Using a Blog to Enhance Business Students

1
Using a Blog to Enhance Business Students
Writing Experience An Assessment of
Effectiveness

• byMarie E. Flatley, Ph.D.
• Information and Decision Systems
• January 10, 2006

2
Assignment

• Read the book Why Business People Speak Like
  Idiots The Bullfighters Guide by Brian Fugere,
  Chelsea Hardaway, Jon Warshawsky.
• Post narrative summaries of chapters as assigned
  and by specific dates.
• Comment on assigned posts and any others as
  desired.

3
Goals

• Primary Goal To integrate a blog with a current
  assignment in order to improve students writing
  skills by giving them a real audience.
• Secondary Goal To give students a hands-on
  professional writing experience using a
  technology they are likely to encounter after
  they graduate.

4
Evaluation

• Postings and comments were graded on planning,
  development, and mechanics.
• A rubric based on these criteria was posted on
  the class Blackboard site.

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Evaluation Blog Grading Rubric
6
Assessments

• Students Respond to a confidential survey
  within two weeks of completing the blog
  assignment.
• Students not only recommended continuing the
  assignment but were positive on all important
  aspects.
• Instructor Report on perceived effectiveness of
  assignment in meeting goals.
• Blog technology effectively expanded the
  audience, demonstrating that in addition to being
  an effective tool for collaborating it can also
  be an effective teaching tool.

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Student Assessment How would you rate the
Blogging for Bull assignment on the following
aspects
Low
High
8
Student Assessment How do you think the
following factors influenced your overall
evaluation of this assignment?
Low
High
9
Student Assessment Please rank the order of
interest to you of the following subject matter
for future blogging assignments.
High Rank
Low Rank
10
Instructor Assessment Perceptions of
effectiveness in meeting goals

• Primary goal Student writing was much more
  professional when posted compared with previous
  instructor-only audience. Some even demonstrated
  they could integrate other knowledge and
  material.
• Secondary goal Students reported high overall
  satisfaction with both the assignment and the
  technology.