Teacher: Jeff Timmer, Associate Professor, Physical Education

With current economic times, the ability to purchase expensive laboratory equipment is a challenging process. With the newly approved Exercise Science option in the Physical Education Department, the need for an experience with a metabolic cart for the measurement of oxygen consumption is becoming a necessity within the program.

Primary Purpose – The primary purpose of this project was to create a video lab experience of a maximal graded exercise test using a metabolic cart. The goal was to create an experience where the students not only watched the video but actually interacted with the data collected and presented throughout the video.

Secondary Purpose – To evaluate the effectiveness of using a video lab to establish a learning experience with a metabolic cart where the students get a sense of what is required of the subject performing this difficult test.

Materials acquired – Sanyo Xacti HD video camcorder. In addition I would also like to thank iWorx Systems Inc. for their willingness to demonstrate the use of their HK-300 Metabolic Gas Analyzer (metabolic cart) and giving us permission to videotape the demonstration.

The Need

A maximal graded exercise test for the measurement of oxygen consumption is a somewhat invasive testing procedure that requires a subject to exercise to exhaustion while wearing a gas collection mask. The students at Keene State have never been exposed to a maximal test due to the lack of equipment, and therefore don’t have a good sense of what the test involves from a testing perspective as well as a subject perspective.

14 minute Video of Test

It is vital as the Exercise Science program moves forward that the students get a sense of what a maximal test looks and feels like. These tests are very common in Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation facilities, elite athletic training facilities, and in exercise research. Therefore, it is important for our students to gain some experience in this type of testing prior to graduating from KSC.

Creating the Video

Initially, I contacted iWorx Systems in Dover, NH, and inquired about a possible demonstration of the use of their metabolic cart, and whether or not I would be able to record the session on the Sanyo Xacti video camcorder.  The people from iWorx Systems Inc. were wonderful to deal with and more than willing to demonstrate their equipment at KSC.  Once we found a subject willing and actually excited to perform the maximal test, we set a date and time for iWorx to come to campus.

The maximal bike test went flawlessly, and the video recording really came out well. I was hoping to gather snapshots or screenshots of the data output on the computer screen as the test was being performed, but that turned out to be more of a challenge than I could overcome.  I would have loved for the students watching the video to try and decipher the metabolic cart data output and then explain what the data meant. However, in the midst of helping run the maximal exercise test, I ran out of hands and time.

Instead, I took the most valuable information off the computer read out and placed that information at the appropriate timeframe in the video using the software iMovie. The process was smooth without issues due to the ease of iMovie, which helped the overall project become more engaging for the students.

At the end of the exercise test, after all data was presented, I let the video run for a few minutes longer while the subject was cooling down. During that time, I asked the subject a few questions about the testing experience. The subject was honest about how the mask was uncomfortable and felt it truly limited her breathing. The subject also complained about the cadence of the pedaling (50rpm), which really made the test more difficult and felt she could have gone longer if she was allowed to pedal at a different speed.

Implementing the Video Lab Assignment

The students were given a lab report, in which all the data points were left blank, and as they watched the video, the students recorded the data presented on the video. The students remarked that the video was very interesting, and by writing the data information down on paper, the students were continually engaged in the lab process.

The students were also required to provide graphs and decipher valuable information based on the data received during the video. The lab reports reflected great work showing the students were able to not only gather the data, but use the data to answer practical questions regarding the subjects results.

In the lab report, the students echoed the subject’s sentiments and really thought the entire test looked uncomfortable and extremely hard towards the end of the test. As stated previously one of my goals for the video lab, was to give the students a sense of what a maximal exercise test looks and feels like, and based on the lab reports received this semester they definitely gained a sense of the discomfort and difficulty of performing a maximal exercise test.

The most difficult part of the entire process was transferring the video to Blackboard and making it accessible to the students. After three attempts, and unchecking multiple availability boxes within Blackboard, the students finally had access to the file and had no problems with the video clarity and sound.

The ease of video transfer from the camera to the computer, iMovie’s user friendly setup, and the willingness of iWorx Systems Inc. to demonstrate their equipment made the video lab creation well worth the time and effort for the improvement of  Physiology of Exercise class/laboratory experience.

Overall, the video lab was an excellent teaching tool, and although the students didn’t get to experience the test first hand, the video allowed for the gathering of knowledge that the students in my Physiology of Exercise class have been lacking in previous years.

Lab Exercise

Prof. Nancy Ritchie

Prof. Nancy Ritchie wanted to improve student projects created for her “Baseball Through the Years” quantitative literacy class.  In the class, students adopt a baseball team and work with the team’s statistics. They create a Google site to display their research and the PowerPoint they create for their final presentation.

But Nancy was not happy. The students seemed to be just going through the motions, cutting and pasting the minimal information into their sites”. She wanted them to be able to marshal statistics to prove an argument. She had heard about a colleague’s assignment to pick the “best player” in baseball and defend their choice in a paper.  She decided to use the outline of that assignment and change it in significant ways.

“I modified that assignment and asked students to choose a person on their team and prove that he was the “Best Batter for the Bucks.”  Students then created a video narrative explaining their statistics using Screencast-o-matic, a free online screen-casting tool.

