A Proposed Design for the Business Capstone Course with Emphasis on Improving Students' Information Competency

Abstract

Business school accrediting agencies and employers increasingly demand evidence that students are mastering information competency (IC) skills. The authors present an innovative approach to inculcate IC skills in the strategic management “capstone” class, integrating cross-departmental student training in using electronic information sources, pretests and posttests of student familiarity with such resources, an externally judged team case presentation sequence, and a unique research log component. Their results from the pretests and posttests show preliminary evidence of IC mastery, supported by anecdotal evidence from participants and judges. The authors also offer guidance for implementing and evaluating this exercise.