Assurance of learning in business education – what exactly are we assuring, and whose business should it be?

Aaron Tham; Margarietha J de Villiers Scheepers; Anthony Grace

doi:10.1108/QAE-03-2023-0051

Back

Assurance of learning in business education – what exactly are we assuring, and whose business should it be?

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Assurance of learning in business education – what exactly are we assuring, and whose business should it be?

Aaron Tham, Margarietha J de Villiers Scheepers and Anthony Grace

Quality Assurance in Education, Vol.31(4), pp.616-636

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-03-2023-0051

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-03-2023-0051View

Published Version

Abstract

Business process management

Administration and business support services

Quality assurance, Benchmarking, Closing the loop, Business education,

Responsible business education

Paper type Literature review

Purpose – This paper aims to critically evaluate the evolution of Assurance of Learning (AoL) in business education and identify gaps and responsibilities in higher institution landscapes moving into the future. This comes amidst increasing structural reforms, an increasingly digitalised world, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and wider scrutiny of graduate competencies for job readiness. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review comprising 27 journal articles published between 2018 and 2022 is the methodology used in this research. This approach is justified as it provides a recent synopsis of current trends on AoL and encompasses the changes over the course of the COVID-19-induced higher education landscapes. Findings – The systematic literature review revealed a strong flavour for AoL measurement through the students' perspectives, with little emerging from faculty insights. Only six out of the 27 articles were framed in a non-English speaking background, revealing that most studies were still concentrated in a US or English environment. Also, while papers on AoL have increased in numbers from 2018 to 2022, there remains scant literature on AoL measurements related to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent digital technologies, and how these would have changed given the rapid shift to online or hybrid environments. Originality/value – A comprehensive review of AoL literature from 2018 to 2022 is undertaken through Leximancer, which reveals conceptual and relational ties between core themes and concepts of interest. The findings inform business school leaders of the current state of AoL processes, by combining the views of students, faculty and managers.

Details

Title: Assurance of learning in business education – what exactly are we assuring, and whose business should it be?
Authors: Aaron Tham (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
Margarietha J de Villiers Scheepers (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
Anthony Grace (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
Publication details: Quality Assurance in Education, Vol.31(4), pp.616-636
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
DOI: 10.1108/QAE-03-2023-0051
ISSN: 1758-7662
Organisation Unit: Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Business and Creative Industries
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99740298902621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

18 Record Views

2 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Education & Educational Research

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: InCites