University of Nebraska Kearney

Management Assessment Plan (Replaced S07)

Direct Measures

Education Testing Systems Major Field Test

The Major Field Test program is an innovative battery of undergraduate outcomes tests used by schools and departments at more than 600 colleges and universities globally to measure student academic achievement and growth. The scores of this test allow for detailed curriculum review and evaluation. The Major Field Test is an objective, end-of-program test. The content specifications for the Major Field Test reflect the basic knowledge and understanding gained in the undergraduate curriculum. In addition to factual knowledge, the test evaluates students' ability to analyze and solve problems, understand relationships and interpret material. It contains questions that call for information as well as questions that require interpretation of graphics, diagrams, and charts based on material related to the field.

The Major Field Test is constructed by committees of faculty experts in each subject area who review and revise content specifications and update and prepare questions. Selected experts in appropriate subject matter areas at Educational Testing Service review and analyze the specifications, questions, and assembled tests before the tests are made available for use. Statistical properties of each questions, such as difficulty level and degree of correlation with the total score, are on record or are computed when new or revised test forms are first administered to help ensure that each question contributes meaningfully to the test results. The aim of the test is to provide an instrument that measures the subject matter and skills a student should gain from his/her undergraduate study.

All business majors complete this test as part of the requirements for successful completion of BMGT 495. The test is administered during Final Week. After the test has been scored, the results are returned to the College and distributed to the departments. These results are then used for curriculum assessment and change.

Senior Capstone Course - BMGT 495 - Administrative Strategy and Policy

All business majors complete this course during their senior year at UNK, therefore they participate in the assessment process as part of this course. Students in this course complete the following items gathered and used for assessment purposes:

Management Capstone Courses

The following courses capture all management majors. BMGT 485-Seminar in Human Resource Management is offered in the spring semester and BMGT 490-Seminar in Organizational Behavior is offered in the fall semester. Therefore, all management majors take one or the other of these courses as required by the students' major.

1. BMGT 485-Seminar in Human Resource Management. BMGT 485 requires students to write papers that analyze and interpret relevant research. Students utilize critical thinking by asking questions and developing their own research questions. Additionally, students work in groups studying four to five focused topics, interacting, and sharing their ideas. Appropriate random samples will be collected for assessment by a faculty panel composed of management faculty not involved in teaching the class.
2. BMGT 490-Seminar in Organizational Behavior. Student groups (two to three students) are required to critically analyze and orally report on two to three readings/articles by answering specific questions prepared by the instructor. Class members are required to prepare a series of five to ten content points related to each article. Content points are defined as points of significance requiring discussion and analysis. The student groups present their analyses orally using PowerPoint technology. The presenters and the class are also asked to integrate current issues, prior scholarly knowledge, and their personal experiences with the assigned readings/articles. Appropriate random samples of presentations will be assessed by a panel of management faculty that are not involved in teaching the class.

Indirect Measure

Senior Exit Survey

This survey is offered each year to graduating seniors. These students are contacted by mail and strongly urged to complete the survey. This is an on-line survey. The Director of the Center for Rural Research and Development tabulates the surveys and creates a report that is distributed annually to the faculty.

Numbers responding to this survey are as follows:

Skills Competencies Assessment

All departments in the College of Business and Technology utilize the Skills Competencies Assessment that is performed by the Director of the Center for Rural Research and Development. This survey is sent to alumni who graduated three and six years prior to the survey.

The Director of the Center for Rural Research and Development then tabulates the information and creates a report that is distributed to faculty.

Reporting and Using the Results

For each assessment tool, the designated group will prepare a report for the Management Department. The department members will discuss these results in a meeting and may then recommend changes or additions to the cirriculum.