An Coiste Feabhais Acadúil
The Committee on Academic Quality Improvement
The Academic Quality Assurance Programme 2003 – 2004
REVIEW OF THE
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE DEGREE PROGRAMME
Final Report
11th May 2004
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B Comm Programme: Review Group Report
This report arises from a visit by a Review Group to the Faculty of Commerce on March
1st – 3rd, 2004. The faculty had already prepared and submitted a ‘Self Assessment
Report’ that was made available to the Review Group in advance of the visit. The
Review Group consisted of:
Ms. Mary Kenny, Director-Human Resources, Thermo King Europe, Galway
(Chair)
Prof. Dennis Hanno, Isenberg School of Management, University of
Massachusetts, Amherst
Prof. John A. Murray, Professor of Business Studies, TCD
Dr. Seamus Grimes, Dept. of Geography, NUI Galway - Cognate
Dr. Annette Harte, Dept. of Civil Engineering, NUI Galway - Rapporteur
During the course of the visit, the Review Group held a series of very informative
meetings with staff and students. About 25 people attended the collective staff meeting
and four individual staff members met with the Review Group. Small group discussions
were held with thirteen undergraduate and three postgraduate students. In addition,
meetings took place with the Registrar, the Dean of the Commerce Faculty and the
Director of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.
In addition to the Self-Assessment Report, the following other documentation was
considered by the Review Group:
•
•
•
•
Commerce Faculty Strategic Plan
Quality Review reports for the Faculty of Commerce and the Departments of
Accountancy and Finance, Economics, Management and Marketing
Undergraduate & Postgraduate Prospectus
Sample course outlines
This report is structured to cover the following main topics:
1. Introduction
2. Aims and Objectives
3. Organisation and Management
4. Programme and Instruction
5. External Relationships and Contributions
6. Concluding Remarks
The reviewers would like to acknowledge the contribution made to the review process by
those staff and students who attended meetings. The group was very impressed by their
energy and enthusiam and their interest in the review process.
1. Introduction
The review process convinced the Review Group of the vital and central role of the
BComm degree in the Faculty, the University and the Region. Without a strong
undergraduate programme the Faculty would be fundamentally weakened in attracting
students, in its alumni relations and support, and in its service to the community. The
Programme represents a very significant proportion of the whole student body of the
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University. In consequence, the University’s reputation also hinges in no small way on
students’ experience and alumni loyalty. This is a degree that must be nurtured carefully
by all concerned.
It is noted that, in the context of the recent expansion of the Faculty and the
absence of dedicated whole-programme structures and management, the Programme has
not received adequate attention and development. The adverse consequences of this can
be readily rectified by an unambiguous re-affirmation of the programme’s central role in
the faculty and immediate action on a number of fronts. The Faculty now has to live up
to the statements of intent enshrined in its brochures and strategies.
The Faculty under the Dean’s leadership should engage in an immediate process
to define clearly the BComm’s mission and objectives in terms of tangible and realistic
educational outcomes. These outcomes should guide and inform all aspects of a revised
curriculum, of every course taught, of student evaluations of the programme and of all
associated activities. Programme outcomes should be evaluated annually in terms of
operational achievement and periodically in terms of strategic achievement. In addition,
reviews should keep abreast of market and business initiatives, which should be
incorporated and reflected in the programme content.
The BComm must be organized and managed in a whole-of-programme manner.
It is no longer possible to achieve appropriate outcomes by relying on uncoordinated, or
informally coordinated, actions of departments and lecturers acting independently. It is
not only impossible but deeply frustrating to committed staff who share a student
centered ideal to find their efforts diluted or negated by the absence of an integrated
curriculum and integrating mechanisms. The appointment of a Programme Director, or
Director of Undergraduate Studies supported by a Programme Committee, is strongly
recommended.
