Standard Four: Best Practices From Troy University

Standard 4: Best Practices
from Troy University
Dr. Bill Hamby
Director of Accreditation
Sorrell College of Business
Troy University
@ACBSPAccredited #ACBSP2015

Associate of Science in Business
• Students will recognize and correctly apply basic accounting
concepts.
• Students will recognize and correctly apply introductory economic
concepts.
• Students will be able to use common tools to analyze and solve
business problems.
• Students will recognize and correctly apply legal and ethical
principles in business.

Associate of Science in Business
Performance Indicator
Results, Analysis & Actions Taken Graphs or Tables of Resulting Trends
Performance
Measure
Measurement Instrument Current Results Analysis of Results Actions Taken /
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
(3-5 data points preferred)
SLO 1.1: Students will be able to recognize and correctly apply basic accounting concepts.
Criteria:
ASB students will
correctly answer
70% or more of
the questions in
each subscale
area
Measure:
Accounting Exam
Questions
 direct
 internal
 formative
 comparative*
* by location and
delivery method
Cycle: exam given every
semester; results are
evaluated annually
2012-13:
Fin. ACT:
80.4%
Mgt ACT: 70.0%
Overall:
74.0%
2011-12:
Fin. ACT:
73.9%
Mgt ACT: 63.0%
Overall:
66.4%
Expectations were met
in 2012-13, but we
failed to meet
expectations in 2011-
12.
Poor results in
managerial accounting
in 2011-12 stemmed
from lower than normal
results at the
Montgomery campus.
in financial accounting,
however.
A decision was made to use
more full-time faculty to
teach this course. Results
improved substantially in
2012-13, resulting in
expectations being met or
exceeded for both measures.
Improvement plan: Although
the ASB degree will be
eliminated in 2013-14, we will
continue use more full-time
faculty to ensure gains are
retained.

BSBA in General Business
• Students will be able to recognize business terms and apply business concepts in
accounting and economics.
• Students will be able to recognize, understand, and apply basic concepts in
management and marketing.
• Students will be able to use common tools and approaches in quantitative methods
to locate, analyze, and report information to solve problems.
• Students will be able to use common financial tools and approaches to locate,
analyze, and report information to solve problems.
• Students will be able to integrate business concepts in an IT setting.
• Students will be able to evaluate the global business environment, identifying
problems and effectively communicating their proposed strategies.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the legal environment of business
and ethics.

BSBA in General Business
Performance Indicator Results, Analysis & Actions Taken Graphs or Tables of Resulting Trends
Performance
Measure
Measurement
Instrument
Current Results Analysis of Results Actions Taken /
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 4.1: General Business majors will demonstrate understanding of the legal environment of business and business ethics.
Criteria:
General Business
majors will
correctly answer
70% or more of
the questions in
each subscale
area.
Measure:
Business Law Exam
Questions
 direct
 internal
 formative
 comparative*
* location, delivery
method, program
Cycle: given every
term, results
evaluated annually
2012-13:
Legal System 69.4%
Contracts 72.3%
Bus Ethics 84.0%
2011-12:
Legal System 67.9%
Contracts 68.2%
Bus Ethics 80.8%
NOTE: Additional
internal and external
summative
assessments are used
to evaluate this
outcome.
Expectations were
exceeded in both
years in this cycle
for ethics, while
results for law
subscale areas
were below
expectations in
2011-12.
In 2012-13 law
results improved
so expectations
were met overall.
Improvement Plan:
New assessments are
being developed for the
next cycle.
The business law class
is being rewritten to
change its focus to legal
environment, while
new class is being
introduced into the
BSBA core focusing on
business ethics and
corporate social
responsibility.
NOTE: There was no data available for General Business majors for this exam
in 2009-10 due to purging of student records in Blackboard. This problem
was resolved so it should not recur.

BSBA in Accounting
• Students will be able to recognize business terms and apply business concepts in economics and business law.
• Students will be able to recognize, understand, and apply basic concepts in management and marketing.
• Students will be able to use common tools and approaches in quantitative methods to locate, analyze, and report
information to solve problems
• Students will be able to use common financial tools and approaches to locate, analyze, and report information to
solve problems.
• Students will be able to evaluate the global business environment, identifying problems and effectively
communicating their proposed strategies.
• Students will analyze and use financial statements for decision making.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental concepts of tax law, regulation, and auditing.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental concepts of managerial accounting.

