Maximize PowerNotes Adoption at Your School

How Boston University School of Law Crushed It

At PowerNotes we’re trying to find the best ways to increase student adoption at partner schools. So we looked at how partner schools launched this fall and put together a case study on how Boston University Law signed up 33% of their students in less than 2 months - including almost the entire 1L class!

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The Problem

GROWING ADOPTION EFFECTIVELY

Students are bombarded by advertisements, so getting them to try new products is difficult. BU Law pushed PowerNotes in their 1L writing classes where they had a captive audience. 

• Launch in writing classes: PowerNotes held a webinar for BU library and writing faculty before classes started. The writing faculty launched PowerNotes in all legal writing classes and required 1Ls to try PowerNotes.
• Students need to have computers ready: Instructors should introduce PowerNotes when students have their computers in front of them and can sign up immediately. Promotion when students don’t have their computers open is ineffective.
• Passive advertising is ineffective: In addition to mentioning PowerNotes on the BU Law Library website, BU used buttons, flyers, and table toppers to advertise PowerNotes in the library during the spring semester, with little success.

“The writing program pushed for launching PowerNotes in class and likes it as a tool to prevent accidental plagiarism. Essentially they required 1Ls to at least try PowerNotes.” — Boston University Law Librarian

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The Results

STUDENT USAGE

In addition to signing up nearly the entire 1L class, BU Law gave 1Ls many opportunities to use PowerNotes during their first semester. Students also found their own uses for PowerNotes.

“PowerNotes helps me organize my thoughts when working on papers instead of having a running document of all my sources and work.” — Boston University Law 1L

• 1Ls will use PowerNotes immediately: 1Ls used PowerNotes for small first semester assignments discussed in their writing classes, including researching secondary sources, initial case research assignments, and others.
• PowerNotes isn’t just for writing: Students started using PowerNotes for class prep and personal research, even before they received substantive research assignments.
• Second-semester readiness: 1Ls will know how to use PowerNotes when they start their more complex second-semester memos and briefs.

UTILIZATION DATA

What Librarians can learn about student usage

With enough students using PowerNotes, we can provide data about how students use library resources.

• Resource utilization: PowerNotes provides insight into which databases students are using and not using, and how much they are using them.
• Database training: Knowing which databases are not used provides an opportunity to educate students on what underused databases provide and when they should use them.
• Data requires adoption: To provide schools with meaningful data, PowerNotes needs a certain level of usage. So let’s work together to sign up your students!

For more information on how to increase adoption at your school contact PowerNotes.