academic program review at john carroll university self

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Academic Program Review at John Carroll University

Self-Study Report for Human Resource Management Major

In the Boler School of Business

PREFACE

John Carroll University is a Jesuit Catholic university (one of twenty-eight in the United States),

founded in 1886, and located in University Heights, Ohio. Our mission is to “inspire individuals

to excel in learning, leadership, and service in the region and in the world.” Throughout our

127-year history, we have dedicated ourselves to providing Jesuit education not only to enrich

the lives of graduates, but also to challenge them to enrich the lives of others in order to create

a more just society. These aspirations are expressed in our shared Jesuit mission of forming

“men and women for others.” Our success is evidenced by extraordinarily strong retention

rates, high persistence rates, and enviable four-year graduation rates. Our alumni make a

difference, whether they rise to prominence or work with integrity and dedication in their

careers and communities. Operating on a semester calendar, John Carroll University is a four-

year, not-for-profit University which offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees through

the College of Arts and Sciences and the John M. and Mary Jo Boler School of Business.

According to the 2014-2015 JCU Factbook, JCU offers 45 undergraduates degrees, with a full-

time tuition of $34,600. There are 193 full-time faculty, 225 part time faculty, and the student

to faculty ratio is 14.3/1. JCU has more than 41,000 alumni and the endowment sits at roughly

200,000,000.

Because of its dual AACSB accreditation, the programs of the John M. and Mary Jo Boler School

of Business rank among the world’s best. Because of our mission and vision, our graduates go

into the business world with a different attitude than those that graduate elsewhere. The Boler

School of Business’s mission is to develop and inspire tomorrow’s leaders through educational

excellence in the Jesuit tradition. Our vision is to be recognized as one of the best Catholic

business schools in the country through developing outstanding socially responsible leaders.

The Boler School’s reach stretches far beyond John Carroll’s campus. More than 500 companies

in Northeast Ohio are owned or operated by John Carroll alumni, providing a significant

economic impact in the area. Additionally, Boler alumni lead organizational efforts nationally

and internationally, ranging from Fortune 500 companies employing thousands of people to

non-profit NGOs that are improving the lives of people all over the world.

Many of our students are involved in on-going community service projects in the Cleveland area

that have a consistent, positive impact, including Boler Community Day, during which Boler

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students, faculty, and staff come together to give back to the Greater Cleveland community.

Our efforts have affected hundreds of Cleveland area residents. In addition, Boler students

work to impact those beyond our borders by both helping with Medwish, a non-profit

organization committed to the recovery and recycling of donated medical supplies, and

participating in immersion trips to Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica.

The Human Resource Management (HRM) major, housed in the Management, Marketing and

Logistics Department, is only in its 3rd year of existence. Prior to the development of the HRM

major, HRM was a track within the Management major. The HRM major provides students with

the in-depth knowledge necessary to assist organizations in the effective utilization of

employee skills and talents. Its overall goal is to develop in students an intensive understanding

of the concepts and techniques needed to acquire, cultivate, utilize, and retain an

organization’s human resources. HRM students develop knowledge and skills related to the

recruitment, selection, training & development, and retention of organizational talent, along

with employee performance management, workforce planning, compensation administration,

the facilitation of organizational change, and the application of employment law. The HRM

major also strengthens skills related to applied research, logical reasoning, ethical reasoning,

verbal and written communication, and the use of evidence-based resources to make decisions.

Ultimately, the HRM major provides students with HRM expertise relevant to the current and

future needs of organizations.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has acknowledged that Boler’s HRM

major is aligned with SHRM’s HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates. Throughout the world,

370 programs in 276 educational institutions have been acknowledged by SHRM as being in

alignment with its suggested guides and templates. The HR Curriculum Guidebook and

Templates were developed by SHRM to define the minimum HR content areas that should be

studied by HR students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The guidelines -- created in

2006 and revalidated in 2010 and 2013 -- are part of SHRM’s Academic Initiative to define HRM

education standards taught in university business schools and help universities develop degree

programs that follow these standards.

