1. I believe there is an opportunity to
implement sophisticated speed reading, comprehension, and memory courses in
Universities.
2. Universities should offer courses to improve
beneficial learning skills that will help students succeed in and out of
school. Students enter universities and jump into courses that require lots of
reading and memorization. Universities have used the same style of curriculum for
lots of years, based off of the notion that students develop the skills necessary
to succeed throughout the schooling system. If students feel like their skills
are lacking they attend tutoring sessions, practice skills on their own, or
just put in long hours until the understand the information. I am about 75% sure
that advanced skill development in speed reading, comprehension, and memory
could benefit students and universities.
3. Prototypical customer #1- Freshman student in
the process of completing pre-requisite courses.
4. - Do you
feel like you are having trouble completing your college courses? Answer: Some
of my classes are difficult but if I study hard I can succeed.
- When did you notice that you were slightly struggling?
Answer: When I started taking harder classes such as psychology or biology.
- When did you become aware that you were facing
difficulties? Answer: When I entered college and courses started becoming more
demanding.
- How do you
overcome this problem? Answer: I just go to the library and study until I acquire
all the information.
- Are you satisfied
with going to the Library for long periods of time? Answer: It’s not terrible, I
just have to do what it takes to succeed.
5. Reflect: I learned that students understand
that it is necessary to put long hours of studying into their classes in order
to succeed. I was surprised with the student’s confidence in his study habits.
6. Prototypical customer #2 – Senior taking
graduate level courses.
- Are you
having trouble with your classes now that you have entered high level courses? Answer:
Some of my classes are easy but a couple are extremely difficult. They require
tons of studying and I still don’t do great on the exam.
- Do you face
this predicament every semester? Answer: As classes got harder I had trouble
adjusting. It’s really only been the last semester and this one.
- How do you
handle your tough graduate courses? Answer: I attend office house and don’t miss
class.
- Do those
methods work for you? Answer: Not always, I still have trouble passing all the
tests.
Reflect: I
learned that people struggle with graduate level exams. I was surprised how
even with the assistance of office hours, students still have lots of
difficulty with tests. I’ve noticed how some students are able to succeed with
much less effort than others. It’s not necessarily because they are more
qualified, but because everyone’s minds work different and some students need
to work harder.
Prototypical
customer #3 – Junior student
- Are you having trouble in any of your
classes? Answer: No, I have been getting really good grades.
- What do you do to study? Answer: I just keep
up with the class. If you do all your work and study a little bit for the test
it is not too bad.
- Have you always been a good student? Answer: Pretty
much, I did well throughout high school and college has not been bad at all.
- Are you satisfied with your academic efforts?
Answer: Yes, I do the work required and make sure my priories are always in
line in order to succeed.
Reflect: I
truly learned a lot about my opportunity. I learned that it is not a need for
all students. Some students just don’t need the extra help and their academics
come easily to them. Howerever, freshman have a wide range of courses offered
to them and the course could be offered to some students if they feel they are
lacking or want to improve speed reading, comprehension, and memory. I still
think it is important to work the mind in new ways that are different from all
the other generic courses offered at Universities. Regardless to how capable a
student is, this course would still open their mind in unique ways that will
benefit them in and out of school.
7.
My original opportunity has definitely
changed from its initial idea. At first, I said I was 75% sure that the
opportunity existed. After having discussions with some prototypical customers,
the percentage has dropped to around 65%. The reason it dropped since I started
is because I noticed that it is not a need for all students. Even though it
would benefit them, it is not a need. There is definitely still room for this
idea to be implemented as an option for students in their early years of
university. I think that entrepreneurs should slightly adapt to customer
feedback. Feedback is crucially important, but the customer does not always see
the entrepreneurs vision. You must analyze the customer views but understand
what standpoint they are coming from. Entrepreneurs should take all feedback
into deep consideration while not losing track of their goal.
Very well written and perfectly organized. I agree that this is a powerful initiative if it were able to get off the ground, however it is also important to recongize, as you did, that this is not a need for many students. especially being that many are uncomfortable discussing their weaknesses.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I love the idea of improving reading comprehension and skills that could potentially benefit students worldwide. With that in mind, I believe this opportunity becomes more of an issue of the institution providing students with the resources necessary to make this happen, rather than trying to individually find the students that are struggling. Thus, the issue now transitions to the students being responsible enough to realize if they're struggling, and whether they want to make the effort to get good grades (utilize school resources). If you can expose this "responsibility" within students, I believe you'll find some great results!
ReplyDeleteBram, this is an awesome idea! I think it is a great concept for an entrepreneurial venture and you wrote it very eloquently and professionally. Your reflections show how you truly analyzed and understood the needs of your prototypical customers and how to solve their problems. You have great reasoning to back up your conclusions and the idea is quite intriguing.
ReplyDeleteHi, there! I like how you connected your opportunity belief to your entrepreneurship story. I can see you are very passionate about improving the reading speed and study practices of students. After reading your prototypical customer outline, I believe I could have utilized this service and wish it were offered when I first entered college. Even though I earn good grades and I am satisfied with my performance, I strongly believe there is always room to improve and make your routine more streamlined. Sure, reading a textbook for 6 hours before an exam may help earn a passing grade, but if there’s a way to learn the same content in less time and develop a deeper understanding of it, isn’t that what we should be aiming for?
ReplyDeleteHi Bram,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate how you took your entrepreneurship story and turned it into your opportunity belief as well. I think it was a good idea that in interviewing different prototypical customers, you went beyond undergraduate students and sought out graduate students as well. In my experience on campus, there doesn't seem to be much contact between the two groups, but based on your interview the two seem to share similar problems. I wonder what other opportunities there may be out there that also bridge this divide, perhaps something regarding services on campus, particularly those regarding student financial aid and services for international students, who have high representation in graduate programs.