Large class sizes result in a predominantly subject-centered and passive learning
experience that is at variance with university policy, faculty aspirations and good practice
in university education. Immediate revision of the curriculum and of the broader
dimensions of students’ learning experience is recommended to realize a student-centered
and active learning based educational outcome. As a number of programme elements
already work in this manner, especially at elective level, the foundation for such change
is already established. Curriculum redesign must also have the objective and result of an
integrated curriculum – over three years viewed cumulatively and across each year. This
redesign process must be undertaken on a ‘zero-based’ approach. This will involve
setting aside long established patterns of course provision and the re-balancing of
disciplinary inputs as well as the potential to provide completely new multi-disciplinary
inputs. To achieve this, the Faculty must commit to accepting programme educational
outcomes as the first priority in redesign and to placing departmental and individual
interests second. This is not necessarily facilitated by current budgetary conventions but
the potentially perverse effects of such institutional factors must be confronted openly
and appropriate means of observing the primacy of programme and student centered
goals devised.
It is recommended that changes in organization, curriculum and pedagogy be
planned by a Programme Director and a temporary Programme Redesign Committee,
under the guidance and stewardship of the Dean. The Committee should complete its
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work in time to have the entering first year cohort of 2005/06 begin with the new
curriculum. It should then disband and a standing Programme Committee should be
formed, chaired by the Programme Director, to manage the programme, to introduce the
revised second and third year curricula and to establish the ongoing process of
programme management and routine monitoring and review.
2. Aims And Objectives
The aims and objectives of the Bachelor of Commerce degree have been articulated
differently in the undergraduate prospectus and in the Faculty’s Self-Assessment Report.
These are general in nature and have not been expressed in terms of learning
outcomes. Also, the issue of how these aims and objectives are met by the current degree
course offerings does not appear to have been given adequate consideration by the
Faculty.
There seem to be a lack of awareness among individual staff members and
students of the aims and objectives of the programme.
Recommendations:
2.1 The faculty and the university should agree a clear vision for the programme.
2.2 An agreed set of aims and objectives for the BComm degree programme should be
developed collectively in terms of educational outcomes by all of the contributing
departments. This process should be informed by input from external sources and
from students and graduates.
2.3 Individual courses should be assessed in term of how they contribute to the aims
and objectives of the degree programme and all course outlines should demonstrate
how they support programme goals.
2.4 The courses should be reviewed collectively to ensure that all of the aims and
objectives of the programme are met and that there is consistency across the
programmes. A cohesive and balanced approach to programme design is essential.
2.5 These aims and objectives should inform all decisions in relation to individual
course development and assessment.
2.6 These aims and objectives should be widely disseminated by means of a student
handbook and on the faculty website.
3. Organisation And Management
There are no formal processes in place to ensure the quality and consistency in the the
BComm Programme. This informal approach seemed to work well in the previous
environment of limited student numbers, small faculty size and relatively few competing
programme offerings. However changes in all of these conditions have created the need
for direct programme leadership and the creation of formal processes. Coordination and
review is needed to ensure that the programme’s aims and objectives are being set and
achieved.
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Students do not have a strong sense of affiliation to the Faculty and to their peers.
This sense of isolation is exascerbated by the fact that most of the teaching takes place in
large anonymous groups in a location remote from the faculty base in St Anthonys. The
organization and management must confront this issue to ensure that Strategic Priority 1
of the University’s Strategic Plan, which states that ‘the student experience is of
paramount importance’, is fulfilled.
Recommendations:
3.1 Ultimate responsibility for programme management and governance rests with the
Dean. The Dean should take responsibity for the process of redesign of the
BComm programme. A Programme Director should be appointed who reports
directly to the Dean. The Director should have primary responsibility for working
with the faculty to develop a process of governance and review for curriculum and
policy issues related to the BComm Programme.
3.2 The Programme Director should establish a temporary Programme Review
Committee, whose immediate goal should be the review and redesign of the current
curriculum and delivery of the BComm programme. This committee should:
3.2.1 Include representation from all departments involved in the BComm
programme, as well as adequate representation from other constituents (e.g.,
students, graduates, employers).
3.2.2 Undertake benchmarking with other comparable programmes to identify best
practices and to analyze the competitive marketplace.
3.2.3 Identify specific desired learning outcomes for the programme as a whole,
and map these outcomes to specific course offerings.
3.2.4 Develop and utilize broad measures of feedback from students.
3.2.5 Create a process for the review that ensures ongoing input and review from
the faculty as a whole.
3.2.6 Develop a timetable for implementing recommended changes, which will
apply to those students entering in September 2005.
