University of Arkansas at Little Roc

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK

Assessment Plan Form Version 3

(for programs added after June 1995 or for revisions of plans)

Department: Department of Accounting, College of Business Administration
Department chair: Robert R. Oliva
Contact Person (if other than chair): ______Phone and e-mail: 501-569-3352;
Complete Degree Program Name: Graduate Certificate in Accountancy
Circle one: AA AS BA BS BSE BBA MA MS Other Master’s EdS JD EdD PhD
Graduate Certificate
Please summarize your responses on this form: attach supporting and explanatory material as needed. Separate plans should be developed for each degree program’s department offers (although they may be consolidated in single progress reports if appropriate).
Submitted to Provost’s Office on ______
Approved by Provost on ______

1. Program Mission:

A. What is your program’s central educational mission?

The initiation of graduate certificate programs is consistent with our educational mission, e.g., to adequately prepare students with the proper foundation to enter the constantly expanding professional field of Accounting and Taxation.

This program will facilitate entry into the profession as CPA applicants must complete 150 semester hours to be eligible to take the CPA exam. Also, this program will provide practicing CPA’s an excellent educational alternative to complete yearly Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours. Lastly, the program will provide students with a concentration in the MBA program.

B. How does your program’s central educational mission relate to the UALR mission?

The initiation of graduate certificate programs is consistent with the University’s strategic goal to continue to expand its graduate offerings to address regional and state needs, particularly those that address regional and state needs and those that contribute significantly to the economic development of the state. Two reasons indicate that the Graduate Certificate in Accountancy addresses the state and regional needs. First, area residents desiring to attend an accredited graduate business program in taxation or an accredited graduate law program in taxation must go out of state. Second, the surveys undertaken to assess student demand indicates the need to assist Accounting students and professionals to meet the examination and CPE requirements, as well as a desire to further their education through a prescribed graduate program in the area of Accounting and Taxation.

1. Program Goals:

The Department of Accounting has two long term goals, e.g., (1) for UALR and its Department of Accounting to be the choice of central Arkansas residents aspiring to enter professional careers in accounting, and (2) for UALR and its Department of Accounting to be the choice of central Arkansas practitioners seeking professional growth through post-baccalaureate training and graduate education in Accounting and Taxation. These goals can not be attained unless the Department offers graduate programs in accounting and taxation.

It is expected that these two goals will be attained if various intermediate term objectives are achieved form the perspectives of students/alumni and prospective employers. From the perspective of students/alumni, success will depend on whether the program, (1) added value and continues to have value to their education and careers, (2) enhanced their career development, (3) enhanced their level of income, and (4) met their initial expectations.

From the perspective of employers success will depend on whether, (1) there has been an increase of UALR graduates in the firms’ proportionate share of yearly hires, (2) program alumni exhibit better preparation in Accounting and/or Taxation than their contemporaries, (3) program alumni exhibit a faster career progression than their contemporaries, (4) program hires have met employers’ expectations, and (5) whether employers are likely to continue to hire program alumni.

Program Objectives: To meet students/alumni and employers’ expectations, the Department of Accounting must provide a well designed graduate program with relevant learning objectives to the practice of accounting and taxation. Hence, the specific program objective for the Graduate Certificate in Accountancy is to develop students’ professional skills in three areas: Accounting research, the practice of accountancy, and the analysis of accounting issues. Hence, each of the four courses in the program will have learning objectives designed to develop each of those skills. Please refer to the mapping of objectives and courses in Exhibit 1.

1. Site of Objectives:

Please refer to the mapping of objectives and courses in Exhibit 1.

1. Assessment Population:

The assessment population will consist of students, alumni, and employers.

1. Assessment Methods: As this is a new program, in addition to a traditional program assessment, there should be some form of assessing the nature of the demand for the program as well as some form of pre-launching assessment to determine what should be include in the program.

