Last year, Lipscomb College of Business seniors took part in a comprehensive test known as the Peregrine Exam.
It was recently announced that years of hard work by both students and faculty had paid off.
The Lipscomb College of Business outperformed all schools with similar accreditation, an accomplishment that reflects well on the university and could eventually boost degree values for current and former students.
The Peregrine Exam is a comprehensive test used to measure learning outcomes. It covers various topics that have been taught in business courses.
“One of the more important things we learn from the exam is the percentage of correctly answered questions in both the overall exam and in the sub areas,” said Assistant Dean of Accreditation and Assessment John Crawford.
The College of Business uses the scores from the Peregrine Exam to shape curriculum by analyzing how B.B.A. students performed in areas both inside and outside of their specific major.
However, the College of Business won’t be able to tell whether their curriculum changes are effective until new students cycle through the program and take the exam at the conclusion of their senior years.
“The goal is always to do better, but it could be one of those situations where you’re trying to do something in an area where students tend to learn about that particular topic earlier on,” said Crawford.
So, how do the students feel about the Peregrine exam?
“Students don’t typically go away from the test saying that the material was unfamiliar or that they forgot most of a particular subject,” said Crawford.
Similar sentiments were expressed by recent Lipscomb graduate Jared Goddard, who studied International Business.
“There were a few [items] where I was confident in my answer, and a few where I knew that I once [learned] it,” Goddard said.
He took the exam last spring and found it difficult to answer questions not pertaining to his major. College students typically take many courses throughout their years and it can be difficult to recall knowledge from earlier semesters.
However, the results from the 2018 exam show that Lipscomb students are retaining information at a higher rate than their peers at other universities.
Goddard also added some advice for Lipscomb students taking the exam in the future.
“Go into the exam with a clear head and remember that the results don’t show how capable you will be in [the workplace],” he said.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb University