Assurance of Learning and Study Abroad: A Case Study

Abstract

Most academic programs are now held accountable for measuring student‐learning outcomes. This article reports the results of an assurance of learning (AOL) project designed to measure the impact of study abroad on the development of ethical reasoning, intercultural sensitivity, and environmental attitudes. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) AOL guidelines (2007 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. 2007, November 20. AACSB assurance of learning standards: An interpretation (AACSB White Paper), Tampa, FL: AACSB International Accreditation Coordinating Committee and the AACSB International Accreditation Quality Committee. Retrieved May 16, 2009 from http://aacsb.edu/accreditation/papers/AOLPaper‐final‐11‐20‐07.pdf [Google Scholar], 2008 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. 2008, January 31. Eligibility procedures and accreditation standards for business accreditation, 12, 15, 71, & 74Tampa, FL: Author. Retrieved March 12, 2009 from http://aacsb.edu/accreditation/process/documents/AACSB_STANDARDS_Revised_Jan08.pdf [Google Scholar]) are used to frame the overall assessment process. Hammer and Bennett's (2002 Hammer, M. R. and Bennett, M. J. 2002. The intercultural development inventory (IDI) manual, Portland, OR: Intercultural Communication Institute. [Google Scholar]) intercultural development inventory (IDI); Dunlap, Van Liere, Mertig, and Jones' (2000 Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G. and Jones, R. E. 2000. Measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: A revised NEP scale.. Journal of Social Issues, 3: 425–442. [Google Scholar]) new ecological paradigm; Forsyth's (1980 Forsyth, D. R. 1980. A taxonomy of ethical ideologies.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39: 175–184. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) ethics position questionnaire (EPQ); and Richins' (1987 Richins, M. L. 1987. “Media, materialism, and human happiness.”. In Advances in consumer research, Edited by: Wallendorf, M and Anderson, P. 352–56. Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research. [Google Scholar]) materialism scale are the primary measurement rubrics used in the study. Results support the proposition that study abroad does have a positive impact on the development of cross‐cultural sensitivity and environmental attitudes. Although study abroad appears to have no direct impact on moral reasoning, changes in ethical reasoning do appear to be related to intercultural development and environmental attitudes. The AOL project demonstrates how assurance of learning programs can be extended to include experiential learning outcomes and can serve as a guide for the furthering of the globalization of a business curriculum.

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