Our teaching philosophy combines theory and application to develop our students both

personally and professionally. Our alumni are prepared to navigate the complexities of the

business world while establishing themselves as well-rounded citizens. This work is rooted in

Jesuit concepts such as: cura personalis, seeking the magis, promoting justice, and forming and

educating agents of change. The Jesuit approach to pedagogy also informs our approach with

an emphasis on the “experience, reflect, act, and evaluate” approach to learning.

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MISSION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

MISSION STATEMENT (Approved by Dean Miciak 1/27/16)

The mission of the Human Resource Management (HRM) major is to develop confident, well

rounded, lifelong learners, who use ethical reasoning, human resource management expertise,

and evidence-based resources to make decisions that positively contribute to their

organizations and society.

STUDENT LEARNING GOALS

The HRM major student learning goals (SLGs) were developed to align with the critical HR competency areas developed by the national SHRM organization, the Boler learning goals, and the University Academic learning goals.

Human Resource Expertise: knowledge of principles, practices, and functions of effective human resource management.

● will have knowledge of critical human resource functions, including strategy, recruitment, staffing, employment law, training & development, and employee and labor relations.

Relationship Management: ability to work interdependently to provide service and support in a team environment.

● will have the ability to build trusting relationships with project stakeholders. Consultation: ability to provide guidance to project stakeholders.

● will have the ability to apply creative problem-solving to address HRM needs. Leadership & Navigation: ability to direct and contribute to project initiatives and processes.

● will have the ability to demonstrate behaviors consistent with organizational or group objectives.

Critical Evaluation: ability to interpret information with which to make HRM business decisions and recommendations.

● will have the skills required to analyze HRM challenges and offer solutions based on best practices and research.

UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC LEARNING GOALS

● Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of human and natural worlds

● Apply creative and innovative thinking

● Develop habits of critical analysis and aesthetic appreciation

● Communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression

● Act competently in a global and diverse world

● Understand and promote social justice

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● Apply a framework for examining ethical dilemmas

● Employ leadership and collaborative skills

● Understand the religious dimensions of human experience

The HRM major SLGs have been aligned with the relevant University Academic learning goals.

Overall, the HRM major SLGs directly link to the following University Academic learning goals:

Demonstrate an integrated knowledge of human and natural worlds, Develop habits of critical

analysis and aesthetic appreciation, Apply creative and innovative thinking, Communicate

skillfully in multiple forms of expression, Apply a framework for examining ethical dilemmas,

and Employ leadership and collaborative skills. For the full mapping of the HRM major SLGs to

the University Academic goals, see Appendix A.

Boler Learning Goals

● Our students will have ethical reasoning skills. ● Our students will have and use knowledge of all functional areas of business. ● Our students will have communication skills (oral and written.) ● Our students will have critical thinking and problem solving skills. ● Our students will have a global perspective. ● Our students will have knowledge, skills, and abilities appropriate to their major.

Finally, the HRM major SLGs are aligned to five of the six Boler Learning Goals. Specifically, the HRM major contributes to the Boler learning goals by teaching students Ethical reasoning skills, Functional business knowledge, Communication skills, Critical thinking and problem solving skills, and Knowledge, skills, and abilities appropriate to the HRM major. For the full mapping of the HRM major SLGs to the Boler learning goals, see Appendix B. CONTRIBUTION TO BOLER CORE

There are no HRM specific courses in the Boler core. However, MN325: Organizational

Behavior/Management (OB/M) is typically taught by HRM faculty and the content is often

related to HRM topics as a practical application at the end of each topic. In addition, in the HRM

courses the OB/M content is drawn upon to make connections between theory and application.

OTHER UNIVERSITY-WIDE PROGRAMS

Students in the HRM major complete a required Service Learning course at the start of the

program. The Service Learning component is built into HR352, Human Resource Management,

in the form of a semester-long project with JCU community partners (non-profit organizations).

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Students work in teams with an assigned partner to address a pressing HRM need within the

organization. Examples of projects include developing recommendations for: performance

appraisals, recruitment and selection processes, reducing employee and volunteer turnover,

crafting job satisfaction surveys, and the development of job descriptions.

