Department of Business & Administration Strategic Plan 2020-2021

 B&A Mission

To provide excellent business management and related higher education for working adults throughout Arizona with an in-depth focus on core business competencies within a global context.

B&A Vision

To be a premier provider of business management and related higher education with an emphasis on value and accessibility.

B&A Strategies

Niche Differentiation

1. High quality education (Baldrige/ACBSP/Quality Matters)
2. Smallest average class size in AZ with highly accessible instructors
3. Statewide availability of courses, including evenings and online
4. Lowest tuition & fees option in AZ

BBA Action Plans

1. Quality:
   1. Maintain ACBSP accreditation
      1. Short: Train a backup accreditation “champion”
      2. Long: Phase-in backup accreditation “champion” and train new backup
   2. Remove notes and conditions by deadline
      1. Short: Monitor progress on each note/condition (need action plan for each)
      2. Long: Same
   3. Assess learning outcomes each semester with rubric assessments or Peregrine CPC assessments on relevant student learning outcomes each semester
      1. Short: Provide in-person or online training for each faculty member on student learning outcomes and expectations
      2. Short & long: Monitor progress
   4. Offer the best possible online education by using the tools, technologies, and pedagogy available.
      1. Short & long: Provide in-person or online training for each online instructor on QM standards and expectations.
      2. Long: Develop and implement online instruction certification program with eLearning
   5. Focus on student learning
      1. Short: Offer faculty development at monthly meetings
      2. Long: Same
   6. Class size and instructor access:
      25. Cap regular classes at 35, BBA 305W and 480 at 25.
          1. Short: monitor number and percent of classes at or below caps (as above).
          2. Long: Same
      26. Assess student satisfaction with faculty accessibility each semester
          4. Short: Mean of 4.0 or better (5-point scale)
      27. Availability:
          1. All courses available online each year
             1. Short: Monitor results
             2. Long: Same
          2. Provide evening in-person core courses (at least 50% of core courses each year)
             1. Short: Monitor results
             2. Long: Same
          3. Tuition and fees (full-time residential student):
             1. Minimize student fees (maintains low cost in conjunction with low tuition rates set by ABOR)
                1. Short: Monitor and compare tuition and fee costs
                2. Long: Same

Assessments[1]

1. Quality:
   1. Monitor accreditation status; target = maintain accreditation
   2. Maintain no notes and conditions status; target = letter from ACBSP
   3. Monitor each learning outcome each semester
      1. Communication
         1. Written: BBA 305W, 480 (ACBSP communication rubric; target = 3.0+ on 4-point scale)
         2. Oral: BBA 305W, 490C (BBA rubric; target = 3.0+ on 4-point scale)
            1. Separate rubric for in-person (IP) and online classes [delete “interaction with audience”]
         3. CLA+ was used to assess writing in BBA 305W, 480, 490C but has been discontinued as a result of administration’s concerns about financial constraints and CLA+ not meeting departmental expectations. We are currently exploring other options.
      2. Problem solving: BBA 300, 480 & 490C (ACBSP critical thinking rubric; target = 3.0+ on 4-point scale)

• Finance and other CPCs: BBA 300, 490C (Peregrine Exam, pre/post)
  1. Compare each semester (peer group and/or overall post-test average & best-in-class); monitor pre/post improvement each semester; targets = above averages and/or best-in-class (90^th percentile?)
  2. Segment by emphasis, location, primary modality, gender, age, and employment [depending on what is available from Peregrine]

3. Teams: BBA 360, 490C (BBA rubric; target = 3.0+ on 4-point scale)
4. Global: [classes TBA] ; rubric target = 3.0+ on 4-point scale; survey target = exposure in 50%+ of BBA classes [see also Global CPC above]
   1. Global engagement (BBA rubric & survey)
   2. Diversity (BBA rubric & survey)
   3. Environmental sustainability (BBA rubric & survey)
5. Review each course each semester for quality (through faculty mentoring program) and annually through PTF faculty review; target = all courses meet the quality standard
6. Monitor faculty[2] and student self-assessments on student learning; target = 4.5 on 5-point scale.

2. Class size:
   1. Monitor number and % of classes at or below caps; target = 95% at or below caps
   2. Compare average class size each fall to ASU, U of A, NAU Franke; target = lowest
3. Availability:
   1. Monitor availability of all courses being online; target = 100%
   2. Monitor availability of evening in-person core courses by campus; target = 50%
4. Tuition and fees:
   1. Monitor cost of tuition and fees in catalogue; compare to ASU, U of A, Franke; target = lowest

 Process Improvement Planning & Reviews

1. Determine needed improvements from fall data no later than the April or May faculty meeting of each year for next fall implementation.
2. Determine needed improvements from spring data no later than the August faculty meeting of each year for next spring implementation.
3. Review improvements planned during the prior fall semester (implemented during the spring semester) for evidence of implementation and results at August faculty meeting of each year.
4. Review improvements planned during the prior spring semester (implemented during the fall semester) for evidence of implementation and results at April or May faculty meeting of each year.

Progress Updates

[1] This does not include other ACBSP requirements. Need a minimum of 2-3 per standard.

[2] Consider re-wording the Baldrige “Are We Making Progress?” survey to better match the ACBSP version of the six standards. Standard 4 is on student learning.