3.2.5 Establish guidelines for the operation of a permanent BComm Programme
Committee that will assist the Programme Director in the continuous
governance, review and development of the BComm programme.
3.3 The BComm Programme Committee should have faculty representation from all
departments involved in the programme, and its responsibilities should include:
3.3.1 Reviewing and further defining the desired learning outcomes for the
programme as a whole.
3.3.2. Ensuring that across the programme, these desired learning outcomes are
being achieved within specific courses and that there is consistent high
quality in the course offerings.
3.3.3. Reviewing newly proposed courses to ensure that they are consistent with
overall programme goals.
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3.3.4. Creating and utilizing regular feedback mechanisms to collect data on the
achievement of programme learning objectives and quality, by course, by
year and by programme.
3.3.5. Monitoring course assessment practices to ensure fairness and consistency.
3.3.6. Serving as the primary communication vehicle for faculty input into the
programme and for conveying relevant programme goals and policies to
faculty within individual departments.
3.4. The Programme Director should work with the faculty to further increase the
connection between the students and the programme and to enhance the interaction
among students. Specific initiatives might include:
3.4.1. Creating formal and informal opportunities for the collection of student
feedback, such as regular course evaluations, open fora of targeted groups of
students, fostering the development of and support for student societies, exit
surveys and/or interviews.
3.4.2. Improving existing communication vehicles with students, such as enhancing
existing web site content, creating a printed and/or electronic student
handbook and creating a periodic student newsletter.
3.4.3. Providing opportunities for student interaction and leadership development,
such as creating a mentoring relationship between selected third-year
students and first-year students.
4. Programme & Instruction
Because there is no coherent programme management, the educational outcomes of the
BComm reflect the many independent decisions taken by departments and lecturers over
the years. It is difficult, even impossible, to ensure that the result is student-centered and
that student learning and self-development is optimized.
The combination of large class sizes (as many as 350 plus in some), limited use of
tutorials, and current pedagogy in the first two years and the non-elective elements,
results in a predominantly passive learning experience for students. Active engagement
in learning is a feature of many of the electives, especially in management and marketing
but does not, in general, occur until the final year.
The University’s criterion for teaching programme effectiveness – “preparation
for life-long learning by promoting generic competencies such as reasoning,
communication skills, information retrieval and teamwork” - is not satisfied by the
curriculum, pedagogy and programme organisation.
Because of the factors mentioned above and the absence of programme objectives
a coherent rationale does not inform programme content or delivery.
In general, and for reasons already noted, teaching methods are dominated by
large class declaratory lecturing. Commendable efforts are made to use other methods in
electives and some tutorials. The optional course in management skills in second year is
a noteworthy exception – highly valued by students but with insufficient capacity to meet
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demand. Innovative thinking about teaching methods is urgently required to break the
tyranny of large class size and passive learning and to develop the full range of required
student learning and skills.
While existing students find the experience of large class teaching and learning
daunting, especially in the early years, it must be assumed that ‘non-traditional students’
would find it wholly intimidating. The current programme most likely adds barriers to
access.
There appears to be a lack of consistency in the approach to assessment across the
programme. Inconsistent marking between courses may influence student choice of
elective courses and perhaps specialisation streams.
Recommendations
4.1 Considerable thought should be given to curriculum development. At present, it
reflects the accumulation of incremental adjustments by departments and lecturers
over many years. Despite the excellent efforts of many individuals across the
faculty, the programme as a whole lacks integration and an overall student centered
focus.
4.2 The redesigned curriculum must focus on:
- the overarching authority of a statement of BComm programme philosophy
and objectives, stated in terms of educational outcomes
- the necessity for each year cumulatively, and each course, to demonstrably
and measurably support achievement of these objectives
- the need to engage students fully and on a full-time basis in the programme
and in the broader university experience
- the need for, and role of, an appropriate integrative element running through
the programme’s three years. A required course in management in each of the
three years with a specific objective of integrating learning across each year
and between years is recommended
- the appropriate balance of learning / coursework between each of the three
years and between subjects within year. The workload in the first year
appears to be relatively light in comparison with the later years. At present,
the curriculum has a much larger number of compulsory subjects in
Economics than in any other subject area and this should be reviewed
- rationalisation of the number of courses on offer
- the provision of a broad base of business skills to students, which can be
applied generally.