FACULTY

FACULTY PROFILES

There are two full-time faculty members in the HRM program, Rosanna Miguel and Alison Dachner, both Assistant Professors of Management. Miguel and Dachner teach a variety of courses in both the Management and HRM majors. One visiting assistant professor (Mike Malone) and two adjunct professors (Bud Stuppy and Michele Hicks) also taught in the HRM major. See Appendix C for current Curriculum Vitaes of each professor. Miguel, Dachner, and Malone each have a PhD in an HRM related field from University of Akron, The Ohio State University, and Illinois Institute of Technology, respectively. Stuppy has a Master’s of Psychology and Diversity Management from Cleveland State University and a Master’s of Organization Development and Analysis from Case Western Reserve. Hicks has a Master’s of Human Resource Management and a Master’s of Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management. Miguel and Hicks are also certified as Senior Professionals in Human Resources (SPHR).

Faculty in the HRM major specialize in the areas of recruitment, selection, training, development, employment law, management education, and strategic HRM. Teaching loads are standard across full-time faculty (3:3) as long as research requirements are being met. Reductions in teaching loads can be requested as necessary. Full-time HRM faculty members have a variety of research interests and are published in the areas of: employee selection in private and non-profit organizations, with an emphasis on the role of individual differences (Miguel); and understanding and improving modern HRM practices, especially those relevant to training, development, and informal learning, improving management education, and identifying valuable organizational outcomes associated with interpersonal relationships in the workplace (Dachner).

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION

All full- and part-time faculty receive teaching evaluations from students each semester. Faculty

development opportunities and evaluation do not exist at the program level, but they do within

Boler, and JCU. For example, each year all faculty participate in an annual evaluation. In

addition there are development opportunities provided by the Center for Teaching and

Learning that faculty can engage in, and course development and faculty development grants

are offered out of the Academic Vice President’s Office. Similarly, formal mentoring processes

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do not exist other than during the tenure process. However, a University wide program of

orientation is provided to new faculty.

HRM specific faculty development is often supported by the department, but is not provided by

the department. Development opportunities are identified and pursued by individual faculty

members. This includes formal programs (SHRM), academic and teaching conferences (e.g.,

OBTS), JCU teaching workshops, as well as informal mentorship relationships. In an effort to

create a scholarly and creative program, Miguel and Dachner publish and present research

together focused on HRM and management education, and collaborate and support one

another in teaching initiatives. Each has also received the Wasmer Grant to support their

research over the summer.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Dachner and Miguel review for and publish in academic, peer-reviewed journals in the field.

Both are also SHRM members and serve on advisory boards for different organizations.

Leadership and service within the University is also a priority for both. Our faculty serve on

numerous University and Boler committees including: Search committees, HLC assessment

committee, Enrollment committee, Student Life and Financial Aid committee, Boler Assessment

committee, Boler Teaching committee, and Committee for Management Program Review. In

addition, Miguel is the JCU student SHRM chapter advisor, she conducts workshops for faculty

and student development, and provides service learning courses with local non-profits. Dachner

is the co-chair of the untenured faculty organization. Finally, students in the HRM major

complete a required Service Learning course in the form of a semester-long project with JCU

community partners (non-profit organizations).

CURRICULUM

CURRICULUM

Courses: The HRM program requires a total of 63-66 credit hours. Students complete the Boler

Core (43 credit hours) and a series of courses in HRM. Students must complete six required

courses (5 of the 6 are HRM courses and 1 is offered through the Psychology department:

Performance Management) and two elective courses. Students begin with the introductory

Human Resource Management (HR352) course. The prerequisite or corequisite for this course

is Organizational Behavior/Management (MN325). HR352 is a prerequisite and/or corequisite

for the remaining required HRM courses. Except for the capstone HR course (HR495) which is

taken during the spring of the senior year of study, students can complete the required courses

in any order. The required HRM courses are HR370 Staffing, HR373 Training and Management

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Development, HR376 Compensation, (PS459: Performance Management), HR495 Advanced

Human Resource Management. Finally, students must choose two electives from a list of three

primary choices: HR353 Labor Relations, HR405 Current Issues in Human Resource

Management, and MN395 Leadership Skills Development. This curriculum has been approved

by SHRM.

See Appendix D for HRM major undergraduate bulletin description. See Appendix E for a list of

the courses offered in each of the past three years. See Appendix F for the syllabi for required

courses in the HRM major.

