Academic Culture in McCombs School of Business

Project goal: 

Elevate excellence in the classroom through new strategies to understand, measure, and improve rigor in all courses

Project objectives:

Each class is designed and delivered with the expectation of students learning at high levels

Each student is supported so they can accomplish learning at high levels

Each student demonstrates learning at high levels

Outcome:

On graduation, students will successfully demonstrate the core competencies identified by our employers as critical to success in the workplace

Rigor includes five components:

Intellectual Challenge - High standards/ expectations for skill development, creativity, and professionalism

Production of Credible Work - Assignments and activities are reflective of professional, authentic, and real-world scenarios where quality is emphasized

Mastering of Complex Material - Students learn and apply topics that are somewhat ambiguous requiring review and practice to master

Development of Critical Thinking Skills - Students think deeply about a topic and are asked to synthesize information

Academic Support - Students receive support necessary to meet the high standards of the class

Support materials include a rigor rubric for entry level/core classes, required major/elective classes, and capstone classes; a syllabus statement and first-day slides regarding rigor of the class and student expectations; mid-term survey questions to guage student's perception of course rigor; a faculty guide on ways to increase course rigor for each of the 5 rigor components