4.3 Learning outcomes must be specified for all courses and course objectives must be
informed by the agreed set of learning objectives for the programme and for each
year. These objectives should include a broad set of intellectual, technical, social
and professional skills.
4.4 An appropriate range of teaching methods should be incorporated in each year in
order to ensure an active learning experience for the student. While acknowledging
the fact that it will be necessary to continue to use large group teaching for many
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4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.9
4.10
4.11
4.12
4.13
4.14
courses, the students should be exposed to small group learning experiences in each
year. Particular effort should be paid to such experiences in First Year.
The specialist services of CELT should be drawn on to facilitate the faculty process
of curriculum redesign and innovation in pedagogy. The University and CELT
should provide the resources necessary for these initiatives.
Review of the programme must continue with appropriate annual and periodic
review processes. These processes should include inputs from students, alumni,
employers and the business community to ensure continuing relevance and an
empirical grounding.
The lack of consistency of grades between different courses must be addressed.
The proportion of students being awarded first class honours should be reviewed in
conjunction with external examiners.
Effective and consistent methods of assessing group projects must be developed.
Such methods should be communicated to student groups for transparency and
understanding.
Both at departmental and programme level, effective use should be made of
external examiners to ensure overall consistency in examination.
A range of assessment methods must be used to evaluate the learning objectives.
The Programme Board should continue the process of tracking and analysis of
grading policy.
Timely feedback from continuous assessment should be provided to students.
Feedback should specify deficiencies or good performance in relation to criteria and
requirements.
The student handbook should specify the programme policy in relation to
assessment and feedback.
5. External Relationships And Contributions
The BComm programme at NUI Galway is well recognised and has made an important
contribution to the economic development of the Western region over the years. Students
from the programme have taken positions with organisations, companies and financial
institutions both nationally and internationally, with many continuing their further
education with the Commerce Faculty later in their careers.
While it appears that the many departments have individual relationships with
such groups, there does not appear to be a cohesive approach to leveraging contacts with
industry and the potential market place with employees.
There is an opportunity for the BComm programme to cement such relationships
and formalise interaction and support with these groups. Other universities utilise their
co-operative placement very successfully in this regard.
Accreditation with professional groups for various programmes is well established
i.e. CIPD, MII, and professional accountancy groups.
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There is positive evidence of graduates being recruited by external groups at
BComm level and supporting their further post graduate education in the Commerce
Faculty.
Recommendations
5.1 Develop a formalised and integrated approach to building business and industry
relationships for the BComm programme. These relationships can provide
invaluable support for the programme in addition to building a positive image of the
programme and its graduates.
5.2 Use industry and business links for plant visits, tours, guest lecturers to build a
greater understanding among undergraduates of business issues and challenges.
5.3 Work to identify opportunities for graduates to work with business and industry on
research opportunities. Review the opportunity to support post-graduate research
with undergraduates in order to foster a research interest at an early stage.
5.4 Investigate the possibility of a limited co-operative placement programme
supported by the BComm course director over summer months both locally,
nationally and internationally.
5.5 Build a sense of identity for undergraduates with the Commerce Faculty and
particularly with the BComm programme, which in time can facilitate contact with
BComm alumni – email listings, “give something back initiatives”
5.6 Review the possibility for using BComm graduates as external guest
speakers/presenters for Management Skills programme specifically.
6. Concluding Remarks
Based on its review of the Programme and its meetings, the Review Group is fully
confident that the capability, motivation and creativity exists within the Faculty and
available support services to complete these recommendations on time and with success.
It wishes the faculty success in its development of the BComm and in securing its place
as the underlying foundation of the faculty’s work and as a flagship programme of the
university.
Comments On The Review Process
Overall the process went quite smoothly and effectively. The documentation provided
was helpful, but some inadequacies arose at the outset. It would have been helpful if the
review reports for the individual departments were made available in advance of the
meeting. The need to correct some key data in relation to assessment statistics towards
the end of the process was troubling.
Whilst those involved in the assessment process were willing participants, a
process to ensure all participants in the degree programme give input is essential. This
will enhance the credibility of the Quality Review process and increase ownership. It is
regrettable that there was no student representation on the Self-Assessment Committee.
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