Departmental Mission Statements and Student Learning Goals

Department of Accounting

Accounting Assessment Plan

Mission Statement 

The accounting Department is committed to providing excellence in accounting education to the students of Saint John's University and the College of Saint Benedict. Accounting identifies, measures, and communicates information about economic entities for use in making economic decisions. In preparing students to enter the profession, the curriculum provides a balance between explanation of applied accounting practical and the conceptual framework on which practice is based. Our curriculum is designed to provide our students with a mastery of the continually increasing body of technical knowledge and a broad educational background in the liberal arts and related financial disciplines. We strive to accomplish this within the Christian, Benedictine tradition by encouraging and welcoming the interchange of ideas. Finally, we continually seek to improve our presentation methods with new material and proven pedagogical techniques.

Goals

Goal 1: that students learn accounting skills appropriate to their academic and vocational goals

a. Students will demonstrate a working knowledge of the accounting conceptual framework and its role in the development of accounting policy through the study of the foundations of accounting theory and policy;

b. Students will come to understand the evolutionary nature of accounting through the study of the historical and societal and implications of accounting and how accounting evolves to meet the needs of business and society;

c. Students will increase their proficiency in the application of accounting principles and procedures through the study and use of accounting procedures;

d. Students will increase their proficiency in gathering and analyzing financial data through the use of technology.

Assessment tools: Currently done:
Performance in course examinations
Post-test (AICPA Level II), taken in students final semester
Results of professional examinations taken
Placement of students in career positions
Begin implementation in Fall 1996
Pre-test, AICPA Level I, if available

Goal 2: that students learn to think critically about accounting issues and to communicate those issues effectively to interested parties

a. Students will demonstrate effective written communication skills;

Assessment tools: Currently done:
Performance on writing assignments and on essay questions on examinations in ACCT 326
Begin implementation in Spring 1997
Writing Pre-test (as part of the application to the major process)
Begin implementation in Spring 1998
See General Assessment tool for Goals 1 and 2

b. Students will demonstrate interpersonal skills necessary to functions effectively as part of a team;

Assessment tools: Currently done:
Requiring and evaluating group work in various classes

c. Students will demonstrate the ability to identify issues and solve problems through the use of symbolic and analytical thinking.

Assessment tools: Student performance on class examinations
Student performance on cases and projects assigned in various classes

General Assessment tool for Goals 1 and 2:
Begin implementation in Spring 1997
Exit interviews, both written and oral, with selected students, e.g., Accounting Club members, to assess effectiveness of their written and oral communication skills and to provide them an opportunity to assess their education and to comment on the department's assessment plan and its implementation.

Goal 3: that faculty will continue to improve teaching effectiveness by developing their accounting expertise and pedagogical skills

a. Faculty will continue to attend workshops and seminars and complete professional courses.

b. Faculty will use sabbatical leaves faculty to study new developments in more depth.

Assessment tool: Maintenance of appropriate certification or licensure