Report of the External Review Committee for the Graduate Business Programs San Francisco State University. Site Visit: April 10-11, 2008

Transcription

1 Report of the External Review Committee for the Graduate Business Programs San Francisco State University Site Visit: April 10-11, 2008 David Ely, Director of Graduate Business Programs, San Diego State University Dan Poston, Assistant Dean, MBA Programs, University of Washington Business School

2 1.0 Background A site visit was conducted April 10-11, 2008, for the purpose of reviewing the Graduate Business Programs at San Francisco State University. Prior to the visit, the reviewers were provided with copies of the Academic Program Review Self-Study and the Academic Program Review Sixth Cycle Handbook. During the two-day visit, the external reviewers met with university officials, the Dean of the College of Business, the Associate Dean, EMBA program staff, MBA program staff, department chairs, EMBA faculty, MBA faculty, EMBA students, MBA students, and members of the Graduate Curriculum Committee. Our conversations with faculty, staff, and students focused largely on the recommendations outlined in the CoB s Self-Study Report and questions posed by university administrators during the initial meeting. Consequently, this report provides our reaction to the seven recommendations proposed in the CoB s Self Study and the questions raised at the initial meeting. 2.0 General Observations We found that SDSU faculty are engaged both in the classroom and engaged in the broader discussions on ways to improve the learning experience at the CoB. The students and alumni who participated in the review process were pleased with the educational experience in CoB programs. The students expressed mixed feelings about expanding the slate of extracurricular activities because so many students are part time students working in a full or part time job. However the students strongly supported expanded alumni programs and outreach efforts. We found the administrators of both the CoB and the university with whom we engaged offered both promising ideas and pragmatic approaches to improving the learning experience of students and advancing the educational mission of the CoB and the university in the greater community. All the groups we met with were optimistic about the future of both the CoB and the university and anticipate that the CoB and SFSU will play an important role in broadening the educational opportunities for the people of the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. 3.0 Self-Study Recommendations by the College of Business The CoB s Self Study includes seven recommendations to improve the graduate business programs offered by SFSU. Our reactions to these recommendations follow. A) Integrate the EMBA into College and University processes and systems. We concur that the CoB should pursue discussions with university administrators to better integrate the EMBA program into the university processes. Our discussions with EMBA faculty and staff revealed the presence of operational inefficiencies. We do not specifically recommend that EMBA courses be taught on-load or off-load because we know different schools have chosen different approaches to this issue. An EMBA program built to conveniently serve working professionals and to general a positive cash flow is inherently different than a 1

3 regular academic program and needs to be managed differently. In resolving the operational inefficiencies, the CoB may need to develop new approaches to the interface between EMBA operations and the university systems that optimize both operational efficiency and the broader objectives of the program. This same situation will be true of any future Executive Education efforts, degree or nondegree. We encourage the CoB and university to draw from best practices of other schools for solutions. B) Develop executive education programs We endorse this recommendation. Program of this type are consistent with the stated mission of the CoB to provide high quality business education to a diverse learning community through innovative teaching, research, and support. Since moving to the downtown facility, the CoB is ideally located to attract professionals who can benefit from executive programs but do not have the time or interest to enroll in a degree program. Because of positive experiences students have in executive programs, some may choose to enroll later in the EMBA program. That is, the executive programs might function as a recruiting tool. Contacts made in executive training sessions may lead to guest speakers in classes for the degree programs or create donor opportunities. While there are many competitors in the region, the CoB can almost certainly leverage its good rapport with many alumni in the area, its excellent facilities downtown, and some unique qualities and academic specialty areas. C) Maintain high quality faculty in the graduate programs We, of course, support efforts to staff graduate courses with academically highly qualified instructors. This can be pursued in several ways. Attracting high qualify faculty to SFSU is the first step. The incentives offered to recruit new faculty - $2,000 to $4,000 annually in professional development funds, reduced teaching loads, and summer stipends are helpful and appear within the norms of CSU Colleges of Business. We understand from our conversations with faculty and administrators that the EMBA faculty could use more depth. Broad efforts to enhance the qualifications of all faculty can ease this challenge. Instrumental in ensuring academically qualified faculty are assigned to graduate classes requires having a clear standard. The CoB has clear and reasonable guidelines for achieving AQ status. We suggest recasting recommendation three to focus on all qualifications of faculty, not just their academic qualifications. As strong believers in the value of professional development, we think that academic qualifications and classroom performance are highly correlated. However, professional work experience may be a key factor in classroom performance in some specialized classes where practical applications are emphasized. In these cases, the best instructor for the students might be a PQ faculty member. This broader focus on quality instruction would also be consistent with the CoB s strategic goal on the integration of academic theory and practical applications. It might also be noted that different faculty members have different comfort levels with different types of students. Some faculty relate best to undergraduates while others connect better with MBAs. Still others are more skilled at presenting material in ways that EMBA students see as relevant to their work environment. A faculty member s skill set 2

