School of Business Administration Accreditation

Learning Goals and Objectives

The learning goals for the BSBA undergraduate degree program are derived from the SOBA Program Values, which are expressed as part of the SOBA Mission Statement. These learning goals reflect the expectations of our stakeholders, who want our BSBA graduates to have well-developed communication and technology skills, to understand the global nature of the business environment, to be well trained in modern business practices, and to be prepared for making ethical business decisions that take into account the social responsibility of business in the 21st century. In turn, these learning goals guide the development of the BSBA core curriculum in such a way as to advance our stated mission of preparing students for career success and encouraging a positive community impact. Assessment of student learning in the BSBA program is managed by the SOBA Assessment Committee, which has developed a portfolio of direct and indirect assessment methods conducted on an ongoing basis for this purpose. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration has five main learning goals:

Communication: BSBA students will develop the written and oral communication skills necessary for success in their business careers.
Technology: BSBA students will develop basic technological skills to prepare them for their business careers.
Global Perspective: BSBA students will acquire a global perspective of the modern business environment.
Business Knowledge: BSBA students will acquire the basic business knowledge necessary for success in their business careers.
Ethics and Social Responsibility: BSBA students will develop an appreciation of the ethical decision-making, and the social responsibility of business to all its stakeholders.

AOL Processes and Procedures

The AOL process, summarized in the figures below, starts with SOBA Mission, Vision, and Values. From this, SOBA determines the learning goals and objectives. The Assessment Committee (BSBA) and Graduate Council (MBA) decide what information to access and how and when to access it. The Director of Assessment facilitates the collection of data for each point of assessment and distributes the data to the Assessment Committee and the Graduate Council respectively. The Assessment Committee and Graduate Council analyze the results of the assessments, and a list of recommendations are then provided to the faculty on an annual basis at the annual SOBA Fall Retreat. The Graduate Council handles any program recommendations or changes for the MBA program. For the undergraduate program, any recommendations that involve significant changes to the curriculum are forwarded to the Curriculum Proposal and Review Committee (CPRC) for further consideration. If changes are approved by the CPRC, those proposed changes are then presented to the voting members of the SOBA faculty for their consideration and approval. All curriculum change proposals approved by the SOBA faculty must be approved by the University Courses and Curriculum Committee. The proposals then must be approved by the USC Aiken Faculty Assembly, which is consisting of all full-time faculty members. Following approval by the Faculty Assembly, all curriculum change proposals are submitted to the EVCAA and Chancellor for final approval. Only new program proposals must go on for additional approval by the USC System, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, and SACS-COC.

Assessment Tools

BSBA Assessment Tools

USC Aiken SOBA utilizes several measurement methods to evaluate each of the five program learning goals within the BSBA.

Learning Goal: Communication

Measurement	Benchmark
Writing Proficiency Portfolio	SOBA students' average score is not more than one standard deviation below the USC Aiken average score.
Oral Presentation Skills - BADM 478 (in-class rubric)	80% of the students pass in accordance with the rubric.
Business Senior Exit Survey	70% of the students respond adequately or higher to the communication questions.
BADM 345: Business Communication (embedded test)	80% of the students pass with C or better.

Learning Goal: Technology

Measurement	Benchmark
Excel Technical Skills - BADM 290 (embedded test)	80% of the students pass with C or better.
Database Management Skills BADM 390 (embedded test)	80% of the students pass with C or better.
Excel and Database Management Skills BADM 298 (In-Class Project)	80% of the student will score 6 or higher using the designed rubric.
Excel and Database Management Skills BADM 299 ( In-Class Project)	80% of the students pass with C or better.
Excel and Database Management Skills BADM 300 (In-Class Project)	80% of the students pass with C or better.
Business Senior Exit Survey	70% of the students respond adequately or higher to the technology questions.
Major Field Test	BSBA students will be within one standard deviation of the corresponding national mean for the MFT in the measured area.

Learning Goal: Global Perspective

Measurement	Benchmark
Global Business knowledge BADM 383 (embedded test)	80% of the students pass with C or better.
Business Senior Exit Survey	70% of the students respond adequately or higher to the communication questions.
Major Field Test	BSBA students will be within one standard deviation of the corresponding national mean for the MFT in the measured area.

Learning Goal: Business Knowledge

Measurement	Benchmark
Major Field Test	BSBA students will be within one standard deviation of the corresponding national mean for the MFT in the measured area.
Business Senior Exit Survey	70% of the students respond adequately or higher to the Business Knowledge question.

Learning Goal: Ethical and Social Knowledge

Measurement	Benchmark
Ethical and Social knowledge BADM 397 (embedded test)	80% of the students pass with C or better.
Business Senior Exit Survey	70% of the students respond adequately or higher to the Business Knowledge question
Major Field Test	BSBA students will be within one standard deviation of the corresponding national mean for the MFT in the measured area.