Resubmission Report: Bachelor of Applied Business (e-business Supply Chain Management) Application for Renewal of Ministerial Consent

Transcription

1 Resubmission Report: Bachelor of Applied Business (e-business Supply Chain Management) Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Submitted To: Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) & Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB) Date of Submission: September 15, 2014

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 PEQAB s Rationale for Recommendation Statement Faculty Credential Requirements... 6 TABLE 1: Core Faculty in the Bachelor of Applied Business (e-business Supply Chain Management)... 6 TABLE 2: Faculty Reassignments... 7 TABLE 3: Course Schedule Curriculum Revisions a. Course Alignment and Rigour TABLE 4: Curriculum Map b. Utilization of petsim in the Program c. Reinforcement of Supply Chain Management Theories d. Evaluation of Student Learning e. Use of SAP in the Program f. Research and Scholarship Strategic Curricular Activities a. Content Clarification b. Faculty Development c. Research, Scholarship and Professional Activities d. Additional ERP Systems Update to the Response to the Quality Assessment Panel (QAP) Report Concluding Remarks Appendix A Position Postings Appendix B Curricula Vitae Appendix C Course Outlines Appendix D Sample Course Section Information (CSI) Document

3 Introduction This report presents a fulsome update and details regarding activities that Algonquin College has undertaken to review, revise and enhance the Bachelor of Applied Business (e-business Supply Chain Management) degree program. The report will take into account PEQAB s Rationale for Recommendation to address the faculty complement, including the hiring and staffing plan for , and efforts made towards addressing the concerns related to the curriculum in meeting the degree level standard. The resubmission contains both an update to the QAP Report Response, as well as details of the extensive activities related to strengthening the program s curriculum and faculty complement. As both activities are extensive and require planned short and longer-term strategic implementation, this report presents an update towards both efforts supported by appendices containing position postings, the faculty curricula vitae and the program s course outlines. An Interim Resubmission Report was provided on June 30 th, 2014 to both the Ministry and PEQAB staff. This report provided an update on the commitments that Algonquin College made in its QAP Report Response submitted May 31 st, 2013, as well as provided an overview of the activities begun to address concerns raised in PEQAB s Rationale for Recommendation statement. This Resubmission Report incorporates the interim update, and where appropriate, provides a further update. 3

4 PEQAB s Rationale for Recommendation Statement February 12, Bay Street 23rd Floor, Mowat Block Toronto ON M7A 1L2 Tel (416) Fax (416) , rue Bay 23 e étage, Édifice Mowat Toronto ON M7A 1L2 Tel (416) Fax (416) Algonquin College s application for renewal of consent to offer a Bachelor of Applied Business (e- Business Supply Chain Management) was reviewed in accordance with the Board s criteria and procedures identified in its Handbook for Ontario Colleges, During the course of the review, and on the panel s recommendation, Algonquin requested that the nomenclature be changed to Bachelor of Commerce (e-business Supply Chain Management). Briefly, this process entailed: A four-member expert panel, consisting of a member of the Board s standing Organization Review Committee, two subject-matter experts, and a member of the Board s standing Breadth Committee, was struck to review the renewal application against the Board s standards and benchmarks for Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. Their review included a visit to the site (1385 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa), where the panel met with members of the college community (including students, faculty, and senior administration), and toured facilities. The panel provided its review to the Board, and the Board in turn provided the panel report to the college for its response. The college prepared for the Board its responses to the issues identified by the panel. In formulating its recommendation, the Board considered the college submission (and any additional information relevant to the application), the panel report, the college responses to the report, and the commitments made by the college during the course of the review. Rationale for Recommendation The Board found that Algonquin s Bachelor of Applied Business (e-business Supply Chain Management) program does not meet its requirements pertaining to faculty qualifications, degree level education, breadth curriculum, and program evaluation. The Board requires that at least half of the faculty in degree programs hold the terminal credential. Less than one-quarter of the instructors teaching the core curriculum of this program hold a terminal credential in a field related to the courses they are assigned to teach. The Board also requires that all faculty hold graduate credentials. Two faculty members have only undergraduate degrees and four lack any degree. Exceptions to any benchmarks pertaining to faculty must be based on the absence of a related program credential in a university or other extraordinary circumstances, and be justified in writing with specific reference to the Board s Capacity to Deliver standard. Although the applicant supplied exception statements for the six above-mentioned faculty members, the Board was not satisfied that there is a general lack of related credentials. Nor was the Board persuaded that other extraordinary circumstances warrant the delivery of an undergraduate degree program by instructors who either have not studied at the degree level or who do not possess a degree higher than that being taught. 4

