A500.9.4.RB - Course Reflections

This is my final blog entry for my MSLD 500 course and time to reflect on my first graduate level experience.  It took almost 3 years to begin my first graduate level course after finishing my bachelor’s degree.  I was apprehensive to begin because I knew it would be demanding and I really was not sure how I would handle time management.  But here I am.  I took the first step which is actually starting.  There is no question this course was demanding.  However, I managed to find a way to juggle life and fit the course into the mix successfully.  This course forced me to really shake the rust off my 3 year break from academics.  Which is a good thing.  In hindsight, I really wish I did not take such a long break, or any break for that matter.  

This course provided a great value in critical thinking skills, something that was a major concept throughout the semester.  I enjoyed learning the ins and outs of critical thinking and how to apply it towards academics and life.  I was also not very enthused about getting back into the APA mindset before the class started.  But one of the assignments that consisted of using the Hunt Library eased my mind a bit when I noticed there were tools available to cite sources in APA format.  This tool, along with the APA textbook, made things a bit easier. Was I perfect with APA by the end of the course?  No, but I felt more comfortable and noticed an improvement with each week.  I never realized how user friendly and truly resourceful the Hunt Library is, so the assignment proved to be invaluable.  I also felt the assignment which we needed to do a presentation was of great value.  This assignment forced me to step away from my comfort zone and opened up an entire new world of presentation formats.  It is a great feeling to be able to complete a course and take things away from it to be used in the future.  

Another tool we used for the course was The Brain software.  I have to admit, I was not particularly happy about having an addition expense after the course started.  I simply was not prepared for that surprise, but I really did not have an option in purchasing.  I also did not feel it added a great value.  I understand the concept, but maybe I am just old school and used to keeping information organized in file folders on my hard drive to reference at a later time if needed.  The Brain just seems like a more complicated, costly, and prettier way of doing that.  Maybe throughout future courses I will find the value, but not at this time.  Another area I was not fond of was the layout within course.  I tried to get familiar with the layout at the beginning of the course and spent time navigating and practicing.  However, I managed to screw up.  The first few weeks, I felt like I was missing something.  And I was.  I was using the “Assignment” link as my guide to complete my assignments.  I did not realize that within the “Module” tab, there was additional information to assist in completing the assignments.  My suggestion is to eliminate the “Module” tab and integrate the information to make it more efficient.  This will allow the student go to one location to complete their assignments.

As far as the University and professor support, I really don’t think there is much left to add in that regard.  The only way I could see improving support would be 24 hour telephone support, and I do not see that happening.  I think that having to wait to get a question answered is just one of the disadvantages to online learning.  I also think all the course content was relevant to functionality towards leadership.  Besides The Brain, I felt everything provided value.  I am not really sure what to expect with my future courses.  But I do feel like this course has built a foundation towards preparing me for them.     

A500.8.3.RB - Good Presentation Design

I have sat through countless presentations in which the speaker used Microsoft Power Point throughout my military and professional career.  I had the same reaction every time I would walk into a conference room and the presenter fired up the projector.  As soon as the light from the projector hit the screen, I knew Power Point was soon to follow.  And with Power Point, I knew what to expect, a lot of information presented in an extremely boring format.  Presentations were typically read verbatim from beginning to end with some cheesy clip art scattered throughout as an attempt to somehow make things more interesting.  However, this practice was not because people did not care to present their material an interesting way.  It was because Power Point became part of our culture.  It became accepted as a necessary evil to present information to an audience.  If it was time to give a presentation, default to Power Point.  And, I am just as guilty as anyone else in using Power Point as a standard practice.  However, that is until now. 

