The MBA program is designed to develop candidates for positions of leadership in modern organizations.
Objective
Analytical Skills
A graduate of the MBA program will have the analytical skills necessary to function in the current business environment.
Indicator
Quantitative Skills
Students will have an understanding of financial, statistical and other quantitative techniques used in business decision making.
Criterion
Performance On Embedded Quantitative Questions In FIN 531
Embedded questions on the final exams in FIN 531 (a course taken by all MBA students) will be used to assess the ability of MBA students to apply quantitative skills. MBA students should average 85% correct responses on these questions.
Finding
Student Performance On Embedded FIN 531 Questions
In the Fall 2008 semester the MBA students averaged 72% correct. The average is 82% correct for the Spring 2009 semester.
Criterion
Performance On Embedded Quantitative Questions In FIN 537
Embedded questions on the final exams in FIN 537 (a hybrid course available to all MBA students) will be used to assess the ability of MBA students to apply quantitative skills. MBA students should answer 85% of the questions correctly.
Finding
Student Performance On Embedded FIN 537 Questions
FIN 537 students achieved an average score of 72% on the quantitative embedded questions for Fall 2008. Detail analysis revealed that students are weak in the area of risk and return evaluation.
Indicator
Students Should Have The Skills Necessary To Organize, Process, And Interpret Data
Students will be able to organize, process and interpret data to provide options for decision-making.
Criterion
85% Of BAN 568 Students Will Score Higher Than 85% On Semester Project
Students taking BAN 568 during the Spring 2009 complete semester long projects which involve the gathering of data, organizing/processing the data to be used in modeling, and interpreting the statistical results. 85% of the students should demonstrate their mastery of these skills by earning at least 85% of the points for this project. (See attached rubric.)
Finding
Performance Of Students On BAN 568 Projects
72% of BAN 568 students scored 85% or better on their Spring 2009 projects.
Indicator
Performance On TACTS Critical Thinking Instrument
The Texas Assessment of Critical Thinking Skills (TACTS)instrument is a 45 minute, multiple choice test which evaluates 12 thinking skills that the SHSU team identified as important in the business disciplines.
Criterion
Performance Difference Between Undergraduates And Graduates On The TACTS Instrument
The mean score on the TACTS critical thinking instrument for students in the graduate level class will be statistically higher than the mean score for the student in the undergraduate level class.
Finding
Results Of TACTS Test
The TACTS test was administered, but the faculty member responsible for processing the data went out of town without forwarding the results. Processing of the data will take place as soon as the faculty member returns.
Action
Action Items For Improving The Analytical Skills Of MBA Students
1) The rubrics utilized in BAN 568 contain more information than we are currently using. A better job of processing the rubrics will be done in the future to determine how student performance can be improved. This will be done in future semesters. 2) In the future, a better job of processing the data will be performed by faculty teaching FIN 531. This will allow us to determine more precisely where our students are falling short.
Action
Improving Students Understanding Of Risk And Return Evaluation
Graduate faculty in the Department of Finance will examine how risk and return evaluation is currently being taught and then make suggestions to change accordingly.
Objective
Interpersonal Skills
A graduate of the MBA program will have the interpersonal skills necessary to work with all types of people in a wide variety of settings.
Indicator
Team-building And Leadership Skills
Students will be able to work with groups/teams so as to lead, influence, organize, and delegate tasks, to motivate and develop people, and to withstand and resolve conflict.
Criterion
IDEA Scores For The Acquisition Of Team-Building/Leadership Skills
The IDEA system is a standardized evaluation/development tool developed, validated, and tested for reliability by the IDEA Center at Kansas State University. Scores and results from IDEA are normed (using data from all institutions using the IDEA system) and compared across similar disciplines. The IDEA Student Rating includes a question concerning the acquisition of skills in working with others as a member of a team. Compared to other institutions, more than 50% of our students should indicate a progress rating of 4.0 or better on this question.
Finding
COBA Scores On IDEA Student Ratings -- "Acquiring Skills Working With Others"
More than 60% of those COBA students completing the IDEA form, rate their progress towards "Acquiring skills in working with others as a member of a team" at 4.0 or above. This is approximately 10 percentage points higher than other schools in the IDEA database. Approximately 80% of COBA respondents rate their progress at 3.75 or above. For SHSU as a whole, slightly more than 70% of respondents would rate their progress at 3.75 or above. This implies that COBA leads the university in helping students to acquire teamwork skills.
Action
Improving Assessment Of Interpersonal Skills
Faculty ideas on how we can better assess interpersonal skills will be solicited. Direct measures of interpersonal skills are scarce. A summary report will be requested from the IDEA Center allowing the COBA at SHSU to compare its performance on team building to be to the normed score for all institutions using the IDEA System. Additionally, a rubric will be developed that will allow a measure of team building based on student-team performance in the capstone course.
Objective
Communication Skills
A graduate of the MBA program will have the ability to communicate effectively.
Indicator
Performance On GBA 587 Audit Report
GBA 587 (core MBA course) writing project.
Criterion
Written Communication Skills
80% of students assessed will meet or exceed acceptable standards using a written rubric developed by the communications faculty.
Finding
Student Performance On GBA 587 Audit Report 2008-2009
For the academic year 2008-2009, 64.1% of MBA students exceeded expectations (90%+) and 24.5% of the students met expectatons (80-89%). Combined, 88.6% of MBA students met or exceeded expectations on the Audit Report Rubric.
Action
Raising The Standard For Communication
Since 88.6% of the MBA students meet or exceed current standards, the idea of raising the standard will be discussed with faculty.
Objective
MBA Students Should Excel In Their Knowledge Of Management Fundamentals
MBA students should demonstrate a solid understanding of modern business management fundamentals.
Indicator
Embedded Questions In MGT 567
MBA students in MGT 567 will be given a pre-test and post-test covering the foundation of modern business management theory.
Criterion
Improvement Measured As The Difference Between Pre-Test And Post-Test Scores
Students in MGT 567 will score significantly higher (at least 50% higher) on the post-test than on the pre-test addressing modern business management theory.
Finding
Pre-test And Post-test Results For MGT 567 In Spring 2009
The Spring 2009 MGT 567 class averaged 13.9 correct responses out of 22 questions on the pre-test. That is 63.2% correct. On the post-test they averaged 16.1 correct responses out of 22 questions, which corresponds to 73.2%. The percentage increase in correct responses 15.8%.
Action
Faculty Discussion On Improving The Assessment Of Management Skills
The COBA faculty will be asked to find better ways of assessing the level of mastery of management skills by MBA students.