Improving Student Engagement: A Changing

Landscape of Strategies

Market Research Proposal

August 4th, 2015
Citrus Strategies, LLC

Prepared For: Massiah Industries

1400 Clementine Court

Prepared By: David Baier

Orange County, FL 32712

Date: 8/4/15

Phone Number: (555) 672-1845

Fax Number: (555) 672-1846
Website Address: http://citrusstrats.wix.com/citrus

Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary

2. Background & Problem Definition

2.1 Background
2.2 Problem Definition
3. Methodology

10

3.1 Type of Research

3.2 Sources of Data
3.3 Sampling Plan
4. Data Collection

13

5. Analysis

14

6. Schedule

15

7. Budget

16

8. Code of Conduct

17

9. Research Limitations

18

10. Possible Outcomes

19

11. Appendix

20

1. Executive Summary
The UCF College of Business Administration is facing problems with overpopulation,
lack of student engagement, below average GPAs, and loss of overall profits. An increased effort
to engage students will better prepare them for the workforce; however going about this change
is much more complex than the average factors that meet the eye. A change in curriculum to
offset the changing needs of the College of Business has occurred in attempts to create a more
competitive environment for acceptance into a student's preferred major. Methods of measuring
the receptivity to these changes as well as dynamic scales of engagement, satisfaction,
motivation, and demographics will be at the forefront of the research conducted.
A lack of engagement within the UCF College of Business has led to an unfavorable dose
of circumstances that need to be overturned moving forward. Cutting class size is seen as an
answer to the stated problem, however, will this drastic turn around be met with resistance? Our
study attempts to delve into the issues surrounding the changes made and focuses on the effective
methods in which student engagement can be increased to get the desired end result the
University longs for.
Our exploratory findings provided valuable insights of proven ways to enhance
engagement such as examining elimination of distractors, the relationship between high levels of
stress and lack of engagement, the use of technological advances for larger classes, and blending
techniques for instructors to implement such as humor. Interrelated findings led to the
formulation of research questions such as: Does class size have a direct correlation with student

engagement? If students feel more engaged in the classroom, will they be more likely to get
involved outside of the class? Our proposal will attempt to answer these questions and more
through quantitative and qualitative data sources. Surveys and focus groups from a sample of
students and faculty within the College of Business will be conducted to ensure the accuracy of
the type of data collected. Details of stratified random sampling used in distributing surveys and
stratified purposive sampling within selecting focus group members will be discovered.
Further analysis of data results will be carefully coded to ensure the usefulness of the
data collected. In addition, a detailed report of deliverables conveys a timeline of roughly threeand-a-half months for completion of the entire research proposal (6. Schedule). All costs related
to effective completion of the study can be found in the Budget section of the proposal (7.
Budget). Related appendices can be found at the very end of the proposal (11. Appendix)
including a company cover letter, survey, focus group moderators guide, and references.

2. Background & Problem Definition

2.1 Background
A lack of student engagement in the UCF College of Business Administration is
generating, in large part, unprepared students for the workforce, a lack of in class participation, a
lack of student teacher relationships, lower GPAs, an impersonalized experience for students,
less involvement in groups and organizations outside of the classroom, and a weaker network for
students upon graduation. Large class sizes are contributing to the problem. With lecture capture
courses available to over one thousand students in a specific class in a given semester it can be
increasingly difficult to get students engaged, motivated, or even to attend class. Overcrowding
in UCFs College of Business Administration is seen as problematic for decision makers
resulting in a need to change the overall inner workings, program requirements, school