1. Demand Assessment

1. Informal demand assessment

Informal demand assessment was initiated in August 2005 through meetings with CPA partners, employees, and students. Starting August 2005, we initiated a series of meetings with key financial officers and the partners of the major accounting firms in the Little Rock area with the intention to introduce the new Chairperson, share his vision for the Department, find out about the firms’ needs, and to recruit key individuals for the Department of Accounting’s Advisory Board. As result of those meetings, the Department’s Advisory Board now includes partners from four of the major accounting firms in the Little Rock metropolitan area and the Controller of one of the largest companies located in our metropolitan area. In addition, during these meetings the partners and officers visited generally agreed with the need for graduate programs. They expressed a willingness to distribute our assessment questionnaire within their firms.

In addition, the Chairperson has had the opportunity to advice many students in connection with registration and/or being admitted in the CBA as accounting majors. Many of those students hold undergraduate degrees with a wide diversity of majors. These students had one thing in common: meeting the 150-hour requirement. In almost every case, students indicated a preference to undertake a prescribed program of study leading to a certificate or a degree.

2. Formal demand assessment

From early November 2005 to early January 2006, the Department initiated the administration of the attached surveys (Exhibits 2, 3, and 4. The results of the surveys are found at Exhibit 5. Drs. Daily, Farewell, and Oliva, were involved in the design of the survey. One survey was addressed to students and another survey was addressed to practitioners. The students’ surveys were administered during classes. The practitioners’ survey was administered in two different instances. First, surveys were sent to the members of the Accounting Department Advisory Board soliciting their help with administering the survey in their respective firms. Second, during a technical presentation to the Central Arkansas Society of CPAs, Dr. Oliva administered the survey to the CPAs in attendance.

As indicated in Exhibit 5, In terms of results, the survey was administered to 178 individuals, e.g., 132 students and 46 practitioners. The results indicate that 76% of the students and 57% of the practitioners surveyed indicated an interest in attending one of the graduate certificate programs. As a whole, 49% of those surveyed indicated an interest in the Accountancy certificate, 16% in the Tax certificate, and the remainder 35% in both programs. Noticeable in the responses is that the practitioner as a group is 2.5 times more likely to attend the Tax program than the students, e.g., 30% against 12%. These results indicate a strong support for both programs.

1. Pre-Launching assessment

In essence, the program objectives were designed based on Dr. Oliva’s experience in his prior position, from informal discussions with local firms, and from the practitioners’ surveys mentioned immediately above under “Demand Assessment”.

Prior to joining UALR as Department Chairperson, Dr. Oliva was the Faculty Director for Graduate Tax programs at Florida International University (FIU). Prior to that he also served as the assistant to the Director, School of Accounting at FIU, where both the Accounting and Tax programs are located. In those capacities, he was instrumental in designing program objectives for both the accounting and taxation graduate program. These activities included, literature reviews, survey designed based on the literature review, focus groups, and benchmark comparisons with schools similarly situated. Based on those activities, program objectives were adopted along with the courses and the courses’ learning objectives. These objectives were then used to design the assessment plans for said programs. Most of the program design, learning objectives, and assessment plans are based on Dr. Oliva’s experience at FIU.

To modify the current assessment plans to local conditions, Dr. Oliva conducted informal meetings with the managing partners and/or principals of local accounting firms. This was then followed by a survey of practitioners designed not only to assess prospective demand but also local preferences. For instance, when given a choice between exposure to international taxation or exposure to state and local taxation, South Florida practitioners chose international taxation but practitioners in Little Rock preferred exposure to state and local taxation.

1. Program Assessment

Assessments will be conducted through a triangulation process consisting of course imbedded tools; surveys; and informal interviews. Course imbedded assessment will take place in each course by having students’ performance tested through examinations, written assignments, oral presentations, and research problems (See Exhibit 1 – Assessment tool.). In addition, students, alumni, and employers will be asked to complete the survey instruments located at Exhibits 6, 7, and 8. Lastly, as part of its continuing outreach activities with the accounting firms, the Department will request feedback on the graduate certificate program.

