Ethnographic Research

Ethnographic Research

Ask

I sat down with four students of different backgrounds and asked them a series of questions relating to class preparation.  All four students start each semester hoping to get A's as final grades.

Meet Zack:

Year: Junior

Major: Management Information Systems

Spends most of his time preparing for: Exams

Key quote: "Exams are more stressful because you do not know what the questions are going to be until you get there; whereas with a project you know exactly what you have to do to prepare"

Interview revealed that: 

Zack is forgetful and has trouble managing his time before an exam.  His schoolwork gets lost in his mind because of his busy extracurricular activity.  Zack is a member of Club MIS and Pike Fraternity.  He wants to be self reliant, but often times feels like he weighs down those around him.  In general, flashcards are the go-to resource for Zack when he is preparing for an exam.

Digging deeper revealed that:

• Prioritization of tasks is critical to preparing for classes.  Zack needs to understand what is most important at every given time in the semester so that he can be confident that the is always spending time on what is most important.  Zack uses his gut to decide what is important and what is not, but this process causes stress.
• Zack will help people if they ask him, but he is reluctant to go to others for help.  He wants the sense of accomplishment that he succeeded on his own.

Meet Art:

Year: Senior

Major: Finance

Spends most of his time preparing for: Exams

Key quote: "I consider myself a lone wolf.  I do not like to prepare for classes with others because it is distracting."

Interview revealed that:

Art talked a lot about his reliance on reading for exam preparation.  He usually starts studying for an exam a week in advance.  He starts by identifying which chapters will be covered on the exam and reviews the highlights that he made in the relevant sections.  Then he will cover the chapters' key terms.  Lastly, the night before, Art will read the chapter summaries to make sure that he has a grasp on the subject.

Digging deeper revealed that:

• Art values sleep far more than cramming.  Art claims that on the night before an exam he is in bed no later than 11pm.  A good night's sleep gives Art confidence on the exam day, which he says is critical to success.
• Study groups are distracting because everyone has a different expectation for a final grade.  For example, the work ethic of the group will not match if you want an A and find yourself in a study group with people that want B's.  They can hold you back from accomplishing what you desire to accomplish

Meet Matt:

Year: Sophomore

Major: Microbiology

Spends most of his time preparing for: Labs and exams

Key quote: "(With Biology) the basics are easy to grasp, but you need to understand the details to do well in the class"

Interview revealed that:

Matt does not like to take notes in class, rather he listens to what the professor says. Instead, Matt usually makes his notes while he is reading.  He will highlight key facts, dates, and words, then write down those highlights in a journal.  This helps him retain the information and details that he needs to be successful.  Matt also spends a lot of his time preparing for labs and writing lab reports.  He wishes the lab instructions were more straight forward and logical because he often feels lost while completing the lab assignment.

Digging deeper revealed that:

• According to Matt, he needs at least 7 hours of sleep before an exam to be able to recall the details the next day.  He is adamant on this point "you simply cannot be tired on test day"
• Matt likes to write class material down by hand instead of by electronic means.  He thinks that it takes him longer to make record of everything that he needs when he does it by hand, but this longer process contributes to his retention.
• Matt is confused by the diagrams provided on labs and would appreciate clarity from the professor or teaching assistant.  Lack of instruction causes stress and lack of sleep for Matt.

Meet Wil:

Year: Graduate Student

Program: MBA (Carlson)

Spends most of his time preparing for: Group projects and exams

Key quote: "Balancing a schedule is the most stressful aspect of taking classes"

Interview revealed that:

Wil does not like preparing for group projects because you have to rely on others.  Sometimes at the last minute you have to make changes or do extra work to accommodate an unforeseen lack of participation from a group member.  Exams are more straight forward for Wil.  He says that tackling an exam is easy if you do your homework, read the key terms, and practice relevant problems from the book.

Digging deeper revealed that:

• Each class is unique and requires a different or tweaked set of preparation tactics.  You have to establish what kind of grade you want and how you will accomplish you goal before you can truly prepare for a class
• Taking the same classes with some people you know and can trust is beneficial from a preparation standpoint.  If you can push each other to work harder, study groups work quite well.

Meet Composite Character Profile - Sam the college student:

I understand that my sample size is very small, but from my interviews I created a composite character with the following characteristics:

• Junior (20 years old)
• 16 Credit Full-Time Student (Four classes, all different unrelated subjects)
• Aspires to make the Dean's List
• Needs help managing time and stress to prepare for classes
• Prefers to take notes by hand
• Prefers to work alone for some classes, but find study groups with likeminded students in other classes (depends on the subject)

Observe:

I did two observation sessions to get a deeper understanding of how students prepared for class

Session 1: 7west study lounge - 8:00pm

The first of these sessions was in the study lounge at my apartment complex.  I sat from a distance and had a clear view of two different study parties.