Student Impact

“What I’ve found so far in working with my students, is that when they are asked to do something online, they excel (for the most part).  AND they remember what they’ve done and why.  I had hoped that if they had to defend what they were selecting, they would work hard to come up with the proof.

“I know for a fact that by encouraging the students to research online data, they are much more engaged in their own learning (often unintentionally!).  The participation rate significantly improved!  In comparing the “enhanced” class to my other class, I found that students seemed to be more proactive in looking at what their team (and specifically the player they selected) was doing over the course of the summer.  I also found that we moved through material much more quickly in the classroom, so we actually completed the material sooner than expected – even with the additional assignments.“

In a comparison of the improvement over the pre-test results, the post test for the class that was not enhanced was less than 10%.  The class that was enhanced improved by 17.8% between the pre-test and post-test.

Things I would change

“I still need to work on rubrics.  IQL gives us the one for the final project.  But if in the future I want to provide a rubric for each assignment.  I think that would be helpful to the students, and to me for measurement.  The students were given a rubric for the Screencast-o-matic assignment, and that will need some additional tweaking.  Some of the categories need to be removed or modified.  For example, since we did the SOM’s against pages of a web site, some of the font sizes were out of our control.  While I insist on students using works cited info on their final project, I didn’t emphasize it for this project, and I should have.  As far as sound, we learned that YouTube videos were difficult to record and get the sound.  Some of the images needed to be larger.  We had done the web sites first, and the images enlarged on the overhead, but didn’t for the SOM.  We also had more noise since most of the recordings were done in the classroom.  While the rubric WAS handed out in class, many of the students seem to be confused about what was expected.  I was disappointed in all but one of the SOM’s, but I still felt that the steps they went through to collect the data and prepare for the SOM helped enhance the learning of the students.”

For Professor Ritchie’s complete report, click here.

To view the rubric she used click here.

written by Allyson Mount amount@keene.edu

After attending the 1st annual Academic Technology Institute in June 2011, which focused on incorporating rich media into the classroom, I was inspired to reimagine a research assignment for my PHIL 360: Philosophy of Law course. One of the course goals is for students to analyze and critically evaluate a controversial legal issue. I wanted students to research a topic they found especially interesting and to share their findings in a way that both demonstrated their knowledge and incited others to learn more about the issue. In the past, I assigned essays and traditional oral presentations, and both led to decent-enough student work, but they felt routine and were not particularly engaging. Changing the assignment to incorporate rich media, I hoped, would enliven the presentations and encourage students to find creative ways of relating theoretical arguments to practical problems.

I designed a semester-long research project to be completed in seven steps. Each student selected a Supreme Court case on a topic of their choice, read the majority opinion and any dissenting opinions, summarized events that led to the case, analyzed the reasoning behind the Court’s decision, considered objections to that decision, and explored the larger philosophical and legal implications of the case. Then they drafted a narrative that would become the basis for their presentation. These steps were spaced evenly throughout the semester, and students had to submit their work regularly to ensure that they were making progress. At mid-semester, we had individual conferences to discuss their work and identify any difficulties they were having. Then came the fun part.

After the research was done and students had drafted their narration, they created a slideshow to accompany it. Again, there were specific requirements for certain types of information to include, but beyond that students had free reign to organize and present the material as they wished. Each slideshow needed to have a significant visual element, whether by using photos, video clips, animation, or even simple stick figure drawings. Through Blackboard, I provided links to the Creative Commons site and to other sources for finding visual media, and also to a site that helped with formatting photo citations. I had feared that class time would get bogged down with questions about technological details, but for the most part that concern proved unfounded. Students were much more adept at finding interesting visual media than I was.

Terry Classen's video

As students created their slideshows, they often revised and reorganized their narration to emphasize ideas they were depicting visually. This revision extended to the content of their narrations, as well as to the structure. Trying to represent an idea clearly in a diagram or picture often helped students recognize areas where their verbal explanation needed clarification, and consequently the slideshow and narration both improved. This was exactly the kind of true revision-and-rethinking I had tried to get students to engage in on essays in the past – frequently with a frustrating lack of results – and here they were recognizing the value of such revision on their own!

Once the slides and narration were in their final form, students used the free Screencast-o-matic tool to make a screencast recording of their slideshow as they read the narration aloud. The result was a 5-6 minute video file. They submitted links to their screencast recordings through Blackboard, and we spent an enjoyable few hours watching and discussing the videos in class.   Students were actively interested in each other’s cases, provided helpful feedback on each project, and clearly demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of the case they researched. Examples of completed projects by Jacqueline Beck and Terry Classen are shown on this page. (They work best in Firefox or Internet Explorer)

Jacqueline Beck's Video

There were several essential elements that helped this project work smoothly.

• First, students had clear guidelines for the basic requirements, yet they had a lot of room to make the project their own and focus on a topic they chose freely.

• Second, the research was conducted before students began working on the slideshow, which ensured that the media piece was used to enhance the academic content, not replace it.