Contribution to University and Business School Goals. See Section above and Appendices B and

C.

Alignment with program goals and objectives for student learning: The HRM major learning

goals are embedded within the HRM major courses. Appendix G indicates where the goals are

taught. In addition, Appendix H demonstrates the alignment of the HRM major courses to the

SHRM competency model.

COURSE PROFILE

From Fall 2012-Spring 2015, 18 sections of HRM courses were taken by 403 students. Among

all HRM courses offered during this time period, only three sections (16.67%) were taught by

part-time faculty (i.e., one section of HR373 by Hicks and two sections of HR495 by Stuppy).

Ninety percent of students (364) were enrolled in HRM sections taught by a full-time faculty

member (i.e., Dachner, Malone, and/or Miguel).

ENROLLMENT TRENDS

From Fall 2012-Spring 2015 The average class size in HRM courses was 22 students with a

median of 21 students per class. Enrollment trends in the courses are listed below. Based on

conversations with the MML department chair courses with fewer than 15 students might be

considered under-enrolled, although it depends on the situation. In this case, only one HRM

course may be considered under-enrolled, with only 13 students (i.e., HR 376, Fall 2014 with

Malone). Although HR495 (the HRM capstone course) only had 11 students in SP2014, and 8

students in SP2015, these sections are not considered under-enrolled because as a new

program, there are still few graduating seniors to take the HRM major capstone course.

● HR352: Human Resource Management

○ FA2012 Malone-26 students

○ SP2013- Miguel- 16 students

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○ FA2013- Dachner- 31 students


○ FA2014- Malone- 32 students


● HR353: Labor Relations

○ FA2013- Miguel- 15 students

○ FA2014- Miguel- 21 students

● HR370: Staffing




● HR373: Training & Management Development

○ SP2013- Hicks- 20 students

○ SP2014- Dachner- 26 students

○ SP2015- Dachner- 31 students

● HR376: Compensation



● HR495: Advanced Human Resource Management

○ SP2014- Stuppy- 11 students

○ SP2015- Stuppy- 8 students

STUDENT LEARNING

PEDAGOGY

Pedagogy: In the HRM program a wide variety of pedagogical strategies are employed in the

classroom to foster learning. These methods are used at an individual and group level such that

students are expected to perform well on their own and with others. This allows instructors to

target the different course objectives and program goals in different ways. Instructional

designs that are used include presentation, experiential learning, reflection, and research.

Presentation methods can be delivered by the instructor (e.g., lecturing, storytelling, and online

lectures), external resources (e.g., videos, guest speakers) or from the students (e.g., individual

and group presentations). Simulations, games, external service-based consulting projects,

internships, role plays, and skits all represent experiential learning activities that are used in the

HRM program. Students learn through self-reflection (e.g., assessments, inventories, essays,

and coaching), as well as through reflection of material (e.g., group discussions, current events).

A final pedagogical strategy employed in the HRM major is research (e.g., writing research

papers, preparing poster sessions, and cases). These different strategies allow instructors to

reinforce material in a variety of ways to engage student learning and application of material.

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Teaching Effectiveness: Both tenure track faculty members (Dachner and Miguel) have a peer-

review performance evaluation each year whereby two members of the tenure committee

observe their teaching and provide them with feedback. The feedback has been positive and

has indicated that students are engaged in their classes. All faculty in the program are

evaluated by student surveys at the end of each semester (SEIs). On a five point rating scale,

the full-time faculty in the HRM major have an average overall satisfaction rating above 4.0.

Based on the student comments for the two tenure-track faculty members there was overall

consensus among students that instructors were well-organized, enthusiastic, helpful, willing to

meet, and caring. Many students also commented that they learned a lot and the course

content was interesting and relevant. In addition, after taking introductory courses with these

professors, students have reported a desire to declare, add a second major, or switch majors

into the HRM program.

