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Business school learning goals: Alignment with evidence-based models and accreditation standards

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2017

Kyle E Brink ,
Timothy B Palmer  and
Robert D Costigan
Kyle E Brink*
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Haworth College of Business, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Timothy B Palmer
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Haworth College of Business, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Robert D Costigan
Affiliation:
School of Business, St. John Fisher College, 3690 East Avenue, Rochester, NY, USA
*
Corresponding author: kyle.brink@wmich.edu
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Abstract

Programmatic learning goals serve as the foundation for an educational institution’s curriculum design and assurance of learning processes. The purpose of our study is to determine the relevance or alignment of undergraduate business school learning goals. We identify the learning goals of US undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International (AACSB) and determine the extent to which the goals are aligned with (a) evidence-based competencies that are needed for managerial success (including the ‘Great Eight’ and the ‘hyperdimensional taxonomy’) and (b) content areas identified in AACSB’s Eligibility Procedures and Accreditation Standards for Business Accreditation. We found that learning goals conform to AACSB Standards and evidence-based managerial competencies, but goals are most closely aligned with AACSB Standards, followed by the Great Eight, and the hyperdimensional taxonomy, respectively. We discuss the implications of our findings with respect to business schools’ assurance of learning processes and provide recommendations for AACSB, business schools, the broader academy, and future research.

Keywords

business educationlearning goalsassurance of learning
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , July 2018 , pp. 474 - 491
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2017 

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