The Cameron School of Business is committed to excellence and utilizes the AOL standards to strategically plan and review program goals, learning outcomes and student success.
The Cameron School of Business has a long history of program assessment through a strategic planning process. Until 2004, this process manifested itself through both a top-down and bottom-up approach to strategic planning. The CSB Executive Committee (consisting of department chairs, program chairs, the Dean and the Associate Dean) developed strategic goals for the school.
These goals were vetted throughout the faculty and were ultimately voted on by the entire faculty. During the annual fall faculty retreat, school goals were developed by departments, programs and the faculty at large into objectives, strategies and tactics. This joint effort constituted the strategic plan for the CSB and all its programs.
These goals, objectives and strategies were then forwarded to appropriate standing committees or departments and programs for action. About every three months, the plan was reviewed for progress.
Beginning in 2004, a new standing committee named the Strategy Committee was developed to continue to set the vision, mission and goals for the school. The membership of this committee consists of all department chairs and one member from each department voted on by the department faculty.
The purpose of the Strategy Committee is to have a representative body serve to develop the strategic plan for the CSB. Outcomes of this committee are voted on by the entire CSB faculty. Reviews of goals and accomplishments occur annually by this committee and are communicated to the CSB faculty through the Dean's newsletter.
During the 2005-2006 academic year, the CSB formed its first Assurance of Learning (AOL) Committee, which led the faculty through the process of evaluating and articulating specific learning goals. Those goals were approved by the CSB faculty in the spring of 2006. The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (the committee charged with the overall responsibility for curriculum content) worked closely with the AOL Committee to assess the current state of alignment between the learning goals for CSB students and the curriculum.
Learning goals for CSB students were completed after feedback from students, faculty and outside stakeholders including employers, advisory boards and benchmarking tools such as EBI. During the 2006-2007 academic year, a CSB director of assessment and Assurance of Learning was appointed to ensure process continuity.
Additionally, a carefully chosen team of faculty members with exceptional teaching and technical expertise was appointed to develop a long-term plan and provide oversight for plan implementation. The learning goals and their subsequent objectives were refined so that rubrics could be used to measure attainment of the objectives.
The resultant work culminated in an Assurance of Learning Plan in 2007. All faculty reviewed and confirmed the plan through faculty vote. Data gathering began in the 2007-2008 academic year.
The 2008-2009 academic year began the feedback loop for direct assessment data gathered in 2007-2008. The CSB already uses EBI data, senior surveys (surveys of graduating seniors asking questions relevant to CSB learning goals), professional training from accreditation agencies such as the AACSB and from assessment professionals brought to the UNCW campus, etc. The CSB sends faculty and administrators to professional conferences targeting assessment as well as campus-sponsored events and speakers.
From 2004 to 2009 the Cameron School of Business has invested more than $70,000 dollars in the education of its faculty and administrators in AOL. This investment has included bringing experts to campus, providing stipends to team members and sending CSB administration, AOL team members, and faculty to AACSB assessment seminars and workshops.
The purpose of this investment, beyond continuous improvement and reaffirmation with AACSB, has been a true dedication to improving the learning experience and educational acumen of all CSB students. Intentional in this commitment has been thoughtful and careful development of faculty to better understand the educational improvement possibilities through assessment.
In fall 2008, the recognition of this work manifested itself in an invitation to present CSB activities related to AOL with international partners at the AACSB's first conference on Assurance of Learning.
Program goals are assessed on a revolving timetable that generally runs from five to seven years. The CSB monitors its performance against peer schools and aspirant schools on an annual basis.
Such analysis leads to revisions that are processed through the CSB Strategy Committee (consisting of administrators as well as faculty), the Executive Committee (consisting of the dean, associate deans, department chairs, and several other key administrators), and finally by the CSB faculty in open votes. Where action is needed, these suggested actions are forwarded to the appropriate faculty committee for deliberation and action if needed.
As a part of the ongoing strategic planning and review processes within the school several outcomes are highlighted below:
CSB has an undergraduate dual-degree program with the TransAtlantic Business School Alliance (TABSA) and has a 10-year history with these schools. At the time the CSB became associated with TABSA, we had a SACS team visit the schools in the alliance because we grant dual degrees with these partners.
The decision to offer the International MBA track came after vetting the program though all CSB and campus communities. It is in its second year. By building on the 10 years of mutual curriculum strengths, long-standing partnerships, and dedication to expanding international programs within the CSB, the IMBA program has been very successful.
The CSB follows its Assurance of Learning Plan, which includes both direct and indirect assessment measures. The CSB collects indirect measures of assessment from benchmarking sources (including EBI), from student reported sources (including senior surveys and the National Survey of Student Engagement) and other sources.
Direct assessment measures were developed by the Assurance of Learning Committee in conjunction with faculty and departments within the CSB and include both graduate and undergraduate programs. The rubrics developed and other assessment methods details the mechanisms for collecting data and are geared to the specific learning goal being assessed.
Some data collection are course embedded, while others (across the curriculum) are administered though school wide activities. This works for goals that are addressed in one or a few courses for both graduate and undergraduate programs.
Student learning goals that are delivered across a wide range of CSB curricula are assessed when students take their capstone classes at the graduate and undergraduate levels. As an example, questions during a content knowledge assessment are performed outside of the classroom via a Web-based instrument.
Some assessments are performed by third parties (e.g., writing assessment by ETS). Assessments are prescribed; the points to assess as well as the method of assigning ratings for assessment are clearly spelled out in the developed rubrics.
The Strategy Committee will consist of the Cameron Executive Committee (dean, associate deans, chairs, and executive secretary), plus one person elected by each department.
Guiding Principles for the CSB Strategy Committee
Tactical matters associated with items above.
Matters assigned to the Executive Committee.
Matters now assigned each CSB committee.
Matters to be assigned.