reputation, and profit margins. Data collection needs for the proposed study will come from
individuals such as students, organization such as faculty and leaders within the college, and
departments such as each specific major offered within the College of Business. The research
will attempt to measure variables such as engagement, satisfaction, motivation and
demographics.
In summary, the management decision problem that has triggered the research is a lack of
student engagement, the overcrowding and large class sizes, low GPAs, and cost cutting for the
college which have all lead to the curriculum change.
The specific research questions the proposed research will attempt to answer are: Will
cutting down class size create more student engagement? Will these changes better prepare
students after graduation for the workforce? Do students perform better in smaller classes? What
are the general perceptions of students and faculty about the changes? Will the new curriculum
create a more competitive environment with each specific major? Will the curriculum changes
help guide students towards the more appropriate major? Will the change create a more hands-on
learning experience for students with a clearer path to graduation? Will the changes cut costs for
the college?
The research objectives will address how student engagement most effectively will be
increased through previous studies, surveys, and focus groups. This information will give clear
indication of deliverables needed to implement the changes as seamlessly as possible to ensure
the highest probability for success. The research will also address other key issues of class size,
curriculum changes, and setting up students for success.

2.2 Problem Definition

The University of Central Floridas College of Business is continuously growing and

student engagement in and out of the classroom is starting to decline. The dean of the College of
Business would like to change the direction of engagement, to draw up more classroom
discussions and to promote campus involvement.

2.2.1 Literature Review

With the upcoming change to the College of Businesss curriculum, several questions and
concerns have approached the surface in the past several months. An ever-growing population in
the college has caused UCFs classroom sizes to continuously increase, with some of the core
business classes averaging well over one thousand students. This begs the question, how are
professors engaging with such a large amount of students? Engagement in many of these classes
is acute and some would even argue that it is not even present. It is difficult to successfully
engage students through an online platform, such as lecture capture. Yet, there are many
approaches that can be taken to ultimately increase student involvement and participation in the
classroom. The colleges decision to cut classroom sizes in half may help encourage
involvement, but the decrease alone will not necessarily increase engagement. What faculty and
staff need to remember is that engagement is a two way process, if instructors do not increase
engagement methods, it will become difficult for students to want to participate in the lectures.
Engagement is defined as a promise to meet and to be present at a particular place and
time. The very second a student or faculty member enter into a classroom, they are promising to
be there and to be present with the days lecture. Unfortunately, students struggle with the second
half of the definition. Students attend classes, but more often than not, they do not seem to be
present. If you are not present, you are not engaged. Distractors are a major influence on the lack
of student engagement. If class sizes decrease, then students will be less likely to become

distracted by things such as their phones or laptops. This is due to the fact that in a smaller
environment, people tend to feel like attention is more focused on each individual. This leads us
to question: will a decrease in classroom size increase student engagement, and what effect will
this change have on the students overall satisfaction within UCFs College of Business?
The student perception of engagement in the classroom is a major factor that should not
be overlooked. Often times, students lack engagement due to outside stressors or they simply do
not feel that the instructor is interesting. The adjustment to the college lifestyle has proven itself
to be stressful to many students. They enter the university/ college with high, sometimes even
unrealistic expectations of what their experience will consist of. For some students, the
collegiate experience failed to meet their expectations. (Krieg, D. B., 2013) This ultimately led
to withdrawal and dissatisfaction with the college. In a study conducted to evaluate college
experience expectations in relation to stress levels of students, they found that a students stress
level increases during the first few years, with the pressure to get involved and to start forming
a social network. (Krieg, D. B., 2013) They mailed out surveys at the beginning and end of each
students first and last semester at the college. This study shows us that the pressure colleges put
on students to get involved with the college can ultimately lead to higher stress levels. Higher
stress levels lead to possible higher withdrawal rates, so faculty and staff should stay aware of
the stress levels they are inducing and not to overwhelm students with too much pressure to get
involved and to be engaged.
If students are finding it difficult to become engaged, what techniques can instructors
implement to encourage engagement? There are many studies that demonstrate how things such
as in class assignments, interactive demonstrations, and even the overall delivery of a lecture can
have a positive influence on student engagement. These strategies can be effective in both large