Grade trends

The grade trends in HRM courses from Fall 2012-Spring 2015 vary depending on the

course and the instructor (See table below). Interestingly, there was a notable difference

between the grades of the full-time faculty and the part time faculty. While about 29% of

students were awarded grades in the A and A- range for full-time faculty, part-time instructors

awarded almost 72% of students with grades in the A and A- range and no students with a

grade less than a B-. This suggests that there might be some degree of grade inflation in the

courses taught by part-time instructors. However, about half of those grades were earned in

the HR495 capstone course. One might expect students to perform better in their senior

capstone than in other courses during college. Overall, one-third of students earned a grade in

the A range, about 46% earned in the B range, almost 19% earned in the C range, 1% earned a

D+, and 1.5% withdrew or failed in the HRM courses.

Full Time Faculty Part Time Faculty Total Faculty

Grade Student Count

Percent Student Count

Percent Student Count

Percent

A 66 18.13% 21 53.85% 87 21.59%

A- 39 10.71% 7 17.95% 46 11.41%

B+ 50 13.74% 8 20.51% 58 14.39%

B 72 19.78% 2 5.13% 74 18.36%

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B- 52 14.29% 1 2.56% 53 13.15%

C+ 27 7.42% 0 0.00% 27 6.70%

C 34 9.34% 0 0.00% 34 8.44%

C- 14 3.85% 0 0.00% 14 3.47%

D+ 4 1.10% 0 0.00% 4 0.99%

D 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00%

F 2 0.55% 0 0.00% 2 0.50%

W 4 1.10% 0 0.00% 4 0.99%

Other 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00%

Total 364 100% 39 100% 403 100%

ADVISING

● The full-time, tenure-track HRM faculty participate in cohort advising which focuses on freshmen and sophomores who have shown an interest in business. Additionally, HRM faculty are fully engaged in the advising of HRM majors. The number of advisees ranges from 9-40 advisees (freshman/sophomore and declared HRM majors)

● In Spring 2015, faculty held a meeting with declared HRM majors to discuss internships, advising and the major. This was deemed a success and the faculty plans to meet with all HRM majors each semester to check-in, provide announcements and better develop community.

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP, INTERNSHIPS, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, CREATIVE WORK,

VOLUNTEERISM

All HRM majors are required to complete at least one HRM internship. These internships must be approved ahead of time to receive credit and students are evaluated at the end of the internship by the associated organization. Faculty also serve as mentors to HRM majors in the honor’s program on their honors thesis. Faculty frequently invite guest speakers to the classroom. Most notably, the Training & Development course is completely project-based and requires that students spend the semester designing a seminar for a student organization based on its identified needs. At the end of the semester, students implement the training program and are evaluated based on the participants’ reactions and learning outcomes. Finally, the JCU

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student SHRM chapter invites a minimum of three professional speakers to JCU each semester to discuss a variety of relevant topics and provide career advice.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, POST-GRADUATION AND ALUMNI OUTCOMES

Professional Development: All Boler students, including those in the HRM major, participate in the Boler Professional Development program. This is a series of courses covering topics, including resume writing, effective interviewing strategies, professional etiquette and networking. These topics take students outside of the classroom to learn how to effectively manage a career.

Students in the HRM capstone course (HR495) are encouraged to join the national SHRM and student chapter SHRM. Students are also encouraged throughout their junior and senior years to engage in SHRM events on and off campus (e.g., Charity events, networking, speakers, Cleveland SHRM). This provides opportunities for networking and learning more within the practical field of HRM. It also gives students access to the most up to date articles in the field of HRM (e.g., HR Magazine). In addition, students are encouraged to get involved in volunteer work with Northern Ohio HR Conference (NOHRC).

UNIVERSITY SUPPORT AND RESOURCES

Both Dachner and Miguel have received Wasmer summer research grants through the Boler School of Business. In addition, the current Reed Chair, Dr. Bockanic has opted to utilize resources from his position as Reed Chair to grow the HRM major by providing opportunities for student to meet professionals in HRM and Employment Law.

Other grants are available through University level resources, including: The Academic Vice President’s Office offers course development grants, Faculty Technology Fellowships, Online Course Development Grants, Kahl Endowment Grants for Internationalizing the Curriculum, Grauel Faculty Fellowships, financial assistance with travel to teaching-oriented courses, sessions on assessment, and so forth. These are open to all full-time HRM faculty.