5 The requirement that faculty members hold a degree higher than that being taught is fundamentally connected to the capacity to meet the degree level standard. The expert panel that reviewed this program noted a lack of scholarly activity or research; this limits the faculty s capacity to maintain currency in the field, enrich the program, and deliver degree-level education. Degree level programming must provide students with both depth and breadth of knowledge as well as enough exposure to scholarship and research to produce conceptual and methodological awareness. The panel found that the program s narrow focus does not verse students adequately in the theory of supply chain management. The breadth expert for this review found some areas of concern, specifically that students ability to acquire more than introductory knowledge in a subject area outside the core subjects is limited, grading in the breadth subjects seems out of line with degree level standards, and samples of student work did not meet the criteria under the Degree Level standard pertaining to depth of understanding. The Board s Program Evaluation standard requires that institutions have policies and procedures for conducting their own ongoing, internal quality assurance. Internal quality assurance must involve a program evaluation and a report by experts, including senior academic peers from outside of the program. Although the college has appropriate program evaluation policies, implementation of those policies failed to meet the Board s requirements. The Program Evaluation standard ensures that the college has mechanisms to identify weaknesses and make improvements to the program. Algonquin acknowledged the guidance regarding the implementation of the required program evaluation policies and its commitment to apply that guidance has been recognized. 5

6 1. Faculty Credential Requirements Algonquin College has revised its faculty staffing and assignments in an effort to achieve the benchmark that all faculty teaching in the main field of study hold an academic credential at least one degree higher than that offered by the program in the field or in the closely related field/discipline, as well as overall meeting the terminal credential requirement. The faculty teaching in the main field of study for the Bachelor of Applied Business (e-business Supply Chain Management) are identified in Table 1. CVs for all faculty members are provided in Appendix B. TABLE 1: Core Faculty in the Bachelor of Applied Business (e-business Supply Chain Management) Name Highest Credential Earned Status Nadim Abboud PhD (Industrial Engineering and Operations Research) Ian Knowles PhD (Psychology) Full-time Professor Sadiq Abbas PhD (Information Technology) Full-time Professor Valerian Tibu PhD (Mathematics) Full-time Professor Al Pilcher MBA (Technology Management) Full-time Professor Maryann Sullivan MBA Full-time Professor Catrina McBride MA (Language and Professional Writing) Full-time Professor Robert Weeks PhD (Physics) Part-time Professor Darryl Poyner MBA (Marketing and Logistics) Part-time Professor Zaid Al-Mulla M.Acc. Part-time Professor Asghar Gill PhD (Physics) Part-time Professor Yvon Parizeau M. Electronic Commerce Part-time Professor Allan Cutler MBA (Management and Change) Part-time Professor Amir Khataie PhD (Industrial Engineering) Part-time Professor Full-time Professor (effective August 1, 2014) Muayad PhD (Computer Engineering) Part-time Professor Mohammed Ahmed James Bowen PhD (Management) Part-time Professor Algonquin was successful in its posting for a new full-time professor and selected a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Dr. Nadim Abboud, who joined the School effective August 1, In addition to teaching in the program, he is assigned to engage in the long-term curricular efforts to strengthen the program detailed in the Strategic Curricular Activities section in this document. For the Academic Year, Dr. Abboud has been assigned a slightly reduced teaching workload to allow him to focus on those efforts as well as afford him a smoother transition into his new position. As well, in April 2014, the College posted for and recruited two part-time professors: Zaid Al- Mulla, M.Acc., who will teach the program s Accounting and Finance courses, and Chris Tan, M.Law., who will teach the non-core Law course. 6

7 We have also redeployed within the College one full-time professor with an MBA, Maryann Sullivan. The program was able to secure additional part-time faculty in specialized areas related to Management, Industrial Engineering and Computer Engineering in an effort to more closely align the relationship of teaching assignments between course content and faculty expertise. With the staffing complement above, effective the Academic Year, 56% of all faculty teaching in the main field of study will hold the terminal academic credential in the field or in a closely related field/discipline. Of the 16 faculty members identified to teach core courses in the program, 9 hold the terminal credential in the field or in a closely related field/discipline. As a result of the recent hiring efforts, we have been able to eliminate past exceptions of the minimum qualifications for professors who do not have a Master s or Doctorate degree. As of the Academic Year, the program is committed to no faculty exceptions to the terminal credential requirements. The School of Business is confident in their ability to maintain this commitment. We do acknowledge that credential alignment can be further strengthened for a few courses within the current course schedule and we will endeavour to do so for the Academic Year. Given the above staffing efforts, courses for which we identified exceptions in our Application for Renewal of Consent have been reassigned to professors who meet the minimum credential requirements for the program. Additionally, certain courses have been reassigned to better align faculty credentials to the course discipline. Table 2 details these course reassignments. Table 3 that follows provides the Course Schedule with all teaching assignments for the Academic Year. TABLE 2: Faculty Reassignments Course(s) Law (non-core) Financial Accounting Managerial Accounting Business Finance Purchasing Management Master Planning and Scheduling Human Resources and Communications Project Management Business Analysis I and II Lean Principles Logistics Strategic Supply Chain Management (Title revised to: ERP Integration Management) Quality Management Basics of Supply Chain Management Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Faculty Chris Tan (MLaw) Zaid Al-Mulla (MAcc) Maryann Sullivan (MBA) Maryann Sullivan (MBA) Allan Cutler (MBA) Asghar Gill (PhD) Amir Khataie (PhD) Nadim Abboud (PhD) Robert Weeks (PhD) Darryl Poyner (MBA) 7

