Outcomes Assessment Plan Saint Peter s College Department of Business Administration, Undergraduate Program I. Mission and Broad Based Goals A. Mission: The mission of the Department of Business Administration is to provide a quality education in an elected concentration that will prepare graduates to become capable business leaders and responsible citizens. In keeping with the mission of the College, this mission is accomplished in the Jesuit tradition by integrating a comprehensive major of business courses with a strong liberal arts foundation that places emphasis on developing the whole person with the knowledge, skills, and values important for success in the diverse domestic and global marketplace. B. Student Learning Goals: 1. Students will demonstrate understanding and practical applications of principal theories and concepts in each of the 3 majors offered by the department, including Management, Marketing, and International Business. 2. Students will be able to communicate effectively in a professional setting. 3. Students will have the tools and skills to approach challenging ethical decisions in business from an Ignatian perspective, fully considering the moral aspects along with the financial considerations of managerial decisions. 4. Students will be able to identify, analyze and solve business problems using appropriate theoretical frameworks. 5. Students will acquire excellent teamwork skills and be able to take leading roles in directing successful team performance and goal attainment. II. Student Learning Assessment A. Undergraduate Learning Outcomes 1. Undergraduate Cognitive/Knowledge-based Outcomes Learning Outcome Assessment Tool Performance Target LG1 Upon completion of the program, all students will be able to: LO1: Demonstrate proficiency in management through the correct application of management concepts and theories to analyze management problems and case studies and demonstrate understanding of relationships among business functions 1) Management case study and presentation assessments in capstone course graded by rubric 2)Peregrine standardized comprehensive exam administered in BA 496 1)80% of all students score at least level 3 on rubric for management assignment 2)70% of students receive 70% or higher on marketing questions (1st time taking test, so scores will serve as baseline for future)
1)Graduating Student Exit Survey 1)80% of graduating seniors agree or strongly agree with the statement This program has provided me an adequate level of competence in management to prepare me for my career. LG1 LO2: Demonstrate proficiency in marketing through the correct application of marketing concepts and theories to analyze marketing problems and case studies and demonstrate understanding of relationships among business functions 2)Alumni Student Survey (3-4 years out) 1)Marketing component of business plan project, graded by rubric 2)Peregrine standardized comprehensive exam. 2)80% of alumni agree or strongly has provided me an adequate level of competence in management for the challenges and situations I have faced in my career since graduating. 1)80% of students receive 3 or higher on rubric 2)70% of students receive 70% or higher on marketing questions (1 st time taking test, so scores will serve as baseline for future) 1)Graduating Student Exit Survey 1)80% of students agree or strongly agree with the statement I believe I am able to appropriately apply marketing principles to real life situations. LG1 LO3: Demonstrate proficiency in International Business through the correct application of IB concepts and theories to analyze global business problems and opportunities and understanding of relationships among business functions 2)Alumni Student Survey (3-4 years out) 1)International Business opportunity component of business plan project, graded by rubric. 2)Peregrine standardized comprehensive exam. 2)80% of alumni agree or strongly has provided me an adequate level of competence in marketing for the challenges and situations I have faced in my career since graduating. 1)80% of students receive 3 or higher on rubric 2)70% of students receive 70% or higher on IB questions (1st time taking test, so scores will serve as baseline for future) 1)Graduating student Exit Survey (will be included in comp exam) 1)80% of students agree or strongly has adequately prepared me for a career in the IB field. 2)Alumni Student Survey (3-4 years out) 2)80% of alumni agree or strongly has provided me an adequate level of competence in IB for the challenges and
situations I have faced in my career since graduating. LG1 LO4: View an organization holistically and understand how different business functions are interrelated and how decisions made in each functional area impact other areas and the business as a whole. 1) CapSim Business Simulation 2)Peregrine standardized comprehensive exam administered in BA 496 1)80% of students score above average or higher (measured by simulation software) for business integration skills. 2)70% of students receive 70% or higher on questions targeting business integration (1st time taking test, so scores will serve as baseline for future) 1)Graduating student Exit Survey (will be included in comp exam) 1)80% of students agree or strongly has given me a broad understanding of the interrelationships among different business functions and how they must all be integrated to create a successful business or organization. 