Assessment Plans and Working Documents

Moving Forward with Assurance Of Learning

The following are a number of initiatives that we have outlined to remedy deficiencies, close-the-loop on our learning goals, and move the Assurance Of Learning program forward.

Assessment 2012

Assessment employing the current learning goals and rubrics will continue in the fall of 2012 in order to close-the-loop with respect to some of the planned initiatives. Our future assessment plans for assessment will incorporate new updated learning goals and an expanded selection of courses.

Reassessment of Learning Goals for Degree Programs

The Learning Goals will be reassessed for the various degree programs with a focus on differentiation, and alignment with Goodman's mission and the new Degree Level Expectations of the Ontario Ministry for Training, Colleges and Universities. The Learning Assurance Committee will design and implement a comprehensive electronic survey for the Faculty and relevant stakeholders to revisit and identify what are the most important learning goals for each of the degree programs. It is not expected that there will be significant change in terms of many of the learning goals that have already been identified; however, the relative importance with respect to each program may differ. This may result in some difference in terms of the four primary learning goals identified for each program.  

Establishment of Learning Goal Committees, Distinct Objectives, Traits and Rubrics

Learning Goal Committees

Once the learning goals have been reaffirmed, committees of interested faculty members will be formed for each learning goal. It has been noted by the Learning Assurance Committee, that in many cases faculty members are keenly interested in particular learning goals, such as written communication or quantitative literacy.

Faculty members, expressing a particular interest, will be asked to sit on the relevant learning goal committee. The learning goal committees will also have student representation and at least one member of the Faculty Advisory Council. In addition, each committee will include a member from the Learning Assurance Committee.

The primary mandate of the learning goal Committees will be to review the objectives and traits with respect to their particular learning goal, in the context of the different degree programs. The on-campus assessment seminars conducted in early 2012 provided a practical and systematic method to identifying traits and designing rubrics which will be carried out by the committees under the guidance of a Learning Assurance Committee member.

During this period, it is also expected that we will have the external trainer again host on-campus seminars to reaffirm the process of learning objectives, traits and rubric development.

Preliminary Assessment Employing Newly Designed Rubrics

The end of the fall term of 2012 will, in several cases, provide an opportunity to test out the newly designed rubrics for assessment, alongside the use of the previous rubrics in closing-the-loop. This will allow for any necessary revisions given feedback from the assessors, and provide a benchmark for noting differences in assessment between the two assessment tools.

Full Implementation of New Rubrics and Assurance Of Learning program

After final consideration and revision of the learning objectives, traits and rubrics by the various LG committees, the determination of the appropriate courses to assess work will be revisited. The full assessment process will be initiated during the second half of the 2012/13 academic year and that of 2013/14.

Important goals for the new Assurance Of Learning program, in recognition of the deficiencies identified will be:

• Separating out different cohorts of students: non-business students; International students; BBA/BAcc students, MBA/MBA (ISP) students, etc.
• Utilize co-op employers in collection of data such as oral and written communications.
• Utilize hiring employers in collection of data such as oral communications.
• Determine appropriate benchmarks of where we want our students to be in terms of assessment scores.

The role of the Learning Assurance Committee will change somewhat in that much of the activities of assessment analysis and recommendations for remedial action will be the task of the individual learning goal committees. The Learning Assurance Committee will maintain an overview and integrative function in terms of the broader process with a focus on communication and improvement in the overall Assurance of Learning program. The committee has identified several specific objectives including:

• Video-taping of several Dean’s Advisory Board members discussing specific learning goals and what it means in real life – to show in classrooms, and make available on the Goodman website.
• Engage the students in the development of our communications strategy which will include posters throughout the Goodman hallways, and learning goals posted in classrooms.
• Full development of a website committed to AACSB, including all of the learning goals.
• Continue to communicate the overall Assurance Of Learning program so that everyone is aware of the learning goals, and what we have achieved to date.
• To consider the adoption of the course learning syllabus method. A small group of faculty members have already begun to explore this methodology.
• The Sedona system needs to be integrated more fully in terms of the Goodman School of Business’s data management, currently we are using an in-house designed portal but it is not as efficient as Sedona for AACSB purposes.