8 TABLE 3: Course Schedule Year and Semester YEAR 1 Semester 1 YEAR 1 Semester 2 YEAR 2 Semester 3 Course Title Total Core Course Semester Hours Total Non-Core Course Semester Hours Course Prerequisites and Co-requisites Instructor(s) Highest Qualification Earned and Discipline of Study Marketing 45 Bowen, J. PhD (Management) Financial Accounting 45 Al-Mulla, Z. MAcc Microeconomics 45 Tibu, V. PhD (Mathematics) Communications and Academic Writing 45 Randall, S. PhD (English) Business Fundamentals PhD (Industrial 45 Abboud, N. Engineering) Spreadsheet Applications PhD (Engineering 45 Abbas, S. Information Technology) Management Information MBA (Technology 45 Pilcher, A. Systems Management) Logic and Critical Thinking 60 William, J. PhD (Philosophy) Macroeconomics 45 Tibu, V. PhD (Mathematics) Business Processes and PhD (Engineering 45 Abbas, S. Systems Information Technology) Managerial Accounting 45 Financial Accounting Al-Mulla, Z. MAcc Introduction to Sociology Communications and 60 Academic Writing; Logic Knowles, I. PhD (Psychology) and Critical Thinking Basics of Supply Chain MBA (Logistics & 45 Poyner, D. Management Marketing) Human Resources and Communications Project 45 Cutler, A. MBA Management

9 Year and Semester YEAR 2 Semester 4 YEAR 3 Semester 5 Course Title Total Core Course Semester Hours Total Non-Core Course Semester Hours Course Prerequisites and Co-requisites Instructor(s) Highest Qualification Earned and Discipline of Study Business Analysis I Business Processes and 45 Gill, A. PhD (Physics) Systems e-business Concepts 45 Sullivan, M. MBA Introduction to Database PhD (Engineering 45 Abbas, S. Management Information Technology) Career Management MA (Language and 45 McBride, C. Professional Writing) Purchasing Management ERP Business Configuration Introduction to Research Management Information Systems; Basics of Supply Chain Management Management Information Systems; Financial Accounting Communications and Academic Writing; Logic and Critical Thinking Sullivan, M. Pilcher, A. William, J. MBA MBA (Technology Management) PhD (Philosophy) Business Analytics 45 Knowles, I. PhD (Psychology) Object Oriented Programming PhD (Engineering 45 Spreadsheet Applications Abbas, S. using Java Information Technology) Business Analysis II 45 Business Analysis I Gill, A. PhD (Physics) Master Planning and Scheduling 45 Management Information Systems; Basics of Supply Chain Management Sullivan, M. MBA 9

10 Year and Semester YEAR 3 Semester 6 Course Title Technology Integration Using SAP Public Sector Procurement Interpersonal Communications Logistics Computer Networks & Data Communications Project Management Total Core Course Semester Hours Total Non-Core Course Semester Hours 45 Course Prerequisites and Co-requisites Introduction to Database Management; Object Oriented Programming Using Java; Management Information Systems Basics of Supply Chain Management Communications and Academic Writing Management Information Systems; Basics of Supply Chain Management Management Information Systems Management Information Systems; Human Resources and Communications Project Management Instructor(s) Abbas, S. Cutler, A. Hall, C. Abboud, N. Ahmed, M. Pilcher, A. Highest Qualification Earned and Discipline of Study PhD (Engineering Information Technology) MBA PhD (English) PhD (Industrial Engineering) PhD (Computer Engineering) MBA (Technology Management) Quality Management 45 Weeks, R. PhD (Physics) Lean Principles PhD (Industrial 45 Khataie, A. Engineering) Free Elective I 45 As appropriate As appropriate Business Finance 45 Financial Accounting Al-Mulla, Z. MAcc Business Process Integration I MBA (Technology 45 ERP Business Configuration Pilcher, A. Management) 10

