SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2013 - 2014 : Educational Programs :
Banking And Financial Institutions BBA
Banking And Financial Institutions BBA
1 Goal 3 Objectives 3 Indicators 3 Criteria 5 Findings 3 Actions
| GOAL: Strategically Train Students To Be Leaders In Banking And Financial Institutions |
| Objective |
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| Banking BBA graduates will be competent communicators. |
| Indicator |
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| Students will give an oral presentation during the Commercial Banking and Commercial Bank Lending courses. |
| Criterion |
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| At least 80% of the sampled students must meet expectations on the presentation portion of the grading rubric. |
| Finding |
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Students in the Commercial Bank Lending course completed small group case presentations related to a lending request. Students were graded using a rubric addressing both content and delivery (see attachment). To meet expectations for delivery (communication), a group must score 35/50; 40/50 to exceed expectations, and 45/50 to significantly exceed expectations. For the Spring 2014 course, 7 of the 10 groups significantly exceeded expectations, and the remaining 3 exceeded expectations. No group failed to meet expectations. These results are slightly higher than Spring 2013 (4 groups significantly exceeded and 4 exceeded). We have seen a positive trend in these scores over the past 3 years due to the increased emphasis on the importance of presenting the results. A summary of scores is attached. |
| Finding |
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Students in the Commercial Banking course were assessed using a case study. The assignment allowed students to utilize the information obtained in the class and complementary classes to exhibit a degree of competency as well as an ability to apply course materials in the problem-solving process. The cases were evaluated by Dr. Jim Bexley (course instructor), and three area banking professionals (Lisa Wood, Scott Francis, and John Hendricks). The groups were graded by each of the 4 evaluators on a scale of 1 to 10 in the areas of presentation and communication for a maximum subscore of 40 points in each area. The evaluators determined that given the difficulty of the case, a minimum subscore of 22 was needed to meet expectations, 26 to 30 to exceed expectations, and 31 and above to significantly exceed expectations. Full results are attached. In the area of Presentation, 8 of 10 groups significantly exceeded expectations, and the remaining 2 exceeded expectations (none failed to meet expectations). Raw scores ranged from 27 to 37. The evaluators reported very good written presentations and use of PowerPoint. In the area of Communication, 9 of 10 groups significantly exceeded expectations, and the remaining group exceeded expectations (none failed to meet expectations). Raw scores ranged from 29 to 38. The evaluators reported that the students did a very good job in communicating the suggested solutions. |
Actions for Objective:
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Few significant modifications appear to be needed. In the Commercial Banking course, 8 of 10 groups significantly exceeded expectations in the presentation area this year (compared to 7 of 10 last year), while 9 of 10 significantly exceeded expectations in the areas of Communication (same as last year). We believe these very favorable results are the continued focus placed on the importance of communication both in the Banking courses, as well as the lower division courses within the College of Business. Additionally, the “outside” evaluators for the Commercial Banking course stated that the students performed very well and appeared ready for real-world activities. This is a slight improvement over historical results, when the evaluators indicated the students should focus more on using the presentation to “sell” the solutions. We believe these independent evaluators add credibility to our findings. In the Commercial Bank Lending course, more focus continues to be placed on the communication of the results than in the past years. This is the second year that the instructor has provided a more detailed example of the presentation required, used a more standard format for all presentations, and presented an “example” for the students to see what was required. The student are also interrupted more during their presentations for further explain the ideas they are attempting to convey. In total, 7 of 10 groups significantly expectations (compared to 4 of 8 last year), and the remaining 3 exceeded expectations. We believe this improvement is again the results of continued emphasis on communication skills both in the Banking courses and in other College of Business Courses. |
| GOAL: Strategically Train Students To Be Leaders In Banking And Financial Institutions |
| Objective |
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Banking BBA graduates will correctly apply financial models in solving quantitative problems in banking and in presenting solutions to banking problems. |
| Indicator |
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| Students will present one or more cases involving issues in banking. Students will evaluate the information given, identify alternative solutions, and then recommend the most appropriate solution. |
| Criterion |
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| 80% of the sampled students must meet expectations on the solution portion of the presentation grading rubric. |
| Finding |
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Students in the Commercial Bank Lending course completed small group case presentations related to a lending request. Students were graded using a rubric addressing both content and delivery (see attachment). To meet expectations for content (critical thinking), a group must score 35/50; 40/50 to exceed expectations, and 45/50 to significantly exceed expectations. In the Spring 2014 semester, 7 of the 10 groups significantly exceeded expectations, 1 exceeded expectations, and the remaining 2 groups met expectations. No groups failed to meet expectations. A summary of scores is attached. Again, this represents a positive trend over the last 3 years as student expectations for the analysis have been more clearly defined and additional financial statement review has been included in the course. |
| Finding |
