Business Education Innovation: How Common Exams Can Improve University Teaching

Abstract

Although there is significant research on improving college-level teaching practices, most literature in the field assumes an incentive for improvement.  The research presented in this paper addresses the issue of poor incentives for improving university-level teaching.  Specifically, it proposes instructor-designed common examinations as an incentive for teaching improvement and uses empirical data from business school student tests to illustrate the utility of such assessments.  Results were drawn from almost 250 college students who had different professors for the same course.  Comparing the data from a common assessment revealed important differences about what students learn and created opportunities and incentives to improve teaching practices in a way few other methods can.