ERIC Number: ED524828
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Top-Down versus Bottom-Up Paradigms of Undergraduate Business School Assurance of Learning Techniques. Professional File. Number 119, Winter/Spring 2011
Priluck, Randi; Wisenblit, Joseph
Association for Institutional Research (NJ1)
This paper describes two models of assessment of undergraduate business learning in two similar universities located on the East Coast of the United States. Both models stem from seeking continued accreditation by the AACSB and are focused on a group of student skills identified by the faculty as essential to undergraduate business education. The assessment processes within the two schools differ in their approaches to methods of measurement. One school used a top-down model, which was created by administrators and operated outside the normal coursework to assess students in the program. The other school used methods embedded in the courses to only assess programs (i.e., a bottom-up model). Whereas the learning goals, course structures, and faculty composition were similar for the two schools, the bottom-up approach involved more faculty members in the assessment process. The article details the measures and rubrics employed by each school, the merits and shortcomings of each approach, and a recommended assessment model combining the best elements of the two paradigms. Currently, the results of the two assessment processes indicate that both schools must improve the feedback loop for continuous improvement. (Contains 3 tables.)
Descriptors: Business Administration Education, Models, Educational Assessment, Undergraduate Study, Student Evaluation, Program Evaluation, Feedback (Response), Total Quality Management, College Faculty, Research Methodology
Association for Institutional Research. 1435 East Piedmont Drive Suite 211, Tallahassee, FL 32308. Tel: 850-385-4155; Fax: 850-383-5180; e-mail: air@airweb.org; Web site: http://www.airweb.org
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Association for Institutional Research
Identifiers - Location: New Jersey; New York; United States
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Author Affiliations: N/A