The Assessment Process

The necessary first step in developing an assessment program is to define learning goals and objectives.  The process needs to start with the goals, not the methods! 

Learning goals are the general educational aims of the program – the broad outcomes that are expected.  Thus, they should flow from the program’s mission.   In articulating learning goals, faculty are answering the question – what will our students learn?   Goals  can focus on content, skills, or attitudes.  AACSB requires goals to be defined for each program and to incorporate student mastery of general knowledge, skills (e.g., communication abilities, critical thinking), and management-specific topics (e.g., change management, ethics and social responsibility). 

There should be four to ten learning goals developed for each program in the business school.  Active faculty involvement in defining learning goals is critical and expected.  Other constituencies who can meaningfully contribute to the discussion include representatives from the business community, alumni, students, and faculty from outside the business school. 

Useful questions to pose to begin the discussion on learning goals include:

• What do we value?
• How would we identify a successful graduate?
• What are the skills, knowledge, experiences, and values that are at the center of our program’s curriculum?
• What should a graduate from this program be able to know and do?

Defining learning goals is a thought-provoking, time-consuming, sometimes acrimonious exercise; this task needs careful attention.  These goals will drive not only assessment, but the whole curriculum management process.  For accreditation or maintenance purposes, meetings and other forms of discussion (e.g., an online discussion board) on this topic on this topic must be documented. 

Here is an example of the learning goals articulated by the School of Business faculty at Montclair State University (Upper Montclair. NJ):

When developing goals, it is wise to consider a range of cognitive skills. Program learning goals should go beyond simple knowledge recall, to include more complex cognitive skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.  Bloom's classification of cognitive skills is a useful tool to refer to in order to ensure that learning goals are varied, comprehensive,  and appropriately ambitious for program review. 

The next step is to translate these general education aims (goals) into objectives. 

The main difference between goals and objectives is the level of specificity.  Objectives are short but clear statements about the specific outcomes we expect from students.  For assessment to be effective, objectives must be clearly articulated before deciding upon methods and measures.  Objectives should specify the behavior that will serve as evidence that the learning goal has been achieved. 

Example: 

Learning Goal:  Our students will be effective communicators