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    Proposal for a Pilot Project for the Development of a Business Communication Assessment Mechanism for the Faculty of Business and Economics

    Abstract

    The collaborative TDG project between the Centre for Applied English Studies (CAES) and the Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) focuses on the planning, design and implementation of a business communication assessment (BCA) mechanism to report the gains in language and written business communication abilities made by students in their BBA programme at HKU. The BCA requires students to demonstrate their applied grammar and vocabulary knowledge as well as their abilities in responding to a business case. Students’ language and business communication abilities both at the entry and exit points of 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 were measured. Data collected at entry points showed that academic streams and admissions backgrounds had a significant impact on the students’ results. Preliminary cross-sectional comparison of data showed that Year 3 students’ results were better than those of the first years’ and therefore implying gains in overall language and communication abilities made by students in the BBA programme. The results collected provide not only useful language learning information for the programme but also contributes to the professional accreditation by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

    Principal Investigator

    Dr. Y. Loong, Centre for Applied English Studies, Faculty of ArtsContact

    Project level

    University-level project

    Project Completion

    March 2010

    Deliverables (HKU Portal Login Required)

    The project deliverables include the following:

    Title of Presentation/ Paper

    Details of Presentation/ Paper

    The Business Communication Assessment: Developing a Test to Show Gains – Presentation

    Presenter: Mr Phil Smyth

    The paper was delivered in a CAES seminar on 24 February, 2010.  While the experience has informed CAES colleagues of what should be and what can be done to ensure validity and reliability in assessment in general, it also informs specifically the team which will develop an assessment for the General University English (GUE) programme at HKU under the new 2012 curriculum.

    Presentation Download

    The Business Communication Assessment (AACSB) – Presentation

    Presenters: Prof Amy Lau and Mr Phil Smyth

    The paper was delivered in an international Assessment Conference organized by AACSB on 8 March, 2010 in New York, USA.  The assessment conference was attended by academics from business schools all over the world.

    Presentation Download

    The Business Communication Assessment (BCA) and its Curriculum Implications – Presentation

    Presenters: Dr Loong Yvonne CW and Ms Elsie Christopher

    The paper was delivered in an international conference Enhancing Learning Experiences in Higher Education: International Conference organized by the Centre for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) at HKU on 2 December, 2010.  Audience includes scholars and researchers in higher education from all over the world.

    Presentation Download

    The Business Communication Assessment (BCA) and its Curriculum Implications – Paper

    Authors: Dr Loong Yvonne CW and Ms Elsie Christopher

    The paper appears in the Proceeding for Enhancing Learning Experiences in Higher Education: International Conference: http://www.cetl.hku.hk/conference2010/conf_proc.htm