I was recently instructed to give a presentation on an action research project for one of my assignments.  The assignment was to give a presentation, but Power Point could not be used.  I think I broke into a cold sweat when I read that stipulation.  My crutch was removed and I was officially going to be removed from my comfort zone.  But that’s what higher learning is about sometimes right?  Learning new things and breaking away from what you are used to.  I like technology and media, so I saw this as an opportunity to learn something new and something to be functionally applied for future use.  I found a new format called Prezi that allowed an entirely different way to present material.  I watched some tutorials and jumped right in.  Of course, like most programs, the best way to learn is to just start and even make some mistakes.  I really enjoyed the Prezi presentation format.  It was very user friendly and the visuals were superb.  I plan on continuing to use Prezi for future presentations.  Hopefully, this new format coupled with my enthusiasm will keep my audience engaged with the information I am trying to communicate.

The first thing I did was review some of the resources in our coursework.  These resources were valuable because they communicated what a good presentation consisted of and some types of different media available.  I learned a lot about good presentation design from these resources.  I learned that presentations are not all about the information; they are also about keeping the audience a priority.  An audience can be lost in minutes if the presenter is not careful about delivery or how their presentation is formatted.  For example, a presenter will be more successful if they can deliver their information in an entertaining way.  This will always beat out the long, boring, dry, monotone delivery.  Some key aspects in a good presentation format are to keep slides clear, consistent, and simple.  Here are some others:

·       Simplicity

·       Effective use of multimedia

·       Include stories or examples for support

·       Do not read slides word for word

·       Avoid Microsoft templates and clip art

·       Use high-quality graphics and/or photographs

·       Be careful with slide transitions

·       Use video and audio when appropriate

·       Limit ideas to one main idea per slide

·       Move away from podium to connect with audience

·       Use a remote when possible

·       Make good eye contact with individuals vs. the group

·       Avoid talking too fast

·       Keep the lights on

I can only hope that the days of boring Power Point presentations are numbered.  I will happily be spreading the word of the many alternatives such as Prezi to create better presentations.  Knowing these alternatives is a game changer, but now I can no longer use Power Point as an excuse as to why I may be losing my audience’s attention.  But that is fine with me, I gladly accept if I have to work on my presenting skills vs. the presentation format.  

A500.7.3.RB - Quantitative Research Reflection

Why do we perform research?  The primary reason research is performed is to try to explain something, maybe by try to answer a question of why?  Quantitative research is a method that can be used to explain something through analyzing data.  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of quantitative research is numbers.  The quantitative research method does use numbers, but there is more to the method than just numbers.  So, I can define quantitative research further by saying it is a method in which numerical data is collected and analyzed using mathematical methods such as statistics.  This is based on the idea phenomena can be quantified, measured, and expressed numerically.  There are different quantitative research designs such as, experimental, longitudinal, cross-sectional, and case study designs.  There are also many methods of data collections within these designs.  Questionnaires, structured and unstructured interviews, observation, document analysis, participant observation, and unobtrusive measures are all examples of data collection methods.  Take for instance a survey or questionnaire that asks participants questions and allows the researcher to quantify the results.  For example, a survey may ask participants questions about food brands they purchase.  Where they purchase, what the purchase, and why they purchase these brands.  The researcher could possibly use this measurable data to draw conclusions on how to better market a food product based on the results.   

Quantitative research has its advantages:

• It can be precise 
• It can be useful in studying or comparing large groups of people 
• Data collection can sometimes be quick (surveys, interviews, phone calls, etc…) 
• Analysis and explanation of causal dependencies between phenomena being studied

       

Quantitative research methods also have its weaknesses:

• It may researcher may exhibit confirmation bias 
• Results may sometimes be too abstract because the phenomena is difficult to measure 
• Simplifies a complex reality resulting in an abstract and constrained perspective
• Difficulty in describing participants perspectives, intentions, and meanings 

     Despite having some weaknesses, quantitative research can be an excellent method when trying to answer research questions.  It can be used to answer a demanding question such as, “How many employees are late every month?”  That is a quantifiable and measurable question that can be answered by looking at the data.  Or, it can be used to study a numerical change in an event.  In this case, the researcher may ask, “What is the change in the number of employees each year within the organization?”  It can also be used to explain phenomena by examining the factors related to a particular area.  Quantitative research is especially useful in testing hypotheses.  I think it is important to understand that there are times when quantitative research should be used and when qualitative research should be used.  I believe the key to achieving the best research results is recognizing when qualitative, quantitative, or both in conjunction should be used.   

