Achieving Excellence in Business Education through Quality Teaching Dr. Nawab Ali Khan Introduction The impact of globalization on the corporate sector in particular has suddenly created a demand for human resource trained in the field of business education with innovative ideas, new approaches in business and behavioural sciences as well as professional skills. In order to fill the vacuum in this regard a new and futuristic orientation requires to be given to the discipline of business education. At the outset, it would be worthwhile to mention that the conventional business education has become irrelevant in the new era of globalization and liberalization. Keeping in mind the significance of modern business education, the Indian government has liberalized the business education market since 1990s, resulting in an unprecedented growth in the number of technical and management institutions mostly through private investment. It is worthwhile to mention here that outside US, India now trains largest number of MBAs with about 75,000 degrees annually. At present, there are more than 1200 institutions providing business education in the country. The students now have a vast choice regarding the institutions in which they want to study. Since the management graduates and post-graduates produced by these institutions are primarily absorbed by industry, there is a growing need to match the curriculum and structure of business education to better fit the needs of India and sensitive to the changes in both in the industrial and services sectors within the country. Moreover, it is important to properly assess the quality of business education imparted to the students in various institutions for proper decision-making regarding selection and recruitment by potential employers. The challenges of quality in business education have many dimensions, e.g. providing adequate physical facilities and infrastructure, making available adequate teachers of requisite quality, effectiveness of teaching-learning processes, attainment levels of students, etc. It is against this backdrop that the present paper attempts to investigate the quality of business education imparted by educational institutions in India on the basis of a sample survey. Review of Literature There are many studies conducted on business education by the researchers in India and abroad. The following is a review of some recent research work done in the field of business education: Paperman and Chandra (1983) emphasized that the students should be sent to the business houses for on the job training to supplement the class room teaching. It will provide the student valuable training. Moreover, the interning business will also be benefited by having a bright student for a limited period of time and helping to assess the suitability of the intern for full employment. Rust and Oliver (1984) in their study provided three dimensions of model for measurement of service quality universally across the service which is widely known as expectation model. Mahajan and Shah (2000) concluded that over the last more than a decade or so, global competition and proliferation of business educational institutions across the world possess stiff challenges to the business schools in India to produce quality products that could cater to the needs of corporate world and withstand upon the expectation of different stakeholders of business education. Khairoowala et. al. (2002) felt it imperative on the part of business educationists to clear to the need of the market by imparting business education in a realistic manner with a practical touch through better linkage between Universities and Industries. They also stated that the required existence of commerce education in the next millennium will depend upon the changes that are made today, taking a broader view of near future. Gupta et. al (2003) observed that the Indian business schools have sought to replicate the US-based organizational, pedagogical, curricula, industry-interface, and academic research models, but are struggling to introduce several adaptations because of the differences in the work culture system. Therefore, it would be fruitful to investigate the challenges for enhancing the quality of business education in India. Ahmad (2004) emphasized for bringing about changes in the system and the teaching process. In addition to imparting academic knowledge, the student community must be prepared to meet the challenge confronted in real life and equipped to solve the problems confronting the business world from day to day. This would call for the restructuring of commerce syllabi at regular intervals. He also felt that in the age of specialization commerce education should not continue as a sort of general education making students jacks of all trades and master of none. Sangmi (2005) felt that commerce education came into existence with the complexities of business, this field of study has been undergoing through turbulent times through out its evolution. The millennium challenge of globalization, liberalization, privatization and information technology have put added pressure on commerce educational institutions to innovate and change as per changing dynamics of the business environment. Mishra (2005) focused on post-world war period commerce education and emphasized e-learning, virtual class room and on line education. He also observed that we are not responding in responsible way while implementing curriculum of business education. He also emphasized on the need of changing mind set of the teaching community. Reddy (2007) stressed to develop micro specializations which are skill oriented or job oriented. Besides, he suggested that learned members may take this opportunity for an objective introspection about the commerce education-its objectives, its problems, its job potential, its quality and its relevance to the present day needs of our country. Objectives The present study has been conducted to pursue the following two fold