and small classrooms. In an article about using blended learning to help make large classes feel
more engaged, the author stated that the lack of focus is not the students fault, they are simply
not engaged. (Francis, R. W., 2012) With the growth of technology, the variety of engagement
techniques has increased. There are apps and websites that instructors can use to keep track of
student performance and to help encourage participation. Harvard has even created a freeware
computer application, called Backchannel, which allows the instructor to moderate online
conversations in real time during class. (Francis, R. W., 2012) Programs like this could prove to
be significantly effective because it allows students to participate without physically being there
to participate. This is particularly beneficial for students that do not feel comfortable speaking up
during class. Now they can just submit their questions as the lecture happens and have it
answered rather quickly. In-class assignments are another way to help promote engagement. Eassessments are rather novel way to encourage classroom interactions. Students often look at
these types of assignments as busy work, but these brief interactive assignments force students
to be engaged and have been proven to have a positive effect.(Holmes, N, 2015) With things
such as exit tickets, students complete a short question after a lecture pertaining to material
that was covered during that lecture. This is helpful because it gives students a reason to stay
until the end of the class and it requires them to actually pay attention to the discussion.
Increasing engagement does not involve a change from just the students end but the
instructors also have to actively encourage them. The way an instructor delivers their lecture has
a major influence on whether or not students want to participate. If the instructor just stands
behind the podium, reading off PowerPoint with a monotone speech pattern, students will lose
focus. Implementing humor into the class is an effective way to maintain focus. Humor has the
ability to humanize the classroom, enhance student learning, and lead to higher rankings of

teacher effectiveness. (Tews, M. J., Jackson, K., Ramsay, C., & Michel, J. W., 2015)
Engagement levels are also correlated with the students satisfaction with the college. If students
feel as if they are satisfied with their choice of college and major, then they are more likely to
participate and engage during lectures.
The possible holes that arise when evaluating the level of student engagement arises due
to the highly variable potential responses. This can cause some of the information to be skewed.
It is important to know that some of the sample sizes for these studies were small compared to
the overall population. Also, one should keep in mind that the schools that these studies were
taken from might not directly represent the entire population of college students nationwide.
It is clear that a stronger engagement level can lead to a higher satisfaction level, but will
decreasing class sizes increase engagement even further? With the adoption of new teaching
methods combined with a smaller class size, students will feel more encouraged to participate
and the overall engagement level will begin to increase. But like anything else, increasing
engagement is a process and will take time before its effect on college students can truly be
measured along with their education level, and preparedness for the workforce.

2.2.2 Research Questions

Does class size have a direct correlation with student engagement?

Are students actively engaged while watching lecture capture courses?
What teaching techniques can be used to increase engagement?
Will an increase in engagement lead to an increase in student satisfaction?
If students feel more engaged in the classroom, will they be more likely to get involved outside
of the class?

2.2.3 Hypothesis

A decrease in class size will increase student engagement in the classroom.

10

An increase in engagement will lead to higher satisfaction levels throughout the College of

Business.
Higher engagement in the classroom will lead to a higher involvement within the College of
Business.

3. Methodology
3.1 Type of Research

Exploratory research: Focus groups - The focus group session will offer a chance to ask open
ended questions to a representative group of the population of students and faculty. Through
stratified purposive sampling, faculty members will be chosen and another eight students ranging
by class and major from each department of business to be involved. Our qualitative research
methods will provide in-depth information to de-layer the core issues and alternatives to consider

for future success.

Descriptive research: Survey - The formulated survey consists of nominal and interval questions
concerning the knowledge and understanding of the new curriculum as well as personal opinions.
The ease of administering a survey along with the relative inexpensiveness in comparison to an
in depth case-study is one of the main reasons that it was chosen for quantitative research. The
survey will provide an accurate idea of what students think about the curriculum change along

with their feelings on engagement, satisfaction, motivation, and demographics.

Causal Research: For the purposes of our research there will be no causal research conducted
since there is no need to correlate the change in behaviors with the curriculum change.

3.2 Sources of Data

Secondary data sources:

UCF College of Business graduation rate

UCF College of Business major census

11

Total student population enrolled in or planning to join the College of Business.

Primary data collection plans:

Survey - Affected students will be targeted. Surveys will be distributed through webcourses or
available through our website. The format will contain a mix of nominal and interval questions.
Stratified random sampling will be used in order to lower the standard deviation among the
different strata. Our strata will first be separated by class standing, and then by major. This will
assure representativeness in the sample, afford the opportunity to study each stratum and make
comparisons, and enable the ability to make estimates for the target population with greater

precision and less error.

