Business Education and Accreditation 

About: Business Education and Accreditation is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Higher education & Curriculum. Over the lifetime, 116 publications have been published receiving 1086 citations.

Student views on the use of a flipped classroom approach: Evidence from Australia

Abstract: A report on an introduction of a "flipped classroom" approach to lectures in a final-year actuarial course is presented. At the heart of the flipped classroom is moving the "delivery" of material outside of formal class time and using formal class time for students to undertake collaborative and interactive activities relevant to that material. Students were surveyed both at the start and end of the semester to obtain their views on lectures in general and the flipped classroom structure. After experiencing the entire course with this teaching style, student views became, on average, far more positive towards the flipped classroom approach.JEL: A22KEYWORDS: Flipped Classroom, Inverted Classroom, Student PerceptionsINTRODUCTIONThe face-to-face model of a number of lectures plus a single tutorial each week has been a standard approach to course delivery in higher education for decades. Despite the revolution that the internet has been to education in providing flexible access to course material, tradition dictates that a number of hours each week be set aside for formal lectures and tutorials.The maintenance of the formal lecture and tutorial structure is despite significant evidence that the traditional lecture format is not the most effective way for most students to learn. One approach to a more active student experience is through a "flipped classroom" model (first introduced by Baker, 2000, and Lage et al., 2000, and popularized through online videos and activities by, among others, Karl Fisch, Jon Bergmann and the Khan Academy). At the heart of the flipped classroom is moving the "delivery" of material outside of formal class time (through the use of extensive notes, video recorded lectures and other appropriate means) and using formal class time for students to undertake collaborative and interactive activities relevant to that material.This paper reports on a move to a flipped classroom approach in a compulsory final-year course in the undergraduate actuarial program at the Australian National University (ANU). There are two specific research questions of interest. First, do students value the traditional lecture format compared to other learning activities? This is a question that has been extensively researched in the literature, although in this case it will flow into a second and less well researched question, how do students' perceptions of the use of class time change after being involved in a flipped classroom structure? Both of these questions are answered through the use of a two-part survey taken of students in July and October of the 2012 edition of the course, which was the first time the flipped classroom approach had been used in the course.The next section of the paper reviews relevant literature, in particular that on the use of the flipped classroom approach. Following that is a data and methodology section outlining the flipped classroom approach undertaken and the survey methodology used in answering the two research questions. Following that is the results of the analysis and then concluding comments.LITERATURE REVIEWPrince (2004) provides an overview of the literature on "active learning" and notes the difficulty in measuring its effectiveness due to the different definitions of and approaches to active learning across the literature. In its broadest sense, Prince (2004) describes active learning as requiring students "to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing". These learning environments are "student-centred" in that it is through student activity with the guidance of the teacher that learning occurs. In general, Prince (2004) presents significant evidence of the benefits of active learning. There has been a wealth of research into student perceptions of didactic compared to active learning environments, in both discipline-specific and general higher education literature. In addition to the benefits of active learning described by Prince (2004), Baeten et al. …

Evaluation of a flipped classroom in an undergraduate business course

Abstract: This study examined the results of a flipped classroom trial conducted for Business 1112, an introductory business course at Mount Saint Vincent University in the fall semester of 2012. Dr. Findlay-Thompson taught three sections of Business 1112 and used the flipped classroom style for one of the three sections and the traditional lecture-style teaching methodology for the other two. Post-term interviews were conducted with the students in the flipped classroom to gather information on their views of the learning environment in a flipped classroom. As well, a comparison of the quantitative results of the grades between the three sections was used to compare the academic outcomes between the two teaching methodologies. Student views on the flipped classroom were mixed and the academic outcomes were identical between the three classrooms. These findings are discussed in terms of how the flipped classroom teaching methodology needs to be implemented properly and whether or not it is an effective way to engage students in the learning process.JEL: A22, I21KEYWORDS: Flipped Classroom, EffectivenessINTRODUCTIONEducators are continually challenged to find new strategies for engaging students in the classroom so as to increase the effectiveness of the learning process. A flipped classroom inverts the normal learning process. It "moves the lectures outside the classrooms and uses learning activities to move practice with concepts inside the classroom" (Strayer, 2012, p. 171). The use of technology is a key component in allowing lectures to be pre-recorded and made available to students outside of the classroom setting. The philosophy behind the flipped classroom teaching methodology is that it allows instructors to teach both content and process. Eric Mazur a professor of physics at Harvard University suggested that "Learning is a two-step process. First, you must have some transfer of information; second you must make sense of that information by connecting it to your own experiences and organizing the information in your brain" (Demski, 2013, p. 34). The flipped classroom is designed to create a classroom experience that inspires lifelong learning and meets the objectives of Mazur's reference to a two-step process. Despite the recent accolades being extolled to the flipped classroom, there are also cautions about the need for both teachers and students to be properly trained in how to use and teach a flipped class. The remainder of this paper will review the relevant literature and how it integrates with the findings in this study. We will examine the data from actual results of a flipped classroom based on an experiment where the same professor taught an identical undergraduate business course to three sections using the flipped classroom methodology in one and traditional lecture-style teaching in the other two. The results will then be presented and the paper will close with some concluding comments.LITERATURE REVIEWIn 2008, Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, two chemistry teachers at Woodland Park High School in Colorado's Pike Peak, were finding it difficult to find the time to reteach lessons for absent students. They used their own money and bought software that allowed them to record lessons and they posted them online. The results were unexpected - they found that even students who had not missed class were watching the recordings because it helped them review and reinforce classroom lessons. This led to Bergmann and Sams rethinking how they used class time and the subsequent concept of a flipped classroom (Tucker, 2012).A flipped classroom is most commonly described as a reversed teaching model where the teacher uses various forms of technology such as videos to record the normal classroom lectures and students are required to view these recorded lectures outside the regularly scheduled classroom time. This allows for the homework portion, or other interactive activities, to be completed within the classroom setting. …