11 Year and Semester YEAR 4 Semester 7 YEAR 4 Semester 8 Course Title Total Core Course Semester Hours Total Non-Core Course Semester Hours Course Prerequisites and Co-requisites Instructor(s) Highest Qualification Earned and Discipline of Study Business Intelligence and Data Technology Integration PhD (Engineering 45 Abbas, S. Warehousing Architecture Using SAP Information Technology) Advanced Business Analytics 45 Business Analytics Knowles, I. PhD (Psychology) e-business Applications PhD (Industrial 45 e-business Concepts Abboud, N. Engineering) Enterprise Architecture I 45 Parizeau, Y. M. Electronic Commerce Business Process Integration II Business Process MBA (Technology 45 Pilcher, A. Integration I Management) ERP Integration Management (formerly Strategic Supply Chain Management) 45 Management Information Systems; Basics of Supply Chain Management Abboud, N. PhD (Industrial Engineering) Law 45 Tan, C. MLaw escm Degree Project MBA (Technology 45 Pilcher, A. Management) Customer Relationship Management Information MBA (Logistics & 45 Poyner, D. Management Systems Marketing) Navigating Canada s Political Landscape 60 TBD TBD Free Elective II 45 As appropriate As appropriate Enterprise Architecture II 45 Enterprise Architecture I Parizeau, Y. M. Electronic Commerce SUBTOTAL COURSE HOURS TOTAL PROGRAM HOURS

12 2. Curriculum Revisions Algonquin College takes very seriously the feedback provided both by the panel reviewers in their Quality Assessment Panel (QAP) report in February 26, 2013, and in the feedback provided by PEQAB in its Rationale for Recommendation statement in February While the QAP report concluded that the Program ensures appropriate balance of theory and practice, they also indicated that there were concerns about the narrowness of some courses, and the need for more context and rigour in others. More specifically, there was a noted concern on the focus on SAP, and on the reliance on petsim, a supply chain management simulation, throughout the course of the program. Further feedback from PEQAB linked these concerns more broadly to the Degree Level Standard (Standard 1), and highlighted areas for improvement that included the program s complexity, depth and breadth of understanding, theory and specialization in supply chain management. To address these concerns, Algonquin College has proceeded in a multi-pronged and staged fashion in order to ensure that we are reviewing and enhancing the program both through its individual elements and holistically. The intention is to enhance the courses through both appropriate levelling and alignment, as well as collectively as a program of study. The following presents the activities undertaken over the last eight months, those planned for this academic year, and those planned for the longer term that will contribute towards this iterative process in addressing the QAP Report and PEQAB s Rationale statement. a. Course Alignment and Rigour Following receipt of PEQAB s Rationale for Recommendation statement, faculty in the program were engaged in a review of all core courses. Faculty were brought together on several occasions in the spring to engage in a review of course levelling and constructive alignment exercises. Focusing primarily on the pedagogical aspects of their courses, faculty were paired with curriculum consultants to review and strengthen the alignment between all aspects of their courses, including their course descriptions, texts, learning activities and evaluations of student learning. At this time, faculty were also validating that the courses were providing a progression of learning of increasing complexity, both in theory and practice, as well as building on expectations of student learning. This activity was meant to also clarify and provide additional information on the course outline that heretofore at Algonquin College is provided to students on separate Course Section Information (CSI) documents. The CSIs typically provide a detailed weekly schedule of required and suggested readings, topics for each class date, detailed information about assignments and dates of student assessments. The QAP Report observed that outlines for some courses were missing crucial information which we later came to understand were provided on the CSIs, and that are typically distinct from the course outlines. Given this feedback, faculty clarified and consolidated relevant information from their CSIs into their course outlines, although this does not include the extent of detail as provided on a typical weekly schedule. An example of a CSI is provided in Appendix D where this supplementary information is noted.

13 Additionally, the College proactively decided to pursue an informal desk audit of the program to ensure that both the specialization of the degree and the collective courses are appropriately balanced in theory and practice. We engaged Dr. Mitali De, a professor at the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, who is also the Director of the Centre of Supply Chain Management and holds a PhD in this area of specialization. Dr. De provided constructive feedback on each of the program s core course outlines. This feedback provided crucial validation of the courses, including their focus, scope of content, level in the program and appropriate evaluations of student learning. Faculty were again engaged to review this additional feedback and reconcile it in their course outlines. In the majority of cases, we were heartened to see that the feedback provided confirmation of the course validating the suitability of examined elements and offered minor suggestions for improvement. In some cases, the feedback did identify gaps in content or posed questions that allowed faculty to provide additional clarity in their course outlines. Although limited to a review of core course outlines, this activity did provide us with some insights regarding content redundancies in the program that we addressed through adjustments in course outlines, but which we will also address more substantially over the next year. While this review was limited to the core courses of the program, the overall assessment indicates that the curriculum is robustly designed, provides both conceptual frameworks of study and applied knowledge and skills. An additional aspect of our activities entailed updating the program s curriculum map to incorporate these consolidated revisions. Given that we were enhancing course outlines and discussing relationships between courses, we had the opportunity to revisit the mapping and ensure that it accurately captured the consolidated revisions to the curriculum. This revised curriculum map (Table 4) provides deeper context and understanding of the role of each course within the curriculum, the relationship between courses in building on existing content and skills, and the culminating activities that provide feedback to both students and faculty on their achievement of the program s overall learning outcomes. 13