Focus group - Will consist of faculty, upperclassmen enrolled in the College of Business, and
freshman who plan to go into the College of Business. The participants will be chosen through
stratified purposive sampling. There will be three separate focus groups held with different
members of the sample size attending each time. There will be at least four faculty members,
four upperclassmen, and five freshmen in the meeting. Through the 4-4-5 format, students who
will be directly affected by the change will have ample opportunity to voice their thoughts,
opinions, and concerns.

3.3 Population
The population for our study consists of UCF College of Business students and faculty.
Upperclassmen and freshmen will be separated. The ideal sample size for this research is 700.
There are 7 majors within the college of business. A sample of 100 will be taken from each
major. Among those 100 in each strata, there will be a 50/50 split between upperclassmen and
freshmen.

12

Sampling method - Stratified random sampling will be conducted to pull a sample

proportionately relevant to the college of business students. The population will be broken into

different strata based on year and major.

Sampling frame: Consists of College of Business faculty and students, as well as future College
of Business students. Future College of Business students are being researched as well seeing

that they will be among those most affected by the curriculum change.
Missing data: Will be input by the Citrus Strategies team while accounting for the fact that the

information was entered with uncertainty. This data will ultimately not be used.
Non-response: Will be ignored and thrown out of consideration.

4. Data Collection
A sizeable sample of quantified data will be collected from distributing surveys to
samples of the target population. These surveys will include a wide range of simple questions
and scales in order to get a reliable representation of what the census is on this curriculum
change (proposed survey listed in Appendix B). In order to effectively select a sample, the
stratified random sampling method will be utilized. Essentially, the individuals that will be sent
this survey will be randomly chosen in a systematic manner from a list of College of Business
students. The total number of students would be divided by the desired sample size to find the
skip interval. An arbitrarily selected student from the list would be the first person chosen for the
survey, and the skip interval would be implemented to randomly choose the other individuals.
These surveys, along with a cover letter, will be distributed through the students email. This
method will provide quantifiable information that will be easy to comprehend and present upon
further notice.
Qualitative data will be executed by conducting in-depth focus groups in addition to the
quantified data collection methods already discussed. By randomly selecting a sample of
students to participate, group meetings will be held and led by one of the highest rated focus

13

group facilitators in the Marketing Research section B001 class. The facilitator will explore the
participants beliefs and feelings about the change in the curriculum in order to get a deep
comprehension of all the factors that encompass the problem/opportunity at hand. A series of
open-ended questions designed to create collaboration and detailed responses from the focus
group members will help achieve this mission (proposed focus group questions listed in
Appendix C). These focus groups meetings will be recorded as well as transcripted so that no
responses or data can be lost. The manuscripts from these meetings will be analyzed in-house
and developed into deep informative data. It is imperative to collect qualitative data for the
purpose of this study as it will administer additional perspectives about these changes to the
curriculum, and the possible effects it may have on those affected.

5. Analysis
Concerning the analysis of data collect from the surveys and focus groups, coding of the
data collected from the survey will be done immediately. Distinguishing the reverse coded
questions for skewed data will be a top priority along with reversing each necessary respective
scale. Surveys completed under four minutes will be removed from the final data analysis.
Elimination of filler questions along with converting demographics to appropriate measurements
will also take place. If any skewed data appears, that respondents survey will be omitted. SPSS
will then be used to further analyze the data. For the focus groups, the facilitators will document
detailed information of ideas taken away from what each individual. After, the data will be
separated into two basic groups: Those who are aware of the curriculum change and those who
are not aware. Suggestions will be gathered and opinions from those who were informed and
those who were not. Next, we will separate responses into positive and negative groups and code
them as 1 and 2 respectively. With the groups properly coded, our team will be able to easily

14

interpret the data in a more organized fashion and be able to present it in a way thats easier to
understand. Data validity has the potential to be skewed due to a students opinion of their
performance in the classroom being highly variable. Responses from the focus group which have
a lower rate of validity and reliability compared to the surveys will not be considered as the
general opinion of the target population.