objectives: To study the quality of business education at PG level from students’ point of view; and To offer suggestions and methods for achieving excellence in business education. Research Methodology In the light of the foregoing discussion, this empirical study gauges the opinions of the students of the Department of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh about the quality of teaching with the help of a well designed questionnaire. The students of this faculty have been chosen purposefully due to the fact that the researcher teaches in the said Department. The questionnaire was administered to 89 PG students of the said Department selected for the batches ending in 2008. Random sampling was used for collecting the data. Out of which 84 students provided the response in time. The students were requested to respond fairly and fearlessly on the assurance that their identities will not be disclosed. Table – 1 Respondents’ Awareness about General Aspects (Percentages) Parameters A Very Good B Good C Satisfactory D Unsatisfactory E Total 1. Depth of the course content including project work if any 2. Extent of coverage of course 3. Applicability/relevance to real life situations 4. Learning value (in terms of knowledge, concepts, manual skills, analytical abilities and broadening perspectives) 5. Clarity and relevance of textual reading material 6. Relevance of additional source material (Library) 7. Extent of effort required by students 8. Overall rating 7.14 4.76 4.76 11.90 4.76 16.67 11.90 - 28.57 33.33 23.81 33.33 33.33 26.19 33.33 33.33 52.38 52.38 40.47 38.09 52.38 33.33 42.85 66.67 11.90 9.52 30.95 16.67 9.52 23.80 11.90 - 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Source: Questionnaire In the above noted table respondents’ opinion was sought on general aspects of the courses. The majority of the respondents have expressed their satisfaction over the various parameters. Some respondents feel it good while others very good. At the same time some respondents have expressed their feeling of dissatisfaction also. The overall rating of the plan shows that 66.66% of the total respondents find it satisfactory while 33.33% of the total respondents feel it good as a whole. Table – 2 Respondents’ Overall Feedback on Teachers (Percentage) Parameters A Very Good B Good C Satisfactory D Unsatisfactory E Total 1. Knowledge base of the teacher (as perceived by you) 2. Communication Skills (in terms of articulation and comprehensibility) 3. Interest generated by the teacher 4. Ability to integrate course material with environment/other issues, to provide a broader perspective 5. Ability to integrate content with other courses 6. Accessibility of the teacher in and out of the class (includes availability of the teacher to motivate further study and discussion outside class) 7. Ability to design quizzes /Tests /assignments / examinations and projects to evaluate students understanding of the course 8. Provision of sufficient time for feedback 9. Overall rating 11.90 14.28 - 2.38 - 4.76 9.52 - - 33.33 21.42 26.19 19.04 19.04 23.80 14.28 26.19 26.19 45.23 50.00 38.09 47.61 52.38 38.09 45.23 47.61 61.90 9.52 14.28 35.71 33.33 28.57 33.33 30.95 26.19 11.90 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Source: Questionnaire Respondents’ Feedback on Teachers reveals that 45.23% of them are satisfied with knowledge base of their teacher (as perceived by them), 33.33% feel it (good), 11.90% (very good) and 9.52% of the total respondents are not satisfied with the Knowledge base of their teachers. Another aspect was the Communication Skills (in terms of articulation and comprehensibility). 50% of the total respondents are satisfied with the communication skills of the teachers, 21.42% feel it good, and 14.28% find it very good while 14.28% feel it unsatisfactory. Those who are satisfied and unsatisfied with sincerity /commitment of the teacher are 38.09% and 35.71% respectively. At the same time 26.19% have found them sincere and committed. Of the total respondents, 47.61% are satisfied with their teachers’ ability to integrate course material with environment/other issues, to provide a broader perspective, 19.04% feel it good, 2.38% feel it very good and it is surprising that 33.33% have expressed their feelings unsatisfactory. Another question was about the ability of teachers to integrate content with other courses. Majority of the respondents have expressed satisfaction on this issue. At the same time 28.57% of them are not satisfied at all. Accessibility of the teacher in and out of the class (includes availability of the teacher to motivate further study and discussion outside class) was also one of the issues to be taken up. 33.33% of the respondents are dissatisfied, those satisfied are only 38.09%, 23.80% are having a good feeling and 4.76% feel it very good. The researcher also tried to judge the ability of teachers to design quizzes /Tests /assignments / examinations and projects to evaluate students understanding of the course. Of the total, 45.23% respondents are satisfied with it, 14.28% good, 9.52% very good and amazingly, 30.95% of them are not satisfied at all with their teachers at all. Overall rating of the students shows that 61.90% are satisfied and 11.90% dissatisfied with their teachers. Respondents’ Overall Evaluation of Teaching of Business Education In addition to above two questionnaires, the feed-back of the students was taken on a number of other aspects also for the overall evaluation of teaching of business education in the Faculty of Commerce, A.M.U. Aligarh. When enquired about syllabus, 14.28% of the total respondents find it challenging, 9.52% feel it is dull, 64.28% of the total students surveyed opined that the syllabus is adequate and only 11.90% students find it inadequate. Another query was about the background of students for benefiting from the course. Of the total respondents 16.66% feel that their background was more than adequate while it was just adequate