2)Alumni Student Survey (3-4 years out) 2)80% of alumni agree or strongly has provided me an adequate level of understanding of the interrelationships between business functions to be able to perform most aspects of my current job with confidence. 2. Undergraduate Skills-based Outcomes LG2 LO1:Demonstrate effective oral and written communication by preparing and presenting case study analyses and other projects that use APA format and present a clearly written, logical analysis of a thesis. 1)Embedded written and oral assignments in BA 151 and BA 458 scored via rubric and compared. 2)Peregrine standardized comprehensive exam administered in BA 496 1)80% of all students advance at least one level on the oral & written communication rubric between Sophomore and Senior years. 2)70% of students receive 70% or higher on questions targeting communication (1st time taking test, so scores will serve as baseline for future) 1)Co-op supervisor student evaluation 2)Graduating Student Exit Survey 1)80% of all co-op students are evaluated at a level 3 or higher by their co-op supervisors in the workplace. 2) 80% of students agree or strongly agree with the statement This program has improved my oral and written communication skills, and I feel adequately prepared to communicate in a professional
setting. LG3 LO1: Demonstrate ability to identify ethical dilemmas, evaluate alternatives and make appropriate ethical decisions using case studies and ethical scenarios. 1)Case Study on ethical decision making scored by Rubric in BA 458. 2) Peregrine standardized comprehensive exam 1)80% of students score at level 3 or above on ethical decision-making rubric. 2) 70% of students receive 70% or higher on questions targeting business ethics (1st time taking test, so scores will serve as baseline for future) 1)Graduating Senior Exit Survey 1)80% of all students agree or strongly agree with the statement This program has enhanced my ethical decision making. LG4 LO1: Demonstrate critical reasoning/analytical skills by effectively communicating viewpoint supported by facts and scholarly citations 2) Alumni Student Survey (2-4 years out) 1)Case study assignment in capstone course, scored via rubric in BA 458 2)Comprehensive business plan assignment scored via rubric in BA 458 1)Graduating Senior Exit Survey 2) 80% of alumni agree or strongly agree with the statement This program has provided me with an adequate understanding of ethics and justice to approach the ethical decisions I have faced in my career since graduating. 1)80% of all students receive score of 3 or higher on rubric 2) 80% of all students receive score of 3 or higher on rubric 1)80% of all students agree or strongly agree with the statement This program has enhanced my critical reasoning. 2)Alumni Student Survey (2-4 years out) 2) 80% of alumni agree or strongly agree with the statement This program has provided me with adequate analytical and reasoning skills for the challenges and situations I have faced in my career since graduating. LG5 LO1: Demonstrate teamwork through compassionate service to others, completing team assignments on time and making scholarly contributions to team presentations. 1)Team Presentation in BA 458 scored via rubric. 2)Peregrine standardized comprehensive exam administered in BA 496 1)80% of students score at level 3 or above on teamwork rubric. 2) 70% of students receive 70% or higher on questions targeting teamwork (1st time taking test, so
scores will serve as baseline for future) 1)Co-op supervisor evaluations 2) Graduating Senior Exit Survey 1)80% of all co-op students are evaluated at a level 4 or higher on Teamwork by their co-op supervisors in the workplace. 2) 80% of graduating students agree or strongly agree with the statement This program has provided me with adequate teamwork skills for the challenges and situations I have faced in my career since graduating. III. Copies of Assessment Instruments Copies of the assessment instruments used as direct and indirect measures of student learning, along with their associated rubrics (where applicable) are located in Appendix A (Direct Measures) and Appendix B (Indirect Measures). Both the rubrics and exit and alumni surveys are in the process of being updated for future assessment to incorporate the new indirect measures in the current assessment plan. IV. Integration with Strategic Planning The Outcomes Assessment Plan is in the process of being revised and updated to include the other departments comprising the School of Business Administration, and the addition of unified Operational Goals and performance targets, a requirement for accreditation by the International Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (IACBE). This new plan will become a part the School of Business Strategic Plan, which is under development. The School of Business Administration is required to develop a plan that contains goals directly tied the most recent University Strategic Plan. Data gathered from all outcomes assessment will be analyzed and filed to identify issues, problems and opportunities, and program level decisions and changes will be made using learning outcomes assessment data. General summaries on learning outcomes and the continuous improvement process driven by assessment will be made available to the public on a centralized Student Learning Assessment website.