STUDENT LEARNING ASSESSMENT

INTENTIONALITY OF ACHIEVING LEARNING GOALS The JCU Boler HRM major SLGs are based on the SHRM competency model and posted in the course bulletin for the University. The SHRM Competency Model is supported by a content validation study. All competencies were rated as required upon entry into an HRM job by a majority of survey respondents. The competencies included in our student learning goals are: human resource expertise, relationship management, consultation, leadership and navigation, and critical evaluation. The specific learning outcomes for HRM majors can be found below. Three SHRM competencies heavily overlapped with the Boler learning goals and were

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therefore, not included as specific learning objectives for the HRM major (i.e., Communication, Ethical Practice, and Global & Cultural Effectiveness).

ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE

In Spring of 2015 we assessed the SLG related to Human Resource Expertise which states that

students “will have knowledge of critical human resource functions, including strategy,

recruitment, staffing, employment law, training & development, and employee and labor

relations”. This assessment, the first of its kind, included ten multiple-choice knowledge

questions about the field of human resources (see Appendix I for the list of questions) scored

by Dr. Alison Dachner. The assessment was administered to all graduating human resource

majors (n=6) in their senior capstone course (i.e., HR 495). Only one student had a second

major and no students had a minor. Additionally, only one of the six students entered Boler

with the intent to major in HRM.

On the same assessment we measured student reactions to the HRM program. Students were

asked to rate (1) the extent to which they believed that their courses met the prescribed

learning outcome, (2) their satisfaction with the courses in the major, (3) the strengths of the

program, and (4) the areas of improvement for the program. Please see Appendix J for student

reaction outcomes. Some items were open-ended questions, all others were scored on a 5-

point Likert scale.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

The HRM major students performed very well on this assessment. Our benchmark was that 80%

of students would achieve a 60% or higher on the assessment. In reality, 100% of students

achieved a 70% or higher. We attribute this successful gain of knowledge to the consistency of

concepts and terminology used in their different courses within the HRM program.

● Q1: 100% answered correctly










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EVIDENCE OF STUDENT SATISFACTION

The HRM students were overall satisfied with the program of study as well as the individual

courses within the major. They felt as though the courses in the program helped them to

achieve the learning outcomes designated for the program. Many students also identified the

strengths of the program as well as the areas for improvement (please see below).

● Results: Student reactions to whether or not they believed their education achieved the

desired learning outcomes.

o HRM expertise: 4.33/5

o Relationship management: 4.17/5

o Consultation: 4.17/5

o Leadership and Navigation: 4.17/5

o Critical evaluation: 4.17/5

● Results: Satisfaction with courses in the major

o Overall: 4.67/5

o HR352 (Human Resource Management): 4.67/5

o HR373 (Training & Management Development): 4.33/5

o HR370 (Staffing): 4.83/5

o HR495 (Advanced HRM): 5/5

o How likely are you to recommend the HRM major to a friend: 9.17/10

● Program Strengths (according to the students):

o A majority of students felt that the strengths of the program included the

professors, the small class sizes, and the topics covered in classes.

● Areas for Program Improvements (according to the students):

● Students overwhelmingly felt that we need to advertise more and recruit more

students into the HRM major. One student even said “this is a great major that

is not given enough credit by Boler”. Students also indicated that they would like

to see a wider variety of projects including some interactive projects with

companies.

COMPARATIVE POSITION

COMPARISON WITH EXEMPLARS

Appendix K contains the data we collected and used to draw conclusions about our program’s

most important similarities and differences in relation to several Universities. Our criteria

include location of the program (i.e., we looked at programs in the Midwest, and in Northeast

Ohio specifically). We also looked for Universities with programs considered to represent best

practices.

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Most programs we reviewed were part of a business school and included a general business

curriculum in addition to the HRM curriculum. JCU’s general business was found to be broad

and inclusive of all key functional business areas.

Courses offered were fairly consistent. However, it does appear that several comparative

schools do not offer an HRM capstone course. This is a strength of JCU’s program.

One particular course that is not offered at JCU, but offered at the majority of the schools

compared is Employment Law.

JCU offers project-based semester courses. In HR352, students work with an external business

partner. In HR373, students work with an internal partner. Some schools, such as Baldwin

Wallace University, offer students a yearlong consulting project with a business partner.

