Quality Management Theory and Assessing Student Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

Members of Congress require evidence that educational funding makes a positive impact on student learning. Therefore, the importance of student learning outcome assessment has become an important area of emphasis in higher education and worthy of research. The purpose of this quantitative method study was to determine if the application of quality management resulted in an enhanced student learning outcomes assessment processes. The relationship between quality management theory and student learning outcome assessment at institutions of higher education with business degree programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) were evaluated using this quantitative study methodology. The research design included primary data from 370 institutions of higher education with ACBSP accredited business programs. The primary data from a random sample of 45 business schools was scored using process scoring guidelines. Five quality management constructs and four students learning outcome assessment constructs from each sample provided measurable data. Spearman's Rank-Order correlation coefficient was statistically significant (r = .72), suggesting there is an association between quality management and student learning outcomes. There were 14,667 business programs reported in the world that were not using accreditation as a quality management tool and could benefit from the results of this study. The synergism generated through the linkage of quality management standards enhanced the ability to assess student learning outcomes. Correlation did not mean causation. However a high correlation coefficient indicated a clear association of quality management to student learning outcome assessment. Future studies should concentrate on collecting data that can be statistically analyzed using tools such as the z score or t-test for comparing means to determine causation.