End of Cycle 1
Launch of Problem Project followed by Groupwork (see below)

Schedule:

• 9a-11a: 6900
• 11-12: Intern session (all of Cohort 8)
• 12-1: lunch/group meeting
  

9:00

The Discussion Board in ELC represents a rich array of problems to choose from.   You may choose a problem discovered in your own interview, or any other.  No two groups should pursue exactly the same problem, but this is hard to do even if you try.

• 9a: class
• 10am: Michael Law (UGA Librarian) provides session on GALILEO, featuring ERIC or other educational databases.
  
• 11-12: Stadium Advisement (w/ 7340)
  
• 12-1: lunch/group
  

9:00

• Overview of agenda
• Q&A: PPP Draft
• Star Exhibition
  
• Planner

Topic: Synthesizing Literature
Audio: in ELC 6900 Audio - 32min.  Brown text below was discussed in class. The entire topic is on the audio.

• The best time to do a lit review and why to do one in the first place
  
• Levels of lit reviews:
• "exhaustive" (no such thing) or exhaustive as possible
• justifying the study
• framing the study
• none
• Everyone should include lit review methodology - the story of your search
• What kinds of things should you include? (review)
  
• Studies - always
• Studies "lite"
  
• Conceptual or theoretical pieces - sometimes
• Prescriptive pieces, models for "how to do x" - sometimes
• Anecdotal pieces - less so

• Figuring out what topics to look for (discussed a bit in Framing Problem lesson)
  
• Venn diagram
• Use class examples?
• How do you begin to organize, make sense, and synthesize them?
• Highlighting and annotating
• Coding
• Thematic organization
• Handling quotes and citations (keeping track of them)
• Outline
• Thematic organization is better than "beads on a string" (where you report study after study with only a rough attempt to organize them). Diagramming, sticky note organization very helpful here.
• I would rather read a well-synthesized, thematically organized review of three studies than a string of 100 beaded studies
• Write or otherwise package for readers

• This class:
• Presentation
• Other situations:
  
• Narrative: the good and the bad
• Outlines with complete-thought bullets
• Graphic organizer with audio

• Technical aids: word processor; EndNote, Zotero, or the like; Inspiration; folders, Evernote; GoogleDocs, spreadsheets, highlighters, paper piles, sticky notes, whiteboard, mirror with erasable marker, red folder method....
  

Critiquing along the way:

• Use Leedy & Ormrod's checklist
  
• Analyze first (what kind of a source is this? purpose? method? results?)
• Do results overreach? over-generalize? Are recommendations grounded? (common problem!)
  
• Are assumptions warranted or reasonable?  (common problem!)
  
• Follow through on any negative reactions you experience
• Usefulness? Was this study worth its resources? (another common problem!)
  
• OK to applaud the value you find as well
• There is a critiquing lesson, but no need for that level of detail right now.
  
• The Critique assignment
• C7 Critiques
  

11:00 Cohort 8 Advisement:
Sign the list for individual conversations.
Advising Notes | C8 Course Rotation | Requirements (new tool: piloting) | Program of Study | Graduation Checklist


12:00 Group Time (next class starts 12:30)

Day 5 - Nov 14
9a-2p
End of Cycle 4

Data collection techniques are like tools - you need several in your box.

CC License: Per Erik Strandberg, Wiktionary

Schedule

• 1st hour  devoted to 6900 exclusively
• most of the day devoted to methodology topics: surveys, interviews, document analysis, focus groups; wrap up with Making a difference
  
• mid-morning break
  
• lunch midday
• dismiss at 2p
• group meetings on your own
• Planner

9:00
EDIT 6900 Business, Q&A

• PPPs: try very hard to create a Web 2.0 presentation, rather than a Powerpoint file that must be uploaded, downloaded, etc. 
  
• Design Idea due date moved from 11/29 to 12/6.
• Submit your PPP link to Kristie M. (she's creating a PPP archive page).
• Crit links go to cdiskin at uga dot edu
• Dec 5 batting order: will honor requests, first-come, first-served
  

Techniques
Time check
Regardless of your AP or PPP design, these are basic research techniques that you all need to know how to do.

Today's scenario:

Bulldawg Elementary School has been using AR forever.  No one remembers how or why it started. Every year, a big chunk of the budget goes toward buying the tests, supported titles, and software updates.  In addition, it takes a tremendous amount of volunteer, parapro, and your time to manage the program.  On the other hand, circulation is extremely high - and reading scores are generally above average at this school.  Here at the end of your first year at Bulldawg, you are wondering if this level of support for AR should continue. 

What's the problem here? What might several researchable questions be, in this situation?

We'll use this realistic scenario as context for exploring the following data collection techniques.

• Document/Content Analysis (Liz)
  
• Thoroughly consider any research situation for documents that already might exist.
  
• Examples:
• web pages
• browser history logs from public computers (or private, with permission)
  
• emails - with permission
  
• policies
• children's drawings
• existing student work of any kind
• texts of any kind
  
• test scores (ethical cautions apply)
• notes
• photographs - lots of possibilities here (students taking photos; photographing media center activity ...)
  
• journal entries (including self-journaling)
• advertisements
• just about anything that already exists and can be harvested ethically/legally
• Analysis will vary according to the type of document data.
  
• I think this avenue is under-utilized!
  
• Interviews (Justine):
  
• resource: Stephanie Jones' presentation in ELC as basis for discussion
• Surveys, pre/post-tests, questionnaires
• Write 2-3 sample questions
• Leonard's handout (In case the Word version in ELC wouldn't work for you)
  
• Surveys in general
• Online surveys: Google Forms is a new one
  
• Questions in micro-detail
• Pilot with a similar small group (but don't use these respondents again)
• Differences: surveys, tests, questionnaires
• Pre- and post-test parallel but not identical (to avoid maturation effect)
• Question format will determine quantitative/qualitative analysis techniques
  
• Focus Groups
• Kind of like interviewing, but with a group
• You need someone to manage and someone else to record
• Best case: audiotape plus have a notetaker
• Efficient: more data for the time allowed
• Make sure everyone gets to talk.
  
• Consider group effects
  
• Biggest drawback of focus group is social "bias" - participants naturally editing their responses because of others in the room.
  
• OTOH, the brainstorming effect may set in - where ideas build upon ideas and the sum becomes greater than individual parts.
• Transcription can be very challenging - identify of voices can get tricky.  Will take much longer than 1-on-1 interviews.
• Practice, if time
  
• Other techiques relevant to your situations?
  

Lunch

• This presentation is extensive - great source of ideas.
• Difficulties with the word "prove" - authors are using it in a more informal sense
• Slide 2: necessary to prove to administrators.  I find though, that it may be equally important to "prove it" to yourself.  Find a goal that matters to you. Set about evaluating the SLMP's contribution toward this goal.  Do this every year (although perhaps not the first year).
• What might be some of the goals that really matter to you?
• Should wrap tightly to the PDEP process.
  
• Good review of troubling and encouraging research and how you can use it (Slide 10)
• Slides 13-22  : great "cookbook" of data collection ideas
• Slide 23: compare this Action Research list of steps to others we have discussed
• Slides 24-32 : good PR primer
• Slides 33-end: examples
• Reference list (Word doc) contains a wealth of readings and tools