14 TABLE 4: Curriculum Map Graduates will be competent knowledge workers able to apply fundamental concepts, principles and skills of e-supply chain management in a variety of private and public business settings. Graduates will be effective collaborators able to use communication and interpersonal skills to fulfill a leadership role on interdisciplinary business teams. Graduates will be critical and creative thinkers able to analyze and solve problems and develop innovative solutions and products in a variety of situations. Graduates will be informed citizens able to adapt and contribute to the changing world in which they live and work. Graduates will be continuous learners able to update their knowledge and skills and to apply their learning with confidence in changing situations. Year and Semester YEAR 1 Semester 1 YEAR 1 Semester 2 Course Title Marketing T TA T T Financial Accounting T TA Microeconomics T T T T Communications and Academic This course is a non-core course that contributes to a breadth of knowledge outside the main field of study. Writing Business Fundamentals TA T T Spreadsheet Applications T TA T Management Information Systems T T Logic & Critical Thinking This course is a non-core course that contributes to a breadth of knowledge outside the main field of study. Macroeconomics T T T T Business Processes & Systems TA TA T Managerial Accounting T TA TA Introduction to Sociology This course is a non-core course that contributes to a breadth of knowledge outside the main field of study.

15 Graduates will be competent knowledge workers able to apply fundamental concepts, principles and skills of e-supply chain management in a variety of private and public business settings. Graduates will be effective collaborators able to use communication and interpersonal skills to fulfill a leadership role on interdisciplinary business teams. Graduates will be critical and creative thinkers able to analyze and solve problems and develop innovative solutions and products in a variety of situations. Graduates will be informed citizens able to adapt and contribute to the changing world in which they live and work. Graduates will be continuous learners able to update their knowledge and skills and to apply their learning with confidence in changing situations. Year and Semester YEAR 2 Semester 3 YEAR 2 Semester 4 Course Title Basics of Supply Chain Management TA TA T T Human Resources and Communications Project T TA T T Management Business Analysis I TA TA T TA e-business Concepts TA T T TA TA Introduction to Database Management T TA T Career Management TA T T TA Purchasing Management T TA T T ERP Business Configuration T TA T T Introduction to Research This course is a non-core course that contributes to a breadth of knowledge outside the main field of study. Business Analytics TA TA T TA Object Oriented Programming using Java T TA T TA 15

16 Graduates will be competent knowledge workers able to apply fundamental concepts, principles and skills of e-supply chain management in a variety of private and public business settings. Graduates will be effective collaborators able to use communication and interpersonal skills to fulfill a leadership role on interdisciplinary business teams. Graduates will be critical and creative thinkers able to analyze and solve problems and develop innovative solutions and products in a variety of situations. Graduates will be informed citizens able to adapt and contribute to the changing world in which they live and work. Graduates will be continuous learners able to update their knowledge and skills and to apply their learning with confidence in changing situations. Year and Semester YEAR 3 Semester 5 YEAR 3 Semester 6 Course Title Business Analysis II TA T TA T Co-op Work Term I A A A Master Planning and Scheduling Technology Integration Using SAP TA T TA TA TA TA TA T TA Public Sector Procurement TA TA CP TA Interpersonal Communications This course is a non-core course that contributes to a breadth of knowledge outside the main field of study. Logistics TA TA TA TA Computer Networks & Data Communications TA Co-op Work Term II A A A Project Management TA T TA T Quality Management T TA TA T Lean Principles TA T TA TA TA T 16

17 Graduates will be competent knowledge workers able to apply fundamental concepts, principles and skills of e-supply chain management in a variety of private and public business settings. Graduates will be effective collaborators able to use communication and interpersonal skills to fulfill a leadership role on interdisciplinary business teams. Graduates will be critical and creative thinkers able to analyze and solve problems and develop innovative solutions and products in a variety of situations. Graduates will be informed citizens able to adapt and contribute to the changing world in which they live and work. Graduates will be continuous learners able to update their knowledge and skills and to apply their learning with confidence in changing situations. Year and Semester YEAR 4 Semester 7 YEAR 4 Semester 8 Course Title Free Elective I Students choose a non-core course that contributes to a breadth of knowledge outside the main field of study. Business Finance TA TA T Business Process Integration I TA T T Co-op Work Term III A A A Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing Architecture TA TA A Advanced Business Analytics TA TA A e-business Applications TA TA A Enterprise Architecture I TA TA A A Business Process Integration II TA TA A ERP Integration Management (formerly Strategic Supply Chain Management) CP CP A Law This course is a non-core course that contributes to a breadth of knowledge outside the main field of study. escm Degree Project CP CP CP CP CP 17

