Case Study: Marketing - Monroe Community College
Digital Product in Use:
Connect® Marketing
Course Name:
Principles of Marketing
Course Type:
Traditional
Credit Hours:
Three
Textbook in Use:
Marketing by Grewel and Levy, 2e
Instructor Name:
John Striebich
Enrollment:
152/year (instructor total)
560/year (university total)
Case Study Term:
Fall 2009
“My time spent grading has decreased, leaving me more time for research and finding current events and practical application examples to incorporate into class. Students like Connect because it assists them in preparing for tests. They also like the interactive nature of the assignments and the fast response for grading. I’ve noticed a 3 to 5 point increase in the average of test grades since using Connect.”
-Professor John Striebich
Digital Course Solution Improves Student Success and Increases Instructor Efficiency
Professor John Striebich wanted students to read course critical materials prior to each lecture to better prepare them for classroom discussion. Connect® Marketing not only met this need, but also freed up Professor Striebich’s valuable time so he could research current events and increase student engagement by creating a more active classroom. As a result, student test averages increased by as much as five percent over the previous semester course.
Monroe Community College is a two-year institution within the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Monroe Community College has two campuses: Damon City Campus, located in downtown Rochester, NY, and Brighton Campus, which is located just outside the Rochester city limits. With a total annual enrollment of 37,000 students, the institution serves a diverse student population across gender, ethnicity, and age groups offering 82 associate programs and 18 certificate programs, with 70% of students enrolled in transfer programs.
Course Description:
Principles of Marketing is a one-semester, introductory course that emphasizes key concepts and issues in modern marketing within both the organization and society. Professor Striebich’s average class size is 38 students and the course follows a lecture course model.
Course Grade:
- 50% of the final grade based on four exams
- 30% of the final grade based on 10 Connect Marketing assignments
- 10% of the final grade based on four written assignments
- 10% of the final grade based on team paper/presentation
Implementation of McGraw-Hill Connect
Professor Striebich needed an online learning tool that would accomplish three objectives:
help students prepare for exams
encourage students to read course critical content
integrate more technology into the coursework to engage students
Connect Marketing was adopted in order to give students a stronger understanding of critical course material to apply to “real world” marketing. Students were required to complete one Connect Marketing assignment for ten of the fifteen weeks of the course. Each assignment covered one or two chapters and included video cases, matching exercises, and multiple-choice quiz questions.
Since implementing Connect Marketing, Professor Striebich’s students have come to class better prepared and are reading the text more carefully, which has improved success rates. Professor Striebich believes that students enjoy his course more now than they did in the past because of the interactive nature of the assignments in Connect Marketing, which offer instant feedback to further engage students with course material. Students have also used the wealth of media assets available within Connect Marketing to study for their tests, resulting in higher scores (see Figure 1).
Professor Striebich now spends less time on grading, and has more time for researching and preparing class activities that keep his students interested. “I can cover broader concepts, incorporate more company examples, use more DVDs, and work on practical application of the material,” he says. “I don’t spend as much time on definitions and basic concepts. I have more class time for group work and discussion.”
Due to the successful implementation of Connect Marketing, Professor Striebich plans to change his course curricula to require all homework assignments to be completed within the platform.
Adoption of Connect Marketing has been successful in helping Professor Striebich to meet both his teaching and technology goals for his students. Based on his positive experience, Professor Striebich has become an advocate of Connect Marketing. “I’ve recommended the program to my entire department and have discussed the technology, student engagement, self-grading, and ability to spend more time in class on other topics. I have led a Connect workshop for faculty at my college. I’ve also gotten adjuncts involved in using Connect.” In addition to continuing to use Connect Marketing in his Principles of Marketing course, he also plans to use it for his Introduction to Business courses.