Learning AssuranceLearning Assurance

School of Business & Industry School of Business & Industry Faculty RetreatFaculty Retreat

August 19, 2008August 19, 2008

Previous Data Analysis ResultsPrevious Data Analysis Results

Year 1 – 2006-2007Year 1 – 2006-2007• Data collected in an unacceptable Data collected in an unacceptable

format (teams vs. individual format (teams vs. individual assessment)assessment)

Year 2 – 2007-2008Year 2 – 2007-2008• ETS Major Field TestETS Major Field Test• MAN 4720 case analysisMAN 4720 case analysis• MAN 4201 exam questionsMAN 4201 exam questions

Previous Data Analysis ResultsPrevious Data Analysis Results

LearningLearning

What does it mean to facilitate What does it mean to facilitate learning?learning?

What is teaching?What is teaching? Which, if either is more enjoyable?Which, if either is more enjoyable? Which, if either is more beneficial to Which, if either is more beneficial to

our students?our students?

Interesting facts about our studentsInteresting facts about our students

Working more Working more hourshours

More ADD/ADHDMore ADD/ADHD Feel entitled to an Feel entitled to an

A or BA or B Few time Few time

management skillsmanagement skills Few learning skillsFew learning skills

66% of 2003 first 66% of 2003 first year students spent year students spent less than 6 hours less than 6 hours per week doing per week doing homeworkhomework

More than 46% of More than 46% of these students said these students said they graduated they graduated from high school from high school with an “A” averagewith an “A” average

What’s our role in learning?What’s our role in learning?

Helping students identify their Helping students identify their learning style, strategies for learning learning style, strategies for learning and encouraging the application of and encouraging the application of learning strategies through our learning strategies through our course designcourse design

Assessing learning through course Assessing learning through course assessment methodsassessment methods

What is Learning Assurance?What is Learning Assurance?

To insure that learning occurs in our To insure that learning occurs in our programs based on the established programs based on the established outcomesoutcomes

To measure learning outcomes for To measure learning outcomes for data can be used to make data can be used to make adjustments to our curricula, if adjustments to our curricula, if necessarynecessary

What is assessment?What is assessment?

Assessment focus is at the Assessment focus is at the PROGRAMPROGRAM levellevel

Examination of learning goals for each of Examination of learning goals for each of our programs (BBA, Bachelor of our programs (BBA, Bachelor of Accounting, and MBA)Accounting, and MBA)

Use assessment information for Use assessment information for continuous improvement including continuous improvement including documentation that the documentation that the assessment assessment processprocess is being carried out in a is being carried out in a SYSTEMATIC, ONGOING SYSTEMATIC, ONGOING basisbasis

Why should you care?Why should you care? Learning assurance is a performance Learning assurance is a performance

measurement of our learning facilitationmeasurement of our learning facilitation One of our roles as a professor is to insure One of our roles as a professor is to insure

learning which in turn leads to program learning which in turn leads to program level learninglevel learning

In order to know how well we accomplish In order to know how well we accomplish this goal, we have to measure our this goal, we have to measure our performanceperformance

SACS and AACSB require that we report SACS and AACSB require that we report how we assure learning at the program how we assure learning at the program levellevel

Show me the money!Show me the money!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaiSHcHM0PA

What’s in it for me?What’s in it for me?

Learning assurance aids in insuring that Learning assurance aids in insuring that our students understand our expectationsour students understand our expectations

Learning assurance informs us of were we Learning assurance informs us of were we can improvecan improve

Learning assurance provides information Learning assurance provides information on potential areas of improvementon potential areas of improvement

Learning assurance projects can be used Learning assurance projects can be used to make contributions to the management to make contributions to the management education literature (i.e., intellectual education literature (i.e., intellectual contributions)contributions)

How do we assess How do we assess learning?learning?

Learning Goal #1 Critical Thinking/Analytical Learning Goal #1 Critical Thinking/Analytical Reasoning Skills: Reasoning Skills: Our graduates will have the Our graduates will have the ability to identity, isolate and find relationships ability to identity, isolate and find relationships among business administration concepts or among business administration concepts or problems and to draw sound inferences from problems and to draw sound inferences from multiple perspectivemultiple perspective

Learning Goal #2 Communication Skills: Learning Goal #2 Communication Skills: Our Our graduates will have the ability to influence and graduates will have the ability to influence and inform others through the effective presentation of inform others through the effective presentation of business administration and accounting principles, business administration and accounting principles, practices and ideas utilizing oral, written, and practices and ideas utilizing oral, written, and graphic expressionsgraphic expressions

Learning Goal #3 Content/Discipline Learning Goal #3 Content/Discipline Knowledge Skills: Knowledge Skills: Our graduates will have the Our graduates will have the ability to demonstrate discipline-specific knowledge ability to demonstrate discipline-specific knowledge in business administrationin business administration

SBI Learning GoalsSBI Learning Goals

Learning Goal #4 Ethical Understanding Skills: Learning Goal #4 Ethical Understanding Skills: Our graduates will have the ability to identify and Our graduates will have the ability to identify and evaluate ethical issues in business administration evaluate ethical issues in business administration and develop a framework for reporting and making and develop a framework for reporting and making appropriate business decisions.appropriate business decisions.