18 Graduates will be competent knowledge workers able to apply fundamental concepts, principles and skills of e-supply chain management in a variety of private and public business settings. Graduates will be effective collaborators able to use communication and interpersonal skills to fulfill a leadership role on interdisciplinary business teams. Graduates will be critical and creative thinkers able to analyze and solve problems and develop innovative solutions and products in a variety of situations. Graduates will be informed citizens able to adapt and contribute to the changing world in which they live and work. Graduates will be continuous learners able to update their knowledge and skills and to apply their learning with confidence in changing situations. Year and Semester Course Title Customer Relationship T CP CP CP Management Navigating Canada s Political This course is a non-core course that contributes to a breadth of knowledge outside the main field of Landscape study. Free Elective II Students choose a non-core course that contributes to a breadth of knowledge outside the main field of study. Enterprise Architecture II CP TA A CP T=Taught, A=Assessed, C=Culminating Performance 18

19 To facilitate a balanced program of study, in addition to the informal desk audit of the program, the School of Business has provided some teaching release to its new full-time faculty member in the program, Dr. Nadim Abboud, to familiarize himself with the program and provide curriculum oversight as the revisions to the courses are implemented. Along with a curriculum consultant, Dr. Abboud has reviewed the program s core courses through the lens of a subject matter expert who has both an academic background and industry experience working in various organizations that have been utilizing Supply Chain Management (SCM), such as Canada Post. He will also provide continuing oversight and guidance for the activities planned over the coming year as part of the long-term plans of the program. Finally, the program provides students with learning opportunities that prepare them for various certification exams, such as from the Project Management Institute and the Association of Operations Management. Recently, the Chair, Marketing and Management Studies and coordinator have engaged in discussions with the Supply Chain Management Association (SCMA) that could allow students the benefit of additional certifications. The SCMA is continuing to review the program s curriculum in order to establish the requisite articulation agreement. Following the outcome of this review, a few courses may need to be adjusted slightly in order to maximize transfer credit potential for students. Taken together, these activities culminate in revised course outlines (contained in Appendix C: Course Outlines) that attend to curriculum changes related to both the pedagogical aspects of the program and the disciplinary content. These activities and revisions enhance the program s overall alignment, complexity and rigour and provide for more consistency in student evaluation practices. These changes are immediately implemented in the program as of the Academic Year. b. Utilization of petsim in the Program When the petsim project was conceived, it was originally with the intention to eventually gamify the tool to allow flexibility in altering the scenarios by inputting different parameters. Multiple phases of development were planned, with each adding different dimensions such that the simulation could be implemented in a variety of assignments throughout the program. The feedback provided in the QAP Report advised caution on using this tool to support the program. We wish to clarify that the tool was never intended to fully support the program, and that multiple cases, tools and resources are utilized throughout the program in addition to petsim. In the last year, we became aware of other products on the market that could replace this simulation and we are currently investigating these options. In the meantime, the program faculty actively use other cases, games and simulations to engage students in complex problemsolving scenarios. Given that the program will be piloting other simulations, we have halted the development of petsim, and we do not intend to further develop it as previously envisioned in our program response last year.

20 The program continues to utilize petsim in various assignments and presentations in a few courses to allow students to engage in a complex team-based simulation throughout their program of study. The courses that are currently utilizing petsim include: ESC 4201 Management Information Systems, MGT 4203 Human Resources and Communications Project Management, and MGT 4703 Enterprise Architecture I. c. Reinforcement of Supply Chain Management Theories In the QAP Report, the Panel concluded that overall the Programs meets the Program Content Standard related to Benchmark 2.1. However, concerns were cited that identified the need to address the narrowness of certain courses, improving the rigour in others and offering more context through better use of texts and readings. Given the extensive course outline reviews that have taken place over these past 8 months, there was constant consideration of providing students with a degree that offers a balance of theory and practice. We believe that this is a fine and complex balance that we remained mindful of in making course outline enhancements for this academic year. Furthermore, we are confident that both the informal desk audit and our internal review of courses have strengthened this aspect of the program such that courses are appropriately balanced, provide sufficient context and complexity, and reinforce the theory and specialization in supply chain management. The Chair, Marketing and Management Studies has also engaged the School s new faculty member, Dr. Nadim Abboud to offer structured guidance and oversight on the curriculum over the next year. With revised course outlines and curriculum mapping, it is a priority for management to continue to engage with faculty in the program to ensure that supply chain management theories remain explicit and reinforced to students. The School of Business has begun exploring other possible models of program design for business degrees, including a two-year common core followed by a two-year specialization. The longer-term goal for this program is to apply this design, or components thereof, to this degree and building a specialization in e-supply chain management for the final two years of the program. Dr. Abboud will be instrumental in the design and development of the renewed program. Should this vision go forward, the Ministry/PEQAB will be consulted as to the considerations and requirements relative to Ministerial Consent. d. Evaluation of Student Learning In the QAP Report, the Panelists noted inconsistencies with respect to Benchmark 2.10 regarding the type and frequency of student assessments, particularly in the evaluation of group work and in the assessment of student participation. Overall, the recommendation was to establish consistency in the evaluation of student learning across the program. As per our QAP Report Response, clear criteria for the assessment of student participation were developed. The maximum allowable mark for participation in the program was set to 20%, beginning in Assuming the maximum 20% is used in a course, the following are the criteria that are communicated to students on every core course outline: 20

