Transcript Planning and Implementing An Assessment Program for

Developing an
Effective Assessment Strategy
for Business Schools
Dr. Raymond A. Jacobs
Associate Dean and Assessment Coordinator
Dauch College of Business and Economics
Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio
Why do we need performance based
student learning outcomes assessment?
Accrediting organizations and government
agencies require it
 When properly employed, assessment is a
key tool for ongoing, continuous
improvement of curriculum and educational
processes (and, thus, student learning)
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What does ACBSP Standard #4,
Measurement and Analysis of Student
Learning and Performance, require?
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Learning outcomes assessment program (4.1)
 tied to mission (assess “important” outcomes)
 internal and external data
Sufficient data [3-5 periods] to identify trends (4.2)
Yield comparative information over time and with
respect to benchmarks (4.3)
Use assessment results to improve educational
processes (4.4)
How can a program set up an
effective student learning
outcomes assessment system
to demonstrate continuous
improvement?
A suggested approach:
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Start with outcomes/competencies at the highest level. If
the university has outcomes identified, start there.
Using a cascading matrix approach, link these outcomes
to your college outcomes, link these to program outcomes,
and finally link to classroom student learning outcomes.
Adhere to a common rubric scale (ex: four-point) to
enable aggregation by averaging and/or grouping scores.
Use data from formative and summative assessment to
inform curriculum development.
Use summative, agglomerated outcomes for program
review.
An Illustration from Ashland University’s
College of Business and Economics
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Four core competencies identified in 2001
 Professional competence (specialized knowledge)
 Communication skills (written and oral
presentation)
 Integrity and accountability
 Interpersonal competence (teamwork)
Assessment included ETS major field test, an
internally-developed communications assessment
process, and student satisfaction surveys
We decided that we needed to expand
our set of competencies, and we wanted
to adopt rubric-based assessments
The Accreditation Council for Business
Schools and Programs (ACBSP), in
conjunction with LiveText, developed a set
of student learning outcomes and
assessment rubrics as part of a Global
Benchmarking Assessment (GBA) Initiative
 Using the LiveText database, both internal
and external comparisons will be possible
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In 2009, we modified our set of competencies
to include the content areas covered by the
GBA Outcome Assessment Instrument:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Communication
Critical Thinking
Business Knowledge and Technical Skills
Leadership/Team Skills
Ethics
Analytical/Quantitative Skills
International and Global Perspective
Communications Outcomes (GBA rubric)
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Graduates of business programs communicate correctly and
purposefully, integrating technology into writing and
presentation.
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Students will:
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use correct grammar and vocabulary that is appropriate to the
intended audience and is unbiased
apply writing and reporting conventions appropriate to a business
setting in the organization of a cohesive, accurate, and politicallycorrect product with an identifiable structure and a well-articulated
purpose
demonstrate use of current technology in composition and in visual
and oral presentation of work to an audience
use the Publication Manual of the appropriate format (ex: APA,
MLA) as style guidelines in the preparation of written reports.
Partial Rubric for Communication Outcome
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Grammar and vocabulary (25%)
 Unacceptable (1 pt.): Mistakes in grammar are pervasive.
Language usage may contain elements of bias or be politically
incorrect
 Partially Proficient (2 pts.) Repetitive mistakes in grammar are
made. Vocabulary is correctly used but simplistic, requiring that
the reader interpret comments.
 Proficient ( 3 pts.) Grammar and vocabulary usage are acceptable,
although there are minor punctuation or spelling errors. The
narrative is descriptive and supports all arguments made.
 Accomplished (4 pts.) Grammar and vocabulary usage are
flawless. The selection of vocabulary is rich, providing vivid
descriptions that support all arguments made. The paper is of
publishable or of dissemination quality.
Formative Assessment of
College-level Competencies
Once a set of College-level competencies
has been selected, assessments of student
learning outcomes related to these
competencies must be embedded in the
curriculum.
 Assessments are embedded in required core
courses so that all students are assessed in
all competency areas early to mid program.
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Formative Assessment of Each Content Area
Content Area
Course
Level
Assessment
Communications
IS 221
Information Tech.
FR/SO
MS Word paper
assignment
Critical Thinking
ECON 232
Microeconomics
FR/SO
Essay
Business Knowledge
various in each major
various
Various methods
Leadership/Teamwork
MGT 240
Intro. to Management
FR/SO
Case Analysis
Ethics
MGT 401
Business Law I
JR/SR
Case Analysis
Analytical/Quantitative
MGT 319
Operations Mgt.
SO/JR
Case Analysis
MKT 233
Prin. of Marketing
FR/SO
Case Analysis
International/Global
Formative Assessment for Content Area #3:
Business Knowledge and Technical Skills
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Embed assessments into one or more required courses in
each major or program, as determined by department.
At least one assessment should use GBA rubric; other
rubrics and assessment instruments can be utilized.
Each assessment score must be converted to a four-point
scale to enable aggregation and averaging of scores from
different assessments.
The LiveText assessment management system facilitates
the summarization and reporting of assessment scores.
Example of a non-rubric assessment: Mapping
a group of five true/false or multiple-choice
questions into a 4-point rubric score
Number of
Assessment
Outcome
Questions correct
Score
Category
Accomplished
5
4
3,4
3
Proficient
1,2
2
0
1
Partially
Proficient
Unacceptable
An example of a cascading matrix
approach for student learning
outcomes assessment, linking
university, college, program, and
course outcomes:
Summative Assessment of Each Content Area
Course: MGT 489 Senior Seminar –
Business Capstone
 Assessment: Global Benchmarking Case
 Case is graded for each student by the
course professor, same as any other case.
 For program assessment, the case will be
assessed in each content area using the
GBA rubrics.
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Additional College-Level
Summative Assessments
Review of required student internship or
work experience (student must choose 3-4
internship learning outcomes from a set of
8-10 outcomes selected by the department)
 Score on ETS major field test (taken as part
of MGT 499 Senior Assessment class)
 Final oral presentation and written essay
(part of MGT 499 Senior Assessment class)
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Summary of Assessment Process
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Student Learning Outcome assessments for a
variety of content (competency) areas are embedded
in required core courses and major courses for both
formative and summative assessment.
ACBSP Global Benchmarking Assessment
Initiative rubrics are used, along with other
assessment instruments.
Other stakeholder assessments are used (ETS major
field exam, internship review, student satisfaction
survey, employer survey).
The LiveText assessment management system
facilitates efficient data collection, aggregation, and
reporting.
Questions or comments?