Learning Goal #6 Teamwork Skills: Learning Goal #6 Teamwork Skills: Our Our graduates will have the ability to demonstrate graduates will have the ability to demonstrate effective teamwork skillseffective teamwork skills

Learning Goal #5 Multicultural and Diversity Learning Goal #5 Multicultural and Diversity Skills: Skills: Our graduates will have the ability to Our graduates will have the ability to understand the importance of multicultural diversity understand the importance of multicultural diversity issues in business administrationissues in business administration

Learning Goal #7 Leadership Skills (MBA only):Learning Goal #7 Leadership Skills (MBA only): Our graduates will have the ability to influence the Our graduates will have the ability to influence the activities of an individual or group in efforts toward activities of an individual or group in efforts toward goal achievement.goal achievement.

SBI Learning GoalsSBI Learning Goals

What are our criteria for success?What are our criteria for success?

We must have SMAC objectives for We must have SMAC objectives for each learning goaleach learning goal• SpecificSpecific• MeasurableMeasurable• AchievableAchievable• ChallengingChallenging

Where do we measure Where do we measure our learning goals?our learning goals?

Map our learning goals onto Map our learning goals onto the required coursesthe required courses

How do we measure our How do we measure our learning goals?learning goals?

Assessment MeasuresAssessment Measures

Direct MeasuresDirect Measures

1.1. Published testsPublished tests

2.2. Locally-developed Locally-developed teststests

3.3. Embedded Embedded assignments and assignments and course activitiescourse activities

4.4. PortfoliosPortfolios

Indirect MeasuresIndirect Measures

1.1. SurveysSurveys

2.2. InterviewsInterviews

3.3. Focus GroupsFocus Groups

Suggested Direct MeasuresSuggested Direct Measures

Case analysisCase analysis Exam questionsExam questions Comprehensive Comprehensive

course project course project Observation Observation

through course through course presentations and presentations and class assignmentsclass assignments

Exams (ETS field Exams (ETS field test format)test format)

Comprehensive Comprehensive end of program end of program projectproject

Use universal Use universal grading rubrics grading rubrics for each learning for each learning goal along with goal along with an agreed upon an agreed upon measure measure

Suggested Indirect MeasuresSuggested Indirect Measures

Employer’s post-internship survey Employer’s post-internship survey (see Exhibit A)(see Exhibit A)

Alumni survey (needs to be Alumni survey (needs to be developed)developed)

Graduating student survey Graduating student survey Student post-internship survey (see Student post-internship survey (see

Exhibit B)Exhibit B)

Team AssignmentTeam Assignment

Examine the current learning goal Examine the current learning goal and objectivesand objectives

Align/Revise SACS and AACSB Align/Revise SACS and AACSB objectives (Undergraduate and objectives (Undergraduate and Graduate)Graduate)

Develop measures of objectives Develop measures of objectives (Undergraduate and Graduate)(Undergraduate and Graduate)

Determine where and when to Determine where and when to measure objectivesmeasure objectives

What next?What next?

Assessment Plan DevelopmentAssessment Plan Development

LAC will take comments from today LAC will take comments from today to incorporate into an assessment to incorporate into an assessment plan that meets both SACS and plan that meets both SACS and AACSB requirementsAACSB requirements

Design data collection Design data collection and analysis processand analysis process

How will we analyze the data and How will we analyze the data and what will we do with the what will we do with the

information from the analysis-information from the analysis-continuous improvement?continuous improvement?

What’s YOUR role?What’s YOUR role?a.a. Serve on the assessment Serve on the assessment

committee?committee?

b.b. Assess learning goals in your Assess learning goals in your course(s)?course(s)?

c.c. Serve on a panel to assess projects Serve on a panel to assess projects or portfolios?or portfolios?

d.d. Administer exit surveys?Administer exit surveys?

e.e. Administer standardized tests?Administer standardized tests?

f.f. Facilitate student focus groupsFacilitate student focus groups

g.g. Do nothing Do nothing