6. Schedule
The proposed schedule listed below is a blend of our efficient work ethic, with the
consideration of time to present accurate and relevant information. We hope that this fits within
any time constraint you may have and as always, feel free to contact our office if you have any
concerns.

Deliverable

Start Date

Duration

End Date

Create Research Project Proposal

29-Jun

36

4-Aug

Review Literature to Identify Research

Questions

6-Jul

18

24-Jul

Submit Project Proposal

4-Aug

4-Aug

Proposal Reviewed

4-Aug

11-Aug

Researcher/Client Luncheon

5-Aug

5-Aug

Project Approved

11-Aug

11-Aug

Develop Surveying/Focus Group

Samples

12-Aug

14-Aug

Distribute and Collect Surveys

17-Aug

11

28-Aug

Conduct Focus Groups

24-Aug

28-Aug

Organize & Analyze Data Collected

31-Aug

10

8-Sep

Submit Final Written Report and

Presentation

11-Sep

11-Sep

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7. Budget
The team members that operate Citrus Strategies confidently take pride in the level of
service that is continuously provided. We ensure that every piece of data that we report is both
accurate and relevant. We also understand that our customers budget is extremely important to
take into consideration. That is why we strive to keep costs down and remain a major competitor
in our field. On top of that we offer an instant rebate for all Orlando-based companies and
organizations. Citrus Strategies cares about this beautiful city and we want to help maintain a
booming local economy. Hopefully this will continue to make a positive impact on our
community. We encourage each of our customers to take advantage of this rebate and possibly
even use it pay it forward. Together we can make Orlando a sunnier place to live!

16

Category

Description of
Expense

Estimated Cost

Personnel

Survey Development,
Distribution, and
Collection (2
researchers, 11 days)

$8,000

Personnel

Focus Group
$2,250
Moderator (x3 Groups)

Research
Expense

Focus Group Sample

Compensation

$1,300

Personnel

Survey and Focus

Group Data
Organization and
Analysis (3
researchers, 10 Days)

$12,500

Supplies

TBD

Professional
Services

TBD
Subtotal

$24,050

Orlando Rebate (-10%)

-$2,405

Total Cost

$21,645

8. Code of Conduct
In the process of conducting this research project, Citrus Strategies will adhere to the
principles established by American Marketing Association. Some of the principles in the Code of
Ethics include:

Market Researchers will conform to all relevant national and international laws.
Market researchers will take special care when carrying out research among children and other
vulnerable groups of the population.

17

Respondents cooperation is voluntary and must be based on adequate, and not misleading,
information about the general purpose and nature of the project when their agreement to

participate is being obtained and all such statements must be honored.

The rights of the respondents as private individuals will be respected by market researchers, and
they will not be harmed or disadvantaged as the result of cooperating in a market research

project.
Market researchers will never allow personal data they collect in a market research project to be

used for any purpose other than market research.

Market researchers will ensure that projects and activities are designed, carried out, reported and

documented accurately, transparently, objectively, and to appropriate quality.

Market researchers will conform to the accepted principles of fair competition.
Any researcher in violation of these principles will be removed from Citrus Strategies
without further notice and will be held accountable according to the standards of Citrus
Strategies. Standards set by the UCF College of Business in regards to administering surveys or
interviews with the students and faculty will also be met.

9. Research Limitations
While the research study will offer answers to many questions, it will also consist of
some limitations to how the resulting information can be used or even how well the information
is properly interpreted. There may be an extent to how far the findings can be generalized to the
entire target population. The research may require more time to properly be conducted. There
also may be incomplete data, missing data or supplementary resources that may be required to
complete the research. Other limitations include the issue of objectivity and how the responses of
respondents can only be attributed individually and not of the College of Business as a whole.
This primarily stems from the use of qualitative methods of research (Focus Groups), however
Citrus Strategies will work around this through the use of quantitative research methods

18

(surveys/ questionnaires). While quantitative research methods have their own drawbacks, such
as leading questions or lack of responses, the use of both methods allow the drawbacks to be
lessened compared to using just one form data collection. Despite some of these limitations, our
team will work to ensure any of those aforementioned limitations are lessened to a significant
degree.

