Your comments and feedback do influence the approach I take to presenting the material in class. Thank you for making the time to share your thought in the first online survey.

As of Tuesday 3 June, only 3 people had not completed it, so we have a good sample. I won't use class time to review, but thought you might be curious to know how I read the pulse of the class and how I see I am meeting your expectations.

Organization of Class

84% - agree or strongly agree the syllabus was clear about objectives for the first classes

63% - agree or strongly agree I clarified and discussed expectations

71% - agree or strongly agree the agenda was appropriate for the first classes

59% - agree or strongly agree I kept to the agenda I provided

73% - agree or strongly agree I answered questions well

69% - agree or strongly agree the assigned readings were appropriate

51% - agree or strongly agree the discussions and activities were appropriate

73% - agree or strongly agree the assignments were appropriate and relevant

Comment summary

• most people in the class didn't like having 8 hours of classes for 2 days with a month until the next class.
• many believed the pace of the class was too slow.
• many believed the pitches should have been shorter (e.g. 3 minutes), bunched into 2 groups of 15, or both
• most felt that I should not have allowed flexibility with team composition
• some liked the PowerPoint slides I used to summarize the material in the text and felt we should have spent more time on them, others thought they were a waste of time and should be eliminated all-together along with any discussion of the text as they felt reading it was sufficient
• several commented very positively about how we discussed topics, others wanted more instruction and less discussion
• one person felt the first assignment (elevator pitch) was rushed.
• one person would have liked more time to discuss the merits of each pitch
• one person felt I should have imposed lunches, breaks and other aspects of the class structure
• several people commented very positively about the text, at least one person felt it was useless
• there were many positive comments about the videos
• one person would have like to have seen Nikki's "pitch" before they pitched. Same person found some good example pitches on You Tube
• one person recommended more assigned readings. Another specifically requested more academic readings
• one person would like to see more discussion in class about the expectations for assignments
• one person suggested that it would be helpful to start planing teams and business ideas in an earlier marketing class
• one person would have liked to see less discussion about the final group assignment (business plan)

Action items

• 8-hour classes. I agree that they are less than ideal, however, I was not able to change. A 4-hour class should make issue of breaks, etc. moot in future
• pace. You will feel the pace quicken!
• pitches. Will separate into morning and afternoon groups next time with a pause after every 5 to discuss. Unfortunately, Nikki, our guest "pitcher" was not available at any other time.
• teams. I will not allow any changes to the teams under any circumstance in the future
• PowerPoint slides and text review. I will use the ppts and text to review the material and identify areas of interest to the class
• discussion. Not sure how it can or should be avoided? Will try some different angles in future
• academic and supplementary readings. I have provided a several additional readings from Harvard Business Review. I plan to add some relevant blogs, as well, as time permits.
• videos. There will be more.

Guest Speakers

100% - agree or strongly agree the guest speakers were relevant

100% - agree or strongly agree the guest speakers kept to their agendas

96% - agree or strongly agree the guest speakers were knowledgeable on the topic

100% - agree or strongly agree the guest speakers presented well

96% - agree or strongly agree the guest speakers answered questions well

96% - agree or strongly agree the guest speakers provided adequate opportunity for follow-up

Comment summary

• everyone in the class liked the speakers. Particular comments included, "liked real world war stories", "more guest speakers!", "appreciate networking opportunity", "great to see what successful means in real world", "appreciated guest speaker insights"
• several people specifically enjoyed the field trip to Small Business BC
• one person felt Nikki should have brought more handouts

Action items

• guest speakers. I do plan to have one guest speaker at each class, however, am not technically supposed to have more than one. While I try very hard to synch up the guest speaker with the topic at the time we cover it, please understand that our speakers have very busy schedules, too, so we need to work around their agendas

Overall Satisfaction with the Class to Date

76% - agree or strongly agree the class to be satisfactory or better

Comment summary

• one person confirmed they were more interested in case studies, dialogue, debate, speakers than grades
• several specifically recommended classes be 4 hours
• one person pointed out that they appreciated the survey as it gave them the chance to express recommendations for improvement
• one person indicated they were putting more time into this class than they thought they would have to
• one person was very unhappy with the class and the text
• one person was very happy with the exposure to new venture process and pitfalls
• one person liked the way I used real-life examples
• one person felt there should be less time spent on student questions in the class

Action items

• 8-hour classes. As above.
• questions. Not sure how to encourage the class to ask fewer questions? I'd personally like to see more. Please don't forget that a relevant portion of your grade is allocated to class participation.
• survey. I will ask you to complete one more survey. I believe SFU will ask you for one at the end of the course.
• dissatisfied customers. My goal as your instructor is to my level best to introduce you to a variety of relevant topics and perspectives regarding entrepreneurship and managing new ventures. At best, I hope to inspire you to some day start your own venture or division. If you feel your expectations are not being met, please contact me directly.