October  2006  Program Evaluation

MBA 720 - Building and Strengthening Teams: An Experiential Workshop

Dr. Randy Richards

 

Q1.      As a learning experience, this seminar was very rewarding. Comments.

 

1.         The techniques and tools will be helpful in the future.

 

2.         Of course, no problem in feeding my brain more educational information.

 

3.         No comment.

 

4.         No comment.

 

5.         I highly enjoyed the whole team experience.

 

6.         Appreciative of the development of this course (team building/strengthening) personnaly.

 

7.         I learned to be more open to trying new things and that I was capable of more than I thought.

 

8.         Real world activities.

 

9.         I learned about a lot of different ways to run a meeting and participate in a meeting.

 

10.       Very good idea to go to Coup Shalon.

 

11.       No comment.

 

12.       Very fun and beneficial.

 

13.       Some parts were reinforcement of what I knew but buried in my mind. Other parts were really     beneficial.

  

Q2.   I can put these new skills to immediate use.  Comments.

 

1.         No comment.

 

2.         Sure, the place of work better watch out because here I come.

 

3.         There are a lot of things I will be able to put to use with my work group in the real world.

 

4.         No comment.

 

5.         New team facilitating methods are easy for anyone to use.

 

6.         This course will be instrumental in my personal life.

 

7.         No comment.

 

8.         No comment.

 

9.         I will use more strategic planning when a problem arises.

 

10.      No comment.

 

11.      No comment.

 

12.      Yes, today with work and family.

 

13.      I hope to be able to put these to use when I return to work.

 

 

  Q3   I found this method of learning to be superior to traditional classroom experiences.

 

1.   The hands-on activities always lead to more discovery.

 

2.   I still enjoy the traditional method more, I just learn that way more efficiently.

 

3.   More hands on.

 

4.   No comment.

 

5.   Much more exciting and hands on.  Kept things moving and kept people’s interest.

 

6.   No comment.

 

7.   Yes, most classes don’t address the importance of interactions in teams.

 

8.   Saw real world application and looking to trying new skills and work at home.

 

9.   No comment.

 

   10. Very good format – activities broke up the class.

 

11. It is always a better experience to be able to put to use the objectives that have been learned in          class.

 

12. Yes, very upbeat and smooth.

 

13.  Small group and concentrated learning is great.

 

 Q4  The workshop was well organized and ran smoothly.  Comments.

 

1.   Dr. Richards has great technique and talent.

 

2.   Yes, a trip to Maquoketa went by smoothly and without any hitch.

 

3.   No comment.

 

4.   No comment.

 

5.   Thought that the program went along nicely.

 

6.   No comment.

 

7.   No comment.

 

8.   Maquoketa was an excellent environment for learning – camp environment breaks down barriers.          

 

     9.    I think Randy does an exceptional job in planning and preparing for this  workshop.

 

   10.  No comment.

 

   11.    No comment.

 

  12.     Yes, very structured, never bored.

 

  13.     Goals and timeline were well defined.

 

          

Q5  The facilitator did an excellent job in helping the individuals and teams meet the program objectives.  Comments.

 

1.         See above.  Dr. Richards has great technique and talent.

 

2.         Randy is very insightful.

 

3.         Kept us interested.

 

4.         No comment.

 

5.         Agree!

 

6.         No comment.

 

7.         No comment.

 

8.         No comment.

 

9.         No comment.

 

10.       Randy and Ron both were very knowledgeable of this material and made us learn it for ourselves.

 

11.       No comment.

 

12.       Yes, easy to approach.

 

13.       Ron and Randy did a good job.

 

Q6  I would highly recommend this workshop to others.

 

1.     More hands-on and possibly a week long course at Camp Shalom.

 

2.         Maybe, it takes some motivation to take and finish this course.

 

3.         Definitely. Already have.

 

4.         Yes, however, I did not know about this class. Only through word of mouth. Need more    advertising!

 

5.         I think everyone should have to take it. Just like LTPS.  I would have liked to take it as a 4 day     class at Camp Shalom overnight. I think that would be awesome.

 

6.         I believe it critical for anyone to utilize in their professional and personal life.

 

7.         Yes, it was a good learning experience.  I liked helping others in the community.

 

8.         No comment.

 

9.         No comment.

 

10.       No comment.

11.       It was fun.

 

12.       Yes

 

13.       The community project was rewarding.        

     

 

 

Prefall  2005  Program Evaluation

MBA 715 - Building and Strengthening Teams: An Experiential Workshop

Dr. Randy Richards

 

Q1.      As a learning experience, this seminar was very rewarding. Comments.

 

1.            At my place of employment, much of the work is accomplished through “teams.”   Most

         of these teams are really work groups. This class helps me to focus on the team concept.

 

2.   Classes where you work on teams and spend more time applying what you learn than just  

      listening to lectures, I always retain more of what I learned.

 

3.      I strongly believe in the subject matter.  I learned a lot.

 

4.    I think the week long seminars that I have attended have been more beneficial to me than regular

      16 wk classes.