10. Possible Outcomes

The possible outcomes that may result from the findings of this research project include
but are not limited to:

Discovery of how students view engagement and whether or not it is defined similarly to the

view possessed by those of the faculty.

Viewpoints from the faculty and students about the new situations that arise from the change in

curriculum.
The faculty sees the students are actually more engaged during class as well as with campus

organizations.
The College of Business receives negative press from the decision and damages the image of the

college as a whole, leading to lower enrollment rates in the U.S as well as overseas.
Despite a rough start under the new curriculum change, graduating students receive more job

opportunities than those students who graduated with the previous curriculum.
Under the new curriculum change, graduating students are more prepared for the job market than

students who graduated with the previous curriculum.

The average GPA in the UCF College of Business increases but student engagement does not

dramatically increase.
The changes lead to a positive effect towards engagement within the college and students

manage to meet the new requirements.

The changes have an adverse effect on enrollment for the College of Business and lead to smaller
class sizes.
Students are overwhelmed with the load of core classes needed to take all at once, producing
high levels of stress leading to many students underperforming.

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The UCF College of Business, in addition to changing curriculum structure, also implements
new ways to participate in class through the use of apps such as: Via Response or Canvas.
Many of these outcomes cannot be predicted with 100% accuracy as the results of the
changes need more time to be fully realized. Citrus Strategies will work to find out what the
current views of the new curriculum so that the college may work to reduce the chances of the
negative outcomes occurring.

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11. Appendix
11.1 Appendix A
Dear UCF College of Business Administration Student,
Citrus Strategies is a marketing research firm located in Orlando
working with the University of Central Floridas College of Business Administration in order to
gather information regarding the changes taking place within the college. A major restructuring
of the curriculum for the UCF College of Business Administration has taken place. The
curriculum change will directly affect all incoming, and most current students and faculty
members. Information is needed to indicate how the curriculum change will be viewed, how
students and faculty will adapt, and what improvements can be implemented going forward. This
information, when collected, will provide the College of Business leaders and decision makers
with a better overall understanding of how the new format will be welcomed and how it will help
students and faculty to get the most out of their college experience.
The answers you provide will be kept completely confidential. You were chosen to participate in
this study because you are either an incoming student, current student, or faculty member of the
UCF College of Business Administration. Your participation is vital to the study to ensure timely
and accurate results. We anticipate the study will be completed by mid-September with results
and suggestions gathered from your input. It is import for your thoughts and opinion of the
changes to be heard.

21

The study is voluntary and reasons for nonparticipation such as lack of leisure time or simply
forgetting about the survey should not be a concern. There are no foreseeable risks to you as a
participant. Your participation is extremely valued as well as your time and feedback. We would
appreciate if you would take approximately 15 minutes to respond to the following
questionnaire. The survey can be found and completed through UCFs webcourses or through
our website http://citrusstrats.wix.com/citrus.
Thank you for your help. We appreciate your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Citrus Strategies Team

11.2 Appendix B
This Survey consists of 39 questions and should take you no longer than 15 minutes to complete.
START HERE
1. Are you 18 years of age or older?
___Yes___ No

2. Have you already been accepted to the College of Business?

___Yes___ No
3. What is your major?
___________________

Questions

Strongly
Agree

Slightl
Slightly
Strongly
Agree y Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree Disagree

4. I feel actively
engaged in the
classroom

5. I dont feel engaged

in my classes

6. I feel confident that

22

I can succeed
academically
7. I feel engaged while
watching lecture
capture

8. I often participate in
large classrooms

9. Class sizes have no

effect on student
engagement

10. I don't feel

prepared for the
workforce

11. GO KNIGHTS!

12. I feel comfortable

asking questions
outside of the
classroom

23

Questions

Strongly
Agree
Agree

Slightly
Slightly
Agree Neutral Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

