Business Program Evaluation
Accreditation Matters
Colby-Sawyer’s Business Administration Department is approved by the Accreditation Council for Business School and Programs (ACBSP), ensuring that Colby-Sawyer’s programs provide you with the skills employers want. As a leading specialized accreditation association for business education, ACBSP supports, celebrates and rewards teaching excellence and certifies that the teaching and learning processes within the college’s business programs meet rigorous educational standards.
Key Performance Measures
When choosing an undergraduate business administration program, student comparison data from a variety of business programs may help you in the decision process. At Colby-Sawyer, student success is regularly assessed through internship evaluations, competency exams, and the rate at which students secure jobs or go on to graduate school.
Internship Supervisor Evaluations
One of Colby-Sawyer’s most important metrics for determining program quality is the internship supervisor evaluation. These evaluations reflect student performance in the workplace during their required 200+ hour internship. Internship supervisors are asked to provide student evaluations twice during their internship – once at the mid-point of their internship and once at the end of their internship. The rankings are done using a five-point Likert scale.
The specific internship questions include the following:
| Please rate this intern in the following areas using the scale below. |
|---|
| Overall quality of assignments |
| Ability to communicate in writing |
| Ability to communicate verbally |
| Attitude and Enthusiasm for Assignments |
| Aptitude for learning |
| Judgment/decision making |
| Ability to work with others |
| Dependability |
| Exercised professional behavior in all situations |
| Exercised high ethical standards and practices |
| Attendance/punctuality |
| Overall performance |
The five-point Likert scale used for these questions is as follows:
| Excellent | 5 |
| Above Average | 4 |
| Average | 3 |
| Below Average | 2 |
The data for internship evaluations from 2020 through 2023 illustrate the strong professionalism and performance of our interns with an average score for overall performance combined over the four years at Excellent (5). The full assessment is as follows:
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality of Work | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Written Work | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Verbal Communication | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Attitude & Enthusiasm | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Aptitude for Learning | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Judgment/Decision Making | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Ability to Work with Others | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Dependability | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Professionalism | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Ethical Practices | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Attendance & Punctuality | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Overall Performance | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Peregrine Competency Exams
Business administration majors also complete a national Peregrine competency exam during their final semester to compare the knowledge of Colby-Sawyer’s graduating seniors to those from other Accreditation Council for Business School and Programs (ACBSP) institutions. This provides the Business Administration program faculty with very important data to be used in evaluating student performance as it relates to student learning objectives and to inform us of changes, if any, that may be needed. This exam is administered each spring in the senior Business Administration capstone course.
Job or Graduate School within Six Months
One indicator of our students’ performance is their ability to secure jobs or attend graduate schools after graduation from our program. The table below reflects the most recent three years of data related to the Business Administration programs.
| Employed and / or in Grad School | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class of 2020 | Class of 2021 | Class of 2022 |
| N=23 | N=30 | N=5 |
| 100% | 100% | 100% |
Data from Class of 2022, 2021, and 2020 Annual Reports of Graduate Outcome Data (6 months post-graduation)
Other Key Performance Measures
Student success is also regularly assessed by evaluating how students are meeting established student learning outcomes.
Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes are defined for each major and minor in the business administration program. The outcomes are assessed in a variety of ways including in-class projects and exams, the Peregrine national competency exam and surveys.
Student Survey
The following table reflects the results of a graduating senior learning outcome survey completed in December 2023. Please note these students still have at least one more semester of schooling with a May 2024 expected graduation date. This survey of graduating seniors will be completed each April going forward.
A highlight from the survey asked students to consider, using a five-point Likert scale of 5 (very much agree) to 1 (very much disagree), their perceived level of competency regarding eleven learning outcomes
The table below lists the focus of each of the eleven learning outcome statements along with the proportion of students who answered, “very much agree” or “somewhat agree.”
| Survey of Graduating Seniors N=21 *Please note not all respondents answered each question |
% of students who responded very much agree or somewhat agree |
|---|---|
| Global Business | 90% |
| Problem Solving (a) | 82% |
| Critical Thinking | 90% |
| Financial Statements (a) | 77% |
| Economic Principles | 95% |
| Computer Analytics | 62% |
| Management | 95% |
| Marketing (a) | 91% |
| Presentation Skills | 100% |
| Career Readiness | 100% |
| Professionalism and Ethical | 100% |
| (a) Based on 22 responses as students could choose more than one response. | |
Alumni Survey
An alumni survey was completed during the fall of 2023. The survey was sent to all alumni who provided contact information. Future surveys will be limited to students having graduated in the last five years.
A highlight from the survey asked alumni to consider, using a five-point Likert scale of 5 (very well) to 1 (very poorly), their perceived level of preparation regarding seven areas.
The table below lists the focus of each of the seven areas along with the proportion of alumni who answered, “very well”, “more than adequately” or “adequately”.
The question was as follows:
Based on what you now know, how well do you think that your undergraduate experience in Colby-Sawyer College’s Business Administration program prepared you to:
| Survey of Alumni N=23 *Please note not all respondents answered each question |
% of alumni who responded very well, more than adequately, or adequately |
|---|---|
| Develop global awareness | 90% |
| Use data to effectively problem solve | 95% |
| Think analytically and logically | 100% |
| Understand financial statements | 90% |
| Evaluate marketing strategies | 100% |
| Communicate clearly and professionally | 100% |
| Ready yourself for your job search | 100% |
Parent Survey
In addition to student and alumni surveys, a parent survey was also completed during the fall of 2023. Students of senior standing were asked to send the survey to their parents. This resulted in 18 responses and allowed us additional survey data to analyze in conjunction with the seniors’ responses.