Assessing Business Students’ Research Skills for the Capstone Project in the Strategic Management Course

A business professor and reference librarian at an accredited college in northwest Georgia found students in a capstone senior-level strategic management class benefited from integrating a library orientation and one-on-one assistance. While previous assessments based on end-of-semester data did not assess the prior research skills of the students, this study uses pre- and postvisit surveys to assess business students’ research skills. Findings from the longitudinal surveys and course evaluations led to changes in the capstone company analysis project and team presentation requirements as well as library instruction. Discussion and areas for future research are included.