13. I am satisfied
with my decision
to attend UCF
College of
Business

14. If I had to do
it all over again, I
would not enroll in
UCF College of
Business

15. My choice to
enroll in the
College of
Business was a
wise one

16. I feel bad

about my decision
to enroll in the
College of
Business

17. I think I did

the right thing
when I decided to
enroll in the
College of
Business

18. I am not
happy that I
enrolled in the
College of
Business

19. Circle the

number three

24

25

Questions

Strongl
y Agree Agree

Slightly
Slightly
Strongly
Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree Disagree

20. I generally feel

motivated within my
classes

21. I do not feel

motivated

22. I find it easy to

keep up with school
work

23. Compared with

most other students,
I consider myself
motivated

24. Some students

are very concerned
with their grades.
They aim for an A
and anything less is
unacceptable. To
what extent does
this characterization
describe you?

25. Some students

are not very
concerned with their
grades. They are ok
with just getting by
with the bare
minimum as long as
they pass. To what
extent does this
characterization
describe you?

26

26.

Within my classes, I generally feel:

Very unmotivated
27.

Very motivated

Very True

Keeping up with my school work is:

Very difficult

29.

Compared with most other students, I consider myself a motivated student:

Untrue

28.

Very easy

Some students are very concerned with their grades. They aim for an A and anything

less is unacceptable. To what extent does this characterization describe you?

Very inaccurate
30.

Very accurate.

Some students are not very concerned with their grades. They are ok with just getting

by with the bare minimum as long as they pass. To what extent does this characterization
describe you?
Very inaccurate

Demographics
31. Are you a
full-time student? Yes____

No____

32. When do you

plan to graduate? Month____ Year____
33. Are you
currently
employed?

Yes____

34. How many

hours per week?

____

35. Are you

living on
campus?

Yes____

No____

No____

Very accurate.

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36. Are you a

transfer student? Yes____

No____

37. Are you a

first generation
college student?

No____

Yes____

38. How do you

pay the majority ________
of your college
Financial
expenses?
Aid
39. What year
were you born?

________ ________ ________

Self

Parents

________ _______

Scholarships Loans

Other

________

Thank you for participating in this survey.

11.3 Appendix C
Welcome
Introduce moderator and assistant and thank students/ faculty for agreeing to participate
in our study.
Our Topic
The results of this focus group will be used to gain a better understanding about
engagement in the classroom. You have been selected because you are the group that the new
curriculum change will affect.
Guidelines

There are no right or wrong answers. Answers will stem from your point of view.
This session is being recorded, so please try to only have one person speaking at a time.
Do not feel that you have to agree with others. This study is opinion based and we would like to
gain a good understanding of your honest thoughts.
Please switch your cell phones over to silent at this time.
My role is not necessarily to be part of the discussion but to help guide it.

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Recorders Role

Help with equipment and refreshments

Arrange room
Welcome and check in participants as they arrive
Take notes throughout the discussion
Operate recording equipment
Do not participate in discussion
Debrief with moderator
Provide feedback and an analysis of the report
Questions
The following are questions from a moderators guide for focus groups that were conducted in
order to get a better understanding of the student and faculty perspectives of the new curriculum
change. You do not have to ask every question, rather use them as a guide for discussion.

Introductory questions
1.
What are the first thoughts that come to your mind when you think of the UCF College of
Business?
-Probing Questions:
The four premiere Universities in Florida (in no particular order) are FSU, UF, USF, and UCF.
From your perspective, rank each Universitys reputation for their respective College of Business
programs from 1-4, with 1 being the best and 4 being the worst:
Explain what factors went into your decision when ranking the most prestigious Universitys
business program in Florida?
Explain what factors went into your decision when ranking the least prestigious Universitys
business program in Florida?
2.
Are you aware of UCFs curriculum change to the college of business?
-Probing Questions:
What do you know about the curriculum change?
What are your overall thoughts about the curriculum change?
3.
Now that you know about UCFs curriculum change, would you still agree with your
opinion/ ranking about UCF?
-Probing Questions:
What has caused the changes in your opinion if any?
What do you think may be the intent of the changes and do you agree with the bigger picture
outlook?
Student aimed questions