BSBA in Accounting
Performance
Measure
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 4.1: Students will be able to analyze and use financial statements for decision making.
Criteria:
Accounting
majors will
correctly answer
70% or more of
the questions in
this subscale
area.
Measures:
Formative Exam
 direct
 internal
 formative
 comparative*
Capstone Exam:
 direct
 internal
 summative
 comparative*
* by location (this program is
not offered online)
Cycle: given every semester;
results evaluated annually
2012-13:
Formative 75.5%
Capstone 80.1%
2011-12:
Formative 74.0%
Capstone 71.1%
Item analysis is
conducted annually
by the faculty to
view performance in
each area.
Expectations were
exceeded in both
years in this cycle.
There has been a
significant
improvement in
performance over
time.
NOTE: Formative
exam results were
not available for
accounting majors
in 2009-10 due to
data loss.
Improvement Plan:
This is a difficult exam
based on CPA exam
questions.
Although students did well
on this section during this
cycle, the passing rate on
the CPA exam itself is
70%.
As expectations for this
exam are set exceedingly
high for all sections, the
exam is being revised.

BSBA in Finance
• Students will be able to recognize business terms and apply business concepts in accounting, economics, and business law.
• Students will be able to recognize, understand, and apply basic concepts in management and marketing.
information to solve business problems.
• Students will be able to use common financial tools and approaches to locate, analyze, and report information to solve
business problems.
• Students will be able to evaluate the global business environment, identifying problems and effectively communicating
their proposed strategies.
• Students will be able to compute the value of business assets as well as their risk/return.
• Students will be able to identify how both domestic and international financial markets operate and discuss issues
pertaining to multinational financial management.
• Students will be able to analyze a firm’s financial condition and evaluate capital budgeting and financing decisions.

BSBA in Finance
Performance
Measure
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 2.2: Students will be able to use common financial tools and approaches to locate, analyze, and report information to solve business problems.
Criteria:
At least 70% of
Finance majors
will meet or
exceed
expectations in
each subscale
area.
Measures:
Finance subscales:
1) BSBA Degree Capstone
Exam
2) ETS Business Major
Field Test
 direct
 internal (capstone) or
external (MFT)
 summative
 comparative*
* by location, delivery
method, program, other
institutions (MFT only)
Cycle: given every term,
2012-13:
Capstone
79.8%
MFT–Finance
65.6%
2011-12:
Capstone
70.9%
MFT-Finance
63.9%
Expectations were
met for the
capstone exam
during 2011-13,
with a significant
improvement in
2012 relative to
prior years.
Results in the
finance subscale on
the MFT were below
expectations during
this assessment
cycle, however the
results shown are
for all BSBA
students not finance
majors alone.
Improvement Plan:
The introductory finance sequence
is being updated to include a
course designed to strengthen skills
in financial math.
New formative assessment
measures are also being developed
to assess areas of weakness before
students get to the capstone
course.
A new MFT module has been
purchased that will allow us to
separate out results by program
and do item analysis as well. This
should be implemented in 2013-
14.

BSBA in Information Systems
• Students will be able to recognize business terms and apply business concepts in accounting, economics and
business law.
• Students will be able to recognize, understand, and apply basic concepts in marketing and management.
• Students will be able to use common tools and approaches in quantitative methods to locate, analyze, and
report information to solve problems.
• Students will be able to use common financial tools and approaches to locate, analyze, and report
information to solve problems.
• Students will be able to evaluate the global business environment, identifying problems and proposing
strategies.
• Students will demonstrate the knowledge and skills to design, implement, and develop implementation
strategies for information relational databases and application programs.
• Students will describe data communication and web-related technologies, e-commerce, network operating
system, and website development concepts.

BSBA in Information Systems
Performance
Measure
Measurement
Instrument
Current Results Analysis of Results Actions Taken /
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 4.1: Students will demonstrate the knowledge and skills to design, implement, and develop implementation strategies for information relational databases and application programs.
Criteria:
IS majors will
correctly answer
70% or more of
the questions in
each subscale
area.
Measure:
Program Capstone Exam
 direct
 internal
 summative
 comparative*
* location (this program
is not offered online)
Cycle: given every
spring, results
evaluated annually
2012-13:
Progrm I 93.8%
Progrm II 84.6%
Db Mgmt 90.2%
2011-12:
Progrm I 84.6%
Progrm II 76.9%
Db Mgmt 85.5%
Expectations were
exceeded in both years
in this cycle.
There has been a
significant
improvement in
performance over
time, reflecting
improvements made to
two of the three
courses after the 2009-
11 assessment cycle.
Improvement Plan:
A weakness was noted
in the second
programming class at
the Troy campus. IS
faculty are reviewing
this course to deepen
coverage in key areas
to provide better
focus. Additional full-
time faculty are being
hired at this location.

