Economics lecture

Economics Mission, Goals, & Objectives

Department of Business, Accounting, and Economics Mission

The Lebanon Valley College Department of Business, Accounting, and Economics seeks to make LVC the school of choice among selected high-potential, college-bound high school seniors and college sophomore transfer students in Pennsylvania and surrounding Mid-Atlantic states. The specific mission of each departmental program is to build on the flexibility and breadth of the liberal arts curriculum of the college and help each student develop the particular skill set essential to launch and manage their careers. In pursuit of this mission, the Department holds to a set of core values: collegiality, professionalism, and respect for colleagues’ academic freedom; achievement through collaboration and teamwork; integrity supported by ethical behavior; exceptional communication skills; and continuous improvement using ACBSP accreditation benchmarks and best practices. These values facilitate the interactions within the Department and across the campus deemed essential to success in this endeavor.

 

Economics Program Goals

Program Goal 1: Global Learning

Students will connect, in a meaningful way, learning across boundaries by the application of knowledge in the discipline area of focus.

Learning Outcomes: 

  • Internship Evaluation: Supervisor Survey
    • 91% of students achieved target in “Listens & Comprehends”
    • 100% achieved “Works well in Cross-Cultural Settings”
    • 100% achieved “Respects Diversity”.
  • International Business Class Project
    • 80% of students achieved targets in Cultural Awareness, Knowledge of Cultural Frameworks, and Verbal/Non-Verbal Communication in Cultural Settings.
  • Peregrine Standardized Assessment
    • Competency in Global Dimensions of Business improved 3.92% from midpoint to outbound.

 

Program Goal 2: Problem Solving

Students will synthesize and apply existing knowledge in order to develop strategies to arrive at creative and feasible solutions.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Internship Evaluation: Supervisor Survey
    • 91% of students achieved target in “Ability to find & utilize resources
    • 100% achieved “Selects & uses appropriate technology”
    • 91% achieved “Uses effective problem-solving abilities”
  • Peregrine Standardized Assessment
    • Competency in Business Leadership improved 10.4% from inbound to midpoint, and an additional 1.19% from midpoint to outbound.

 

Program Goal 3: Critical Thinking and Ethical Reasoning

Students will determine and use information needed to inform decision making and value perspectives.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Internship Evaluation: Supervisor Survey
    • 100% of students achieved target in “Uses good judgement”
    • 100% achieved “Takes initiative”
    • Internship scores in these areas exceed overall internship scores provided by onsite supervisors reflecting particular strength in these categories of assessment.
  • Peregrine Standardized Assessment
    • Competency in Business Integration and Strategic Management improved 8.51% from inbound to midpoint, and an additional 12.83% from midpoint to outbound.
  • Peregrine Standardized Assessment
    • Competency in Business Ethics improved 11.17% from inbound to midpoint, and an additional 2.94% from midpoint to outbound.

 

Program Goal 4: Professional Competency

Students will demonstrate the professional competencies expected by the ACBSP accrediting body.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Internship Evaluation: Supervisor Survey
    • 100% of students achieved target in “Demonstrates Applicable Academic Competencies”.
  • Peregrine Standardized Assessment
    • Overall Baseline Scores in all 17 Common Professional Components (CPCs) as defined by the ACBSP Accrediting Body improved 24.36% from inbound to midpoint, and an additional 12.88% from midpoint to outbound.
      *NOTE: Overall improvement from LVC inbound to outbound in all 17 CPCs = 40.39%. This compares to the overall improvement in inbound to outbound aggregate scores in all ACBSP Region 2 schools of 26.58%.

 

Program Goal 5: Communication

Students will communicate correctly and purposefully, in writing and orally, integrating technology into writing and presentations.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Internship Evaluation: Supervisor Survey
    • 82% of students achieved target in “Communicates well in writing”
    • 100% of students achieved target in “Works effectively in teams”.
  • Principles of Marketing Research Project
    • 86% of students achieved targets in Delivery, Supporting Materials, Organization, Language, and Central Message in Oral Communications.
    • 78% of students achieved targets in Context & purpose of writing; Content development; Genre & disciplinary conventions; Sources & evidence; Syntax & mechanics in Written Communications.


For more information on learning goals and outcomes, contact institutionalresearch@lvc.edu.

Additional Information

Faculty supporting the Bachelor of Arts in Economics major at Lebanon Valley College is committed to designing, developing and implementing an economics curriculum comparable in content and quality to the best social science-based economics programs in the country in order to: 

  1. Assure the development of critical thinking and analytical skills, knowledge of economic theories and their application, intellectual flexibility and versatility, and motivation to successfully complete their chosen graduate programs. 
  2. Assure students have the ability to think through the kinds of problems they will encounter in their professional careers. 
  3. Assure students are equipped to self-learn new knowledge and new problem-solving techniques.
  4. Assure students have developed a solid ethical foundation from which to assess the consequences of their decisions and actions. 
  5. Prepare students for the launch of their careers and/or for the entry into the graduate program appropriate to their individual career aspirations. 

Students completing a B.A. in Economics at Lebanon Valley College will demonstrate and possess: 

  1. An understanding of the fundamental knowledge in the areas of macroeconomics, microeconomics, and general economic theory. 
  2. Fundamental knowledge of key aspects of social policy that are derived from economic theory including how countries interact for economic purposes, how countries develop policy, and the assessment of issues related to the consequences of policy implementation. 
  3. A fundamental understanding of the nature of economic research including exposure to methods of discovery, methods of analysis, and methods of communication appropriate to the field. Special emphasis will be placed on the use of quantitative analysis techniques to describe, investigate, analyze, and evaluate issues. 
  4. The ability to apply economic theory to historic, current, or future contexts. 
  5. The ability to effectively pursue these investigations either alone or in small groups.
  6. The ability to effectively develop, present and defend arguments surrounding an issue in both written and oral formats appropriate to the economics discipline. 
  7. The ability to effectively work either alone or in small groups. 
  8. The ability to select and use the appropriate technology for research, analysis, and communications. 
  9. Effective fundamental project management skills. 
  10. An assertive and active approach to launching and managing their care.