Appendix C3

Middle States Outcomes Assessment 1999

Department or Program: Business Administration

Goals

* Prepare students for a lifetime of intelligent participation in the economic, social and interpersonal relationships they will encounter.

* This department in particular is primarily, though not exclusively, concerned with preparing students with the necessary knowledge and skills for a successful career in the professional, business, or non-profit sector.

G.C.P. Correlation

Part I provides an introduction to the basic cultural knowledge needed for success in modern society in the 21st century.

Part II exposes business students to various disciplines and the scientific method.

Part III integrates understanding of global business.

The department offers a part IB course, Business Communication and a part IIIB course, Business and Culture.

Means of Assessment

FOR BOTH GOALS

Annual survey of supervisors of internships.

Use of student organizations n to develop social skills.

Use of an Advisory Council (Business and Accounting Advisory Council).

The most important indicator of the success of the Department of Business Administration program has always been related to the ability to successfully place graduates in positions in companies. The most critical assessment has therefore focused on information related to the placement of graduates and information that faculty obtain through direct contact with employers. Feedback from graduates and data on the placement of graduates is already being developed.

This year the department is developing an assessment survey that win be administered to every graduating senior and is designed to assess the level of understanding that students have of key business topics. In addition to the assessment survey, exit interviews may be conducted this year with a group of graduating majors.

Outcomes

The majority of responses indicated "excellent" or 'very good" ratings, there were a number of "fair" responses (10%) to some questions. Overall, survey mean = 4.17 (5=max). The lowest mean (4.03) was indicated for questions 2 and 4 dealing with the expertise of student interns in the areas of Finance and Accounting. The highest mean (4.39) was calculated for question #3 dealing with the use of business related software. Question # 1 mean relating to the application of basic business principles = 4.24. Question #5 mean, the interns' ability to convert marketing principles into practical application = 4.17. Our findings indicate that there is a high level of success in accomplishing the department's mission. The respondents report a high degree of satisfaction with the department's student interns.

Uses

Feedback from employers has been used to shape the program and we are currently working with the advisory council that will provide feedback on the design of the program. The department needs to work more closely with student organizations and in courses to develop student social skills. The qualitative data obtained from the exit interviews will be combined with the quantitative data from the assessment survey to provide a broad view of opportunities for improvement within the department.