By Dr. Vlad Krotov & Dr. Pitzel Krotova
AACSB and ACBSP Curriculum Standards
Obtaining an international accreditation for a business school usually requires extensive revisions of existing curriculum in order to meet the requirements of curriculum-specific accreditation standards. For example, Standard 4 of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) requires that “the school delivers content that is current, relevant, forward-looking, globally oriented, aligned with program competency goals, and consistent with its mission, strategies, and expected outcomes” (AACSB International, 2022). Similarly, Standard 6 of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) requires that “the curriculum must be comprised of appropriate business and professional content to prepare graduates for success” and that the business school “must have a systematic process to ensure continuous improvement of curriculum and program delivery” (ACBSP, 2022). In this article, we talk about the most important elements of a business curriculum and how these elements can be aligned in order to meet the accreditation requirements and build an effective, self-sustaining quality assurance system in relation to business curriculum.
Curriculum Elements
In short, curriculum describes what is taught at a business school and how it is taught (Squires, 2012). A curriculum is usually formalized using a document or a plan that spells out the following:
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- Program learning outcomes (PLOs) that graduates must master
- Course learning outcomes (CLOs) or goals that outline smaller and specific learning objectives to be achieved within each course comprising the program
- Alignment of program learning outcomes (PLOs) and course learning outcomes (CLOs); this alignment is usually provided with the help of a course alignment matrix (CAM) that shows how individual courses and their CLOs support PLOs
- Appropriate assessment tools that can be used to measure CLOs and/or PLOs
- The content or material to be taught within each course comprising the program in the form of course syllabi
There are many other elements that comprise a curriculum (see Table 1). All these elements must be properly aligned to ensure effective development of the desired competencies among students.
| Curriculum Element | Description |
| College Mission | Defines the aim of a college, its main reason for existence |
| Market Conditions | Economic marketplaces often dictate which professions or competencies are in demand in the workplace |
| Compliance Standards | Accreditation and governing bodies often mandate competencies that a particular program needs to develop |
| Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) | High-level goals (or competencies) that students are expected to attain as a result of completing a particular program of study |
| Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) | Specific course-level objectives (or competencies) that students are expected to attain as a result of completing a specific course |
| Course Materials | Training materials used as part of a course: textbooks, books, journals and journal articles, electronic and multimedia materials, etc. |
| Pedagogy | Various theories, methods, or tools employed to develop competencies among students |
| Technology | Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) used to deliver course content |
| Physical Resources | Physical facilities (e.g., classrooms, labs, specialized equipment, etc.) allocated to a course or program |
| Credit Hours | Amount of face-to-face or online interaction between a student and an instructor devoted to a particular course or program |
| Assurance of Learning (AoL) | How attainment of particular learning outcomes (or competencies) is assessed and reported at the course and program level |
Curriculum Alignment
Curriculum alignment can be viewed as a triangle with the following three cornerstones: curriculum, teacher, and test (see Figure 1).
The model shows the need for the three elements to be connected or aligned. Educational goals that are targeted by the curriculum become the basis of defining the work to be done by teachers. Formal testing (or assessment) is used to evaluate the degree to which teachers further deliver the educational goals set forth by the curriculum. Thus, a well-aligned curriculum can also be viewed as a self-sufficient quality control system.
The model shows the need for the three elements to be connected or aligned. Educational goals that are targeted by the curriculum become the basis of defining the work to be done by teachers. Formal testing (or assessment) is used to evaluate the degree to which teachers further deliver the educational goals set forth by the curriculum. Thus, a well-aligned curriculum can also be viewed as a self-sufficient quality control system.
Managing Curriculum Alignment
Lewin’s process-based change management model (see Figure 2) can be used as a guiding framework for an effective curriculum alignment initiative.
Figure 2. Lewin’s Change Management Model (Kaminski, 2011)
The first stage of the curriculum alignment process is the so-called “unfreeze” stage. This stage aims to prepare for the desired changes in the curriculum by having clear and open communication with all the relevant stakeholders in relation to the desired changes in the curriculum. In this stage, people involved in delivering and managing the curriculum analyze the current curriculum and identify the changes that are necessary in order to meet the accreditation standards or achieve the desired improvements in relation to the curriculum. All the stakeholders participating in the “unfreeze” stage need to be convinced that new materials, structures, and processes must be adopted in order to achieve desired improvements. In the second stage called “change,” the stakeholders implement the intended changes to the curriculum. This phase is time-consuming, confusing, and costly. The third stage of the curriculum alignment process is the “refreeze” stage. During this stage, changes to the curriculum are stabilized. The main concern in this phase is to ensure that change becomes a permanent part of the normal process and the system does not revert to the old ways and habits.
References
AACSB International (2022). 2020 Guiding Principles and Standards for Business Accreditation. Retrieved from https://www.aacsb.edu/educators/accreditation/business-accreditation/aacsb-business-accreditation-standards
ACBSP (2022). Accreditation Standards. Retrieved from https://acbsp.org/page/accreditation-standards
Camba, P., & Krotov, V. (2015). Critical success factors in the curriculum alignment process: The case of the college of business at Abu Dhabi University. Journal of Education for Business, 90(8), 451-457.
English, F. W. (2000). Deciding What to Teach and Test: Developing, Aligning, and Auditing the Curriculum. California: Corwin Press, Inc.
Glatthorn, A. A. (1999). Curriculum alignment revisited. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 15(1), 26.
Kaminski, J. (2011). Theory applied to informatics-Lewin’s change theory. Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics, 6(1).
Squires, D. (2012). Curriculum alignment research suggests that alignment can improve student achievement. Clearing House, 85(4), 129-135.