Measuring College Learning in Business: An Initial Conversation with Faculty
On April 30, 2014, the SSRC’s Education Research Program brought together a group of business scholars to discuss ways to articulate and measure learning outcomes for business undergraduates. These faculty leaders were selected for their dedication to undergraduate business education and represented a wide range of American colleges and universities. This was the first of a series of business-focused meetings for the Measuring College Learning Project (MCL), a new initiative that aims to develop tools to increase our understanding of learning across multiple areas of undergraduate study. To learn more about MCL, please click here.
In this first meeting, the goal was for faculty to engage in constructive conversation about what students should know after completing: (1) introductory-level coursework and (2) a major in business. During a morning session, faculty discussed the essential competencies, perspectives, and skills that business majors should master by the time they graduate. To help guide the discussion, the group referenced previous efforts to identify and shape a learning agenda for business. These included the AACSB’s assessment standards 8 and 9, and materials from the Aspen Institute’s Undergraduate Business Consortium. During an afternoon session, the group discussed introductory-level learning goals, as well as existing assessment tools and strategies used across the discipline.
The meeting cultivated a productive conversation across the diversity of business-related perspectives and set the stage for continued discussion at a second meeting.
Location: Social Science Research Council