Predicting Assessment Outcomes: The Effect of Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty

Assessments have risen in prominence in colleges of business, in response to requirements of accrediting agencies. Among the forms of assessment are embedded exams within courses, often in the form of multiple-choice tests near the end of the semester. These tests can be stand-alone comprehensive exercises, or comprise a small portion of a larger exam. Performing well on exit exams such as the ETS is highly dependent on how well students did in their foundational courses. This study examines outcomes assessment scores in 11 sections of the Principles of Marketing, Management, and Business Law courses at a southwestern university. These courses were taught by a variety of full-time and part-time faculty. Models were constructed based on demographic variables as well as native ability, effort, and type of instructor. The results indicate that part-time instructors in these courses had exam scores 15% lower than those of students in courses taught by full-time professors. Furthermore, it was observed that students with adequate native ability (as measured by their ACT score) and effort (as measured by their cumulative GPA), could overcome the effects of poor instruction by parttime faculty.