Program redesign/evaluation

Program redesign/evaluation • BCom, MBA • Alternatives to status quo • Rationales • Program redesign alternatives (processes) • “Glints in the eye” • Need to incorporate Vision elements • Implications for faculty and students • Mechanism/processes to ensure continuous curriculum review Program redesign / evaluation

Program redesign/evaluation • Need to incorporate the following elements of the VISION: • Global thinking • Need to integrate research & practice into learning • Management as a life skill • Implications for life-long learning • Mindsets/multiple perspectives • Competencies • E3 Program redesign / evaluation

Alternatives to B.Com. status quo - three rationales / stances Lean core to allow more liberal arts in B.Com. & “teaching room” for minors in management Status quo with fine tuning Lean core to allow greater specialization Program redesign / evaluation

Status Quo with Fine-Tuning (MD) • Cut from Core 2-4 courses + 1 Communications course • Look for overlaps & do better coordination across Core • Mandate every Core course to go thru renewal & alignment with strategic vision (See Slide 2) • Create integration across several Core (e.g. IS, Marketing & OB) in first year by using a case study with issues across multiple areas • Add a capstone course to last year (e.g. Leadership with lots of self-assessment & reflection) to add distinctivenessto our Bcom & prepare students for real world Program redesign / evaluation

Status Quo with Fine-Tuning (Jan) • Add cross-functional integrative exercise at start and end of B.Com. program to help students orient themselves and to differentiate program • How to staff? • Create modules (1 credit?) for key management skills: leadership, negotiations • Change more core courses to large format courses led by tenure-stream faculty assisted by TAs • Rent auditoria if necessary • Bring research to undergraduate learning as advocated in PEP project an Boyer report. • Poll instructors in advanced courses to identify gaps • Poll students to identify gaps and overlaps (e.g. why 2 business communications courses?) Program redesign / evaluation

Hybrid Option with Lean Core • Lean Core to provide students the option of: • Room for greater specialization within Management • OR • Room for new Majors and Minors in Faculty of Arts or Faculty of Science • These could be developed around specific themes/interests (e.g. Strategy concentration Social Context stream + Sociology (courses on development, diversity, politics & social change) Program redesign / evaluation

Pro High demand to get in by excellent students We must be doing something right Case for reform mixed or unclear Previous reform took years Little evidence students want more liberal arts There is international option with liberal arts but few students take it Space for minor can be created by scale economies in initial courses Con Some students (MUS report) cite need for reform Areas with growing specializations (e.g. finance) want leaner core to allow greater specialization Some faculty believe more liberal arts would foster critical thinking and should be required for commerce students Status quo risks becoming frozen compromise Area wrangling over which 2-4 courses to cut Looking for overlaps, renewing the Core, and integration across courses requires across Area collaboration B.Com. status quo with fine tuning Program redesign / evaluation

Pro Provide students with better rounded education consistent with research university and life-long learning Escape from head-on competition with Concordia by offering something distinctive compatible with research university Con Students have “voted with their feet” to avoid international option that allows liberal arts courses Fear “trade imbalance” More students may go to arts than we’ll get back in management minors or few Bcoms will take arts Teaching resources to offer management minor can be achieved by seeking scale economies -- large sections with TAs Design challenge If open choice, will students opt for technical courses outside or inside management? If restricted choices, who will decide and why? Taking random liberal arts courses doesn’t serve intended purpose Lean core to allow more liberal arts in B.Com. & “teaching room” for minors in management Program redesign / evaluation

Pro “Market driven” solution For example, Finance now largest B.Com. specialization with growing placements in NYC Avoid head-on competition with Concordia (accounting) by distinctive “up-market” offering that builds on research role Lean core frees teaching resources to use more tenure stream faculty in foundation courses, executive education and self-financing programs Con Are we serving students’ long-run interests by allowing full specialization? Potential negative impact on staffing in some areas with lean core Potential negative effects on number of course preps and teaching loads (lower Core=fewer courses with multiple sections which allow people to maintain fewer preps) Lean B.Com. core to allow greater specialization Program redesign / evaluation

Pro Provides students with more choices, more room to customize their own course of study Adds some structure to liberal arts option by creating specific Minors or Majors that link to management topics Allows tapping into resources of other faculties to broaden & deepen students’ educational experience Con Lean Core runs risk of students not getting depth and breadth of grounding needed Requires development of new Minors/Majors Lean Core limited to 1 yr. leaves students with lots of room--may need more advising to choose well What about students not interested in greater specialization or new program with Majors/Minors? Hybrid Option with Lean Core Program redesign / evaluation

Program Redesign Process Alternatives • Areas + Fine-Tuning Team • Traditional Redesign Process (Task Force with Area representation) • Key Competencies Approach Program redesign / evaluation