for 69.04% of respondents. For 7.14% students it is in adequate and 7.14% of them have no idea whether they had a background or not. The students were asked if the course is conceptually difficult to understand; interestingly for 76.19%students the course is manageable whereas for 4.76%students it is difficult. For 4.76% students it is difficult and it is good that none of the respondents feel it very difficult. Regarding the coverage of course it was observed that for 38.09% students 85 to 100% of the course is covered in class. Of the total respondents 30.95% are such who feel that 55 to 70% of the course is covered in class, 26.19% students say that 70 to 85% of syllabus is covered in class and only 4.76% of the respondents say that course covered is less than 55%. It is acquired from the survey that 19.04% of the total respondents feel that the library materials for the course is excellent whereas it is just adequate for 38.09% of the respondents and 30.95% students say it is in adequate. However, it is good that only 11.90% students say it is very poor. When the respondents were enquired about getting the prescribed readings, 42.85% of them feel they get it but with difficulty whereas 33.33% respondents say it is easy, 19.04% respondents say not at all and 4.76% respondents say with great difficulty. Another question of the survey was regarding the preparation for class by the teachers. It is quite good that 76.19% of the respondents feel that teachers prepare for the class up to their satisfaction, 14.28% feel that they prepare thoroughly for the class, 9.52 of the total respondents feel that they prepare indifferently for the class and interestingly for none they prepare poorly. When the respondents were enquired about the communication of teachers, it is found that for 42.85% of total respondents teacher was able to communicate satisfactorily, for 38.09% respondents effectively and for 19.04% invariably. None of them found the communication of the teachers poor. The respondents were asked about their participation in the class. It was found that 26.19% of total respondents say that the teacher encourages student participation in class whereas 66.66% opined that sometimes the teachers encourage the participation, 4.76% respondents say their teachers attempted participation. However only 2.38% of the respondents are of the views that the teachers do not encourage participation at all. It is important to note that 59.52% respondents say that discussion in class is the method that is used and 33.33% respondents say encouraged questions is the method but only 7.14% students say discussion individually is the method of student participation in the class. The respondents were also enquired about the general behavior of teacher. Majority of them (42.85%) feel that the teacher is courteous, 28.57% of them are of view that teachers are indifferent, 19.04% of total respondents feel that they are strict and for 9.52% respondents, they are rude also. When the respondents were asked about internal assessment interestingly, 38.09% respondents are not able to judge whether the internal assessment works or not .Of the total 28.57% it works fairly, it works regularly for 14.28% and helpfully for 19.04% of the total respondents. It is good that for 50%of the total respondents, the internal assessment will improve their course grade, for 23.80% students it has no effect, 23.80% respondents are not able to judge but 2.38% of the respondents think that internal assessment lowers their grades. Another question posed to respondents was whether the teacher provides feedback on the performance of students? Majority of the respondents (47.6%) think that the teacher provides feedback on their performance with helpful comments. Of the total, 11.90% respondents think that the teacher provides feedback on their performance in time/late, 9.52% respondents feel they get it regularly/irregularly and 30.95% of the respondents did not comment on it. When respondents were asked about discussion on assignments, interestingly, 38.09% of them say no as well as sometimes that their assignments are discussed, 19.04% students say partly and only 4.76% students said their assignments are fully discussed. The respondents’ views were taken on whether they are given a course and lecture outline at the beginning? It is excellent that 66.66% students opined that they are provided with the course and lecture outline at the beginning and only 33.33% students are of the views that they are not given any such outline. It is quite amazing that for 71.42% respondents the course and lecture outline provided at the beginning is not helpful at all however for 28.57% of them it is helpful. The query regarding an opportunity for personal interaction of students with teachers reveals that of the total respondents 69.04% feel that there is opportunity for personal interaction with teachers and it was up to some extent for 19.04% of the respondents, at the same time 9.52% of the respondents find no opportunity to interact with teachers and 2.38% of them did not have any answer to this question. The respondents were enquired whether outsider experts are invited to address them? Surprisingly, 45.23% respondents stated that out side experts are rarely invited to address them. Only 9.52% of the respondents opined that they are invited. Moreover, it was also enquired at the end if Department takes them to visit industries, banks and outside universities. It was really shocking that 83.33% respondents say that they are not taken any where. However, 11.90% respondents feel they are taken sometimes and 2.38% of the total respondents said that they visit aforementioned places frequently as well as rarely. Conclusions and Suggestions At the end the researcher wishes to discuss an enthusiastic collection of thoughts for achieving excellence in business education on the basis of the findings of the study. Over the last 4-5 decades, a "change" is taking place in the educational