4 in working with different categories of students should also be taken into account in selecting faculty for graduate classes. We know that you appreciate the many dimensions of a quality instructor, and that that you probably consider factors beyond academic qualifications when assigning faculty to classes. By recasting recommendation three to include these other factors, you could emphasize what is and can be done to develop the teaching skills of faculty along with those efforts to enhance their academic qualifications. Possible issues to discuss include (1) the mentoring available to junior faculty, (2) campus teaching and learning workshops available to faculty, (3) perspective on the value of faculty research on teaching and learning, and (4) funding for travel to participate in conferences on teaching and learning. The introduction of executive education seminars and short courses would create an opportunity for more faculty to develop teaching skills and a comfort level for the type of students enrolled in the EMBA program. This could be an approach to building a deeper base of potential EMBA faculty. D) Strengthen development activities and alumni relations We strongly support the recommendation to strengthen development activities and alumni relations. We found the perspective of current students and alumni on this topic very interesting. Several members of this group said that as part time students, the bond to the school is not very strong during the degree program itself because they have little time to interact with classmates or the school outside of class. However after graduating, they have a strong sense of loyalty to the school and they are eager to connect with fellow SFSU alumni. This suggests the school might have more to gain by expanding alumni outreach than by expanding extracurricular opportunities for current students. We wish you success in the initiatives outlined under this recommendation. E) Balance international student recruitment with educational costs. In addition to this recommendation, the mastery of English skills of international students was also raised as a concern during the initial meeting with university officials. While this is a challenge in most graduate business programs, it is probably more acute at SFSU because international students are a high percent of the MBA student body. Also, the presence of international students in the MBA program is an important way in which domestic students have the enriching diversity and cross-cultural experiences that they can apply effectively to their business careers (Self Study p 9). Since almost all domestic students work, few have the opportunity to participate in foreign exchange programs. Thus, the experiences they have with international students on team-based projects and class discussions is the major way the program is internationalized for domestic students. But, international students who lack sufficient English skills cannot fully participate in team or classroom activities. If a significant number of international students lack sufficient language skills, the educational experience is diminished for domestic students since they will need to work harder to offset the weaknesses of their international colleagues. How can SFSU serve international students while not having a lack of English skills bring down the quality of the programs? 3

5 SFSU has many tools in place to improve the English skills of international students. These include the American Language Institute (ALI) which offers courses for non-native speakers the summer before classes start. There also are remedial English courses available on campus (BUS 514). The suggested mandatory boot camp for new international students may be effective in acquainting them with American instructional styles and expectations for participation in classroom activities. Offering international students a menu of options is most likely the best approach to help them master English skills. However, a student will need to be directed to the services or course options that are most suited to his or her needs. Thus, we recommend that there be emphasis placed on advising these international students to ensure that they are directed to the tools that they need to succeed. We also recommend emphasizing to domestic students the benefits to them of working with international students. This could be done at orientation and at other points in the program. Ideally, they will appreciate the unique experiences and perspectives that international students bring to the table, even if their communication skills are not on par with native speakers. Several other strategies might also be considered. Admission criteria could be adjusted to accept international students with stronger English skills, reflected in higher GMAT or TOEFL scores. One way to encourage domestic students to see the value of working with diverse groups is to attract international students with professional work experiences. The more work experience an international students brings to the table, the more they can contribute to team projects, and the greater the value to domestic students of working with international students. Thus, professional work experience might be weighted more heavily in the admission decision. Also, we understand that the CoB does not recruit itself for international students, but that this is done by SFSU s Office of International Programs (OIP). However, the CoB does not directly control who OIP recruits. We agree with your efforts to encourage OIP to recruit in more regional areas. You might also explore using online recruiting tools. Some universities have found online information sessions an effective recruiting approach. With such sessions, you could reach international students, and potentially increase the pool of applicants. F) Offer non-academic services. The CoB began to offer an impressive array of non-academic services after the move to the DTC, and more services are planned. These are welcome additions that enrich the degree program experience for the students. Some of these services can be directly tested for effectiveness, including efforts to improve presentation skills and the mastery of quantitative material. Indeed, the Self- Study Report notes that the results of the writing and communications skills pilots will be presented this spring. We offer several observations on offering non-academic services. The first concerns assessing the benefits of the services. The value of the non-academic services can be measured using attendance metrics and student feedback surveys. With classes and perhaps a full-time job, students have many demands 4

