Student Achievement and Academic Quality

Goldey-Beacom College takes pride in the many accomplishments of its students, faculty, and alumni – both in and outside the classroom. Through an extensive outcomes assessment program, the College annually reviews concrete measures of student achievement ranging from student projects to placement rates to employer feedback. Every measure is then reviewed to determine where and how the College can do better. A plan is put in place, and the data is reviewed again one year later.

GBC also regularly measures a variety of components in the learning environment to guarantee academic quality. As one important measures of academic quality, the College regularly assesses the accomplishments and credentials of the faculty – the heart of the institution.

Take a moment to review the most recent data on quality and student achievement:

• The mean cumulative GPA for baccalaureate degree students in 2008-09 was 3.03.

• For the entering cohort class of 2001, 54% of students had graduated within the six-year window (first-time, full-time, Fall-entry baccalaureate students), above the national average for comparable groups.

• The percentage of first-time, full-time Fall-entry baccalaureate students who return for the Sophomore year exceeds ACT and IPEDS benchmarks and ranged from 84% (2005) to 63% (2007).

• For the most recent baccalaureate graduates, 97% were employed within three months of graduation (or not currently seeking work due to relocation, etc.). For those graduating with masters degrees, 100% were employed.

• Of those baccalaureate graduates, 73% found work related to their major course of study and 79% reported satisfaction with their current job. 80% of master level graduates found work related to their course of study, and 69% reported satisfaction with their current job. (See Career Services (http://www.gbc.edu/career/placements.html) for more detail on job success of graduates).

• When employers were asked to rate how well-prepared GBC graduates were:
• Business Administration Majors received a 4.47 on a 5-point scale.
• CIS Majors received a 4.14 on a 5-point scale.
• Accounting Majors received a 4.26 on a 5-point scale.
• MBA graduates received a 4.38 on a 5-point scale.
• Master of Management graduates received a 5.0 on a 5-point scale.

• At GBC, graduating students demonstrate expertise in their major by completing a senior paper in their field which is then evaluated by an expert reader on that topic. For the most recent class, expert readers’ evaluations on the matrix rubric were as follows:
• CIS Majors received an average 5.8 of 7-points.
• Accounting Majors received an average 4.9 of 7 points.
• Business Administration Majors received an average 5.3 of 7 points.

• 100% of full-time faculty have earned a doctoral degree in the field in which they teach.

• The College has an 8:1 student to computer ratio, supplemented by a campus-wide wireless network.

• On the nationally administered National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), 64% of first-year students agreed that GBC provides substantial support for academic success, significantly above the national average and above the College’s “selected peers.” Likewise, GBC seniors rated their overall educational experience a 3.33 of 4 possible points -- again, considerably above the overall NSSE average for all students and well above the selected peers.

• For the 2008-09 academic year, the average class size was 26 students.