Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
James Wilburn
Committee Member
Delores Smiley
Committee Member
Susan Torbenson
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic goals, accreditation, adult education, assessment, assessment evidence, attrition, ACBSP, business education, Cardinal Stritch University, CBM, change management, College of Business and Management, continuing education, curriculum design, faculty development, faculty learning, formative committee, graduating MBA students, graduation rates, higher education, HLC, instructional design, instructional strategies, learning cycle, learning evidence, learning style awareness, learning style instrument, learning style strengths and weaknesses, learning styles, learning theories, Learning Type Measure, MBA students, McCarthy, orientation programs, program assessment, quasi-experimental research, research questions, student learning, summative committee, teaching methods, teaching strategies, University accreditation, university-wide implementation, workshops
Abstract
The problem identified in this study is the gap that exists between graduating MBA students’ learning styles beginning at Cardinal Stritch University (CSU) and the current instructional strategies and curriculum design utilized by MBA faculty. In order to ascertain MBA students’ learning evidence, learning styles of MBA students must be taken into account. The purposes of this study were to identify and analyze beginning and graduating MBA students’ learning styles and apply that knowledge to enhance learning and teaching in the College of Business and Management (CBM) to improve attrition at CSU.
There were four research questions for this study. They were (a) What are new MBA students’ learning styles as identified by McCarthy’s Learning Type Measure (LTM) instrument? (b) What are graduating MBA students’ learning styles as identified by McCarthy’s LTM instrument? (c) What are some teaching strategies that will help improve student learning and improve graduation rates at CSU based on the identification of students’ learning styles? and (d) What additions, deletions, or changes to the MBA instructional design plan would improve student learning and improve graduation rates at CSU based on the identification of students’ learning styles?
A quasi-experimental research design was used in this study. A formative and summative committee assisted this researcher in analyzing this study’s results and making recommendations.
Recommendations from this study includes assessment and instructional design evaluation information in order to assist CSU’s CBM programs with improving student and faculty learning and teaching. First, results from this study will be shared with CBM faculty and utilized for a faculty development workshop. Second, share learning style information with CBM students through incorporating a learning style instrument in the students’ first night of orientation. Finally, incorporate the awareness and facilitation of learning styles and “learning cycle” into the instructional design of the entire University. Study results will be used as assessment evidence to provide to the assessment committee to share with ACBSP and HLC for accreditation requirements. An understanding of learning styles may empower MBA students to learn more about themselves in order to improve their own learning. By making them aware of their own unique learning strengths and weaknesses, the University would be using learning style information positively and proactively to help students reach their academic goals and help other faculty in graduate programs.