The Manning School of Business prepares students for professional business careers in a global environment while serving as a hub of industry partnerships fostering regional economic development through education, research and outreach activities. The business school has established a rigorous Assurance of Learning (AOL) process to develop program learning goals and then measure achievement of these learning goals. Our Assessment Process, led by the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs & Standards Committees and conducted by the Office of the Dean consists of direct assessment of student artifacts. The findings are then communicated to appropriate members of the faculty used to develop and implement curricular improvements.
Assurance of Learning (AOL) reporting is based at the academic program level. This approach involves outside assessor review, feedback, and follow-up to academic programs on their reporting in order to achieve continuous improvement in assurance of student learning, and there is an alignment between the assurance of learning and the college’s mission statement. In that regard, the Manning School of Business introduces students to the skills, language, and tools of business. It further allows them to choose a concentration in one of the major functions of business in order to acquire more specific skills, knowledge, and experience required for effective performance in that profession. These emphases include:
The Undergraduate (BSBA) Learning Goals and Objectives:
GOAL 1: Our students shall have oral and written communication skills regarding business-related information.
In written communication our students will be able to:
- Identify and adapt to audience needs
- Have a clear purpose
- Convey an effective introduction
- Develop a sequential series of logical arguments
- Use factual support effectively and correctly
- Convey an effective conclusion
- Use proper grammar and punctuation
In oral communication our students will be able to:
- Identify and adapt to audience needs
- Have a clear purpose
- Convey an effective introduction
- Develop a sequential series of logical arguments
- Use factual support effectively and correctly
- Convey an effective conclusion
- Engage the audience by using a fluent conversational style
- Integrate visual support and presentational technologies effectively
GOAL 2: Our students shall have quantitative and qualitative functional area knowledge and skills.
Students will show their ability to make data-driven decisions demonstrating:
- Knowledge of principles and techniques
- Basic application to simple problems
- More advanced application to more complex problems
- Effective decision-making requiring all levels of knowledge and application
GOAL 3: Our students shall have team membership skills.
Successful students will demonstrate these skills by:
- Participating in the development of a workable communication system among team members outside of class
- Contributing to the creation of positive performance expectations/encouraging the team as a whole when necessary
- Respecting the time of others and showing up promptly to meetings
- Being a good teammate by ensuring that everyone has an appropriate amount of “air time” to let their ideas be heard
- Being tolerant of minority points of view
- Completing assigned tasks in a timely fashion
GOAL 4: Our students shall have skills in the use of information and communication technologies
Students are measured on their ability to analyze a business problem situation and apply software skills to provide a technical solution using software.
Successful students will demonstrate their knowledge by showing:
- An understanding of the critical issues in a problem the by decomposing the main issue into sub-problems
- An awareness of the software features to solve the related problem
- The final software solution as required to solve the problem
GOAL 5: Our students shall have an awareness of global changes affecting business and the ability to use this knowledge in business decision-making
Successful students will provide evidence of their global awareness by:
- Identifying, comparing and contrasting cultural differences and how these differences affect best practice
- Displaying an understanding of global practices normally considered in business decision-making
Learning Outcomes - Graduate
The Graduate (MBA) Learning Goals and Objectives:
GOAL 1: Our MBA graduates shall have analytical skills applying business analysis, data management and diagnostic problem-solving skills in order to support management decision-making.
Students will make data-driven decisions demonstrating the ability to:
- Identify alternatives
- Identify the criteria for assessing alternatives
- Apply criteria to alternatives
- Evaluate results
GOAL 2: Our MBA graduates shall have leadership and team membership skills needed for implementing and coordinating organizational activities and managing change.
Students will demonstrate leadership skills by:
- Identifying goals and directing followers toward them
- Providing the necessary information and resources to the team
- Clarifying performance expectations and timeframes
- Empowering others by encouraging dissent
Students will demonstrate team membership skills by:
- Identifying and recommends a change requirement to other team members
- Openly questioning and listening to other team members to achieve consensus on the required change
- Collaboratively developing and assessing multiple alternatives for achieving the change
- Interactively developing an action plan for implementing the change
GOAL 3: Our graduates shall have an understanding of how global competitive environments are changing business practice.
Students will provide evidence of global perspective and awareness by:
- Demonstrating an understanding of how global competitive environments are changing business practice
- Identifying, comparing and contrasting cultural differences and how these differences affect best practice
GOAL 4: Our graduates shall have the ability to integrate business knowledge and management techniques to aid planning and control in a changing environment.
Students will illustrate this by:
- Demonstrating the ability to integrate management techniques to aid planning and control in a changing environment
- Displaying the ability to effectively manage conflict