Improving the Assessment (Assurance of Learning) Processes

Strategically located in downtown Denver, this state university is a popular destination for working adults and traditional students alike to get a quality education. The university’s College of Business was first accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) in spring 2016. Five undergraduate programs and one graduate program in Accounting were accredited; an undergraduate program in Economics was excluded from AACSB review. Since the initial accreditation, the college added three undergraduate degree programs and a second graduate program (MBA). AACSB standards stipulate assessing general knowledge & skills and subject-specific knowledge & skills for each program. University also requires each program to conduct program assessment every year. Given this huge challenge of assessment for 11 programs that includes data collection, analysis, and planning & implementing intervention to improve student learning, the faculty team was looking for ways to improve the processes to avoid duplication and data storage for easy retrieval. This paper, the first in a twopart series, explains how this challenge is being addressed by the college. Because of six sigma approaches, a technology solution is developed.