Student engagement in online graduate entrepreneurship classes: Demonstrating meeting AACSB standards

Abstract

We demonstrate evaluating levels of student engagement in online classes for accreditation. By synthesizing four categories of student engagement (Hillman, Willis, & Gunawardena, 1994) and individual activities from Adler (2020), we extend and use a comprehensive set of student engagement activities for assessment. This systematic evaluation enables determining if the desired level (Carnegie-unit standard of 8,100 min) and variety of student engagement is reached. By assessing two online Master of Entrepreneurship classes in a Southeastern U.S. regional university. Our findings indicate both classes have 8,100+ min of engagement and patterns of using multiple engagement categories. We provide a method for quantifying the level of faculty-student and student-student engagement using an evaluation of two online courses to support that AACSB standards for engagement are met in online programs.

Keywords:

• AACSB-accreditation
• instructional design
• management
• online education
• online instruction
• student engagement

Notes

1 The newly released 2020 Guiding Principles and Standards for Business Accreditation by AACSB (AACSB, 2020) reorders the material used in this study but does not significantly change it or its implications.