Party 1: The distracted type

These two appeared to be working, but I doubt that they were able to accomplish anything.  They would frequently check their phones or talk about non-class related subjects to one another.  I have a hard time believing that much work was accomplished at their study session.

Party 2: The focused type

These two students were dedicated to their work tasks.  Through the duration of my 30 minute observation these two students continued to read their textbooks and mark notes in their notebooks.

Key takeaways from session 1:

• Not all study sessions are productive, personal task management is key
• Limit the amount of devices you study with because they may distract you.  If your goal is to study and prepare for class you do not need your phone to be with you.
• Being more than an arm length's distance can cut down on conversation in a quiet area

Session 2: Carlson MIS Lab - 10:00 PM

The Carlson School of Management has a computer lab in its basement that is for Management Information Systems students only.  This served as the perfect playground to watch student prepare for classes.  In the lab I got to walk around and see the activities students were doing.  The pictures below show two different preparation styles.  Student 1 used a dual screen computer to accomplish work efficiently while student 2 went offline to work on math problems in a notebook.

Student 1:

 Student 2:

Key Takeaways from Session 2:

• Students have unique class assignments and study habits.  There is not a one size fits all method for class preparation.
• Students are resourceful.   Tools and facility space can be used effectively in many different ways by students.

Experience

As a student, every day is a class preparing experience.  My experience has shown me that classwork is something that is difficult to get off of your mind.  Unfortunately, it never leaves you.  I spend the majority of my time as a student doing homework, but I count homework as test preparation.  Practicing material is my favorite way to learn and retain information.  I love to learn by doing.

Since the start of this assignment (9/16/15) I have accomplished:

• 3 papers (over 8,000 words total)
• 1 group project deliverable
• 2 blog comments
• 1 presentation
• 14 readings (cases, chapters, articles, etc.)

Much like a few of my interviewees, managing sleep has been critical to my mental preparation.  On a similar note, I have found through my experience that diet can increase mental preparation.  I try to get protein and caffeine in the morning to energize myself.  I also use mint flavors like gum or altoids when I need to focus (strange, I know).  It is also important to not eat carbohydrates at night before bed because it will warm your body temperature and keep you up at night.  

Connecting the dots: Diet can have a direct effect on sleep, which can have a direct effect on your ability to retain information, which can have a direct effect on how you prepare for classes.

Insights from ask, observe, and experience

Needs: 

• Study
• Rest
• Prepare
• Get proper nutrition
• Manage time
• Organize
• Manage unrelated personal tasks
• Reduce stress
• Prioritize
• Manage relationships
• Retain information
• Practice class material
• Take notes
• Be productive
• Read
• Memorize
• Overcome challenges
• Analyze
• Balance
• Understand class materials
• Investigate intricate details
• Leverage classmates and other resources
• Highlight
• Set goals

Insights:

• Rest and proper nutrition play a significant role in class preparation.  They are critical for success because without them it is difficult to recall information. Extra sleep can be more important than cramming
• An aspect of preparing for classes involves balancing your schedule and set of activities with others' interests.  Managing relationships can be used to streamline class preparation efforts.
• Students can adapt to study in different environments
• Students have different classes and preparation preferences.  There are many best practices, such as highlighting important material, but each student will choose what works best for a particular class and learning style
• Students want to prepare to succeed in classes so that they can feel self-accomplished
• Personal goals and task prioritization determine the level of effort exerted towards preparing
• Stress reduction can help prepare students mentally, giving them confidence and a higher chance of success
• Practicing class material enhances subject retention
• Class preparation requires that you manage time, stress, relationships, and tasks simultaneously

Problem Statements

1. Sam the college student needs a way to rest and get proper nutrition because it will optimize his ability to recall class information and succeed.

2. Sam the college student needs a way to highlight or note important information because he needs to retain detailed information to succeed in class.

3. Sam the college student needs a way to prioritize his tasks because it will allow him to manage his schedule to prepare himself for class

4. Sam the college student needs a way to reduce stress because it will give him the confidence necessary to be mentally prepared for classes

5. Sam the college student needs a way to set effective goals because it will give him a strategy to overcome class challenges

6. Sam the college student needs a way to practice class material because it will prepare him for exams

7. Sam the college student needs a way to organize his class materials because it will save him time while preparing for classes (allowing him to get more sleep or study more for another class)