BSBA in Management
• Students will be able to recognize business terms and apply business concepts in accounting and economics.
• Students will be able to recognize business terms and apply business concepts in information systems and
marketing.
• Students will be able to use common tools and approaches in quantitative methods to locate, analyze, and
report information to solve problems.
• Students will be able to use common financial tools and approaches to locate, analyze, and report information
to solve problems.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the legal environment of business and ethics in a global
setting.
• Students will be able to evaluate the global business environment, identifying problems and effectively
communicating their proposed strategies.
• Students will recognize, use, and apply core management principles and concepts in operations management.
• Students will explain and apply key concepts in human resource management and organization behavior.

BSBA in Management
Performance
Measure
Measurement Instrument Current
Results
Analysis of
Results
Actions Taken /
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 3.2: Students will be able to evaluate the global business environment, identifying problems and effectively communicating their proposed strategies.
Criteria:
At least 70%
of
Management
majors will
meet or
exceed
expectations
in each
subscale area.
Measures:
1) BSBA Degree Capstone
Exam
2) ETS Bus. MFT
 direct
 internal (capstone)
and external (MFT)
 summative
 comparative*
term the course is offered,
2012-13:
Capstone Exam:
Comm Skills 70.4%
Strategy 77.7%
Business MFT:
International /
Integrative 78.3%
2011-12:
Capstone Exam:
Comm Skills 72.9%
Strategy 78.7%
Business MFT:
International /
Integrative 75.4%
Expectations
were met or
exceeded in all
years each
subscale area
during this
assessment
cycle.
The same was
true during the
prior cycle, so
new
assessments are
being planned
for use in the
2013-14 cycle.
Improvement Plan:
The assessment plan
is being revised for
the next cycle to
include more rubric-
based assessments.
New assessments and
rubrics are being
developed covering
written
communication skills,
strategic problem-
solving, and cultural
differences, along
with critical thinking. NOTE: Program capstone results were lost due to purging of
student records in Blackboard in 2009-10. This problem has
since been corrected.

BSBA in Marketing
• Students will be able to recognize business terms and apply business concepts in accounting and economics.
• Students will be able to recognize, understand, and apply basic concepts in information systems and management.
• Students will be able to use common financial tools and approaches to locate, analyze, and report information to
solve problems.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the legal environment of business and ethics in a global setting.
• Students will be able to evaluate the global business environment, identifying problems and proposing strategies.
• Students will be able to apply marketing principles and concepts to make appropriate decisions regarding product,
promotion, price, and distribution systems to meet target marketing goals.
• Students will evaluate the social, cultural, and psychological factors that influence consumer purchasing decisions.
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of the process of gathering, analyzing, and reporting information useful for
solving marketing problems.

BSBA in Marketing
Performance
Measure
Measurement
Instrument
Current
Results
Analysis of Results Actions Taken /
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 4.1: Students will be able to apply marketing principles and concepts to make appropriate decisions regarding product, promotion, price, and distribution systems to
meet target marketing goals.
Criteria:
Marketing
majors will
correctly
answer 70%
or more of
the
questions in
each area.
Measures:
Degree & Program
Capstone Exams
 direct
 internal
 summative
 comparative*
* by location,
delivery method
Cycle: exam given
every term the
course is offered,
results evaluated
annually
2012-13:
Mkt Principles
71.8%
Core Concepts 74.5%
2011-12:
Mkt Principles
75.9%
Core Concepts 73.2%
NOTE: The ETS
Business Major Field
Test (summative,
external) is also used
to assess this
outcome.
or exceeded in both sets
of assessments during
this cycle.
Results improved from
the prior assessment
cycle.
NOTE: The degree
capstone results for
2009-10 reflect a very
low “n” caused by loss of
data in Blackboard and
are not representative of
other years.
Improvement Plan:
A revised
assessment plan is
being developed to
pinpoint gaps or
problems in
student learning in
particular areas.
The revised
assessments and
rubrics for the
program will be
implemented
effective Fall 2013.

