Research Reports Course

Patricia Love

Description: Learn how to write the research reports used in the best BR&E visitation programs. Anyone can have a survey software program spit out a survey “data dump”, but those completing this course will know how to analyze data and prepare high-quality research reports that communities want and will use for years to come.

Audience: The course is designed for BR&E consultants, university researchers, Extension educators, and community and economic development consultants and professionals.

Objectives: By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• summarize survey data and report the results
• find and use secondary data
• identify the characteristics of good BR&E visitation surveys
• structure a report so that it provides the greatest strategic benefit to a community
• describe processes for developing project ideas and setting priorities
• prepare a summary or community report
• offer recommendations to a community on how to use the report so it does not just sit on a shelf

Instructor: Patricia Love is nationally recognized for her work on Business Retention and Expansion and formerly served as an applied economist and director of the BR&E Strategies Program at the University of Minnesota. She has prepared BR&E reports for numerous communities and developed and teaches the award-winning online Business Retention and Expansion Visitation Consultant Course.

Research Basis of the Course: The Research Reports course is based on years of university research (especially by Dr. George Morse) and on the experience of the instructor, other report writers, and many communities. The BR&E articles and reports written by Dr. Morse and Ms. Love have served as the model for programs worldwide.

Testimonials from former students:

I will now feel much more prepared to write a Research Report. The explanation and reasons as to why one includes a Background on Project and Profile on Local Economy were perhaps the most beneficial.

• Content focused on what I needed to know to write a good report. No extra fluff.
• Actual practice writing a report, with someone providing a careful critique.

I thought the assignments were excellent. I appreciated being able to review others’ work, and Patricia’s comments on their work.

For me, it is the ability to see the (three-way) concrete connection between the data, the review team and the priority projects.

Learning the “best practices” approach and formulae for doing these reports, based on examples. I can easily apply the things I’ve learned.

Prerequisites: To take the course, you will need access to and skill using email and the Web. If you are reading this online, you probably have the necessary skills. You will also need to be familiar with computer spreadsheets. As part of the course, you will do exercises using data sets that we provide. Finally, this course assumes that you have basic college-level writing skills.

Format: Every week you will read online and print materials. These readings will offer you ideas, tips, and guidelines for writing a report. For example, you will review a good report and a report that needs some work. The readings include summary reports, surveys, and worksheets for later reference while working with a community. You will also complete weekly assignments that will give you experience preparing the key parts of a research report. These will include some data summary and analysis and other exercises. You will also have the opportunity to engage your instructor and other course participants in online discussions.

A Certificate of Completion will be issued by the University of Minnesota Extension Service to all participants who complete the course.

Units:

Unit 1 Getting Started introduces you to the course objectives, expectations, requirements, and organization. You will also learn how to use the online tools, including the bulletin board, toolbar, and to complete course quizzes.

Unit 2 Starting the Report explains the role of the BR&E research report, how to begin the report, and how to prepare the first chapter.

Unit 3 Background on the Economy describes the value of background data-why to include it, what to include, where to find it, and how to summarize it.

Unit 4 The BR&E Survey and Results identifies what a survey should include, how to draft a survey, and how to use an already-prepared survey for deciding whether to write a report. It also teaches how to prepare and organize the spreadsheet, check data, and summarize and report the survey results.

Unit 5 Survey Analysis and Recommendations provides the transition from survey results to strategies and suggested projects, identifying important issues and possible projects, and providing the structure for the results and recommendations.

Unit 6 The Rest of the Report presents implementation tips, technical assistance, essential appendices, and the summary report, including its purpose, contents, and format. This unit also includes formatting guidelines and negotiating tips.