Muck Family Foundation:
Freedom of Expression Study
Turning student insights into actionable strategies to create a strengthen the College of Business
What I Was Asked to Solve
The Muck Family Foundation partnered with Ohio University's Center for Consumer Research and Analytics to determine how freedom of expression is experienced in the College of Business. The team identified what made students comfortable participating in class and what did not.
Skills Demonstrated
Data Storytelling
Statistical Analysis
Qualitative Interview Coding
Client Presentation
How We Approached the Problem
1
Research Design
Research Design & Data Collection
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Created a quantitative survey in Qualtrics (N=197)
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Conducted 23 in depth interviews across COB majors
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Built a 2x2x2 experiment to test classroom scenarios
My Personal Contributions
Survey Question Design, One on One in depth interview, and 2x2x2 experiment creation
2
Qualitative Work
Research Design & Data Collection
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Reviewed survey, interview, and experiment data
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Identified patterns across different classroom scenario
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Connected qualitative perspectives to quantitative trends
My Personal Contributions
​Running analyses and translating statistical outputs into insights
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3
Analysis
Insights & Recommendations
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Identified key drivers of student comfort and participation
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Prioritized findings based on impact and feasibility
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Developed recommendations for faculty, classrooms, and policy
My Personal Contributions
​Translate findings into client-ready insights and recommendation framing
Key Insights I Helped Uncover
The Importance of Environment
Students consistently felt more comfortable sharing ideas in smaller more interactive classroom settings.
Why this Matters:
Engagement is influenced by space just as much as curriculum
Peers Dynamics Create the Most Pressure
While faculty were generally seen as supportive students felt the greatest social pressures from fellow students.
Why this Matters:
Freedom of Expression is influenced by student culture as much as institutional policy
Teaching Style Over Policy
Students responded more positively to professors who were approachable and engaging early on.
Why this Matters:
Faculty Behavior can meaningfully impact student voice and engagement
Familiarity Encourages Openness
Students are more willing to participate when they had prior experience with faculty and classmates
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Why this Matters:
Repeated interaction builds trust, trust builds participation
Recommendations
Encourage Openness Early
Encourage instructors to clearly communicate early in the semester that diverse perspectives are welcome and valued. Establishing a respectful tone increases student willingness to participate.
Design Classrooms Meaningfully
When possible, prioritize flexible classroom layouts that promote interaction, such as circular tables or discussion-oriented setups.
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Foster Familiarity
Encourage students to move through curriculum together as familiarity with classmates and instructors increase participation.
Through this project, I strengthened my ability to work with mixed-methods research, analyze data, collaborate effectively on teams, and present to high level executives.