understanding business students attendance in ul
DESCRIPTION
Final project for the subject 'Applied Marketing' at the University of LimerickTRANSCRIPT
Understanding Business Student attendance in ULCatherine BlakeNiall ClearyDiarmuid NoonanCormac RyanDries De Schepper
Applied Marketing IMK4007Marketing Research ReportBéire
CONTENT
INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVES
METHODOLOGY
FINDINGS & KEY THEMES
RECOMMENDATIONS
LIMITATIONS
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
Purpose and Scope of the Research
“Paying attention to the rationales for lecture absence provided by students themselves could also help institutions to diagnose levels of student engagement and respond in appropriate ways” (Moore et al. 2008)
OVERALL OBJECTIVE
Understanding Business Student attendance in UL
SUB-OBJECTIVES
1.To identify the current attendance patterns in ULProvide a starting point for our research
2. To identify what could improve levels of attendanceUse data and results gatheredProvide recommendations
METHODOLOGY
Secondary Research Sources: Journal Articles
Previous study in UL found that therewas an attendance problem(Moore et al. 2008)
Students in large classes complained of losing interest because of long periods of inactivity, the distance from the lecturer and lack of variety in lectures. (Ward & Jenkins 1992)
“Attendance monitoring must be done in a sensitive and confidential manner, and seen as a means to support rather than police students” (Bowen et al. 2005)
METHODOLOGY
Primary Research Focus Group
To Identify Current Attendance Patterns Among Business Students in ULTo Identify Strategies That Could Improve Levels of Attendance
FINDINGS
Focus Group of International Business StudentsDate and
roomNo. of
ParticipantsProfile of
ParticipantsDuration Key Findings
27/10/2011KBG24
6
International Business
Students on Erasmus in UL
10 mins
Almost 100% attendance
3 Male Prefer smaller, interactive classes
3 Female
Attend to keep up to date with work
3 French, 1 Belgian, 2
Germans (Turkish and Ukrainan
origin)
Prefer practical rather than theory based subjects
Aged 19-24
FINDINGS
Focus Group of Fourth Year Business StudentsDate and
roomNo. of
ParticipantsProfile of
ParticipantsDuration Key Findings
27/10/2011KBG24
5
Fourth Year Business
Students in UL
20 mins
Attend approx. 65 to 75% of their classes
2 Male Social life affects attendance
3 FemaleLocation of Classes affects
attendance
All Irish Weather affects attendance
Aged 20-22
Lecture style is a factor affecting their decision to attend
Stricter discipline would result in higher attendance
FINDINGS
Focus Group of Third Year Business Students
Date and room
No. of Participants
Profile of Participants
Duration Key Findings
02/11/2011KBG24
4
Third Year Business Students
15 mins
All respondents attend 70% to 80% of Classes.
2 Male
Social life affects attendance
Preference of tutorials over lectures
Not all classes seem important
2 Female Location of Classes affects attendance
All Irish Class Time affects attendance
Aged 20-21
% given for attendance would increase interest
Stricter discipline may increase
attendance
Lecture style is a factor affecting their decision to attend
FINDINGS
Focus Group of Second Year Business Students
Date and room
No. of Participants
Profile of Participants
Duration Key Findings
08/11/2011KBG24
5
Second Year Business Students
20 mins
Approx 100% attendance
3 Male
Individual lectures very important
2 Female Using social media would improve
1 Lithuanian, 4 Irish
Prefer tutorialsAged 20-35
FINDINGS
Focus Group of First Year Business Students
Date and room
No. of Participants
Profile of Participants
Duration Key Findings
07/11/2011KBG24
4
First Year Business Students
15 mins
3/4 respondents attend 45% to 60% of Classes. 1/4 Respondents
attends 90% to 100%
All Male Social life affects attendance
2 IrishLocation of Classes affects
attendance
2 African, Living in Ireland for several
YearsClass Time affects attendance
Aged 18-19
Weather affects attendance
Lecture style is a factor affecting their decision to attend
KEY THEMES
Scheduling
1
Social life / laziness – College low priority
1
Class type / teaching style
1
Obligation to attend
1
More interactive learning
1
RECOMMENDATIONS
Lecturing Department Advice on most effective teaching styles Reward students for high attendance
Academic Administration Better Room allocation Scheduling of classes
Student Union President Encourage the student body to attend their
classes
LIMITATIONS
Small size of the sample Time Constraints Diversity of the sample Inexperienced Researchers
CONCLUSION
There is an attendance problem Reasons for non-attendance
The findings from our research can benefit both the university and its students
Further research into this topicis necessary
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!