Internships and the Assessment of Student Learning

Abstract: The use of internships is a powerful learning tool that allow business students to make connections between their classroom experience and the world of work. If designed appropriately and positioned correctly in the curriculum, they can also be an ideal opportunity to conduct assurance of learning activities related to business school accreditation. This study reports on survey results relating to business schools ' use of internships in their assurance of learning efforts and describes one school's successful attempt to use internships as the key platform for its well-developed assurance of learning program.JEL: M10KEYWORDS: assessment, internships, student learning, experiential learning, business educationINTRODUCTIONA significant body of literature suggests that people leam most effectively through active learning, when they do something with their knowledge [e.g. Bonwell & Eison, 1991]. Observers both outside and inside the academy have criticized business schools' for providing so few active, practical learning experiences. For example, the Accounting Education Change Commission [1990], and Pearce [1999], both criticize the lack of relevance in business education, especially the lack of practical experiences such as those provided by internships. As we discuss in a later section, internships are an effective, active learning tool in the business disciplines. In addition to the practical experience, internships provide an opportunity to incorporate academic assignments in which students connect their internships to their classroom business curriculum. This linking of theory and work experience can enhance the total business education for students helping to ensure that students see the relevance of thenclassroom learning. Despite the criticism offered by outsiders and the apparent benefits of internships as an educational tool, research suggests that very few business schools require all students to complete internships [Updyke & Sander, 2005].In addition to being a relevant and effective educational practice, internships and their attendant academic assignments provide an effective platform on which to conduct assessment activities (called "assurance of learning" or "AOL" in business schools). Revisions to the Accreditation Standards for Business Accreditation from the AACSB International (AACSB) have generated unprecedented interest in AOL activities and nearly all business schools are seeking better methods for demonstrating that their students are, indeed, learning what they intend for them to learn. Students successfully drawing on concepts and skills learned in previous academic experiences and applying them to an actual work situation are more powerful indications of learning than AOL attached to the classroom course in which students first learn those concepts and skills. As outlined in the 1992 American Association for Higher Education Assessment Forum's Nine Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning [American Association for Higher Education, 1992], schools need to assess not only what students learn at a particular time in a particular course, but also what they can do with what they know through later performance. In other words, AOL should involve evaluating the effects of an entire program on student learning and students' ability to integrate and apply what they have learned. A well-developed AOL program entails a much broader view than evaluating what students learn in a particular course and assessment connected to internships are an ideal element ofthat sort of AOL program.Since the mid-1980s, the Butler University College of Business (COB) has required all students to complete two internships. The faculty has always been adamant that a substantial proportion of the course grade must be based on academic papers and presentations, both of which reflect students' connection of business concepts to their work experiences. The grading structure remains relatively unchanged since the program began, and calls for 30 percent of course grades to be based on supervisors' evaluations, with 70 percent based on instructors' evaluation of written and oral assignments. …