6 on their time and may be unable to attend speaker series and networking events. We encourage you to evaluate the effectiveness and demand for these services on a frequent basis. Since these services do not generate a revenue stream but must be funded from other sources, only those services offering clear benefits should be continued. The value of peer tutoring, services to enhance presentation and communications skills, and guest speakers in classes can be built into your assessment process. That is, learning outcomes and tests of these outcomes could be incorporated into the assessment plan. G) Engage in continuous curriculum improvement for: - a) MBA/MSBA/EMBA Continuous curriculum improvement is vital to the mission of the CoB and the university. During the initial meeting, university administrators noted that this recommendation does not refer to specific ways in which decisions will be made or which initiatives to pursue and how they will be prioritized. New program features such as an optional international trip are consistent with the mission statement of the CoB. We recommend that decision making on revising the curriculum be based on the results of learning assessment. Suggestions for curriculum improvement include integration across disciplines, balancing academic learning and practical experiences, the culminating experience, and international trips. The value of all of these enhancements can be evaluated using the learning assessment plans written for the graduate programs. The culminating experience used in the MBA and EMBA programs, BA 895, is problematic. The concept of a project-based culminating experience is appropriate, and undoubtedly a good experience for some students. But a number of operational problems exist. Our conversations with faculty and students identified the following operational challenges: (1) students must start preparing for the experience a semester in advance, (2) students have difficulty finding a first reader, (3) faculty, especially the popular professors, see supervising projects as a burden, (4) faculty compensation is minimal, and (5) some students do not finish on time, and others never finish. Despite being the culminating experience, the curriculum alignment matrix (Table 4, page 34) shows that BUS 895 will be used only to assess the communications skills of students. One might expect the culminating experience project to be a vehicle for measuring more goals, including learning goal 1 (functional and enterprise knowledge) and goal 3 (problem solving and critical thinking skills). Another potential problem that might arise if the graduate business fee is approved is that students will pressure faculty to approve a substandard project in order to avoid paying fees for an extra semester. It may be that the CoB discovers that insurmountable institutional barriers restrict using alternatives, but options should at least be explored. To understand the parameters of the rules, the CoB might investigate the culminating experiences used by other SFSU departments. One alterative may be the strategic management course (BA 890). From our conversations with students, this appears to be a very popular course. Perhaps it can be adjusted to include a component that satisfies the culminating experience requirement. 5

7 We met with the Graduate Curriculum Committee and were impressed with the members dedication to the development of the curriculum and in crafting an assessment plan. However, given the approaching AACSB visitation, we encourage the CoB faculty to continue to develop and implement assessment plans for all programs. The Self Study Report notes that the learning outcomes for the MBA program were adopted in February 2008, and that some data collection has been completed. The MSBA and EMBA goals are still to be developed. As you know, AACSB expects member institutions to have assurance of learning plans in place, to be systematically collecting evidence, and to be using this evidence to improve learning. We strongly encourage you to finalize and implement the assessment plans for the MSBA and EMBA programs. We also recommend that the learning goals be written using active verbs so that they can be easily tested. Learning goals 1 (a, b, and c), 3 (a, b) and 4 (c) might be clarified, and easier to test, if rephrased using active verbs. - b) Other Self Support Programs Online courses or programs are becoming more common, and if established as self-support efforts, can be used to support college activities. But since online courses are time consuming and expensive to develop, they should be pursued carefully. We are skeptical of offering online foundation courses to international students or special programs to students with weak admissions credentials. To have better prepared students, a preferred alternative might be to raise admission standards and increase recruiting efforts. The CoB might ask if providing remedial courses outside the program to students with weak admissions scores is a priority. These students already have options to improve their preparation such as enrolling in undergraduate quantitative and writing courses, or ALI language courses. The creation of a self-support program should be made with the strategic interests of the CoB in mind. Since only a limited number of self-support programs can be implemented without distracting faculty from core programs, the choices need to demonstrate significant benefits. Other self-support programs, such as executive education programs (recommendation #2), would seem to have greater potential to meet the needs of the San Francisco business community and to generate financial support for the CoB. Another option for selfsupport programs may be an online program in which SFSU could develop a national reputation on which it could attract students. A nationally recognized niche program could raise the reputation of the CoB, and in turn, result in more interest from well-qualified applicants to the regular programs. A graduate program in sustainability might be one example of such a specialized program. If admission were restricted to students with prior business training, only 30 units of online instructor would need to be developed since the foundation courses could be waived. The CoB s ability to expand self-support programs also depends on the availability of faculty to teach in new programs. With the exception of the summer term, faculty are assigned to teach in the EMBA program as part of their normal teaching load. If this is the approach taken with new programs, faculty 6