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4.
Picture yourself, its the first day of class and the instructor says Okay, were going to
split up into groups and get to know each other. How do you react? What emotions do you start
to feel? Does your anxiety increase or remain the same?
5.
How often do you attend class?
-Probing Questions:
How do you think attendance and engagement within a particular class are correlated?
Would you be more or less likely to consistently attend a class whose instructor used tactics such
as humor? Why or why not.
6.
Can you describe a memorable time when a professor engaged you in the classroom?
-Probing Questions:
How did it make you feel?
Did it make you more likely to participate in future classroom discussions?
7.
How many of your past professors at UCF do you know by name?
-Probing Questions:
Name them.
Why so few or so many?
What about them stood out to you?
8.
Which of the instructors youve taken, have stood out to you the most?
-Probing Question:
What was it about their teaching style that made an impact?
9.
What would make you feel more comfortable to speak up in a classroom setting?
-Probing Questions:
Do you feel it is the instructor's responsibility to make students more comfortable in order to
participate?
What specifically could an instructor say or do to help with this process?

Faculty aimed questions

10.
Do you feel smaller class sizes significantly increase engagement with your students?
-Probing Questions:
Do feel that class sizes have any effect on student engagement?
Do you feel its easier to engage with a smaller class size?
11.
Have the large class sizes caused you to be less engaged with your students in the past?
-Probing Questions:
If so, why do you feel that some students do not want to participate?

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What do you find to be the biggest challenge in regard to large class sizes?
Name methods you use or have considered using to work around this barrier.
12.
Will the curriculum change have any affect on your teaching styles?
-Probing Question:
Overall, do you feel you will have a more personalized experience with your students?
13.
What percentage of students attend your live lectures?
-Probing Questions:
What techniques do you use to engage the students through Lecture Capture?
Do you think Lecture Captures are effective compared to traditional in-person course lectures,
please elaborate?
Should lecture capture courses require more strict attendance guidelines? Why?
14.
Do you feel the curriculum change will cause students to be more proactive towards
academics?
-Probing Questions:
Do you feel you will be able to get to know more students?
Do you feel you will be able to help students pursue their career goals?
Do you feel students will get more involved in and out of the classroom?
15.
What steps would you suggest to students to become more involved within UCF and the
College of Business?
- Probing Questions:
What benefits would you stress to them about being engaged outside of the classroom?
Will smaller class sizes make it easier to assist you with informing/ helping more students?
Closing questions
16.
What effects do you think a poorly trained sales force would have overall on a particular
company?
-Probing Questions:
Why do you think its so important to get it right the first time?
Can you relate this example to situations within the College of Business?
17.
Do you have any ideas or suggestions towards creating more student engagement in the
classroom?
18.
Overall do you agree with the deans decision to administer this change?
-Probing Question:
If the dean asked you your opinion on the curriculum change, what would you tell him?

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11.4 Appendix D
References
Athiyaman, A. (n.d.). Linking student satisfaction and service quality perceptions: The case of
university education. European Journal of Marketing, 528-540.
Francis, R. W. (2012). Engaged: Making Large Classes Feel Small through Blended Learning
Instructional Strategies that Promote Increased Student Performance. Journal Of College
Teaching & Learning, 9(2), 147-152.
Holmes, N. (2015). Student perceptions of their learning and engagement in response to the use
of a continuous e-assessment in an undergraduate module. Assessment & Evaluation In
Higher Education, 40(1), 1-14. doi:10.1080/02602938.2014.881978
Krieg, D. B. (2013). High Expectations for Higher Education? Perceptions of College and
Experiences of Stress Prior to and through the College Career. College Student Journal,
47(4), 635-643.
Tews, M. J., Jackson, K., Ramsay, C., & Michel, J. W. (2015). Fun in the College Classroom:
Examining Its Nature and Relationship with Student Engagement. College Teaching,
63(1), 16-26.