Dr. Deanna SellnowUniversity of Kentucky

January 6, 2010

Introductions Action Research in a Nutshell Step by step process to … prepare

your proposal Wrap up and Evaluations

2. One thing you enjoy about teaching at NWIC

3. One challenge in teaching students at NWIC

Goal: to improve (change) how we address issues or problems via vigorous inquiry and reflection (research) (Lewin, 1946)

Research Questions: Personal Organizational Societal(Reason & Bradbury,

2001)

GOAL: To improve how we teach (pedagogy) based on rigorous inquiry & reflection (research)

WHY: To improve student learning

TO DO SO: We must understand our students

What’s in a name? SOTL: Scholarship of

Teaching and Learning Instructional

Communication Educational Assessment Scholarship of

Assessment

1. Identify an issue/problem/difficulty in the classroom (RQ).

2. Come up with a research-based strategy for addressing it.

3. Do it. 4. Assess it. 5. Complete the feedback loop. 6. Write it up!

Examples: Public speaking:

anxiety/disclosure/gender bias online speech content

Teacher training: international TAs isolation course consistency/integrity

General: immediacy in online instruction unprepared students/don’t read for class student commitment (relevance/value) student engagement

Consumer Orientation

Entertainment Orientation

Techno-literate Instant Gratification Self-Interested Cynical Stressed Intellectually

disengaged Civility Issues Self-Efficacy Issues Negotiation

College Students Today

Teaching-Centered Lecture, discussion (student-teacher, student-

student, experiential

Curriculum-Centered Course materials, supplements, topics,

assignments Problem-based learning

Environment-Centered Online, face to face, in-class, out of class

Public speaking: Anxiety=Speech of Personal Significance Online=online course Speech content=problem-based learning

Teacher training: International TAs=BAT training Isolation=peer mentoring Course consistency/integrity=weekly meetings, intercoder

training, test creation round robins General:

Immediacy in online instruction=email and emoticon training

Unprepared students/don’t read for class=quizzes, questions

Student commitment (relevance/value)=service learning Student engagement=learning cycle lessons

Modify . . . Syllabus Lecture notes to lesson plans Assignments Assessment and evaluation tools

≠ Evaluation Curriculum-Embedded Performance-based Cognitive, Affective, Behavioral Rubrics Methods

Direct or indirect Qualitative or quantitative

Public speaking: Anxiety=Speech of Personal Sig-content analysis of speeches Online=online course=content analysis of speeches Speech content=problem-based learning=content analysis of

speeches Teacher training:

International TAs=BAT training=student and teacher questionnaires Isolation=peer mentoring=reflective papers and portfolios Course consistency/integrity=weekly meetings, intercoder training,

test creation round robins=portfolios General:

Immediacy in online instruction=email and emoticon training=student surveys

Unprepared students/don’t read for class=quizzes, questions=student surveys

Student commitment (relevance/value)=service learning=interviews, focus groups, content analysis of speeches, affective learning scale, content relevance scale

Student engagement=learning cycle lessons=test scores, content analysis of speeches, TCEs

Reflect on what worked, etc. and modify syllabus and pedagogy

Build an argument for what you did (research based)

Introduce RQ or H Describe the methods you used to

assess its utility Clarify results Offer a discussion that presents

conclusions, implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research

Argument: Speech anxiety is lower when people know each other but men don’t like to disclose as much as women

RQ: Is there an inherent gender bias in requiring a self disclosure speech?

Methods: content analysis comparison of speeches and grades

Results: Topics and subpoints differed, grades did not

Discussion: It’s ok as long as students are free to choose the topic and examples they actually disclose

Put the final touches on your proposals! Onward and upward! Questions/ideas/thoughts?

Deanna.Sellnow@uky.edu