Revised 9/25/06 

From the MBA Program’s inception in 2000, the MBA Assessment Plan has been jointly undertaken by the MBA Program Director and the MBA Enrollment Director.  Since August 2002, an MBA Program Committee consisting of MBA faculty, administrators, and alumni has provided input on program strategic planning and assessment. Assessment results have been shared with the MBA Program Committee and the entire MBA program faculty.

The initial priorities identified by the MBA Assessment Plan in the first six years of the MBA Program concerned the following:

• The evaluation of our accelerated hybrid instruction format (8-week format, in which classes combine in-class and online content delivery) in terms of direct measures of student learning and indirect measures of student and faculty satisfaction.
• The provision of feedback and training opportunities for MBA faculty in order to effectively utilize the hybrid course format by the provision of regular online training, sharing of student feedback, and highlighting of best practices.
• The ongoing formulation and revision of program student learning outcomes in light of program strategic planning and changes in assessment of learning criteria by our accrediting body, AACSB.

The following are some key milestones of the MBA Assessment Plan since the creation of the MBA Program in 2000:

• A course evaluation was designed specifically for MBA courses (beginning in Fall 2001).
• Exit evaluations and employment surveys are administered to our graduating class (annually beginning summer 2001).  Beginning in Fall 2005, these survey instruments have been supplemented with oral exit interviews held with individual graduates.
• Annual focus groups were initiated with our 2001 graduating class.  The results of the exit evaluations and focus groups are shared with MBA faculty.
• Beginning in Summer 2002, the ETS MBA Major Field Test has been given to all graduating MBA students in the MBA 6180 Strategic Management capstone course.  The test provides international benchmarking data across five content areas and is designed as a comprehensive exit examination.

The following are areas of priority in program assessment for the near-term:

1. Ongoing curriculum review, including the revision of foundations course, the addition of electives and areas of informal specialization.
   Actions: revision of strategic planning process, formalization of MBA strategic planning with the MBA Program Committee.
2. Improvement of departmental data collection and analysis capabilities in conjunction of campus conversion to new student information system (Banner).
   Actions:
   • Course evaluation instrument has since been revised and refined, facilitating departmental-level analysis of evaluation results, which are shared with individual MBA faculty and respective department chairs.
   • Meetings with Admissions and Registrar’s Offices to streamline graduate admissions process, declaration of program of study.
   • Work-study assistance hired to assist MBA secretary with data entry and routine tasks.
3. Improvement of graduation evaluation / exit evaluation process.
   Actions:
   • Oral exit interviews begun Fall 2005 to supplement data from written exit interviews.
   • Return rate on written exit interviews improved; surveys administered, collected during exit interviews.
4. Improve data collection and report generation capabilities for internal assessment, curriculum revision, and external reporting purposes.
   Actions:
   • Work with Admissions, WSU Computing and other graduate programs in the creation of online application integrated with WSU admissions and student information system.
   • Generation of reports correlating student admissions data (GMAT scores, undergraduate major & GPA) with performance in program overall and in foundations vs. required courses.

Student Learning Outcomes Key

Graduates of the Masters in Business Administration Program will be expected to demonstrate the following outcomes:

1. Graduate-level competency in both oral and written communication skills including ability to plan, organize, research and present reports using current technologies.
2. Ongoing, professional, and interactive relationships with the business community in the University’s service area, enhancing their networking skills and professional employment opportunities.
3. Graduate-level knowledge of theoretical concepts, ideas, and topics in the areas of Moral Reasoning, Organizational Behavior, Financial Management, Marketing Management, Logistics and Operations Management, Management Accounting and Control, Global Macroeconomics, Information Technology in the Enterprise, and Strategic Management.
4. Proficiency in interpersonal/human relation skills while acquiring the ability to effectively work in a team environment.
5. Placement in positions befitting their graduate-level education and with competitive salaries.

Assessment Type	Assessment Instrument / Frequency	Learning Outcomes Assessed	*Responsibility for Assessment [*Collection, analysis, dissemination]
Direct Measures	ETS MBA Major Field Test / twice annually	3	MBA Enrollment Director, MBA Program Director
	Course embedded assessments in the form of exams, assignments, projects, etc.	1, 3, 4	MBA Faculty
Indirect Measures	MBA course evaluations / in each class	1, 2, 3, 4	MBA Enrollment Director, MBA Program Director
	Written exit evaluations / twice annually	1, 2, 3, 4	MBA Enrollment Director, MBA Program Director
	Oral exit interviews / twice annually	2, 3, 4, 5	MBA Enrollment Director, MBA Program Director
	Exit Employment Surveys / twice annually	5	MBA Enrollment Director, MBA Program Director
	Student & alumni focus groups	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	MBA Enrollment Director, MBA Program Director
	Follow-up alumni employment survey / bi-annual	5	MBA Enrollment Director, MBA Program Director