Research Analysis and Critique
Embedded Files
GA_research.mp3Goal Alignment
Goal Alignment
My second goal is to develop a research-based method to increase engagement and interaction in online courses and this artifact makes evident my capacity to understand some research in this area as well as use a research-based method to analyze an intervention that seeks to increase student engagement.
This artifact reflects my experience in reading, understanding, analyzing, and critiquing a research paper. In addition to demonstrating this, I also show that I have insight into engagement and how this works in online courses, as shown through my critique of the authors' methodology, their assumptions, and my recommendations for further study.
I chose this artifact for this goal because it represents my ability to explore putting research (theory) into practice. While I did not input the interventions outlined in the study into my own teaching context, I critiqued the application of the theories outlined through the lens of my own experiences with online courses as an administrator.
Metaphor / Opposing Forces
Metaphor / Opposing Forces
This artifact connects to the overall metaphor of opposing forces because it highlights the tension between Theory and Application. The authors of the study had a theory in mind that they were testing against the real world to see if it was effective. I considered the needs put forth in this study and attempted to place them against the needs of my own online school. I was not necessarily able to apply their precise scenario to my own, as my learning context has different requirements, but I was able to pull out what works from their study and attempt to apply it to my own context.
The result of examining these opposing forces is the conclusion that interventions often breed unexpected results. This helps us realize that even with a theoretical intervention in mind, the application of such will often play out in a variety of ways. In this study, it is clear that increased usage of instructor-generated video content helped increase engagement, unfortunately, it also created an unmanageable workload for instructors.
metaphor_research.mp3
reflection_research.mp3Reflection
Reflection
This process was relatively difficult for me because it was completed in my first MET course and I was not yet familiar with research papers, particularly when it came to research methodology. However, since the online learning context was one that I had been involved in for about 6 years, I felt very comfortable understanding the challenges that come along with online learning, particularly in relation to student engagement. I started by reviewing the instructional material very deeply on how to properly read a research paper. I read through this study many times and made detailed notes on the various sections and cross-referenced this against the course content for ETEC 500.
In the end, I felt I had done a good job in understanding this study, both in terms of its theoretical motivations but also in terms of the methodology. In addition, I provided what feels to me to be a very fair and informing critique of the study. As such, I chose this artifact because I think it demonstrates my ability to investigate student engagement on a deep level both in terms of theory and application.
Future Steps
Future Steps
Going forward, I will take my experience with this study and apply it to further studies. There is substantial literature on engagement in online courses and I can take the same approach to continue to explore and evaluate the various efforts others have put forth to increase engagement in this context. This will allow me to discover what methods will work best for my own learning context and assist in their application.
future_research.mp3Page updated
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