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Research Needs Assessment in a Business Capstone Course
Librarian and Faculty Partnerships
MGT 333I BizBlock Combines management, marketing, and
business communication Student teams create and present a
comprehensive business plan Focuses on applied learning and
teamwork - valuable skills in today's work environment
40-80 students each semester, co-taught by 3 instructors from management, marketing and communication
BizBlock & the Library Business Team
Identified resources needed by students to perform company, industry, market & demographic research
Performed an overview of research via instruction session
Delivered resources via a point-of-need blog timed to syllabus and linked into Vista Course
Blog allows for organization, interactivity & searchability
Professors Mary Bowers & Chris Scherpereel with BizBlock students
The Blog
Assessing What We Did: The Survey Process
Created a survey to assess library support and research needs for students in BizBlock, with Sue Peiper, Coordinator of Assessment at the E-Learning Center
Administered the survey in paper because the class was large and we did not have a computer available for each student
Response rate was 100% (75 students) however, some students did not answer every question
Survey was administered to students in late November a few weeks prior to the end of the Fall 2007 semester
Data was transcribed from paper into the Flashlight survey tool to allow for analysis using Flashlight. Some data was analyzed in Excel
Assessing What We Did: The Survey Process (cont.)
Results of the survey were shared with the BizBlock faculty via a 1 hr meeting, where we discussed implications of the results and next steps
Analysis of the quantitative data (student narratives) was the most time consuming • Required reviewing all the data then going back and trying to
tease out patterns among the data
• Tallied suggestions from all the narratives
• The quantitative data was invaluable and worth the time commitment. Resulted in specific changes to our approach with this class in Spring 2008
Assessing What We Did:The Survey Questions
How often did you use the blog?
If you didn’t use the blog, why not?
How well did the blog align the resources with the assignments in your syllabus?
If asked for assistance from the Business team, how would you rate the Business Team with regards to service and responsiveness?
If you did not ask for assistance from the Business team, why not?
Would you suggest using the blog again with the next class? Why or why not?
Was having access to the blog an advantage for researching your business plan, why or why not?
What improvements, if any would you make to the blog?
What we Learned: The Blog
Use of the Blog
54%41%
5%
Didn't Use Blog
Once a Week or More
1-2 Times per Semester
Number of Resources in Blog
62%
28%
5% 5%
Enough Resources
Too Few Resources
Too Many Resources
No Opinion
Some Surprises- Good & Bad Teams often designated 1-2 of the 4-5 members to
do the research• Instructors found this an enlightening and unexpected result. All
team members are now expected to contribute to the research Students were encouraged to communicate,
comment and share resources via the blog, but they chose not to
Confusion about how to contact the Business Team for help
Faculty reported that the teams that utilized librarian assistance did better on business plans
Student Suggestions
Link Blog posts to parts of the 15 Weeks to a Successful Business Plan map
Instructors should encourage and require students to use the blog
Better marketing and visibility of the Library Business Team
Better integration of the Library Business Team help into class
Faculty Suggestions
That the Library Business Team be on-site for the BizBlock research lab class to assist students at point-of-need and make students aware of Library Business Team assistance
Re-evaluate content resources to ensure best research tools for business program curricular needs• Resulted in obtaining MarketResearch
Academic.com, Hoover’s, & SRDS Online
Changes Implemented for Spring 2008
Linked Blog posts to the 15 Weeks to a Successful Plan map
Arranged for 2 Library Business Team Visits to BizBlock class at key times• Early in Course: Overview of Major Resources
• Peak Project Time: Research Lab-Class period devoted to addressing specific BizBlock team research questions that arose after initial research
Ample Contact Information for Business Team shared for student follow-up
15 Week Plan linked to Blog
Early Anecdotal Feedback: Spring 2008 Students appreciated the research lab and
opportunity to ask questions after doing some initial research• End of Spring 2008 the Library Business Team will
conduct a follow-up Spring Survey to assess the changes implemented as a result of the Fall 2007 Survey
Based on student feedback, the Library Business Team will continue to assess Library resources and services for the BizBlock course
Questions? Please Contact Us
Tina Adams & Sandra LahtinenCline Library Business [email protected]
Mary BowersSenior Lecturer, [email protected]
Jennifer Mitchell
Lecturer of Marketing
928-523-8524