While consideration will be given to provide a web based data collection system, e.g., Survey Monkey, in the event of low participation, students’ surveys will be collected in the classroom and graduate assistants will administer such surveys. Data collection from alumni and from employers will be accomplished, whenever possible, by or through the auspices of the members of the Department of Accounting’s Advisory Board in each firm, e.g., partners, controllers, and senior managers. However, alumni will be able to return the surveys directly through the mail. In addition, other methods will be used, e.g., direct mailings, distribution at professional meetings, and/or added as a regular activity when the Chairperson’s visits the firms.

6. Reliability/Validity

A. The assessment instruments at Exhibits 6, 7, and 8 include a short demographical section to control for unusual differences, e.g., type and quality of undergraduate education, existence of graduate degrees, and experience.

B. A substantial part of the assessment is based on outcomes to be observed

after program completion by employers, who are likely to be more objective than students and alumni.

C. It is expected that the instrument will not change, but if a question were to be modified, any changes will be designed so that any new question captures or measures the same variable that the original question intended to measure.

D. This is a longitudinal study in that the various groups are being measured almost on a yearly basis, e.g., students are assessed at entry and at exit, alumni every two years, and employers every year. As long as the questions are measuring the intended objective, the use of the same instrument over the years should increase reliability and validity.

1. Follow-up Assessment: This is a longitudinal study in that the various groups are being measured almost on a yearly basis. Students are subjected to course imbedded assessments in every semester, surveys assessments at the completion of the program and, as alumni, survey assessments every two years thereafter. Hence, considering a starting date of Fall 2006, admissions every semester, and the first cohort completing the program in the Spring 2007, the first alumni survey will be conducted during Spring 2009. On the other hand, employers will be assessed every two years starting in the Summer 2008. As long as the questions are measuring the intended objective, the use of the same instrument over the years should increase reliability and validity.

SEMESTER / STUDENTS’
COURSES / STUDENTS’ SURVEYS / ALUMNI’S SURVEYS / EMPLOYERS’ SURVEYS
FA 06
SP 07 / X / Cohort 1
SU 07 / X / Cohort 2
FA 07 / X / Cohort 3
SP 08 / X / Cohort 4
SU 08 / X / Cohort 5 / X
FA 08 / X / Cohort 6
SP 09 / X / Cohort 7 / Cohort 1
SU 09 / X / Cohort 8 / Cohort 2 / X
FA 09 / X / Cohort 9 / Cohort 3
SP 10 / X / Cohort 10 / Cohort 4
SU 10 / X / Cohort 11 / Cohort 5 / X
FA 10 / X / Cohort 12 / Cohort 6
SP 11 / X / Cohort 13 / Cohorts 7 and 1
SU 11 / X / Cohort 14 / Cohorts 8 and 2 / X
FA 11 / X / Cohort 15 / Cohorts 9 and 3

1. Use for Program Improvements:

Other than the demographical questions, weighted averages will be computed for each question in the assessment instruments. As a “3” signifies “agreement” or “satisfaction” with each statement, each question must achieve a weighted average of 3.00 or better. Any question receiving less than 3.00 will be investigated and action taken to achieve a score higher than 3.00 during the next assessment wave.

Assessment results will be notified to students and other stakeholders through the electronic Department of Accounting’s newsletter currently being sent on a monthly basis to students and some employers. In the Fall 2006, the Department plans to start a more formal newsletter to be sent to all alumni and all prospective employers. Assessment results will be included therein.