scenario. Learners are now 'demanding', like customers do. They want 'quality' teachers, not authoritative teachers. Coming to the achieving excellence in Business Education, it is well known fact that effective business education needs two components, namely, infrastructure consisting of a good compound, decent and elegant buildings having nicely decorated class rooms, rich and dependable seminar libraries, well equipped computer labs, modern electronic audio-visual teaching aids etc. to mention a few and of course the second one is a team of qualified and dedicated teachers. The educational institutions which possess both the components are considered the ideal ones. In case both the components are not so good, in such a case it is doubtful if the institution can survive. The recruitment of staff members should be based on their academic performance, specialization and practical experience. To my mind the component of the qualified and dedicated teacher constitute the vital area to be carefully attend to. All the attempts by various appointing authorities including the UGC to recruit teachers by framing stringent guidelines like possession of consistently good academic record, holding Ph.D/ M.Phil. Degrees, qualifying the National Eligibility Test (NET) etc., do not yield the expected results. And ultimately authorities have miserably failed in developing a mechanism to segregate the dutiful and academic teachers from the non-academic ones. In fact the strict guidelines of UGC do not guarantee that an appointee will prove to be a good teacher. What is more desirable is the framing of a set of sufficient conditions on satisfaction of which a teacher can be considered for confirmation, increment, promotion or career advancement more specifically in government funded institutions. Evaluation of a teacher in service in respect of his academic accountability ought to be done in the same way as it is done all over the world. Students Feed Back about a teacher's regularity, effectiveness in teaching and attitude towards them should be taken at regular intervals from all the classes engaged by that particular teacher. Besides, self assessment of a teacher should also be done periodically to make him/her a responsible teacher. Those whose performance is found satisfactory must be promoted in due course of time. However, guilty must be given some chances to improve. I personally feel that there are always chances of improvement as most of the teachers are defaulters just because of dullness and lethargy. Punitive action should be contemplated but only in unavoidable and exceptional cases. The specialization is also the need of the hour to achieve excellence in teaching business education. The teachers should be allowed to specialize in the subjects of their choice and the practice of assigning of many subjects to a teacher and changing them after every two or three years arbitrarily should be abounded forthwith. The faculty is envisaged to be a special breed of people. They not only have high academic qualifications, but are also Masters or Gurus of the ideas they discuss. The thing which really makes a faculty special is the ability to teach and communicate in a very effective way. Business education needs to be made value based, rather than money based. India is facing a crisis of quality business education. As compared to international standards, the Indian institutions (with a few exceptions) are far behind. There is a need to fill this gap. In India, revamping the moral and intellectual strength of teaching community is a programme not to be delayed further for the bright future of our student community. As very soon students may dictate what to learn, how, when, and from whom to learn. It is a welcome trend if it helps in the making of 'good and honorable' citizens. References: Ahmad (2004) Prof. M. Mushtaque, “Business Education – Retrospect and Prospects”, published in current Economic Issues, A. M.U., Press, pp. 93-103 Gupta Vipin, Gollakota Kamala and Sreekumar Ancheri (2003), “Quality in Business Education: A Study of the Indian Context”, Paper Prepared for and Presented at the Business Education and Emerging Market Economies: Trends and Prospects Conference, Technology Square, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, November 7, 2003. Khairoowala, Z. U. Siddiqui Saif, ed. Shaikh Mustafa S.M. “Commerce Education in India-Problems and Prospects : India Journal of Business of Business papers, Patna University, Patna, Vol. 2 & 3, Dec.-June, 2002, No. 4 & 5, pp. 76-81 Mahajan K. A. & Meiraj-uddin-Shah (2006), “Service Quality in Business Education, “India Journal of Commerce, Vol. 59, No. 3, July-Sep. 2006 pp. 246-256 Mishra, Prof. S. S. (2005), “Panel Discussion on Commerce Education: Integrating with Emerging Technology”, 58th All India Commerce Conference, organized on 27th Dec. 2005 at Varanasi. Mohiuddin Sagmi (2005), “Commerce Education in the new Millennium : Challenge and opportunities, Business Peep, Vol. 1 No. 1, 2005, pp. 1-5 . Paperman, Jacob, B. and Chandra Gyan (1983), “Accounting Internships : An Aid to Recruting”, Applied Business Administration Quarterly, Spring, pp 8-12. Reddy (2007), “Revitalising Commerce Education “Vidyasagar University, Journal of Commerce, Vidyasagar University, vol. 12, March 2007, pp. 1-12 Rust Roland and Oliver, Richard L (1984), “Service Quality insights and implication from the frontier service quality”, New Direction in Theory and Practice, Saga Publication, pp. 1-19. Singh (1999), “A Holistic Approach to the Problems of Education in India. Particularly in the State of Manipur”, Paper was presented in a seminar –on the improvement Education System in Manipur- held at Kumbi College, Manipur under Sponsorship of the University Grants Commission, October. PAGE 12 Dr. Nawab Ali Khan is Reader in the Department of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (U.P.) He can be reached at HYPERLINK "mailto:nawabmohammed@gmail.com" nawabmohammed@gmail.com