21 In order to succeed in this course, your participation is essential. 20% will be awarded for effort, willingness to contribute to class discussion, preparedness and taking part in individual, group and in-class exercises. The quality of participation is more important than the quantity. Criteria regarding points for participation are summarized below: points: students consistently participate by asking questions or suggesting responses that are important to the understanding of the topic. They attend all classes, have thoroughly prepared for class and willingly share ideas points: students are present and attentive but do not choose to actively participate in discussions until called upon. Their contributions are limited points: students in this range seem to rely mainly on attendance as a reflection of their interest and participation. They almost never make a contribution, their lack of preparation for class is evident and they have several unexplained absences points: students have many absences, do not participate, are not prepared for class when they do come and are often late. The criteria points are prorated depending on the participation marks allotted in individual courses. With respect to the evaluation of group work, in the program implemented a more structured program orientation as part of the new student orientation wherein the program held an open discussion that included faculty and senior students to discuss the importance of group work and student responsibilities. As students are introduced to group work in their first year, the information provided at the outset prepares them, as well as provides the necessary guidance and information for success in their studies. Over the past eight months, the need for clear criteria for the evaluation of group work was reinforced with faculty. As part of the ongoing effort to enhance clarity of criteria, addressing consistency of group work evaluation was a critical component of the curriculum revision activities with faculty as course outlines were finalized. It is the intent of the program to have an enhanced balance of group and individual student evaluations. To achieve this balance, the mandatory Team Assignment Plan (TAP) is being implemented in the Academic Year. The Team Assignment Plan (TAP) is used in any course for which group work represents at least 5% of the final grade. The TAP requires that students must complete a contract submitted at the start and end of a group project that identifies the tasks as they were delegated amongst the group at the outset and the individual contributions to the final product. A notation has been added to all core course outlines that specifies the following: Group project work is an important part of the learning process in the program since it is a common aspect of any work place. It is up to each team member to carry out their assigned tasks, provide work on time and support the other team members. In order to facilitate a fair and equitable means of grading, for any group work project worth 5% or more of the final grade, each team must complete the Team Membership Contract at 21

22 the start and end of any group project. Additional documents may be required as part of group projects to facilitate the group learning process and evaluation of student learning. Discussions with faculty during the review of their course outlines identified a variety of ways that faculty are assessing group work, much of which is valid and specific to the individual projects. It is difficult to implement a one-size-fits-all solution to this; however, the program endeavours to address this holistically this year through professional development activities for faculty, the development of resources and templates and ongoing support through the coordinator and Academic Team Support. The Centre for Organizational Learning (COL) and Curriculum Services will be consulted to ensure that appropriate pedagogical principles underpin these critical student assessment activities. e. Use of SAP in the Program The QAP Report indicated a concern in Benchmark 2.7 that the program is too narrowly focused on SAP with a recommendation that the program expose the students to some other ERP systems. In the response to the Report, the program feels strongly that exposure to SAP and the opportunity for students to write the SAP TERP10 certification in their 4 th year is a desired strength of the program. This is supported by strong KPI results that indicate that graduates are finding employment in this area of specialization. As well, the Program Advisory Committee, which includes representation from both the public and private sectors, supports SAP in the program largely due to the prevalence of SAP in Ottawa-area organizations. This is further supported by the co-operative education placement opportunities available to students as a result of this unique skillset. Students are taught and have opportunities to explore the fundamental concepts and theories that underpin all ERP systems. This is a central premise of the program. Students apply this knowledge using SAP constructs. Students are exposed to other ERP systems throughout the program in a limited capacity though we have strengthened this exposure for the upcoming year. During the last year, we investigated the viability of incorporating other ERP systems into the program. While we experienced some difficulty with Oracle Higher Education in a 2009 pilot, we had reinitiated a review of this system with a report and recommendation submitted in Summer The review has highlighted challenges that bring to question whether the addition of another ERP system into this program is a viable option. This is a complex issue that requires resources and careful deliberation of the curriculum. There will be added costs for licencing agreements and staff training that need to be reviewed by the College before any formal decisions are made. Notwithstanding the College is committed to this ongoing exploration. Reviewing the integration of SAP in the program is an integral component of the ongoing curriculum review efforts of the program. While we see the benefit of SAP capacity in our students on their future employment, we appreciate that this needs to be balanced throughout the degree. The program is moving forward with expanding the exposure students receive to other ERP systems through both curricular and extra-curricular activities. The primary courses in which students will be exposed to other ERP systems include MGT 4201 Business Processes and Systems, ESC 4300 Basics of Supply Chain Management, ESC 4400 Purchasing Management, 22

