Strategic Plan for Business Administration at NAU–Yuma

Business Administration strategies

Niche differentiation

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

Two N A U–Yuma students sitting outside.

Business Administration mission

To provide exceptional, innovative business management and leadership education with an in-depth focus on core business competencies within a global context.

N A U–Yuma student walking up staircase.

Business Administration vision

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

A student walks through the N A U Yuma campus.

Business Administration values

We value:

Visionary and innovative leadership
Lifelong student, faculty, & organizational learning
Ethical and socially responsible behavior
Creating and improving excellent quality & value; personal and societal
Diversity of people and ideas

Students work together on the N A U campus.

Business administration learning outcomes

We will train our graduates to:

Work well in teams, including virtual settings.
Understand finance and other core business content.
Recognize and solve business problems in an ethical manner.
Communicate business information professionally.

Bachelor Business Administration action plans

Quality:
- Maintain ACBSP accreditation
  - Short: Train a backup accreditation “champion”
  - Long: Phase-in backup accreditation “champion” and train new backup
- Assess learning outcomes each semester with rubric assessments or Peregrine CPC assessments on relevant student learning outcomes each semester
  - Short: Provide in-person or online training for each faculty member on student learning outcomes and expectations
  - Short & long: Monitor progress
- Offer the best possible online education by using the tools, technologies, and pedagogy available.
  - Short & long: Provide in-person or online training for each online instructor on QM standards and expectations. QM standards were not pursued by DBA&L. Canvas LSM training was required by all faculty prior to the conversion to Canvas in Summer 2023.
  - Long: Develop and implement online instruction certification program with eLearning
- Focus on student learning
  - Short: Offer faculty development at monthly meetings
  - Long: Same
- Hiring and maintaining quality faculty
  - Short: New hires – only AQ FT faculty
  - Long: Increase the percentage of total credit hours taught by doctorate-qualify faculty within 5% of the 40% target.
- Ensuring sufficient qualified FT faculty for all functions.
  - Short: New hires – only AQ FT faculty; review work overload policy.
  - Long: Increase two additional FT (AQ) faculty; develop and implement attracting/hiring/retention strategies for FT faculty.
  - Verify that faculty are teaching with terminal degrees in their discipline.

Class size and instructor access:
- Cap regular classes at 35, BBA 305W and 480 at 25.
  - Short: monitor number and percent of classes at or below caps (as above).
  - Long: Same
- Assess student satisfaction with faculty accessibility each semester
  - Short: Mean of 4.0 or better (5-point scale)
Availability:
- All courses available online each year
  - Short: Monitor results
  - Long: Same
- Provide evening in-person core courses (at least 50% of core courses each year). All courses were online in 2023. In AY 2023-24, 50% of all core courses are not being offered in-person given student demand.
  - Short: Monitor results
  - Long: Same
Tuition and fees (full-time residential student):
- Minimize student fees (maintains low cost in conjunction with low tuition rates set by ABOR)
  - Short: Monitor and compare tuition and fee costs
  - Long: Same

Assessments

Quality:
- Monitor accreditation status; target = maintain accreditation
- Monitor each learning outcome each semester
  - Communication
    1. In AY 2022-23, all assessment plans were reviewed and revised by DBA&L and some modifications were made. See the revised assessment plans for each degree program. Communication is being assessed in BBA 360, BBA 475C, BBA 435C, and MGBA 690C.
    2. Written: BBA 305W, 480 (ACBSP communication rubric; target = 3.0+ on 4-point scale)
    3. Oral: BBA 305W, 490C (BBA rubric; target = 3.0+ on 4-point scale)
      - Separate rubric for in-person (IP) and online classes [delete “interaction with audience”]
    4. 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.
  - Problem solving:
    1. In AY 2022-23, all assessment plans were reviewed and revised by DBA&L and some modifications were made. See the revised assessment plans for each degree program. Problem-solving is being assessed in BBA 480, BBA 490C, BBA 475C, and MGBA 600.
    2. 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)
  - After implementing a course length change in 2019 and continued improvement to 2023, the goal was met and the loop was closed on the finance measure. Finance is still being assessed using the Peregrine exam.
  - 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^thpercentile?)
  - Segment by emphasis, location, primary modality, gender, age, and employment [depending on what is available from Peregrine]
- Teams:
  - In AY 2022-23, all assessment plans were reviewed and revised by DBA&L and some modifications were made. See the revised assessment plans for each degree program. Teams is being assessed in BBA 360 and MGBA 560.
  - BBA 360, 490C (BBA rubric; target = 3.0+ on 4-point scale)
- Global:
  - DBA&L discontinued this LO. See the updated assessment plans.
  - [classes TBA] ; rubric target = 3.0+ on 4-point scale; survey target = exposure in 50%+ of BBA classes [see also Global CPC above]
  - Global engagement (BBA rubric & survey)
  - Diversity (BBA rubric & survey)
  - Environmental sustainability (BBA rubric & survey)
- Review each course each semester for quality (through faculty mentoring program) and annually through PTF faculty review; target = all courses meet the quality standard
- Monitor faculty and student self-assessments on student learning; target = 4.5 on 5-point scale.

