Economics Department Annual Assessment Report to the College 2016-2017

Abstract

The Economics department 2016-17 annual assessment report to the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics for the Office of Academic Assessment and Program Review. As part of its two-year assessment plan cycle, the department analyzed and applied the results of its 2015-16 student learning outcomes measurements. Four SLOs were the focus of concern: SLO #2: Have strong quantitative skills, including the ability to use and interpret economic statistics; SLO #3: Be able to express key economic concepts both intuitively and more formally; SLO #5: Understand key macroeconomic variables and how fiscal and monetary policies affect them; SLO #6: Understand how institutions, government policy, and regulation affect economic growth and the relative wealth of economies. Analyses of the results with respect to SLOs 2, 3, and 6 revealed possible anomalies in the assessment results , as well as high scores on the SLO in some courses and lower scores (just under benchmark) in others, leading to the department’s decision not to make any program changes in response. Assessed results with respect to SLO 5, on the other hand, “confirmed a long-running concern about the program’s performance in macroeconomics.” In response, the program has closed the loop by creating a new 300-level course in macroeconomics, while discontinuing ECON 401. Similarly, ECON 405 will be replaced by two new courses. These changes are awaiting university approval. Plans for 2017-18 are to assess all six of its program SLOs via 7 different 400-level courses.