ASSESSING BUSINESS PEDAGOGY Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 19, 1992 233 ASSESSING BUSINESS PEDAGOGY George Kesling, Gerald Cleveland, Gary Heesacker, James Nimnicht School of Business and Economics, Central Washington University ABSTRACT The theme of the 1992 ABSEL Convention, “Total Quality in Management of Business Pedagogy,” provides an opportunity to gain ideas on how to improve the measurements essential to improving the quality of management of business pedagogy. INTRODUCTION The overall decline in the competitiveness of U.S. organizations in the world market has been well documented. Recent criticisms call for drastic improvements in pedagogy (Gray, 1990). Education can no longer be evaluated in terms of courses attempted or programs or degrees completed (Zoffer, 1987). Universities have been criticized for failure to provide an opportunity for full development of students beyond their chosen academic area (Edwards & Brannen, 1990). Literacy, managerial and analytical skills have all been criticized as businesses create educational programs to enhance these skills (McGee, 1989). Critics say that measurement of the results of the pedagogy, not its inputs, is essential for improving its effectiveness (Evangelauf, 1989, Aper & Hinkle, 1991). DISCUSSION Assessment by measuring success in the placement of students in business organizations and their subsequent success may be the best way to evaluate business pedagogy (Edwards & Brannen, 1990). This assessment method implies the school’s mission is to provide marketable skills and knowledge to its students. A carefully developed curriculum and placement program can improve the success. The long-term aspect of consistent feedback from the organizations and alumni provides the vital information for program adjustment to meet the changing needs of the marketplace (McClain, 1987). Although the marketplace can provide assessment of the overall results, quality management of the pedagogy requires continued evaluation and selection of curriculum, methods and individuals, Tong, 1987). Many competencies can be assessed with the traditional testing such as the National Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination commonly used for accounting majors. Recognizing the need for other skills not evaluated by national examinations, many schools are changing their content and evaluation methods to include competencies in human resource management and communication as well as analytical skills. The Accounting Education Change Commission, for example, suggests four research areas to impact positively the skills of accounting graduates: (1) identifying the competencies graduates should possess upon entry into the profession, (2) designing a curriculum and pedagogy which imbues students with these competencies, (3) implementing the newly designed curriculum and pedagogy, and (4) measuring its effectiveness. The quality of a business pedagogy depends on management’s success in making the most effective use of its resources. Improved evaluation of curriculum, teaching methods and individual faculty members can play an important role. Good measurements are essential in achieving accurate evaluations, yet the final judgement is usually at least partially subjective and can vary widely between individuals. Consequently, accuracy is a problem. There are a few principles that can help improve accuracy (Zikmund, 1991, Kesling & Cleveland, 1992): Numerical models often do not appropriately weight all factors. Increasing the number of individual sources tends to improve reliability. Increasing the number of factors in the measurement from each source also tends to improve reliability. Increasing the range of possible scores tends to improve sensitivity. These principles, of course, must be limited in practical applications. The model used to combine measurements can also impact the evaluation. Ranking by the average of several factors, for example, may produce different results than setting minimal requirements for these factors (Kesling & Cleveland, 1992). CONCLUSION Assessment, however difficult, is essential to improving the quality of business pedagogy, and requires continued assessment of the assessment methods. REFERENCES Aper, J. P. & Hinkle, D. E. (1991) “State Policies for Assessing Student Outcomes”, Journal of Higher Education, 62(5), 539-55. Edwards, D. E. & Brannen, D. E. (1990) “Current Status of Outcomes Assessment at the MBA Level”, Journal of Education for Business, 65(5), 206-12. Evangelauf, J. (1989) “Odd Battle Over Accreditation of Business Programs Divides Colleges, Spurs Evaluation of Standards”, Chronicle of Higher Education, 35(37), 13-15. Gray, J. R. (1990). “The Accreditation Debate in Business Education”, Thought and Action, 6(1), 85-92. Kesling, G. D. & Cleveland, G. L. (1992) “Measuring Quality in Management of Business Pedagogy’, Proceedings: 1992 ABSEL Convention. McClain, C. J. (1987) “Assessment Produces Degrees With Integrity”, Education Record, 68(1), 47-52. McGee, L. F. (1989) “Teaching Basic Skills to Workers”, Personnel Administrator, 34(8), 42-47. Tong H. M. (1987). ‘An Empirical Study of Faculty Evaluation Systems: Business Faculty Perceptions”, Journal of Education for Business, 62(7), 319-22. Zikmund, W. G. (1991) Business Research Methods, (3rd. ed.) Orlando, FL: The Dryden Press. Zoffer, H. J. (1987) “Accreditation Bends Before the Winds of Change”, Educational Record, 68(1), 43-46. Table of Contents Volume 19, 1992 The Pedagogical Utility of a Management Simulation Game in a Business Policy Course Modeling Economic Environments in Business Simulations: Some Comparisons and Recommendations Experiential Learning and TQM Principles: Teaching Behavioral Science in a Business School The Use of Poster Presentations as a Final Project in the Business Policy Course The Device Business: A Management Simulation for Strategy Formulation The Advantages of Experiential learning in the Auditing curriculum A Framework for the Identification of Moderated and Mediated Performance consequences of Pedagogical Alternatives Simulating Qualitative Research Relating to Values and Lifestyle Segmentation A New Market Demand Model for Business Simulators Interactive Optimization Using the Method of Relative Improvement Preferences: Methodology and Empirical Evaluation The Service Trainer Simulation Benefits of Internet Computer Networks for ABSEL Members How Should We Measure Experiential Learning? An Assessment of Simulation Usage in Management Accounting Courses The Influence of Myers-Briggs Type and Group Dynamics on Simulation Performance Effective Leadership Behavior in the Desert Storm Arena: An Application of the Vroom-Yetton-Jago Model Installing and Consolidating Work-Team Values: The Effects of a Multicultural Outdoors Experiential Program Key Determinants and Decision performance in a Business Simulations and Experiential Learning environment Multi-Cultural Experiential Learning: A Computer Simulation in Indonesia Attitudes Toward and Emotions Related to Women as Managers: A Replication and Beyond Scenario Approach to Simulating Consumer Expenditures: A Cross-Cultural Analysis Insights into Ethical Decision making Activities and Organizational Performance: A Management Simulation Analysis of College Students and Managers Evaluating a Business Simulation Program for Joint Venture Negotiation and Management Teaching Business Interviewing Strategies with an Experiential Approach Cooperative Learning Across the Business Curriculum Modeling Total Quality Elements into a Strategy-Oriented Simulation Teaching Business Decision making using a Simulator Extending the Educational Utility of a Simulated Competition within the Confines of an Established Undergraduate Marketing Curriculum Expert Systems Versus Traditional Methods for Teaching Accounting Issues Confidence Extremes Diminish Quality Performance in a Total Enterprise Simulation Can Ethics Be Taught? A Simulation Tests a Traditional Ethics Pedagogy Through The Looking Glass, Inc.: Organizational Climate Research as Experiential Pedagogy The use of Cluster Analysis for Business Game Performance Analysis Power and Ethnicity: An Experiential Learning Exercise (How to Sensitize Students to Diversity) Directed Development of Critical and Creative Thinking Skills for Case Analysis Implementing Total Quality Management in a Computerized Business Simulation Product Quality in Business Simulations Use of Simulation for Ethics Education in Management Satisfying the University's Customers through Total Quality Management Instruction: A Case Study Personality Characteristics and Group Performance in Total Enterprise Simulations Concepts of Interval Estimation and Quality Control Charts via Computer Simulated Sampling An Examination of the Effect of Team Cohesion, Player Attitude, and Performance Expectations on Simulation Performance Results The Effectiveness of Inventory Management and Production Scheduling Training in a Total Quality Management Environment Peer Group Indicators of the External Validity of Business Games: A five-year Longitudinal Study Political Strategies and Personal Actions Does Practice make Perfect? Observations on Simulation Trial The Use of A Non-Business Computer Simulation to Teach Marketing Management BankPro Commercial Bank Simulation The Production Game Pursuing Excellence: Work Strengths, Assets and relevant Values (An Exercise) Test of a Short Outward Bound Experience for College Students What is it that we want Student To Learn? Using Two TQM Philosophies when Playing Blackjack The Lagged Effects of Decision Variables on Financial Performance Measures Used in Two business Simulations The Development of an Experiential Exercise for Career Planning and Effective Job search Performance Measuring Quality in Management of Business Pedagogy Exploring Quality and Productivity Improvement: Using and Experiential Process Toward a Generalized Architecture for Intelligent Reactive Management Systems The Quality Game TQX: Using Expert Systems to Improve Training in Total Quality Management A Simulation of the Effect of the Medicaid Payment Lag on the Financial Position of Community Pharmacies The Use of a Board of Directors to Evaluate and Validate Decisions in a Competitive Graduate Management Simulation Course The Impact of Academic Dishonesty on Business Simulations and Experiential Learning Activities Picture Project: An Experience of Icebreaking and/or Decision-Making An Effective Role-playing Exercise for Teaching Requisite TQM Supervisory Attitudes/Behavior Computerized Management Simulations and Some Correlates of Students' Satisfaction The Timing and Stability of Reactions to Market Structure in a Single Player Simulation Environment A Graphics Application Extension for a Simulated Decision Support System Environment Aspects of a Group Project Utilizing Actual Business data and a Computerized Accounting System The Role of Universities' Extended Learning Department in Assisting Organizations Implement Total Quality Management A three-dimensional Learning Experience to Develop Total Quality Management Skills Estimating Quality Costs by Computer Simulation Applications and Examples of Quality Control Software Assessing Business Pedagogy A Demonstration of an Experiential Process for Exploring Quality and Productivity Improvement Processes An Action-Ethics Dilemma: A Demonstration Org Sim Jr.: A 2-3 Hour Version of the 2-Day Blanchard/Murrell Organization Simulation Building Buildings: An Experiential Exercise in Organizational Structure, Communication, Leadership and Group Dynamics Expert Systems for Organization Design: A Demonstration A Demonstration of Product Quality in a Business Simulation: Version 2 of CEO Two Revolutions, Total Quality Leadership, and the Baldy: The Story of Milliken Total Quality after the Award - The Xerox Story Building a Competitive Advantage through Customer Satisfaction and Reengineering Human Resource Planning: Managing the Only Renewable Resource for a Competitive Advantage Using Simulations to Teach International Issues: An analysis of the Multinational Management Game's Learning Environment Quality Function Deployment: A Tutorial Care and Nurturing of Teams Making a Good Thing Better: Adding TQM to Participative management Empowering Organizations to Redesign and Transform Themselves - Eastman Chemical Using Simulations in Field Management Development of an International Life Insurance Company Reinforcing the TQ Environment via Simulation Transforming a Business College into a Total Quality College