APPENDIX A Direct Measures for assessing student-learning outcomes GRADING RUBRIC FOR CASE STUDY AND BUSINESS PLAN ASSIGNMENTS Grading Rubric for Case Studies and Business Plan Criterion Exceptional Good Fair Poor Substandard Points Earned 5 Points 4 Points 3 Points 2 Points 1 Point 1. Able to use effective business management. Did the students understand the core business functions and with problem-solving skills reflect an integration of functional perspectives. They should be prepared to assume positions of leadership and contribute immediately to the improved performance of their organization. 2. Able to understand human values and team work. Did the students understand and value individual differences and have collaborative skills for working effectively in functionally and culturally diverse teams? 3. Able to communicate effectively. Did the students communicate effectively and professionally in business situations through physical or virtual presence, writing, speaking, listening, and electronic media? 4. Appreciate the benefits of experiential learning by displaying good work habits, time management and self-discipline. 5. Recognize opportunities and evaluate potential for business success, and consider implementation issues including financial, operational and administrative procedures involved in running a business venture. 6. Quantitative Learning Skills: Understand, analyze and use quantitative data to make business decisions and report to stakeholders, identify quantitative characteristics of a problem, examine, interpret and analyze numerical data to derive conclusions. 7. Critical Thinking Skills: Critically evaluate, analyze and interpret information to solve problems and make business decisions. Were the students able to interpret and evaluate unstructured situations, define the problem, Apply theories to ambiguous situations, draw conclusions and implement solutions? 8. Utilize business decision support and productivity tools: Did the students demonstrate the ability to utilize spreadsheet technology to enhance analysis and presentation of data related to a specific business issue, the use of computer-based productivity tools to enhance an oral presentation of a business issue, the ability to locate and use internet data sources?
GRADING RUBRIC FOR CASE STUDIES AND BUSINESS PLAN ASSIGNMENTS Criterion Content & Discussion Organization & Structure Topic Assessment Formatting Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling Significance to a Substandard 1 Points - Content incomplete. - Major required topics are lacking or not all included or poorly discussed. Structure detracts from the message of the writer. - Introduction and/or conclusion are missing. - Paragraphs are disjointed and lack transition of thoughts. Paper does not present topic discussion, and is well below required length. Paper lacks many elements of correct formatting as outlined in course syllabus/instructi ons Paper contains numerous grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. Failed to write about the Poor 2 Points - Major points are addressed, but not well supported or discussed. Structure of paper not easy to follow. - Intro does not preview all major points. - Paragraph transition needs improvement. - Conclusion does not flow well. Some of the topic is presented but not completely. Formatting is somewhat correct but lack important elements of proper format. Paper contains few errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling. Connection to the business Fair 3 Points - Content is accurate - Content is mostly complete Structure of the paper is clear. Paper presents adequately topics discussion. Paper follows most guidelines. -Formatting is mostly accurate with most required components. Paper contains 3-5 grammatical, and a few punctuation and spelling errors. Almost adequate Good 4 Points - Major points are stated clearly and are well supported. Introduction previews major points. - Paragraph transitions are logical Paper presents most of the topics. Formatting is not exceptional. Paper contains less than 1-2 errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling. The discussion is Exceptional 5 Points - Purpose of the writing is clear. Conclusion flows from the body of paper. Paper presents all of the topics for discussion completely. -paper is the required length. Paper follows designated guidelines with all required components. Paper contains no errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling. Language is clear & precise. Thoughtful and insightful
sustainable business Submitted on time Integration of your own thinking Resources Cited Stylistic elements connection to the business simulation Failed to turn in the paper ontime in class. Offered no personal analysis No resources were cited. Tone is not consistent. simulation very loose or brief Turned-in three days late in class. Personal analysis copied from the text/simulation. Sources cited were questionable Tone is somewhat consistent. discussion related to the business simulation Turned in two days late in class Very little personal analysis given. Only one source was cited Writing is not concise. adequate and is related to the business of the group. Turned in one day late in class. Provided adequate personal analysis, but still used too much information from simulation. Two to three sources were cited. Writing is almost concise and precise. links to challenges with the business simulation. Turned in ontime in class Provided exceptional and thought provoking analysis All resources cited were upto-date and relevant. Writing is very concise, precise, compact, and succinct. The degree of formality is appropriate.