Baldwin Wallace College also offers a Business Clinic, where students are teamed with

entrepreneurs-in-residence to coach clients through the development of their business

strategy.

UNIQUE FEATURES

First, as stated previously, students in the HRM major at John Carroll University complete a

required Service Learning course at the start of the program. The Service Learning component

is built into HR352, Human Resource Management, in the form of a semester-long consulting

project with JCU community partners (non-profit organizations). Students work in teams with

an assigned partner to address a pressing HRM need within the organization. Examples of

projects include developing recommendations for: performance appraisals, recruitment and

selection processes, reducing employee and volunteer turnover, crafting job satisfaction

surveys, and the development of job descriptions.

Second, our program is aligned with SHRM’s recommended curriculum.

Third, the program’s Learning Goals are aligned with SHRM’s competency model, which was

validated according to a content validation model.

CONCLUSION

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Strengths

● Small student to teacher ratio.

● Internship requirement which provides real-world experience, higher job placement,

and connections in the field of HR.

● Project-based courses with real organizations, some with service learning components

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● Faculty dedicated to student achievement and committed to HRM and Management

Education scholarship.

● Collaborative faculty within HRM and Management.

● Positive reputation among HRM professionals and local business leaders

● Alignment with SHRM competency model and SHRM HR curriculum guidebook and

templates prepares students to work in the HRM profession.

● Professional preparedness of students.

● Students and faculty who are engaged and enthusiastic about the field of HR and the

major.

Weaknesses

● The biggest issue for the HRM program is recruitment into the HRM major resulting

from a lack of student awareness about the major, the reputation of HR in general, and

a lack of faculty support for the major.

● Lack of alumni data to track critical outcomes, including job placement and career

progression, and satisfaction with the program.

● The Internship is not currently embedded into the curriculum, there is no mechanism to

track the learning, and there is no employer feedback beyond a brief student

performance appraisal.

● The HRM Capstone course has been taught by part-time faculty unfamiliar with the

curriculum or high expectations of HRM students.

● We are unable to provide a broad range of course offerings due to size of faculty and

program.

ACTION PLAN

Vision Statement:

To earn a reputation as a high quality HRM program such that the program and students’ value

is recognized by people both internal and external to JCU.

Improvements Using Current Resources

First, recruitment into the HRM major is seen as the program’s most pressing need. A lack of

JCU student awareness of the program (and many JCU advisors as well) is one contributing

factor. Therefore, our action plan includes the following activities:

● Hold a group meeting with HRM and Management students once a semester to

create a greater sense of community within the programs (HRM and MN), inform

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students about internships, scheduling, the opportunity to double major in HRM

and MN, etc.

● Visit Boler courses to discuss the HRM major with students, create a greater

awareness, and answer questions.

● Provide Boler advisors with templates and important information to assist them

with advising students expressing an interest in the HRM major.

● Speak to students at the annual “meet your major” event. Right now, faculty

attend to answer questions and a brief overview of each major is provided. We

feel this event can be used to better inform students about the less well known

majors, such as HRM.

Second, improving the key HRM capstone course is viewed as a priority. To start, a full-time

faculty member will teach the course going forward. Next, students in the HRM major will be

required to join the national SHRM and the JCU SHRM in their capstone course for the major

(HR495: Advanced HRM). In addition, the course has been redesigned in several keys ways.

First, SHRM resources and scholarly journal articles will replace the textbook requirement to

ensure students are getting access to the most relevant HRM news and research. This will help

transition students into the business world through the use of practical HRM articles.

Third, the curriculum will be altered slightly. Although the current curriculum is aligned with

SHRM’s HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates, a discussion amongst key faculty has led to

the decision to make a few changes to the curriculum. Going forward, HR353 Labor Relations

will be a required course instead of an elective. In addition, the course will be expanded to

include ‘Employee Relations’ as well. As a result of this change, PS459: Performance

Management will become an elective instead of a required courses. An additional elective

course will be offered to HRM major students as well: BI383: Project Management.