BSBA in Risk Management and Insurance
• Students will be able to recognize business terms and apply business concepts in accounting, economics, and business law.
• Students will be able to recognize, understand, and apply basic concepts in marketing and management.
• Students will be able to use common financial tools and approaches to locate, analyze, and report information to solve
problems.
• Students will be able to evaluate the global business environment, identifying problems and proposing strategies.
• Students will be able to demonstrate a broad understanding of life and health insurance regulations and requirements
• Students will be able to demonstrate a broad understanding of property casualty insurance regulations and requirements.
• Students will be able to apply risk management principles and concepts.
• Students will be able to demonstrate a broad understanding of insurance operations and surplus lines.
• Students will be able to demonstrate sufficient understanding of commercial insurance to ensure employment in their field
after graduation.

BSBA in Risk Management and Insurance
Performance
Measure
Measurement Instrument Current Results Analysis of
Results
Actions Taken /
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 4.2: Students will be able to demonstrate a broad understanding of property casualty insurance regulations and requirements.
Criteria:
RMI Program
Capstone Exam
RMI majors will
correctly answer
70% or more of
the questions in
the property and
casualty insurance
subscale area
Alabama
Department of
Insurance Licensure
Exam
At least 70% of
RMI majors will
pass the external
exam.
Measures:
RMI Program Capstone Exam
 direct
 internal
 summative
Alabama DOI Licensure Exam in
Property and Casualty Insurance
 direct
 external
 summative
This program is only offered in
lecture format in one location,
so comparisons cannot be made.
Cycle: exams are given and
whenever the capstone course is
taught
2012-13:
Capstone 82.2%
State Exam 75.0%
2011-12:
Capstone n/a
State Exam 68.2%
Expectations
were exceeded
2012-13 for both
sets of
assessments,
while results
were slightly
below
expectations in
2011-12 for the
external
licensure exam.
This is a very
small program,
so even a one-
student change
can result in a
large swing in
percentages.
This program is being
revised to allow
different tracks to
better meet student
and market needs
based on stakeholder
feedback.
This will create a more
defined set of courses
that support each
other, which should
improve results on
both internal and
external exams.
The revisions will be
implemented in 2013-
14. New assessments
are also planned.
NOTE: Capstone exam results for 2010-11 and 2011-12 were lost due
to a hard drive failure. Program capstone results are now being stored
in the college assessment data warehouse server which maintains
multiple backups.

Master of Business Administration
• Students will be able to complete an environmental scan and
internal audit for a service or manufacturing organization.
• Students will be able to assess the current financial as well as
overall status of the organization.
• Students will be able to create a strategic plan that incorporates
common management tools.
• Students will demonstrate competence in business core theories,
concepts, and practices as applied to an organizational context.
• Students will demonstrate competence in their chosen
concentration.

Master of Business Administration
Performance
Measure
Results
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 3.1: Students will be able to create a strategic plan that incorporates common management tools.
Criteria:
At least 80% of
MBA students will
meet or exceed
expectations in in
this subscale area
for each
assessment
measure.
Measures:
1) MBA Program Capstone
Exam &
2) ETS MBA Major Field
Test
 direct
 internal (capstone) &
external (MFT)
 summative
 comparative*
2012-13:
Capstone Exam 82.3%
ETS MBA MFT 78.1%
2011-12:
Capstone Exam 80.5%
ETS MBA MFT 81.8%
In 2011-12,
expectations were
met for both
assessments.
In 2012-13,
expectations were
exceeded for the
MBA capstone but
were slightly below
expectations for the
MFT.
Results improved
from the prior
assessment cycle.
Improvement Plan:
A revised assessment
plan is being
developed to include
more rubric-based
assessments as well as
formative measures
across learning
outcomes for this
program.
The revised
assessments and
rubrics for the
program will be
implemented effective
Fall 2013.

Master of Science in Human Resource
Management
• Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the theory, concepts,
values, principles, legal constraints and practices of HRM, as well as
ethical considerations.
• Students will be able to use an open systems approach to solve HR
problems including problem recognition, definition, analysis, solution
development, and implementation planning.
• Students will be able to use common HR tools and approaches to
analyze, organize, represent, and communicate HR management data.
• Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to analyze, select and
present HR strategies that support the competitive strategies of the
organization.