Appendix B: Indirect Measures for Assessing Student Learning Outcomes Graduating Student Exit Survey attached as separate pdf document; will be adjusted to incorporate questions in new assessment plan Alumni Student Survey--attached as separate pdf document; will be adjusted to incorporate questions in new assessment plan
C. Co-op Supervisor Survey EMPLOYER S EVALUATION OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION & INTERNSHIP STUDENT Student s name: Date: INSTRUCTIONS: The immediate supervisor should evaluate the student objectively, comparing him/her with other students of comparable academic level, with other personnel assigned the same or similarly classified jobs, or with individual standards. ATTITUDE ABILITY TO LEARN Outstanding in enthusiasm Learns very quickly Interested and industrious Learns readily Average in diligence Rather slow in learning Definitely not interested Very slow to learn QUALITY OF WORK JUDGMENT Excellent Exceptionally mature Very good Above average decision making Average Usually makes the right decision Below average Often uses poor judgment Poor Consistently uses poor judgment DEPENDABILITY QUANTITY OF WORK Completely dependable Unusually high output Above average in dependability More than average Usually dependable Normal output Sometimes neglectful Below average Unreliable Low output, slow TEAMWORK/INTERPERSONAL SKILLS MATURITY/POISE/CONFIDENCE Exceptionally well accepted Quite poised and confident Works well with others Has good self-assurance Gets along satisfactorily Average maturity and poise Has difficulty working with others Too timid Too brash ORAL EXPRESSION WRITTEN EXPRESSION Superior Superior Good Good Average Average Below Average Below Average Unable to determine Unable to determine MOTIVATION/INITIATIVE ATTENDANCE PUNCTUALITY Proceeds well on his/her own Regular Regular Does all assigned work Irregular Irregular Hesitates Must be pushed * Education. One Student at a Time.* Page 2 Supervisor Survey
1. a) Briefly describe the position held by the student, including any changes that have been made in the student s assignment since the beginning of the work period. b) Does the present position permit the best use of the student s capabilities? (Please comment) 2. a) The work assignment provides the student with the opportunity to develop the following skills: Manage/organize Work under pressure Supervise Technical/Computer skills Analytical/Problem Solving skills Plan b) Please comment. (Use other side if additional space is needed.) 3. a) Has the student has been prepared well academically for the work assignment? Yes No b) Do you have any suggestions as to how the student s academic preparation might be strengthened? (Please use other side if additional space is needed) 4. Do you have any other comments or suggestions regarding: the student s strengths and weaknesses; the student s impact on you, other personnel, the organization or the Co-op Education & Internship Program? (Please use other side if additional space is needed) 5. Overall rating of student: Outstanding Very Good Satisfactory Marginal Unsatisfactory 6. Would you recommend this student for future employment? a) For another work period? Yes No b) For a permanent position upon graduation? Yes No 7. Have you discussed this evaluation with the student? Yes No Evaluator: Title: PLEASE PRINT Employing Organization: Phone: Fax: email: Address: Student s start date: Student s ending date: Hourly/weekly earnings: