An effort has been made to promote
the use of these programs throughout the course offering.
4. Describe curricular and/or pedagogical changes desired or being planned,
if needed or as indicated by assessment results from prior years.
a. The department has currently added an undergraduate internship survey for
assessment purposes. These surveys have been completedby the person
who supervised the student during the internship. By “closing the loop”
between our students and prospective employers, we can now receive direct
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feedback from internship supervisors about our students in the workforce.
The survey will provide us with a clearer understanding of how prepared the
Business Department’s current students are within the workforce. We will
obtain information about their skill levels, success, strengths, and
weaknesses in order to better structure the curriculum and pedagogy
necessary to give our department’s graduates the ability to thrive and
compete. A graduate MBA survey is currently being constructed to help
measure the same aspects for our graduate programs.
b. The department will continue to discuss at department meetings each
semester and via email to adjuncts what oral and written strengths and
weaknesses have been revealed from the rubric scores and encourage
faculty to focus on the areas that need attention.
c. We will establish better communication protocols between students and
professors to reduce turnaround times of all correspondence and create a
better communicative environment.
d. We will increase the academic rigor of each program based upon the
assessment data feedback and adapt each program to the changing business
environment to ensure that our graduating students have the necessary skills
needed to pursue further academic and professional careers.
e. We will address and define plagiarism at the beginning of each course and
identify to students the resources available at the library.
f. We will establish protocols necessary to assure no classes are taken without
the required prerequisites.
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APPENDIX
Table of Contents
Business Administration Oral Presentation Assessment Rubric………………………………………………14
Business Administration Department Rubric- Informal/Formal Writing Scoring Sheet……….......15
MBA Programs Business Administration – Informal/Formal Writing Scoring Sheet…………………18
MBA Programs Business Administration Department Rubrics– Informal/Formal Writing Scoring
Name of faculty member:_____________________________________________________
Wagner College MBA Programs
Business Administration Oral Presentation Assessment Rubric
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WAGNER COLLEGE
Department of Business Administration
Undergraduate Survey This survey is intended to assess your level of satisfaction with the instruction you received in required courses for your major in Business Administration. Please indicate your agreement with the following statements using the following scale:
