Evaluating the Assessment Outcomes in the Principles of Marketing Course

INTRODUCTION Increasingly, academic programs look to assessment as an important vehicle in determining the overall veracity of a program. It is a means by which the deliverer (instructor) of an academic program can determine if the goals and objectives of the program have been achieved by the recipients (students). Institutional effectiveness is concerned with the extent to which intended outcomes are being achieved (Black & Duhon, 2003). There are two (2) fundamental schemas of assessment delivery. The first employs an instrument developed externally and is standardized across a multitude of dimensions, like the Educational Testing Service's (ETS) exam in business. The second approach employs an embedded, internally developed, instrument that explicitly measures the specific outcomes associated with a program or course. The purpose of this paper is to examine the various factors or drivers that influence a student's performance on an embedded, course specific assessment (local). These factors or drivers are described along two (2) dimensions, environmental or external, and internal student drivers. The assessment was administered to multiple sections of students in the same foundation or principles level course. The delivery of the actual course material was done both in the traditional in class model, as well as the increasingly popular Online delivery method. The results of this study are derived in the College of Business at a public university located in the Southwestern part of the United States. The institution is mid-sized with a total enrollment of approximately 7,500 total students, 1,000 undergraduate business students, 350 graduate business students. This manuscript is organized as follows: First, a literature review is provided. The second section of the manuscript describes the data and the model. The next section provides empirical results testing the performance of students on the assessment exam while controlling for format of delivery, professor, student grade point average (GPA), international vs. domestic status, standardized test scores (ACT), transfer students, and gender. The final section offers conclusions and implications. LITERATURE REVIEW Research abounds on the subject of program assessment. Assessment is a "systematic collection, review, and use of information about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of improving student learning and development" (Palomba & Banta, 1999). Collegiate business programs are increasingly tasked with the need for ongoing assessment of student performance in their programs (Adams, et al, 2000; Bagamery, et al, 2005; Martell & Calderon, 2005; Terry, et al, 2008; Trapnell, 2005). Increasingly, since the mid-1980s, there has been a shift towards student-centered and learning-oriented assessments and accreditation (Lubinescu, et al, 2001). In fact, the AACSB imposes standards for program learning goals upon collegiate business programs aspiring to attain or maintain AACSB accreditation. These programs utilize direct measures in order to demonstrate student achievement of the stipulated goals (Martell, 2007; Pringle & Michel, 2007). As assessment increases to build momentum, it is important to identify the internal and external audiences who will utilize the results in shaping and refining the assessment process. A comprehensive assessment process provides an institution with information that can be both shared and utilized to satisfy the needs of internal and external constituents. The internal audience (faculty, students, assessment committees, administrators and alumni) benefits by helping to define successful ongoing programs, implementing similar programs, and for improving less successful programs. Externally, the assessment data are used to demonstrate to accreditation organizations, government officials, government boards and other constituents the institution's effectiveness and accountability (Aloi, et al, 2003). …