EXHIBIT 1

Mapping of Graduate Certificate in Accountancy with Program’s Learning Outcomes

SKILLS SET
COURSES / RESEARCH / PRACTICE / ANALYTICAL
Accounting Theory and Research
(Core) / Outcome: Application of accounting research skills.
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: Research projects; oral presentations; written papers. / Outcome: Application of accounting theory to the resolution of current issues.
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: Exams and written projects. / Outcome: Exposure to the development of accounting theory, its relation to the standard setting process.
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: Exams
Advanced Topics in Managerial Accounting / Outcome: Application of accounting research skills.
Emphasis: Moderatte
Assessment tools: Research projects; oral presentations; written papers. / Outcome: Ability to use of accounting information for planning and control, profit planning and control. / Outcome: Exposure to various managerial accounting tools and their use by by management accountants, e.g., cost/volume/profit and incremental analysis, capital budgeting, quantitative models, and decision simulation.
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: : Exams and written projects.
Advanced Topics in Accounting Information / Outcome: Exposure to current developments in computerized systems technology
Emphasis: Moderate
Assessment tools: Exams; oral and written presentations. / Outcome: Using structured systems analysis and other approaches to systems analysis and design
Emphasis: Moderate
Assessment tools: Exams / Outcome: Knowledge of Accounting systems in a data-base environment
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: Exams
Advanced Topics in Accounting Information / Outcome: Assessing risks and controls in computerized information systems.
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: Exams; oral and written presentations.
Auditing Theory and Practice II / Outcome: Familiarity with auditing EDP systems and statistical sampling
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: Exams; oral and written presentations. / Outcome: Deeper understanding of the auditing function, including internal auditing, operational auditing
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: Exams; oral and written presentations. / Outcome: Review of basic auditing techniques
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: Exams; oral and written presentations.
Auditing Theory and Practice II / Outcome: Knowledge of SEC requirements, legal and ethical responsibilities
Emphasis: Extensive
Assessment tools: Exams; oral and written presentations.

Exhibit 2

Students’ Survey

GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN TAXATION AND/OR ACCOUNTING AT U.A.L.R.?

To provide a better educational experience for students desiring to complete the required 30 additional hours and to provide a more advanced foundation to a professional career, the Department of Accounting at U.A.L.R. is considering initiating a 4-course (12 hours) Graduate Certificate in Accounting and/or a Graduate Certificate in Taxation, to start in the Fall 2006. Later, a Masters’ in Accounting and/or Taxation may be considered. Certificate students may be admitted to such program(s), or the MBA, without a GMAT and may be given credit for completed certificates courses. To assess your support for these programs please answer the following questions by circling your answers or entering information.

1. Are you a CPA?

a. Yes, and I have been practicing for: (1)< 2 years (2) 2 to 4 years (3) 4 to 6 years (4) >6 years

b. Yes, but I do not practice as a CPA. I am currently involved in ______

c. No. I plan to sit for the exam in: (1)< 9 months (2)9 to 18 months (3)> 18 months (4) Never

2. Which of the educational programs below are you currently undertaking?

a. Leading to an undergraduate degree in Accounting, expected completion: (1)<1 year (2)> 1year

b. Leading to a graduate degree, expected completion: (1) <1 year (2) >1 year Degree______

c. No formal program but taking courses to qualify to sit for the CPA exam.

d. I am not undertaking an educational program at this time but I have a degree in ______

3. I am most likely to be interested in the Graduate Certificate in

a. Accounting b. Tax c. Both d. None. If “d” please stop and submit the survey.

If you answered a, b, or c, please continue and enclose a business card or write your regular and email address on the back to keep you posted of our progress:

4. If I were to enroll in one of these programs, it would be in the

a. Fall 2006 b. Spring 2007 c. Summer 2007 d. After Summer 2007

5. If I were to enroll in one of these programs, I would prefer Fall semester classes to be scheduled

a. As usual, e.g., one night per week, for entire semester.

b. Like a short Summer term, e.g., two mini Falls. One course = 2 nights per week for 7 weeks.

c. Friday nights, for 14 weeks, from 6:00 PM to 8:40 PM. (one course)

d. Saturday mornings, for 14 weeks, from 8:00 AM to 10:40 AM (one course)

e. Saturday mornings, for 14 weeks, from 10:50 AM to 1: 20 PM (one course)

6. If I were to enroll in one of these programs, I would prefer Spring semester classes to be scheduled

a. As the Fall semester (#5) above

b. For 7-weeks starting right after New Year’s (no classes during tax season, 2/15 to 4/15).

c. For 7-weeks starting right after April 15 (no classes during tax season, 2/15 to 4/15).