The Evolution of an Innovative
Undergraduate Business
Curriculum
Presented at the
2015 Western Association of Collegiate Schools of Business
Conference
Honolulu, Hawaii
October 4-6, 2015
Mario Reyes
Dean
CBE Curriculum in pre-1994
MIS
CBE Advisory Board demand
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Graduates with a broad perspective of how businesses
operate—
 students in the traditional program did not have a systems
perspective, or
 the ability to determine how actions in their functionally
organized unit might impact other areas.
Graduates with skills/experience in working in self-managed
teams
Graduates with effective written and oral communication
skills
The Planning Process
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Data collection and analysis (1993-94)
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Focus group sessions with College’s Advisory Board
Benchmarking visits to other universities
Focus group sessions with students
Faculty retreats for discussion
Summer 1994 planning session for team
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Jack Morris (P/OM)
Dana Stover (MHR)
Steve Pharr (Marketing)
Randall Byers (IS, Quantitative Methods)
Mario Reyes (Finance and International Business)
Integrated Business Curriculum (IBC): 1994-2012
Business Systems
Product & Process
Planning
Team
Building
Planning & Decision Making
Managing the Firm’s
Resources
Business Operating
Decisions
Integrated Business Curriculum (IBC): 1994-2012
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17 credit/2 semester cohort program
 6 modules based on business decisions and processes
 Team taught by 5 faculty members- different disciplines
Required of all junior-level business and economics majors, thereby
providing a common base for all business majors
Broad perspective of business; exposure to business disciplines
Teambuilding and group dynamics
 course module and faculty mentoring
 Team environment in and out of class
Formal students presentations and lots of writing assignments
All essay/problem exams
Close ties to business with Case Firm Program
IBC Course Modules: 1994-2012
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First Semester
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Second Semester
Team Building and
Group Dynamics (2)
Planning and Decision
Making (2)
Business Systems (4)
Managing the Firm’s
Resources (3)
Product and Process
Planning (3)
Business Operating
Decisions (3)
For Example: Finance in the IBC
IBC Module
BUS 340
Team Building and Group Dynamics
Finance Topics Covered
None
BUS 341
Business Systems
· Financial Markets and Institutions
· Foreign Exchange Markets
· Risk and Return
· Time Value of Money
· Valuation
BUS 342
Product and Process Planning
· Capital Budgeting
BUS 343
Planning and Decision-Making in Organizations
· Financial Planning
· Pro Forma Financial Statements
· External Funds Needed
BUS 344
Managing the Firm’s Resources
· Cost of Capital and Capital Structure
· Dividend Policy
· Cash Management Models
· Inventory Models
BUS 345
Business Operating Decisions
· Credit Standards
· Credit Policy Decisions
The Case Firm Program
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Adopt a case firm (3 year commitment)
Faculty shadowing visits
Executive for a day
Student team projects
Assurance of Learning in the IBC: 1994-2012
CBE Learning Goal
Measures
Assessed by
#1 Business Knowledge and
Environment
Embedded questions
IBC Faculty, with rubric for
some
#2 Critical Thinking and Ethical
Problem-Solving
Embedded questions
IBC faculty, with rubric for
some
#3 Communication
Student presentations
IBC Faculty team and CBE
Assessment Committee with
rubric
IBC Faculty team and McCarthy
Writing/Communication Lab
mentor with rubric
Module projects
#4 Clarify Purpose and
Perspective
None to-date
Not applicable
#5 Teamwork and
Collaboration
Team problem-solving activity
Department of Business
Advisory Board with rubric
Closing the loop:
IBC Faculty Summer Camp CBE Faculty Retreat
Administration of IBC: 1994-2012
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Faculty team formation
Faculty recruiting
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Choose faculty with solid teaching performance
Choose faculty who have demonstrated they can work in academic teams or who
have been successful in interdisciplinary research
Attempt to include SP/IP faculty in each faculty team
Faculty teaching load
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Typical load per year: SA—5 courses; SP/IP—8 courses
IBC faculty (steady state):
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SA faculty
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SP/IP faculty
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2 sections of IBC + 1; 1 section of IBC + 2
2 sections of IBC + 3; 1 section of IBC + 4
Rewards
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Stipend for IBC summer camp
$15,000 one-year fellowships (2 awards) for IBC faculty
Other Benefits: IBC 1994-2012
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Cohort experience == incredible networking
Positive impact on college’s scholarly activities
Contributes towards the CBE’s strategic goal of “creating an
intellectually stimulating and dynamic learning community
that emphasizes teamwork and values the unique
contributions of all individuals …”
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A sense of community
Mentoring
Improve teaching
Impact on development efforts, internships, etc
Praise for the IBC: 1994-2012
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From the corporate world
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Winner of the Idaho Quality Award for excellence
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Design and process reviewed by team of corporate auditors
Criteria based on Malcolm Baldrige award
From the academic world
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Winner of Distinguished Education Program Award (the
Academy of Educational Leadership)—integration of
Accounting into the Business IBC
Challenges to the Delivery of IBC: 1994-2012
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Cost of delivery
Faculty burn-out
Dwindling faculty champions for the program
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Perceived reallocation of resources to IBC
Perceived adverse impact on the majors
Scalability
The Evolution of the INTEGRATED BUSINESS CURRICULUM
Fall 1993
Fall 1993Spring 1994
Task force
established
to explore ways of
attaining
greater crossdiscipline
integration
Summer
1994
Fall 1994
Pilot course
dubbed as IBC2
is developed by
a 5-person
faculty team
Data collection
20-credit IBC2 is
offered to 40
volunteer
students
1994-1996
Fall 2002
Fall 1996
Feedback from
stakeholders and
self-evaluation;
Adjustments and
improvements
Fall 2010
Spring-Su 09
Fall 2012
Stakeholder
survey, and
IBC revitalization
Summer
meetings
Revised IBC:
18- credit
requirement
for all CBE
students
17- cr. IBC
2 cr. Econ 340
2 2-cr Acct 310-311
17- cr. IBC
1 cr. BUS339
2 cr. Econ 340
2-cr Acct 310
Re-engineered the
curriculum in an
environment of
enrollment growth
with lagging
resources
Desired Outcomes of 2012-2013
IBC Re-engineering
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Scalability
Cohort experience
Team building/group dynamics
Cross-functional business perspectives
Maintaining the CBE innovative reputation
Re-Engineered IBC: 2012-Present
Features of the Re-engineered IBC
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Freshman Year
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Sophomore Year
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Leadership skills
Junior Year
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Team building and group dynamics
Introduction to the different business functions
Introduction of cross-functional perspectives via business simulation
Competency in core business functions
Senior Year
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Integration
Ethics and leadership
CBE: Learn Business by Doing Business
Hands-on Learning:
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Business Process Improvement Center
Barker Capital Management and Trading Program
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US Bank Trading Floor
Vandals Solutions
Idaho|Entrepreneurs
Career@CBE
Financial Literacy
VITA
Vandal Hat Hacking Club
Continuing discussions:
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Ensure cross-functional perspectives and
integration
How to instill a cohort experience
Assurance of learning plan
Ideas and Suggestions?
Thank You!