Sample Project:
Ethnographic Study for a Top Business School

Based on past research, the business school — a leader in team-based, project-based learning — knew whether and what their students learned from conducting their projects, but were in the dark about how they learned it, i.e., what the student teams experienced, how they planned and carried out their projects, how they worked together, the challenges they faced, how they solved problems, and therefore how they learned.  To illuminate their experiences, the school hired Tom Clay & Associates, Inc. to design and lead an ethnographic study.  Tom Clay planned the project and led a team of four ethnographers, who were inserted into the teams, observed them throughout their semester-long projects, and interviewed their members, mentors and host organizations.  Tom also conducted all data analysis activities and prepared the project report.  In addition to advancing the understanding of project-based learning's efficacy and impacts, the results are helping the program’s faculty members and mentors effectively guide their students in optimizing their own learning, and have shed light on additional inquiries that would advance the school's research agenda. 

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