Improvements Requiring New Resources

The need for student outcome data to allow for intentional decision making within the program

is another primary area to be addressed. We will be seeking out resources and expertise

necessary to acquire this data (e.g., alumni data on program satisfaction, career progression,

job placement, etc.).

Assessment Plan

Planned changes to the assessment system. Prior to this report, only one of the program’s

student learning goals was assessed. We measured HRM expertise as well as student

satisfaction with the program. Our future assessment plan involves measuring all of the student

learning goals throughout the program (see Appendix L for the assessment plan).

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First, human resource expertise will be measured with the same, or similar items to those used

on the previous assessment at the conclusion of HR352 each Fall. This is the first class that

students take in the curriculum and provides them a broad introduction to the field of HR. At

this stage of their education in the program, the self-written questions are appropriate.

However, we are also assessing HR expertise in the senior capstone course (HR495: Advanced

Human Resource Management). All students will take the SHRM Assurance of Learning

Assessment. The National average passing rate is 62%. We expect that at least 60% of our

students will pass the exam. This exam was created by SHRM in 2006 for graduating HR

students as part of SHRM’s academic initiative. It is considered a universal benchmark for

students completing their degree in HR, but who have little work experience in HR. One

hundred and sixty multiple choice questions are used to assess student expertise in the areas of

employment and labor relations, employment law, strategy, compensation and benefits,

training and development, and workforce planning. Our program curriculum will be validated

when our students pass this exam. In addition, according to the SHRM website “ the

assessment helps universities meet their accrediting body’s assurance of learning requirements

because it helps show the HR degree program teaches what it states it will teach”. We intend

to use it to do just that each Spring before our seniors graduate.

Second, relationship management will be measured in HR352 (Human Resource Management)

and HR373 (Training and Management Development) each Fall. In each of these classes, all

students will conduct peer evaluations of their team members to assess the degree to which

each member was trustworthy, supportive, and available. Our benchmark is that at least 80%

of the students will score 70% or higher on the assessment.

Third, consultation will be measured in HR352. Students will work in teams on a service learning

project with external stakeholders. They will be evaluated on their ability to provide creative

solutions to address HR problems. Each team member will be required to independently

provide potential solutions prior to the development of a team consensus on the solutions to

offer to the client. Our benchmark is that at least 80% of the students will score 60% or higher

on the assessment.

Fourth, leadership and navigation will be measured in HR373 (Training and Development) each

Fall and HR376 (Compensation). In each of these classes, all students will conduct peer

evaluations of their team members to assess the extent to which each team member

contributed to the project objectives and the quality of their work. Our benchmark is that at

least 80% of the students will score 70% or higher on the assessment. In addition, in HR373

students will write a one-page self-assessment indicating how they contributed to the group’s

objectives.

Fifth, critical evaluation will be assessed in HR370 (Staffing) and HR495 (Advanced Human

Resource Management). In HR370 students will answer an essay question at the end of the

semester that requires them to evaluate a situation that reflects the course content and offer a

solution to an identified problem. In HR495 students will complete an individual case analyses

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which requires them to identify a problem, evaluate the situation, and provide

recommendations for how it should/could have been handled. In addition, students each

present on a contemporary issue in HR. Our benchmark is that at least 80% of the students will

score 80% or higher on the assessment. They research a particular topic (e.g., sexual

harassment in the workplace, contingent workers, online training) using academic and popular

press articles, they then present their findings to the class and identify HR challenges associated

with the issue, finally, students lead a class discussion and provide recommendations for

dealing with the HR challenges associated with each issue. Our benchmark is that at least 80%

of the students will score 80% or higher on the assessment.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR REVIEWERS

● What opportunities do you see for the HRM major?

● What aspects of our program reflect best practices?

● What suggestions can you offer for improving internal recruitment into the major?

● What additional resources do you perceive we need to grow the program?

● Given that the HRM major is only in its third year, how are we doing in terms of growth?

● What opportunities do you see for the HRM major across the University and/or Boler?

In other words, should we leverage other University and/or Boler programs to improve

upon the HRM major?

● Many schools have an HR concentration rather than a major, what are the benefits of

having the major here at JCU, and how might we make both internal and external

stakeholders aware of the value of the HR program?

academic program review at john carroll university self

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