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Students in the commercial banking class were assessed using a case study. The assignment allowed students to utilize the information obtained in the class and complementary classes to exhibit a degree of competency as well as an ability to apply course materials in the problems solving process. The cases were evaluated by Dr. Jim Bexley (course instructor), and three area banking professionals (Lisa Wood, Scott Francis, and John Hendricks). The groups were graded by each of the 5 evaluators on a scale of 1 to 10 in for critical thinking for a maximum subscore of 40 points. The evaluators determined that given the difficulty of the case, a minimum subscore of 22 was needed to meet expectations, 26 to 30 to exceed expectations, and 31 and above to significantly exceed expectations. Full results are attached. In the area of Critical Thinking, 6 of the 10 groups significantly exceeded expectations, and the remaining 4 groups exceeded expectations. Nnone failed to meet expectations, and 3 of the 4 groups which exceeded expectations scored 30, which is 1 point below significantly exceeding expectations. Raw scores ranged from 29 to 38. The evaluators reported that the students did a very good job in analyzing the case. They had a good understanding of the financial analysis necessary to evaluate the situation. |
Actions for Objective:
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Few significant modifications appear to be needed. The “outside” evaluators for the Commercial Banking course reported no major suggestions for improvement. Critical Thinking subscores show improvement over last year, even as we raised the minimum scores slightly. For the current year, 6 of 10 groups significantly exceeded expectations, compared to 3 of 8 last year. All groups this year at least exceeded expectations, while 1 group last year did not. Also, 3 of the 4 groups which exceeded expectations were just 1 point from significantly exceeding expectations. We feel the numbers show we continue to make progress in the critical thinking area. Last year, there was increased emphasis placed on the effective presentation of the cases. While the presentation quality and communication skills improved over past years, the analysis regressed slightly. We appear to have reversed that trend this year, with 7 of 10 groups significantly exceeding expectations, 1 exceeding expectations, and 2 meeting expectations. Going forward, the importance of both the analysis and the presentation will continue to be emphasized and demonstrated. Additionally, the Commercial Bank Lending Cases are revised each semester to involve additional analysis to reflect current issues. The more standardized platform of analysis implemented this year did help with student expectations of the depth of the analysis. |
| GOAL: Strategically Train Students To Be Leaders In Banking And Financial Institutions |
| Objective |
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| Students should develop an excellent working knowledge of bank operations. This primarily includes the lending function and bank management. |
| Indicator |
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In the regular class exams in the Commercial Bank Lending Course, students answer 21 qualitative and quantitative questions which cover the core areas of banking. The questions are attached. These questions have been developed by both the Chair of Banking and members of the finance faculty. The knowledge that is tested is reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that core knowledge is tested. This is the second year of using a new text in the course, and all assessment questions were the same as the previous year to provide a more accurate comparison. |
| Criterion |
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The class average on individual embedded exam questions will be 70% correct on each question. The embedded questions are selected based on the core objectives of the course. The core objectives of the banking courses were determined by the Chair of Banking and the finance faculty teaching the related banking courses. |
| Finding |
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Overall, the students averaged 81.0% correct on the assessment questions for the Spring 2014 semester, just slightly higher than the 78.3% of the Spring 2013 semester (see attached table). Additionally, 3 individual questions did not meet the 70% goal (this is up slightly from 2 questions from Spring 2013, and down slightly from 4 questions in Fall 2012 and 6 questions in Spring 2013. The questions are #3 (identifying potential financial problems), #8 (leverage, risk, and ROE), and #18 (seasonal loan maturity). |
Actions for Objective:
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Overall, the students are meeting the standards set and have shown improvement over the last 3 years. However, there are 3 questions in which the students failed to meet the 70% criterion. Question #3 asks about identifying potential financial problems. While statement analysis is a major topic in the course, more time will be spent edifying potential problems even the though the business may meet standard underwriting criteria in its current positions. Question #8 deals with leverage, risk, and ROE. Students appear to understand that higher leverage produces higher risk, but they do not connect that with potential higher ROE if the firm is successful. An illustrative example involving rental property has been developed to show this connection. For question #18, a deeper discussion of the definition of seasonal loan maturity is all that is needed. |
| Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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We were generally pleased with the improvements from the 2011-2012 academic year to the 2012-2013 academic year. One area of increased focus, however, will be on writing ability. In Commercial Bank Lending, a series of short writing assignments have been developed which relate current issues in banking. The purpose of these is twofold: to expose students to current banking content not found in the text, and to emphasize the importance of quality writing.
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| Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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The written assignments were not added to Commercial Bank Lending for the 2013-2014 year for three reasons: 1) the main instructor for the course had planned to attend a writing workshop for faculty, but a schedule conflict prevented that; 2) the Spring class was much larger and two additional cases had to be written; and 3) we missed 2 days due to weather and spent 2 additional class periods on financial statement analysis as a result of more complex homework assignments in that area. Adding these writing assignments is a renewed priority for the upcoming year, and will be implemented. |
| Plan for Continuous Improvement |
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We were again pleased with the improvement in all areas of the program: communication, critical thinking, and knowledge of bank operations. We will again utilize independent, outside evaluators in the Commercial Banking class to assist in the grading of the cases. We also remain committed to improving writing skills by include more short written assignments in the Commercial Bank Lending Course.
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