Abstract
This paper discusses a unique assessment approach that is implemented in the Business Process Management (BPM) course for Masters’ students at the University of South Australia. The Active Learning and Assessment for Learning (AfL) principles are incorporated into this course to prepare industry-ready business analysts who will play an important role in the future business environment. We provide a detailed description of the design decisions, the implementation and resulting benefits of three major assignments in the course. The assessment is designed according to guiding principles that include 1) a focus on developing real-world skills for the future digital business environment, 2) following a process-oriented approach in both teaching and assessment, 3) motivating students to challenge assumptions and status quo by asking ‘why’ and 4) encouraging continuous self-reflection and a willingness to receive and provide constructive feedback. These guiding principles can be leveraged by other educators in the BPM community to design and implement an effective assessment structure for developing future-focused and industry-ready business analysts.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Antonucci, Y.L.: Business process management curriculum. In: Handbook on Business Process Management 2: Strategic Alignment, Governance, People and Culture, pp. 423–442 (2010)
Bandara, W., et al.: Business process management education in academia: Status, challenges, and recommendations. Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst. 27(1), 743–776 (2010)
Berry, R.: Assessment for Learning. Hong Kong University Press (2008). http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1xcs68
Bishop, J., Verleger, M.A.: The flipped classroom: a survey of the research. Paper Presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia, June 2013. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2-22585
Brame, C.: Active Learning. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching (2016). https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/active-learning/
Brady, M., Fellenz, M.R., Devitt, A.: Adopting assessment for learning (AfL) in higher education: implications for technology deployment. In: Allen, S., Gower, K., Allen, D.K. (eds.) Handbook of Teaching with Technology in Management, Leadership, and Business, pp. 418–432. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham (2020). Chap. 38. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789901658
Bonwell, C.C., Eison, J.A.: Active learning: creating excitement in the classroom. ASH#-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1. The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development, Washington, D.C. (1991)
Cattaneo, H.: Telling active learning pedagogies apart: from theory to practice. J. New Approaches Educ. Res. 6(1), 144–152 (2017). https://doi.org/10.7821/naer.2017.7.237
Chakabuda, T.C., Seymour, L.F., Van Der Merwe, F.I.: Uncovering the competency gap of students employed in business process analyst roles—an employer perspective. In: 2014 IST-Africa Conference Proceedings, pp. 1–9. IEEE (2014)
Hofstede, G.: Dimensionalizing cultures: the hofstede model in context. Online Readings Psychol. Cult. 2(1) (2011). https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014
Hrabala, M., Opletalováb, M., Tučekc, D.: Teaching business process management: Improving the process of process modelling course. J. Appl. Eng. Sci. 15(2), 113–121 (2017)
Jalali, A.: Teaching business process development through experience-based learning and agile principle. In: Perspectives in Business Informatics Research: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference, BIR 2018, Stockholm, Sweden, 24–26 September 2018, vol. 17, pp. 250–265. Springer International Publishing (2018)
Mathiesen, P., Bandara, W., Marjanovic, O., Delavari, H.: A critical analysis of business process management education and alignment with industry demand: an australian perspective. Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst. 33(27), 463–484 (2013). https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.03327
Michael, J.A., Modell, H.I.: Active Learning in Secondary and College Science Classrooms: A Working Model of Helping the Learning to Learn. Erlbaum, Mahwah (2003)
Michael, J.: Where’s the evidence that active learning works? Adv. Physiol. Educ. 30, 159–167 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00053.2006
Prince, M.: Does active learning work? A review of the research. J. Eng. Educ. 93(3), 223–231 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2004.tb00809
Schellekens, L.H., Bok, H.G., de Jong, L.H., van der Schaaf, M.F., Kremer, W.D., van der Vleuten, C.P.: A scoping review on the notions of Assessment as Learning (AaL), Assessment for Learning (AfL), and Assessment of Learning (AoL). Stud. Educ. Eval. 71(101094), 1–15 (2021)
Seethamraju, R.: Business process management: a missing link in business education. Bus. Process. Manag. J. 18(3), 532–547 (2012)
Wiliam, D.: What is assessment for learning? Stud. Educ. Eval. 37(1), 3–14 (2011)
Witt, C.M., Sandoe, K., Dunlap, J.C., Leon, K.: Exploring MBA student perceptions of their preparation and readiness for the profession after completing real-world industry projects. Int. J. Manage. Educ. 17(2), 214–225 (2019)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Evans, N., Kaur, K., Fernando, A. (2023). Developing Industry-Ready Business Analysts: Guiding Principles for Effective Assessment for Learning (AfL) in a BPM Course. In: Köpke, J., et al. Business Process Management: Blockchain, Robotic Process Automation and Educators Forum. BPM 2023. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 491. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43433-4_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43433-4_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-43432-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-43433-4
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)