Class size:
- Monitor number and % of classes at or below caps; target = 95% at or below caps
- Compare average class size each fall to ASU, U of A, NAU Franke; target = lowest
Availability:
- Monitor availability of all courses being online; target = 100%
- Monitor availability of evening in-person core courses by campus; target = 50%. All courses were online in 2023. In AY 2023-24, 50% of all core courses are not being offered in-person given student demand.
Tuition and fees:
- Monitor cost of tuition and fees in catalogue; compare to ASU, U of A, Franke; target = lowest

Process improvement planning & reviews

Determine needed improvements from fall data no later than the April or May faculty meeting of each year for next fall implementation.
Determine needed improvements from spring data no later than the August faculty meeting of each year for next spring implementation.
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.
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

Major changes in this version

Strategic Objectives	Progress Toward Achievement 2023
Quality: Remove ACBSP Notes and Conditions	Notes & Conditions have been removed. We do not have any Notes or Conditions.
Quality/HR: Hiring and maintaining quality faculty	Goal: Total credit hours taught by doctorate-qualify faculty within 5% of the 40% target. Actions: HR Plan considering new hires (AQ) –two new hires (replacements) AQ faculty, two new additional hires were requested (AQ), HR Development (+1 AQ), Succession Plan (+1 AQ, 2027). As a faculty retention strategy the POY award was developed.
Quality/HR: Ensuring sufficient qualified FT faculty for all functions	Only AQ FT faculty for new hires; request authorization for two new FT additional faculty; sponsor faculty from the region across the border to increase the probability of attracting/hiring/retaining AQ FT faculty; review workload policy. Ensure faculty are teaching with terminal degrees in discipline.
Quality: Assess learning outcomes each semester	Meeting or working toward goals in most categories. Given continued improvement in business ethics and finance, closed the loop.
Class size: Assess student satisfaction with faculty access.	The EBI Survey of 2023-24 school year indicates student satisfaction level 6; target met. Class size is still 95% at or below caps. The EBI Survey of 2020-2021 school year indicates student satisfaction level is 6.04 as compared to our goal of greater than 6; target met. We have online office hours to increase access to faculty and online classes are offered with live weekly sessions that are also recorded.
Availability: Provide evening in-person core classes.	50% of all core courses were offered in-person during the evening hours; target met. All courses were online in 2023. In AY 2023-24, 50% of all core courses are not being offered in-person given student demand.
Tuition and Fees: Minimize student fees in conjunction with Tuition Rates set by ABOR	B&A tuition and fees remain below major competitors

Key Strategic Objectives	Major Changes 2023
1. High quality education (Baldrige/ACBSP)	Working towards removing ACBSP Notes & Conditions throughout the improvements required and identified from other data sources. Adding two HR Strategic objectives linked with HR Plan.
2. Smallest average class size in AZ with highly accessible instructors	None
3. Statewide availability of courses, including evenings and online	None
4. Lowest tuition & fees option in AZ	None

Major changes in previous versions

Strategic Objectives	Progress Toward Achievement 2021
Quality: Remove ACBSP Notes and Conditions	We do not have any notes or conditions.
Quality: Assess learning outcomes each semester	At or above 90th percentile in most CPC categories. Continued improvement in business ethics as demonstrated in the Peregrine 2020-2021 data of 88 percentile; approaching target.
Class size: Assess student satisfaction with faculty access.	Class size is still 95% at or below caps. The EBI Survey of 2020-2021 school year indicates student satisfaction level is 6.04 as compared to our goal of greater than 6; target met. We have online office hours to increase access to faculty and online classes are offered with live weekly sessions that are also recorded.
Availability: Provide evening in-person core classes.	50% of all core courses were offered in-person during the evening hours; target met.
Tuition and Fees: Minimize student fees in conjunction with Tuition Rates set by ABOR	B&A tuition and fees remain below major competitors

Key Strategic Objectives	Major Changes 2019
1. High quality education (Baldrige/ACBSP)	None
2. Smallest average class size in AZ with highly accessible instructors	Began using the EBI survey to assess student satisfaction with faculty access.
3. Statewide availability of courses, including evenings and online	None
4. Lowest tuition & fees option in AZ	None

Strategic Objectives	Progress Toward Achievement 2019
Quality: Remove ACBSP Notes and Conditions	We have made improvement to clarity of which degrees are accredited and which degrees are not. We have updated the assessment information on our website.
Class size: Assess student satisfaction with faculty access.	The EBI Survey of the 2018-2019 school year indicates student’s satisfaction level is 5.4 on the EBI survey. We are introducing the process of having online office hours to increase access to faculty.
Availability: Provide evening in-person core classes.	50% of all core courses were offered in-person during the evening hours.
Tuition and Fees: Minimize student fees in conjunction with Tuition Rates set by ABOR	B&A tuition and fees remain below major competitors

Key Strategic Objectives	Major Changes 2017
1. High quality education (Baldrige/ACBSP)	None
2. Smallest average class size in AZ with highly accessible instructors	None
3. Statewide availability of courses, including evenings and online	None
4. Lowest tuition & fees option in AZ	None

Strategic Objectives	Progress Toward Achievement 2017
Quality: Remove ACBSP Notes and Conditions	Achieved following last QA report (letter on file)
Quality: Assess learning outcomes each semester	At or above 90th percentile in most CPC categories; downward trend in “ethics” led to initiative for improvement (see Standard 4), small initial improvement in spring 2015
Class size: cap classes at 35, writing intensive at 25	Over 95% at or below caps
Availability: all courses available online	Target met; experimented with 7-week classes (were first to fill) so scheduled all online courses for 7-week format
Tuition and fees	B&A tuition and fees remain below major competitors