Details:
For many of the remaining topics in BUS-660, assignments will be in the form of case studies. These case studies are designed to provide an opportunity to engage in that topic’s quantitative analysis method, as well as demonstrate critical thinking and appropriate professional communication.
Review “Decision Analysis Case Study: Valley of the Sun Reviews” for this topic’s case study, a proposal to change the faculty performance review process at Valley of the Sun Academy (VSA).
Based on the information presented in the case study, create a decision tree or Excel-based analysis to determine the most appropriate recommendation.
In a 500-750-word report to VSA’s Human Resources department and the chief financial officer, explain your approach and the rationale for this method. Evaluate both outcomes and how they would be applied to this decision. Conclude your report with your recommendation for the review process VSA should adopt.
Submit your Excel-based analysis or decision tree with your report.
Prepare the assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
Decision Analysis Case Study:
Valley of the Sun Reviews
Valley of the
Sun Academy (VSA) is an online school specializing in GED programs for the
Phoenix area. Valley of the Sun Academy enrolls 813 students and has a
part-time faculty pool of 65 online instructors.
Online faculty
are reviewed annually and provided with feedback about their facilitation
techniques, content expertise, engagement, and classroom management. If
necessary, remediation and additional support are provided by the Faculty
Advisory Board (FAB). The online faculty reviews are one factor used to
determine overall performance, teaching status, and potential performance
appraisals.
Recently, the FAB
submitted a proposal for a new approach for the next fiscal year, the Peer
Faculty Performance Review (PFPR). Human Resources (HR) and the school’s chief
financial officer are evaluating the suggestion against the current design,
described by VSA’s director. Both review processes are outlined below.
Current
Design
Valley of the
Sun Academy uses an external firm, TeachBest Consulting, to conduct annual
reviews for online faculty. The review team is composed of faculty members at
other online institutions, including universities and high schools. Valley of
the Sun Academy faculty are not part of the review process, and TeachBest
Consulting handles hiring and training internally. Valley of the Sun Academy’s HR
department assigns completed courses to review, and VSA’s Technical Support
team is responsible for providing access.
Once completed,
the TeachBest consultant submits the review form toVSA’s HR department, and HR
submits a payment for each review. In addition, VSA has an annual contract with
TeachBest Consulting.
The overall
contract is $2,500/year. If VSA’s enrollment reaches 1,000 or more students or
their faculty pool expands to 75 or more instructors, the contract amount will
increase to $5,000/year. There is a 75% chance the student enrollment will
reach 1,000 students within the next 18months and a 25% chance enrollment will
not increase. During the next nine months,Human Resourcesanticipates hiring at
least six math instructors.
Individual
reviewers are paid $75 for each review. Reviews are conducted in March, July,
and November, with all faculty reviewed by December 1.
Valley of the
Sun Academy is responsible for disseminating the results of the review to
faculty members. If questions arise about review results,
the FAB is responsible for verifying the review and responding to the
instructor. Periodically, the Faculty Advisory Board finds fault with the
initial review and follow-up must be scheduled. Each year, about 5% of the
initial reviews are found to be inaccurate and new reviews must be scheduled. Valley
of the Sun Academy pays a discounted price of $50 for each follow-up review.
Peer Faculty Performance Review (PFPR)
Proposal
The
FAB proposes to conduct faculty reviews in-house and no longer contract
TeachBest Consulting. Human Resourceswill review faculty files and invite the
top three performing instructors in four disciplines (Literacy and
Communication, Social Sciences, Math, and Science and Technology) to join the
PFPR committee.
Initial
responsibilities will involve creating a new review form and conducting a
norming session for consistency. There will be ongoing technology fees of
$20/month for each reviewer, to ensure access to create and complete the review
forms. There will also be an initial cost to set up the norming session. The
Faculty Advisory Board recommends one of three options:
1.
A $500 session that can be scheduled at
any time with TeachBest Consulting.
2.
A $750 session offered monthly by an
external employee development firm.
3.
A session designed by VSA’s HR and instructional
design specialists, which would be free to attend but would require internal
time and labor costs; HR anticipates a start of two months from implementation
would prevent interrupting normal business practices.
Because the
responsibilities are not included in current faculty contracts, FAB recommends
stipends of $50 for each review completed. With the new internal PFPR process,
FAB anticipates faculty reviews would no longer be overturned and there would
not be a need to conduct secondary reviews. Additionally, FAB expects reviews
to move to a 9-month rolling cycle rather than once every academic year.