23 and MGT 4702 e-business Applications. The range of activities planned includes assignments, guest speakers, presentations and student research. Additional opportunities will be made available to students through extra-curricular activities, where possible. Algonquin currently has a student-run chapter of the Association for Operations Management (APICS), a professional association for supply chain and operations management, which organizes events on campus for students in this program. The Chair, Marketing and Management Studies and coordinator will jointly collaborate with this group to provide additional support for events, including a speaker s series, to further expose students to other ERP systems. As the program considers a different model of degree development dependent on a common first two years with other business programs, the strategic integration of SAP and other ERP systems will need to be examined in light of all the considerations. The intention moving forward is to maintain a balance such that students have both a fundamental understanding of the logic and theories underpinning all ERP systems within Supply Chain Management (SCM) theoretical frameworks and direct, applied experience using SAP along with varied exposure to other ERP systems. f. Research and Scholarship The Chair, Academic Development, was hired in Fall 2013, with the express purpose of providing support to existing degree programs and to assist with the development of new degrees. One of the priority areas identified was the support for research and scholarship, and in particular, working with existing faculty to explore and support efforts towards this benchmark in the context of Algonquin College. To that end, a document was drafted that expanded the definitions of research, scholarship and creative activity and provided examples of activities that would be considered scholarly. This was shared with the Department Chairs of our degrees and with degree faculty. In Winter 2014, a working group of the College Degree Operating Group that reports to CCVPA, of which the Chair Academic Development was a member, expressly worked to elaborate on the recently approved footnote to PEQAB s definition of research, scholarship and creative activity. Work is ongoing to clarify this definition with faculty, and to provide support for engagement in various forms of scholarship. For , we are actively exploring the options for a community of practice, providing support for grant-writing, conference proposal writing, as well as partnering with other units on campus, such as the Office of Applied Research and Innovation, on other initiatives. 3. Strategic Curricular Activities The program has made a significant investment of time, thought and action to improving the issues raised in PEQAB s Rationale for Recommendation statement. While much was able to be completed to strengthen the program over the past eight months, given the timelines, these activities were primarily focused on enhancing existing courses. Principally, these were pedagogical in nature focusing on clarifying and strengthening the alignment between all aspects of a course, including the course descriptions, texts, learning activities and evaluations of student learning. These activities validated that the courses were providing a progression of learning of increasing complexity, both in theory and practice, as well as building on expectations of student learning. A revision to the curriculum map further clarified the role of 23

24 each course in the program, the relationships between courses, and the culminating activities for students. Finally, the informal desk audit provided additional feedback that included both pedagogical and disciplinary perspectives. The majority of feedback, whether it was the suggestion of a text or an inquiry into the assessments, was able to be implemented in each of the courses immediately for the Academic Year. These curriculum activities taken as a whole identified a number of opportunities for enhancing the program that will require additional time and consideration to address. These longer-term plans include the following activities. a. Content Clarification Over the last eight months, through the various collaborative activities undertaken to revise their course outlines, the faculty have identified a number of opportunities to optimize the program content. Faculty identified overlapping content in certain courses that could be refocused to better build on their relationship. Wherever possible, overlap was immediately addressed in course outline revisions for the Academic Year. In other cases, courses were identified for which the relationship could be strengthened through aligning the content more closely. A key aspect of these revisions will be to ensure that each course remains rooted in supply chain management theoretical frameworks and that increasing complexity is more clearly articulated throughout the program of study. Additionally, the Chair Marketing and Management Studies is seeking opportunities for students to receive some transfer credit towards designations offered by the Supply Chain Management Association (SCMA). This is in addition to existing certification exams that students may already be eligible to write. Taken together, slight modifications to courses may be required to facilitate these opportunities. The faculty will remain mindful to keep these content modifications balanced with the goals of the program while maintaining the degree level standard. This will likely entail some course title and description changes to better reflect the content addressed in any courses for which the content has been modified. The Chair, Marketing and Management Studies has assigned the School s new faculty member, Dr. Abboud to guide the work to be undertaken this year towards content revisions to the program. Curriculum consultants will also be assigned to better facilitate these revisions holistically. We anticipate this work will result in refinements to the program that will strengthen the focus of the program and also enhance the student learning experience. Commencing this fall, faculty will begin to refine course and program content, culminating in changes that will be reflected in the program of study. b. Faculty Development As new faculty have been introduced into the program as a result of eliminating faculty exceptions, it is a priority for the Chair, Marketing and Management Studies this year to invest in faculty development efforts beginning this academic year. These include opportunities for team-building and mentoring, and providing support to all new faculty members such that they feel sufficiently guided and confident in their roles. With a stronger emphasis on consistent practices in grading, faculty will be provided with workshops, research and best practices with a focus on supporting and equitably assessing 24