Assessment of intervention with large business course

1. Librarian and FacultyLibrarian and Faculty
PartnershipsPartnerships
Research Needs Assessment inResearch Needs Assessment in
MGT 333I BizBlockMGT 333I BizBlock
Spring Assessment Fair 2008Spring Assessment Fair 2008

2. 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

3. 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

4. The Blog

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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?

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 15 Week Plan linked to Blog

14. 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

15. Questions? Please Contact Us
Tina Adams & Sandra Lahtinen
Cline Library Business Team
Library.Business@nau.edu
928-523-6849
Mary Bowers
Senior Lecturer, Management
Mary.Bowers@nau.edu
928-523-7359
Jennifer Mitchell
Lecturer of Marketing
Jennifer.Mitchell@nau.edu
928-523-8524