Artefact 1

MDDE 602 was my first examination of the design of research and the considerations involved in ensuring that it is appropriate, valuable, and robust. Assignment 1 required me to create a short essay to present my case for research in a particular area of distance education of my choosing. I had to present an argument in favour of a particular research method. My presentation was based on both the readings and the conference discussions up to that point in the course. I was required to present my case and “… Identify a position regarding one aspect of the research process.”

In this, my second course, I identified myself fully in the “community of online learners”, so I could visualize what this kind of research would mean to me. I was unable to find any significant research materials on the value to a distance education student of their relationship with other learners in the class. From my experience, I already felt that this was a significant support to my learning, so I made this the focus for my proposed research project.

As I worked on this assignment, I felt that I was not just completing an academic exercise, but that I was actually creating a product of value as a framework for a potential future research project. In the professor’s feedback to me, she commented that this would potentially be of value to faculty, and ultimately to students. I was encouraged and began to think that the thesis route might be appropriate for me given my interest in what I was learning.

This activity involved many aspects of problem solving, analysis, and decision making (1.1, 1.2). In reading about the different research methods, and their significance to my chosen area, I had to access additional information beyond that provided and determine which of it was pertinent to my situation (1.4, 1.5).

As a relative newcomer to this area of research design and how to ensure that what I was proposing was appropriate, this experience gave me confidence in selecting an appropriate approach for my particular research area and in choosing parameters for the research, I was practising my decision-making skills (1.6) and receiving good feedback from my professor. I also had to adapt my approach to the specific situation of my research question (1.11).

A major part of the exercise was to develop my skills in creating a meaningful and effective research question around which to define the project (5.1), and then to apply the theoretical concepts to ensure that the research would be appropriate to the purpose (5.2, 5.5). My research project was designed to be open-ended, and ideally iterative – being refined based on results, modified, and then repeated (5.6). In developing my proposal, I had to do additional reading and determine what sources related, and understand the value they provided, to my context (5.3, 5.4).

A research project that is poorly communicated to its target audience, is of low value to those who would use it. A significant part of this activity was to communicate the aims of the project and to ensure that they were targeted to an audience that could use the research results to achieve improved understanding of the issues (4.1, 5.7). I think that my personal involvement with the topic help me to present a strong case for research on relationships between students as an area relatively unexplored and capable of yielding useful insights. I hope that, through this exercise, I have developed significantly in all the skills, knowledge, and competencies described above.

Following this assignment, and through this course, I became able to visualize myself as a future educational researcher, and felt that I had gained an understanding of a robust process to follow in pursuing that goal.

Rereading the materials (including the feedback provided by my professor), with nine years having passed, I can still visualize myself as an academic researcher in some capacity. My health situation made me feel that it was prudent to complete the program course based rather than becoming involved in constructing a thesis, then possibly encountering significant health issues and being unable to complete. Nevertheless, I still have a hankering to help to create meaningful research results using academic research practices. I feel that I have developed a good starting point for working in that area (and can further develop those skills with practice).

However, as pointed out by my professor at the time, I still had much to learn – and she provided excellent guidance (as shown below). In any future research activities, I do intend to refer to this advice and endeavour to reflect it in my work.

“The researcher could do some form of triangulation by including member checks or audits. In Grounded Theory we [prefer to] continuously bring conclusions back to the data for verification. Study further into the rigor of authenticity and dependability involving triangulation, internal audits, and other means of ensuring accuracy of reporting the voices of study participants in qualitative data. Neuman touches on this. It is essential for the researcher who intends to engage in qualitative research to know these like second nature.”

Dr. Cynthia Blodgett-Griffin (2008). Extract from feedback to Assignment 1 for Paul Benson (used with permission).

In revisiting this artefact, I have also rekindled my interest in the whole subject of student support for distance education. Although it is unlikely that I will be a researcher in this area, it is quite reasonable to suppose that I can be a supporter of online students. In the current course, I am enjoying reviewing other students work and providing constructive feedback. In other courses, for example MDDE 665 – Collaboration and Mentoring (artefact 4), I examined the possibility that I would become a mentor to others. This is very much still in my mind, and I will be revisiting this idea in my Conclusion paper.

My context for research these days is different from back then. Now I probably will be focusing mostly on research topics related to discrimination and emancipation where people are being marginalized by the current system and/or attitudes (either inadvertently or purposefully). For example, some people may believe that residents in long-term care have no purpose in pursuing educational opportunities and, in many cases, they may be viewed as unable to benefit (or incapable of operating at the required level). Such views can often be based on observation and knowledge but, on occasions, they may also be based on stereotypical views and a lack of information.

I believe that, for those who are motivated and able to participate, there is a strong link between pursuing positive learning goals on a regular basis, and healthy aging. I would like to be instrumental in examining this relationship. A possible starting point would be to conduct a survey to determine how many residents are interested in formal and informal learning experiences, and what areas are they interested in pursuing. I have talked with a local community group, of which I am a member, to see if research of this type is felt to provide value (and if such a project could get government support). At least this would create some statistical measure of the interest within this community in ongoing learning. More in-depth research projects could be generated based on the analysis of these data.

However, before starting to develop a research project or participating in an existing research project, I need to do more studying. From my reflection, I have determined that I need to revisit my studies on research methods, follow the advice of Dr. Blodgett-Griffin (as briefly shown above), and conduct my own meta-research before embarking on any kind of research project. I feel that this is a necessary step because of the time that has elapsed since taking the course, and because I want to have a rigourous approach to research design and execution that leads to the best possible outcome.

I hope to help create research projects for the senior community, and other disadvantaged groups, that can help to highlight their interests and needs not currently met. However, I am open to participating in any type of research project that arises (both my own, and others that I discover).

Thus the learning that occurred for me in MDDE 602 lives on, and continues to have an influence on my life plans.