Evaluating curriculum management processes at Stellenbosch Business School

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the decision-making processes of exploring collaboration with the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking. The purpose of the possible collaboration is to introduce a new focal area in Data Science on the Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management and Administration. Business School Accreditation Bodies require schools to deliver content that is relevant and forward-looking. In addition, innovative business theories and practices should be reflected in the curriculum. Curriculum management at Stellenbosch Business School refers to the processes followed to develop, design, and implement the different degree programmes’ structure, organization, content, assessment, and pedagogy (AACSB, 2020). Curriculum management requires input from main stakeholders and needs to be influenced by assurance of learning results, new market developments, and reviews of the school’s mission and strategy relating to new areas of instruction. The Stellenbosch Business School APC has approved an internal screening process for the introduction of a new degree/focal area. The approval principles (three gates) are (i) Strategy Alignment (The principle includes the purpose of the degree with programme goals and objectives, integration options into existing offerings, integration into the Business School, and accreditation and quality assurance); (ii) Market analysis and stakeholder engagement (The principle includes the identification of the target group, needs assessment and expectations from the target group, feedback from other stakeholder groups, comparison with local and international comparable degrees, and to assess any conflict of interest); (iii) Sustainability analysis (The principle includes investigating the required competency and capacity, operational and infrastructure requirements, budget, development project plan, and potential collaboration partners). The evaluation project will present the results of the investigations pertaining to the approval principles (three gates) and conclude with a recommendation about the introduction of a new focal area at Stellenbosch Business School.

Supervisor: Dr L Wildschut, CREST, Stellenbosch University