 

   5.    No comment.

   

6.           Yes, I think that throughout the week, as our team got to know each other, it was apparent that

       we worked well together as a group.  Having gotten to that point, it was very rewarding to

       complete certain activities/projects.

 

7.    Some things have yet to fully sink in!

 

8.    I learned a lot about what your position is and to not confuse it w/ the interest of the situation.

 

9.   I learned a lot about myself and the way I look at people.

 

10.  Probably more than any other class I’ve taken in the MBA program, building and strengthening

       teams taught me skills that I’m certain I will use on the job and also in my personal life.

 

11.    The concepts are common sense but it is always helpful for someone to “teach” the concepts

       and then give us a chance to apply them.

 

12.  I learned a great deal about team dynamics and how to work together and get the most out of

       people.

 

13.  Yes, it was very helpful and rewarding because it gave me the opportunity to use the information

       in a practical way – right away in order to retain the information.

 

14.   The ability to observe others sharing their experience gave this class an edge over standard lecture classes.

 

15.   No comment.

 

16.   It helped develop good team communication and how to function effectively.

 

17.  Its great to develop a group dynamic and see how your group can perform.

 

18.  Great real world practice.

 

19.  No comment.

 

20. Really enjoyed the class.

 

21. This course was very rewarding.  I learned quite a bit about myself as well as others when walking in a team environment.

 

22.  No comment.

 

23.  This was especially helpful after having the LTPS class the previous week.

 

24.  Team building classes are always educational “good refresher” and critical to reinforce learning.    Ideally, if we could do this every 2-3 years as a mandatory training, it would be great.                   

 

 

Q2.   I can put these new skills to immediate use.  Comments.

 

1.      I work in “teams” “work groups” at work.  The information taught in class can be used on Monday.

2.      Very applicable to improve my work relationships.

 

3.      I am eager to put some of the things I learned to good use at work

 

4.      With being in a new job and team it will be a good way for me to use my skills out of this.

 

5.      I’ve already been trying to use them and have been having success applying them to certain situations.

 

6.      Yes, I work with teams everyday, and I will definitely begin to utilize these techniques.

 

7.      The skills I have absorbed will be utilized immediately

 

8.      I feel you can use these skills in any work place as well as outside the workplace.

 

9.      They will work well in an interview.

 

10.   Understanding other people’s interests and actually listening to what their saying without simultaneously thinking of a rebuttal is a skill that lends itself to everyday interactions.

 

11.  No comment.

 

12.  My entire job is this type of learning.

 

13.   Yes, some of the skills will work with my own team.  Others will be used in other aspects of my job.

 

14.   Both at work and as a parent.  I can utilize skills such as “different perspective”, “devils’ advocate”, and effective planning” to make myself better in both environments.

 

15.  I know that I am too assertive in groups and to look to more suggestions from the group.

 

16.   Not only in my job but all situations when a group needs to work together.

 

17.   Yes need to look at building teams, not work groups.

 

18.   Planning is so important.

 

19.   I definitely plan to utilize learning at work.

 

20.   No comment.

 

21.   I have already prior to end of course.

 

22.   No comment.

 

23.   This will be helpful anytime I interact with other people.

 

24.   I can use the material for use within my work group and “teams”.     

 

  Q3   I found this method of learning to be superior to traditional classroom experiences.

 

  1. The experience was very useful – we were taught the theory then immediately had to  discuss it and apply it.
  2. Best professor I have had in the 12 classes I’ve taken in the program.

 

  1. For this subject matter, this is very effective.

 

  1. Excellent way of teaching!

 

  1. I found this class to be extremely hands-on and it gave me the opportunity to hear other classmates views and experiences.

 

  1. Yes, very much so.  I feel it is definitely important to follow up lessons with some sort of activity to apply what you are learning about.

 

  1. Once fundamentals are introduced and learned, an extended time frame of experiential learning will be even better … semester long!

 

  1. Your working through a real situation as opposed to being told one and not experiencing it first hand.  

 

  1. In five days I learned more than what I have learned a lot of times in a full semester.

 

  1.  The application of theory is the key difference between this class and others in the MBA program.  I found myself thinking about the exercises- and ways I would perform/behave differently – long after the class was over.

 

11.The interaction with my team was the most valuable experience that you can’t get through traditional teaching.

 

12.  Other than the length of the days, I prefer this type of learning.

 

      13.  Using the tools immediately increases my awareness to hw to use the tool effectively but also the opportunity to look for improvement.

 

14.      Outstanding format.  Should be used as a template for future MBA classes.

 

15.      No comment.

 

16.      The more practical hands on experience enabled me to learn the process better.

 

17.      You need to experience these things – just reading them wouldn’t teach you.

 

18.      Practical/experiential provides much more value.

 

19.      Practical application (not strictly theory) is very helpful.

 

20.      I will remember these experiences for a long time.

 

21.      No comment.

22.      No comment.

 

23.      I loved how practical this class was.  I learned a lot more that way.

 

24.      I find “lectures only” to be boring and this was just the perfect amount for lecturing and practice.

 

Q4  The workshop was well organized and ran smoothly.  Comments.