Experiential Learning: The Internship and Live-Case Study Relationship

Abstract: Educators are increasingly using experiential learning pedagogy to improve learning (knowledge and skills). Two highly effective experiential methods are live-case study projects and internships. This study examines the learning outcomes of courses with live-case study projects for students who have had a prior internship experience and those who have not as well as correlation analysis for each group. The results find that prior internship experience does improve applied project learning outcomes. Furthermore, the findings have implications of the importance for the integration of knowledge and skills development and the benefit of the live-case approach to particular student populations.JEL: I21, A22, M31KEYWORDS: Experiential learning, internships, business and marketing educationINTRODUCTIONEmployers' expectations for the preparation of college students' employment are challenging to educators. In a recessionary, high unemployment economy and highly competitive markets, businesses are reducing costs and seeking better value (well-prepared students) for hiring entrylevel positions. For example, companies are reducing skills training for newly hired college graduates (Georges, 1996; Kelley and Bridges, 2005). Therefore, the responsibilities for professional and career development skills continue to increase for educators. Furthermore, accreditation organizations have recognized the critical role business schools play in lifelong learning and skills development (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, 2010) and learning outcomes (Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2010; Duke, 2002) to prepare students for successful professional careers in which such standards require assurances of learning (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, 2007).Major teaching-learning strategies are experiential learning activities to achieve assurances of learning standards (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, 2010) and to meet expectations for employers (Lamb, Shipp, and Moncrief, 1995) and by students (Karns, 2005). Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) encourages active learning, e.g., Standard 13, in that "passive learning is ineffective and of short duration" (2010, p. 56). Lamb et al. conclude, "As skill acquisition and refinement becomes more important to students and employers, marketing departments will be called upon to engage in skill development in a systematic, demonstrable way" (1995, p. 18). Moreover, Karns found "undergraduate students' perceptions of learning activities are now structured by the degree to which the activities are enjoyable, challenging, and real world" (2005, p. 170).Two prevalent, highly effective experiential learning pedagogies are internships and live-case projects (Farazmand, Green and Miller, 2010; Gupta, Burns, and Schiferl, 2010; Karns, 2005). Internships are perceived by students as being successful if they have positive experiences, gain personal benefits, and improve their employment prospects (Gupta et al., 2010). However, student internships are likely a onesemester experience and an optional (elective) course. On the other hand, live-case projects may be experienced in multiple courses and perceived as being successful by students and businesses (Elam and Spotts, 2004; Farazmand et al., 2010). Integrating skills and knowledge is an important focus of experiential learning (Elam and Spotts, 2004; Lamb et al., 1995). With the same importance, skills development in different types of experiential courses should be integrated (Lamb et al., 1995). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of prior internship experience and livecase projects. Hence, does an internship experience improve live-case project learning outcomes? This study includes a review of the experiential learning literature, the methodology, data analysis findings, the discussion of the results, limitations of and future opportunities from this research, and the conclusion. …

Online versus face-to-face: does delivery method matter for undergraduate business school learning?

Abstract: Considering the significant growth in online and distance learning, the question arises as to how this different delivery method can affect student learning. Specifically, this study compares the student learning outcomes on both a "basic" and "complex " assignment given in the same course, but using two different delivery methods of traditional face-to-face and online, across five undergraduate business courses taught at Elon University during the summer 2007 session. This study includes data from over 120 students and, after controlling for other factors known to affect student performance, the results indicate that delivery method has no significant difference in student learning.JEL: A22KEYWORDS: Learning Outcomes, Online, Face-to-face, Undergraduate, BusinessABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONThe breadth of online coursework has grown substantially over the past decade. According to Allen and Seaman (2011) who collaborated with the College Board to survey over 2,500 colleges and universities, 65 percent of all reporting institutions indicated that online learning was a critical piece of their long-term strategy. Further, Allen and Seaman (2011) report that over 6.1 million students took at least one online course during the fall 2010 term, an increase of approximately ten percent over the previous year, and 31 percent of all higher education students now take at least one of their courses online. The recent introduction of ?massive open online courses' (MOOCs) offers additional evidence that online learning is growing, massively. Due to their low delivery costs, MOOCs can have exceptionally high enrollments. As Herman (2012) describes, in 2008, George Siemens and Stephen Downes administered an online course for 25 paying students at the University of Manitoba; however an additional 2,300 students enrolled in the course at no charge. According to Hyman (2012), Peter Norvig, Google's director of research, and Sebastian Thrun, a Google vice president, offered one of the most successful MOOCs, "Introduction to Artificial Intelligence", in the fall of 2011. They enrolled over 160,000 students and more than 23,000 completed the course.The reasons for the growth in online learning are likely multifaceted; however, it can arguably be explained in terms of student demand for online coursework and the cost-saving incentives institutions have to meet this demand. As Howell et al. (2003) discusses, more and more students require flexibility in their programs to meet work or family needs and thus ?shop' for courses and programs that meet their schedules and circumstances; and online learning can be designed such that the marginal cost of enrolling and instructing one more student is essentially zero.If the online delivery method is here to stay, how does student learning and performance vary relative to the traditional brick and mortar classrooms? While Allen and Seaman (2011) report that the majority of academic leaders perceive that the learning outcomes achieved through these two delivery methods are the same, this study empirically tests this hypothesis. Specifically, this study compares the student learning outcomes on both a "basic" and a "complex" assignment given in the same course, but with the two different delivery methods of traditional face-to-face and online, across five undergraduate business courses taught at Elon University during the summer 2007 session.Note that the design of our study was influenced by two previous studies that have found statistically significant evidence that online students learn less. First of all, student learning outcomes on ?basic' and ?complex' assignments are considered as Brown and Liedholm (2002) have found that student performance can differ on these two types on assignments given the course delivery method. Secondly, using performance on the Test of Understanding College Economics (TUCE) as their measure of learning, Coates et al. (2004) found that "students in the online sections correctly answered about two fewer questions on TUCE than students in the face-to-face sections. …