Master of Science in Human Resource
Management
Performance
Measure
Results
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 1.1: Demonstrate knowledge of the theory, concepts, values, principles, legal constraints and practices of HRM, as well as ethical considerations.
Criteria:
At least 80%
of MSHRM
students will
meet or
exceed
expectations
in each
subscale area.
Measures:
1) SHRM Pre-PHR Exam
and
2) MSHRM Program Capstone
Exam
 direct
 external (Pre-PHR) &
internal (capstone)
 summative
 comparative*
* location, delivery method
Pre-PHR Exam
2012-13:
Composite 80.8%
Empl Relations 82.1%
2011-12:
Composite 76.4%
Empl Relations 68.3%
Capstone Exam
2012-13:
Foundations 79.6%
Ethics 93.0%
2011-12:
Foundations 84.1%
Ethics 100.0%
In 2012-13,
expectations were
met or exceeded in
both measures.
In 2011-12, scores on
the Pre-PHR were
below expectations
but were above
expectations on the
program capstone
exam.
Results on the Pre-
PHR exam have
improved over time.
Improvement Plan:
Establish a
committee to review
and revise the
MSHRM capstone
exam to better align
content with learning
outcomes.
Develop additional
assessments using
rubrics for each SLO
to ensure a more
consistent,
comprehensive
assessment and
pinpoint problem
areas in learning.

Master of Science in Management
• Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the theory, concepts, principles, and practices of
business management
• Students will be able use an open system approach to management problem solving to include problem
recognition, analysis through the use of conceptual and theoretical measurements and diagnostics,
solution development, implementation, and planning.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze, select, and present strategies that support a selected
management specialty area.
• Students will use common management tools and approaches to analyze and interpret management data
and use effective strategies to design management processes.
• Students will be able to apply essential accounting and financial principles for use in strategic decision-
making.
• Students will apply ethics in their management decisions.
• Students will demonstrate effective research and written communication skills.

Master of Science in Management
Performance
Measure
Measurement
Instrument
Current
Results
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 3.1: Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze, select, and present strategies that support a selected management specialty area.
Criteria:
At least 80% of
questions in
this subscale
area will be
answered
correctly.
Measures:
MSM Program
Capstone Exam
 direct
 internal
 summative
 comparative*
* location, delivery
method
Cycle: exam given
every term the
course is offered,
results evaluated
annually
See table in
last column.
Assessments
for other
learning
outcomes
include the
ETS Major
Field Test,
writing
assignments
graded with a
rubric, and
item analysis
of exams.
Expectations
were met or
exceeded in both
years for three of
the five specialty
areas.
The poor results
in 2012-13 for IS
are for one
student only.
Results have
generally
improved over
time.
Improvement Plan:
To provide better
focus for this
program and to
improve student
learning, a decision
was made to revise
the curriculum and
eliminate all
specialty areas
except leadership.
The updated
curriculum along with
new assessment
measures will be
offered starting in
September 2013.
Items in red font are below expectations.
MSM Capstone
Exam
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Subscale Area 3 (management specialty)
HR Management 82.3% 80.6% 78.6% 82.6%
Internatn’l Mgmt 44.8% 88.8% 84.8%
Leadership & Org 62.1% 70.1% 79.5% 82.6%
Healthcare Mgmt 75.2% 92.5% 82.3%
Info Systems Mgmt 87.1% 84.4% 68.1%

Master of Accountancy
• Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of specialized functional accounting.
• Students will be able to accurately apply specialized functional accounting knowledge to
accounting problems.
• Students will be able to develop conclusions to accounting to accounting problems.
• Students will be able to effectively communicate conclusions to accounting problems.
• Students will be able to identify ethical/unethical behavior in dilemmas related to accounting
issues.
• Students will be able to apply knowledge of ethical behavior in dilemmas related to accounting
issues.
• Students will be able to analyze advanced accounting problems to develop appropriate solutions.
• Students will be able to analyze advanced tax problems to develop appropriate solutions.

Master of Accountancy
Performance
Measure
Plans Made
Graphs or Tables
SLO 4.1: Students will analyze advanced accounting problems to develop appropriate solutions.
Criteria:
At least 80%
of students
will meet or
exceed
expectations
in each
rubric
subscore
area.
Measures:
Research Paper
 direct
 internal
 formative
This program is only
offered in lecture format
in one location, so
comparisons cannot be
made.
term the course is
offered, results
evaluated annually
2012-13:
Intro & Topic 100% *
Methodology 100%
Content/Org 100%
Writing Quality 100%
Info Quality 94%
Conclusion 94%
2011-12: n/a
NOTE: This program is
new and did not begin
until Fall 2012.
* total percent who met
or exceeded
expectations
Expectations
were met or
exceeded in all
rubric areas.
This initial
assessment was
completed by
students who
transferred in
credits from the
MBA program.
Improvement
Plan:
We plan to
administer the
same
assessment in
the next cycle
as the initial
intake of
students was
very small.

Questions

Contact Information
Dr. Bill Hamby
Director of Accreditation
Sorrell College of Business
whamby@troy.edu
(334)-806-6614

Standard Four: Best Practices From Troy University

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