8 would need to shift from regular undergraduate, MBA, and MSBA teaching assignments to staff the classes in the new program. Thus, new programs would impact existing programs. An alternative is for faculty to teach in self-support programs on an over-load basis. We understand that there may be institutional barriers to teaching on an over-load basis. However, doing so is common among business schools, including the institutions of the external reviewers. Finally, we do support making online tools available to applicants and recently admitted students to help them self assess their preparation in mathematics, statistics, and English writing for graduate study. - c) Global Programs We support the recommendations to form partnerships with international universities and to increase the study abroad participation by SFSU graduate students. These are fully consistent with the stated mission of the CoB. We offer one final note on recommendation seven. You might consider changing the statement from the College of Business must commit to continuous improvement... to the the College of Business is committed to continuous improvement... The commitment exists now, not something that should be done in the future. 4.0 Additional Issues Several questions were posed by university administrators during the initial meeting. Some of these were addressed in the discussion of the CoB recommendations in part 3.0. Our discussion of the remaining concerns, along with several issues we wish to raise, follows in this section. A) Vision Statements We were asked to comment on the CoB s vision statements (Self-Study pp. 9-10). As a document that articulates the CoB s strategic goals, it should be appealing to students and the local community. The statements incorporate the program learning goals for the graduate programs, as they should. We recommend considering whether the vision statements can be rewritten to make them more dynamic. One possible change is to express the statements in more personal terms. Also, since the statements could be used to promote the degree programs, we suggest asking the marketing department faculty, who have the expertise, to take the lead in revising the vision statements. The objective should be to create something that not over conveys the strategic goals of the CoB, but make students want to enroll in its programs and for local businesses to become involved. B) Class sizes We were asked to comment on the size of graduate business classes at SFSU. The average number of students in graduate business classes is high relative to classes in other graduate programs. In our view the business class sizes at SFSU are typical of those found in graduate business programs. Class sizes in 7

9 professional degree programs are larger than typical academic graduate programs. C) Focus on curriculum. We were asked to comment on whether the self study might have focused more on student learning. We agree that the Self-Study Report addresses curriculum, but contains less on student learning. This is probably to be expected given the stage of development of the graduate program assessments plans. The Self- Study Report notes that the learning outcomes for the MBA program were adopted in February 2008, and that some data collection has been completed. The MSBA and EMBA goals are still to be developed. We recommend the CoB quicken its efforts to development the remaining assessments plans, and to begin the process of collecting evidence. The plans should include timelines to indicate when each learning outcome will be assessed. Finally, we encourage faculty to close the loop by considering appropriate program changes based on outcomes assessment. D) Lessons for the University In the past several years, many changes have taken place in the CoB. We were asked to comment on the lessons the university could learn from the experiences of the CoB? We strongly support discussion between the CoB with the broader university. At the top of the list is the impact of moving to the downtown campus. Focusing first on student learning, the graduate business students have benefited from better access to guest speakers and easier commutes to attend classes. We also heard from some students and faculty that interaction among students has increased after moving the DTC, but the evidence is mixed on this point. It also appears that the fee to support the DTC had little impact on enrollments. The advantages of additional services available at the DTC appear to offset any negative impact of higher fees. However, the move to the DTC has been recent so the full effects of the change may not be realized for a few more years. For example, it is too soon to know whether the downtown location will impact the ability to recruit students, especially international students, to the programs. Likewise, it is too soon to evaluate the impact of the downtown location on development efforts. Finally with regard to the move to the DTC, we recommend that the CoB monitor the student body for changes in composition. Changes in the mix of students may necessitate program adjustments. Further, at the institutions of both external reviewers, the growth and administrative challenges of self support programs and non-traditional course formats as well as efforts by the business schools to respond to demand in the marketplace for particular types of executive education programs have prompted rethinking university processes and negotiating new approaches to the interface between the business schools and the university. These changes have profoundly benefited the university. We encourage more dialogue between the CoB and the university to adapt and innovate processes, policies, and procedures in response to the opportunities and expanded access to education 8