Program Redesign Process Alternatives:Areas + Fine-Tuning Team • Status Quo with Fine-Tuning • Delegate to Areas with short time frame to report out on: • Looking for overlaps in course syllabi & cases - burden on each Area to take initiative to find out where overlaps exist and resolve with other profs/Areas - • Renewal of Core courses & alignment with strategic vision (global thinking, integrate research & teaching, life-long learning, E3, competencies, mindsets, multiple perspectives) • Choosing a rep for the Fine-Tuning Team • Fine-Tuning Team Mandated to: • Propose route to a streamlined Core (cut 2-4 + 1 Comm.) • Appoint subgroup to develop integrative exercise across courses in first year Core • Decide yea or nay on whether to recommend a capstone course in final year Program redesign / evaluation

Program Redesign Process Alternatives:Areas + Task Force • Hybrid Option with Lean Core • Delegate to Areas: • Planning for any needed changes in Core courses under anticipated Lean Core • Development of ideas for specific, relevant Minors/Majors that would link internal concentrations to areas in other faculties • Planning for Lean Core and need for more elective offerings + staffing of courses for more Management Minors • Choosing rep for the Task Force • Task Force: • Proposal for Lean Core • Selecting a subset of new Minors/Majors programs proposed by Areas -- for further development and consultation with departments outside Faculty of Management Program redesign / evaluation

Bring research into undergraduate learning • Pedagogy Excellence Project (PEP) Report made some useful suggestions, including the following: • Can bring research into the classroom by having Faculty members incorporate their own research-related activities into their course curricula • Research on leadership, ethics and social issues can help develop professional ethos of students • Expanded internships, including research-internships • U.S. Boyer report on undergraduate teaching in research universities has recommendations • Inquiry-based freshman year, use of projects in courses, structured involvement of some undergraduates in research by doctoral students and faculty; integrated courses Program redesign / evaluation

Program redesign process alternatives - 2 • Traditional redesign process • Extensive consultation with stakeholders internal and external • Review what others are doing • Undertake redesign and engage in traditional internal negotiations and trade-offs among areas • Length of process: several years • Result: well-thought out alternatives within constraints set by resultant large set of core courses Program redesign / evaluation

Program redesign process alternatives - 3 • Key competencies approach (as in current accounting pedagogical reforms) • Ask areas to map key competencies and learning objects needed to prepare for own specialization • Map key competencies & learning objects needed for advanced courses and in early career, including cross-functional competencies (e.g. what statistics competencies needed for finance), plus professional skills: ethics, leadership, etc. • Set cap on number of foundation courses (10 to 12?) • Map key competencies & learning objects into those courses plus integrative exercises Program redesign / evaluation

Program redesign process alternatives - 4 • Liberal arts approach (as at UBC & some US schools) http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/bcom/program_details/index.cfm • Initial year in another Faculty • English • Economics • Link to university as research institution and to business community as program whose graduates are creative and adaptive • Potential add-ins to international business, exchange programs, and internships. • Not appropriate/desirable given 1/2 student body is 3 yr. & other 1/2 already has 1 yr. of liberal arts as part of their 4 yr. program. • Calculus • 2 – 4 non-commerce courses Program redesign / evaluation

Arts as filter Arts courses first year, then apply Foundation courses in year 2, then Specialization Arts as critical thinking add-in Foundation courses in year 1, preceded or followed by Minor in Arts Specialization Two Arts alternatives Program redesign / evaluation

Program redesign process alternatives - 5 • Minors exchange approach • B.Com. students encouraged to take minor in arts or other field for critical thinking • Equivalent FTEs earned by offering minor in management to other faculties • Good citizen but not clear if remunerative • Build specialized summer minors: • Minor in management • Minor in health management for medical students and professionals Program redesign / evaluation

Program redesign challenges • How to differentiate? • Research, critical thinking, mindsets, integrative exercises, international business, social innovation? • Specialization versus mass-market approach • Foundation core probably cannot be dual-purpose • Preparation for specialization, AND • Suitable for minor in management • How to make B.Com. financially sustainable? • Large format sections with tenure stream faculty & TAs • Advanced E3 • More use of on-line and outside class preparation • More in-class debate, discussion, but with less time face-to-face time • Off-load more course requirements to Arts at start Program redesign / evaluation

Pro’s Feeder for PhD program which could help students get publications needed for fellowships Helps faculty train qualified research assistants M.Sc. demand in selected fields Marketing Financial engineering Health management IS Technology management or other? Broader research methods offerings E.g. Marketing Research II SSHRC funding for masters Con’s Can grow to overshadow PhD program Supervision burden, particularly for thesis Some areas demand large supervision fee comparable to IMPM supervision (financially not feasible) Needs champion to get approval, especially since 3 other Montreal schools already have MSc How to justify & differentiate? Possible loop-hole Create research alternative labeled MBA-research (e.g UQAM) M.Sc. as new program Program redesign / evaluation

Still to do • “Glints in the eye” -- can’t remember what this was • Need to incorporate remaining Vision elements • Global thinking • Need to integrate research & practice into learning • Management as a life skill • Implications for life-long learning • Mindsets/multiple perspectives (only mentioned) • Competencies • E3 (partly covered) • MBA program (not sure what are issues other than erosion of distinctiveness) • PhD program(improving preparation, throughput & time to completion) • Implications for faculty and students • Mechanism/processes to ensure continuous curriculum review Program redesign / evaluation

Program redesign/evaluation