Philosophical Concerns About Interpreting AACSB Assurance of Learning Standards

Abstract

The new Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) accreditation guidelines specify standards regarding the development of goals and learning objectives for various content areas and “soft” skills such as writing and oral presentation. These standards are being interpreted in a variety of ways across accredited schools of business. The authors argue that these standards are likely to be interpreted and actioned in ways that do not support best practices in education. To frame the discussion, they compare the more traditional model of liberal arts education to the predominant model evolving in schools of business today. They also include a discussion of how “differences” such as learning styles and epistemology become subordinated in the accreditation process. The authors end the article by sharing a “live” example of how some of the AACSB standards have been operationalized and the implications therein.