A500.6.3.RB - Qualitative Research

I have to admit, I was not very familiar with qualitative research before this assignment.  Quantitative research has always seemed like the obvious choice to me when using a research method because it is such a measurable method and has precision.  So I had my doubts before learning about the qualitative research method.  However, I removed my doubts and ambiguity I associated with it after comparing it to quantitative research.

Quantitative research used to be the popular and primary research method in most fields of study.  However, an increasing interest in expanding research methods has identified the importance of qualitative research.  Marie C. Hoepfl (1997) broadly defines qualitative research in her article Choosing Qualitative Research: A Primer for Technology Education Researchers as, “any kind of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of quantification" (Strauss and Corbin, 1990, p. 17).  Where quantitative researchers seek causal determination, prediction, and generalization of findings, qualitative researchers seek instead illumination, understanding, and extrapolation to similar situations. Qualitative analysis results in a different type of knowledge than does quantitative inquiry.”  The quantitative research method has its place, but there are times when numbers and statistics cannot accurately measure something.  Cronbach (1975) states, “statistical research is not able to take full account of the many interaction effects that take place in social settings.”  The qualitative research method has an advantage in this area because it can be used to gain new perspectives using natural settings and experiences.

Hoepfl (1997) synthesized some author’s descriptions of qualitative research into eight elements as follows: 

1. Qualitative research uses the natural setting as the source of data.

2. The researcher acts as the "human instrument" of data collection.

3. Qualitative researchers predominantly use inductive data analysis.

4. Qualitative research reports are descriptive, incorporating expressive language.

5. Qualitative research has an interpretive character, aimed at discovering the meaning events have for the individuals who experience them, and the interpretations of those meanings by the researcher.

6. Qualitative researchers pay attention to the idiosyncratic as well as the pervasive, seeking the uniqueness of each case.

7. Qualitative research has an emergent (as opposed to predetermined) design, and researchers focus on this emerging process as well as the outcomes or product of the research.

8. Qualitative research is judged using special criteria for trustworthiness.

When conducting qualitative research, it is important for the researcher to accept the naturalist model, develop the skill level necessary for a human instrument, and design research based on naturalistic inquiry strategies (Lincoln and Guba, 1985).  There are two types of common sampling strategies used for qualitative research; purposeful and maximum variation sampling.  However, purposeful sampling is the primary strategy in qualitative research.  Interviews and observations are the two key forms of data collection. There are options in recording interviews and observations such as note taking, photographs, video, and audio recordings.  I find using video with audio recording would be the best option as there would be less chance of error when observing.  However, the presence of the device would have to remain undetected when performing research to maintain the natural setting.  “Analysis begins with identification of the themes emerging from the raw data, a process sometimes referred to as "open coding" (Strauss and Corbin, 1990)”.  The next analysis stage is sometimes referred to as “axial coding”, which re-examines how categories are linked.  Lastly, the research must translate the data into a format in which will be interpreted by the researcher’s audience. The audience shares a responsibility in judging the qualitative research because they, along with the researcher, establish the value of the research.  

Qualitative research has given me a different perspective on how to conduct research.  The information Hoepfl presented on qualitative research will help me look at information differently within my profession and my academic aspirations.  Where I once only felt comfortable using quantitative research as my primary method, I now feel comfortable using a different method with qualitative research.  

References: 

Cronbach, L. J. (1975, February). Beyond the two disciplines of scientific psychology. American Psychologist, 30(2), 116-127.

Hoepfl, M. (1997). Choosing qualitative research: a primer for technology education researchers. In M. Sanders (Ed.), Journal of Technology Education, 9(1). Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v9n1/hoepfl.html  

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.