 

  1. No comment.

 

  1. No comment.

 

  1. It was a challenge with 13 people.

 

  1. No comment.

 

  1. No comment.

 

  1. Yes, each day there was a plan, continuous learning – even on the breaks.  Whether we were learning techniques or applying them, we were constantly doing something.

 

  1. Absolutely!

 

  1. I felt there was a good balance of work w/our teams and lecturing by the instructor.

 

  1. The only way it didn’t run smoothly is that the students have no idea or instructor what life experience really exists for others.

 

  1. We discussed some improvements to the performance day.  Meeting with the customer the day before would be very helpful.

 

  1.  I wish we could have gone to the job site prior to the work day in order to plan the day more efficiently.

 

  1. This was obviously well planned, as all subject matters were well used.

 

  1.  More input from the organization we assisted with would have been more helpful.  A walk through the night prior would help put the project in a better prospective.

 

  1.  Very well run and organized.

 

  1.  No comment.

 

  1.  I thought I learned as much as I could in the limited time we had.

 

  1.  A few hiccups such as lunch and turning things out but it was excellent for the first time through the class.

 

  1.  Very well planned/organized.

 

  1.  No comment.
  2.  No comment.

 

  1.  No comment.
  2.  No comment.

 

  1. Each exercise was where it should be.  The egg exercise was a good thing to have the day before our project.

 

  1.  Very well done.  I was floored to hear that this was the first workshop that was run. 

 

Q5  The facilitator did an excellent job in helping the individuals and teams meet the program objectives.  Comments.

 

  1. Facilitator did an excellent job.  For example, when we had questions there was an answer and he

     checked to make sure he answered the question.    

 

  1. He is a great listener and able to summarize our ramblings into meaningful and profound thoughts           and ideas.
  2. I enjoyed the class and the instructor.

 

  1. Great job!

 

  1. No comment.

 

  1. Yes, very insightful and fun!

 

  1. Absolutely!  Strengths:  Confidence, experience, knowledge, (broad based)

 

  1. He did a great job!

 

  1. No comment.

 

  1. All of the exercises taught me relevant skills and surpassed my expectations of how effective they would be.    

 

  1. No comment.

 

  1.  Yes, he was extremely fair and always willing to explain things, slow down or do whatever in order for us to help.

 

  1.  Randy, you did a great job.  I appreciate your enthusiasm, frankness and openness to discussion.

 

  1. No comment.

 

  1.  No comment.

 

  1.  Randy did an awesome Job.

 

  1.  If we needed help you were there to direct us in the right direction.

 

  1.  Great job once again – its great to have a professor that is so involved.

 

  1.  Great instructor.

 

  1.   No comment.

 

  1.  No comment.

 

  1.  No comment.

 

  1.  He made it fun, which makes it feel less like a class, and more like something I want to do.

 

  1.  Randy is an “excellent” facilitator and professor.  He made the “experience.”

 

Q6  I would highly recommend this workshop to others.

 

  1. In my experience most “teams” are not teams but work groups.  More people need to know the difference.

 

  1. No comment.

 

3.   If it was not so expensive I would send some of my people to it.

 

4. I think many individuals/organizations should attend classes like these.  They would benefit a lot     from them.

 

5. Doesn’t matter what the job is or background, the skills from this class can be used unless you’re a hermit due to the fact that everyone has some sort of group interaction in their lives.    Although, I think the student really has to try hard to apply the process such as the 5 step    process.

 

  1. Of course, everyone needs a course like this.

 

  1. Absolutely! informative and fun!

 

  1. It’s a great experience. You really learn a lot about yourself and others in your team.  

 

  1. It depends on team mates. I was only part of a team on the work experience day with Amanda and Lisa.  That is why I didn’t want the tapes watched. I also found it interesting that you would tell a story of an upper class student, yet never mentioned a student who has lived the other end of the spectrum of life of homeless, or has worked anything and everything to pay the bills and survive.  At times you do what you have to survive the moment.  At times if you don’t make it through that moment, there is nothing to settle because its all settled.

 

  1.  I plan on recommending this class to my manager.

 

  1.  No comment.

 

  1.  Without a doubt.

 

  1. I would like to see this class as a required class – not an elective.  It would be a great opportunity to expose everyone to better interaction and team skills.

 

  1. One of the most motivating and enjoyable professors I have ever had!

 

  1.  No comment.

 

  1.  I’m going to tell all my friends starting the program this year to make sure to take the seminar.

 

  1.  Great experience.

 

  1.  Absolutely.

 

  1.   No comment.

 

  1.  No comment.

 

  1.  No comment.

 

  1.  No comment.

 

  1.  I can use what I learned in my day-to-day life.

 

  1.  No comment.