10 the CoB can bring to the community. At the reviewers universities, the expanded outreach and revenue generation of particular schools has brought more resources, community support, and attention to all schools and departments of the university. E) New Faculty Members We were asked to comment on how the new faculty members are doing, and whether they have enough support for their research efforts. While we met with several new faculty, we did not interview this group in a systematic way. We are therefore not in a position to give a definitive answer. However, we offer the following observations. A high percent of faculty are academically qualified, so by that metric, the college is succeeding in meeting the standards of AACSB. The several junior faculty we did meet seemed satisfied and happy to be at SFSU. We also note the success of the CoB in attracting new faculty despite the gaps that exist between the CSU and market salaries. We note that the CRSP and Compustat databases are available, which are critical for the research of many business faculty. However, professional development funding is limited as is the availability of reduced teaching loads. We recommend that the CoB work to secure additional funding to support the professional development of faculty. F) Diversity Student learning about diversity is emphasized in the self-study. However, CoB numbers in some categories are lower than the university levels. We were asked to investigate what is being done to ensure students meet the learning goals on diversity? Diversity and social justice is emphasized within the CoB and is being built into the curriculum. All students take a political, social, ethics course, BUS 784 Political, Social, and Legal Environment of Business. In addition, during the university-wide Ethics Week, guest speakers are invited to the CoB, professors are encouraged to include case studies, readings, speakers, exercises and discussions about business ethics issues. Finally, efforts to raise applicants in underrepresented groups includes recent MBA fairs targeting underrepresented groups. However, the Self-Study Report could bring it out more. The most important evidence will come when the learning outcomes associated with diversity are assessed. As elsewhere in the report, we encourage the CoB to make progress on its assessments plans to generate this important data on learning. G) AQ/PQ Standards We commend the CoB for their decision to raise the standard for AQ status from one to two publications. We suggest adding externally-funded grants as a component to the AQ standards. Doing so will increase incentives to apply for grants. 9

11 5.0 Conclusions The College of Business at SFSU lives up to its mission of providing high quality business education to a diverse learning community through innovative teaching, research, and support. We were asked to look closely at whether both the stated objectives of the CoB and it s actual efforts inside and outside the classroom align with the mission and key objectives of San Francisco State University as a whole. We found they do. In particular, we note that relative to many other business schools, the CoB has distinguished itself in the diversity of its students and in its efforts to infuse social responsibility into the course content. By directing international students to the appropriate tools they need, these students can succeed in the graduate business programs and bring a diverse perspective to the classroom. With 110 full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty and approximately 45 lecturers, the CoB has sufficient faculty resources to offer graduate programs that are high in quality and rich in specialization opportunities. The relocation of the graduate programs to downtown San Francisco offers exciting opportunities to forge new relationships with the business community. The increased opportunities for students to interact with business professionals at the downtown center will enhance students educational experiences. While it remains challenging for fully-employed students to become involved with campus activities, there is evidence that student engagement with faculty and with other students has increased after the relocation. Also, the proposal for executive education programs staged from the downtown campus would create new revenue streams for the CoB if institutional constraints can be overcome. While we recommended some structural wording changes to the learning goals of the CoB, we believe both the mission statement and learning goals presented in the report are good. However, continued work is necessary in the development and refinement of assurance of learning tools in anticipation of AACSB reaccreditation. The value of many of the non-academic services can also be evaluated using assessment mechanisms. The CoB has a clear set of objectives. After meeting with representatives of the CoB administration, faculty, students, and alumni we are convinced the CoB is meeting its educational mission and the mission of San Francisco State University. The CoB has also developed reasonable and attainable objectives for the future which, with the support of the university, can and will expand access to and better serve the education needs of the regional community. 10