1. The Assessment Imperative: A Work in Progress
A Focus on Competencies
Ricky W. Griffin, Interim Dean
Mays Business School
Texas A&M University

2. “Too many policymakers and educational leaders are focused on…tests rather than on what is really important: whether students are learning what they need to know.”
- Robert Jones, President, Education & Workforce Policy

3. Survey: Business leaders suggest that 63 % of today’s graduates are not prepared to function in the global economy (USA Today, 1/23/08)

4. Survey: Business leaders suggest that less than 50% of today’s college graduates have the full set of skills and knowledge necessary to advance in today’s work environment (USA Today, 1/23/08)

5. Survey: Business leaders suggest that while most graduates are reasonably well prepared in a variety of areas, they are not exceptionally strong in any
(USA Today, 1/23/08)

6. Clearly, a stronger understanding of desired learning outcomes and the assessment of learning related to those outcomes is an imperative that cannot be ignored.

7. The Mays Business School Story…

8. Our Environment Over 5,000 students Comprehensive programs:
Undergraduate
Masters
MBA/Executive MBA
Doctoral
Research faculty and expectations

9. Identify Competencies Identify Assessment Priorities Gather Evidence
What do students need
to succeed?
Identify Assessment
Priorities
Where can we gain
maximum benefit/
improvement?
Gather
Evidence
Will vary based on
competency selected
Evaluate
Results
“Close the loop”

10. How We Determined Core Competencies
Prior research on competencies
Professional disciplinary competencies (e.g., AICPA)
University core competencies
AASCB and SACS Standards
Focus Groups
Faculty
Dean’s Development Council
Dean’s Young Former Student Council
Department and Program Advisory Councils

11. Mays Core Competencies
Interdisciplinary foundation in business
Discipline-specific competencies
Communication skills (oral, electronic and written)
Problem solving, critical thinking and analytical skills
Creating new opportunities
Ethical decision making
Global and cultural awareness
Leadership, management and teamwork

12. Prioritization from our “Customers”
What are we doing well?
Discipline-specific competencies
Where do students need more exposure?
Written communications
Ethical decision making
Holistic view of enterprise

13. Our Conclusions Technical and disciplinary skills are in good shape
More focus on “soft skills” is needed
Generally not taught in our curriculum
Cannot assume that “somebody else” is doing this
Integrative framework
Allow students to understand importance of competencies
Recognize integration of competencies throughout coursework
Provide a more holistic understanding of the enterprise

14. Integration of Competencies
Transitions Learning Communities
Level Transition To Status
Freshman Independence Established Fall 2006
Sophomore Interdependence Established Spr 2008
Junior Professionalism Established in Depts
Senior Career Under Development
Course Content at Each Level
Assess current competency levels
Apply and build competencies
Document, reflect, and integrate in e-folios

15. Our Initial Decisions
Formally assess writing skills and ethical decision making skills
Design an integrative four-year learning community experience based on the competencies that cross disciplinary lines
Engage faculty in developing course outcomes and mapping them to all the competencies

16. Communication Assessment
Using a rubric we developed with the University Writing Center, we found that 88% of our juniors and seniors were meeting or exceeding our expectations (as defined by the faculty in the rubric).
When we discussed this finding with our employers, we discovered that our written assignments were quite different from the writing that recent graduates need to do.
Employers want us to work on , memos and letters, concentrating on skills such as tone, audience, persuasion, summarization, and synthesis.

17. Actions and Curriculum Impacts
Get over the fact that high schools aren’t teaching students to write well.
Work with the employers to obtain “real” samples of good and bad writing by their employees.
Work with the faculty to refine the writing learning objectives and rubrics.
Develop shorter writing assignments that address the needs of employers.
Develop a second required writing course at the sophomore level.
Emphasize importance of good writing in the integrative learning communities.
Create writing laboratory for students – Fall 2008

18. Ethics Assessment
Our freshmen are scoring below national norms on the Defining Issues Test of ethical decision-making maturity.
Our seniors in a 1 credit hour required business ethics course are scoring lower than the freshmen.
We claim we are teaching ethics in the core business classes, but a survey of seniors indicates too many don’t recall having any discussion of ethics in those classes

19. Actions and Curriculum Impacts
Core business courses
Identify ethics instruction in core business courses
Increase salience of ethics through inclusion on assignments and examinations (if you measure it and reward it…)
Required ethics course
Improve curriculum and pedagogy
Move from senior to sophomore level.

20. Next Steps
Examine the content and pedagogy of the capstone strategy course
Consider standardized test of “holistic” business understanding
Refine and assess the learning outcomes in all the core business courses to determine why employers complain about students’ narrow view of the enterprise.

21. Suggestions to Get the Ball Rolling
Involve external constituents (advisory boards)
Emphasize that you are doing this because “it is the right thing to do” not because “AACSB/SACS is making us do it”
Initially invest in one or two outcomes and do it right
Anticipate “fear and loathing” from faculty
Find “high profile” faculty champions
Assessment is not about evaluating teaching…it is about evaluating learning
Be honest about work load and rewards
Summer teaching proposal grants/programs