• Third, we practiced the skills needed for this project (breaking down theoretical arguments, summarizing an author’s reasoning, identifying objections) in class and on other homework assignments, so students were engaging in familiar tasks by the time they applied those skills to their project case.

• Fourth, students knew all along that their audience would be the class as a whole – not just the professor! – so they had to explain complex material in a way that was understandable to people unfamiliar with the case.

• Finally, it was key to the success of this assignment that there were regular deadlines to ensure that the work was done incrementally. In the early stages, students received a set number of points simply for turning in the required work at the assigned time, which ensured that the early steps were taken seriously. Then the final project was graded for quality, using a rubric that students had from the start.

Recommendations

For faculty considering this type of assignment, I highly recommend following your own instructions and completing a sample project just as students will. When I first began playing around with the idea of having students create a narrated slideshow, I made one myself to see how much work it would involve and how useful the result would be. My sample fulfilled all the criteria that I was asking students to fulfill. I played my sample presentation when I explained the project on the first day of class, and along with the instructions for each step I also posted my work for that step.

Many students commented that seeing the samples helped them envision a form their own project could take. However, their creativity far outstripped mine, and by the end of the semester I had a deeper appreciation for the time and work that went into their final projects.

Additional Materials

Detailed step-by-step project directions

The grading rubric

Directions for using Screen-cast-o-matic.

As part of a Summer Innovation Project, Mike Wakefield adopted a variety of technologies to extend the classroom experience for his Journalism 100 students. As part of the project Mike adopted and evaluated the iPad2 as a teaching and learning tool. Below are his notes detailing the activities and outcomes for the project.

Primary Purpose: extending the classroom experience for JRN100, Intro to Mass Communications, making learning more independent of time and place.

Secondary Purpose: Evaluating the use of the iPad2 as a tool for production and presentation of course materials.

Materials acquired: Software for iPad2 – Garageband, iMovie, Pages, Keynote, Adapter cable for iPad2 use with classroom projection system, camera kit for transferring images and other files to and from the iPad.

Activities and Outcomes:

1. Continuing process of converting/adapting/replacing nearly all previously paper-based assignments to BlackBoard interactive versions, using a combination of assessment modules, blogs, and wikis for creation and assessment of small group and individual student work.

Outcome: This was completed, and most of the materials converted or adapted have been incorporated into the course going forward. The course is now nearly paper-free, and more work is ongoing in creating rubrics and other online resources.

2. Preparing a series of mini-lecture presentations for embedding in Bb that will supplement classes.

Outcome: This was more challenging than anticipated, but I was fortunate to run across a great screen capture/video application for the Mac called IShowU HD. This allows for not only screen capture, but picture-in-picture recording of the instructor using the built in laptop camera. I captured 2 complete lecture sessions, edited them in iMovie and used them to “flip” those class sessions.  Students were very positive about being able to see these on demand, and use the class time to work on assignments related to the material presented.

3. Converting current class presentations from PowerPoint to Keynote for use with instructor-owned iPad2 in class.

Outcome: This turned out to be more or less a wasted effort. The main problem is the basic incompatibility of features between Keynote on the Mac and Keynote on the iOS platform, as well as the inconvenient procedures for managing files on iOS devices (this has improved since, but still has limitations). More about this in the separate section below about my overall experience with the iPad2 as a teaching tool. It has tremendous features that are useful in class (and even greater potential) but not within the traditional paradigm of lecture-type presentations (which is probably just fine!).

4. Based on Spring 2011 “”snow day”" live chat class using Bb, and subsequent experiments; create at least one experimental interactive class session to be delivered using live streaming via free uStream account (Web 2.0), embedded within Bb.

Outcome: While this did work technically, we were not able to use it as a practical matter for class during the summer. Several students were challenged by their lack of Internet connectivity, so we did some experiments in class as a proof-of-concept. It also fit into the particular content area being discussed in class, which was the use of web-based media tools for communication and learning.

5. Create one or more class activities based on use of student cell-phone response via short code number SMS messaging (pollanywhere.com).

Outcome: The class participated in an instant survey of their use of Facebook, and we discussed how this could be used in different ways for collecting research data on media.

6. Embed at least one small-group activity using student-owned mobile devices (smart phone, etc.) as research tools.

Outcome: This activity was abandoned based on the lack of smart phones among the students in this particular group, which was somewhat surprising. This is not usually the case with students during the regular semester, it may be related to different nature of the summer session population. So, we used the time for online research using standard desktop/laptop platforms.

Reflection on the iPad2 for Instruction:

In general, the iPad is an exciting device with tremendous potential, but it requires some rethinking of the traditional classroom model, along with a full understanding of its limitations.

Pros: The intuitive interface is easy to learn, and since the inclusion of mirroring, it has become fairly easy to share what is on the screen with a large group via a standard data projector (with some caveats). Given a decent wifi connection, a class can see anything an instructor chooses to show, with good quality audio and video. It is much better than a laptop at being able to zoom into a particular image for greater detail, and the ability to switch tasks immediately makes presentations go quickly with a minimum of fuss. Given the right software and network capability, it will also function as a virtual desktop for another platform, using apps like LogMeIn or VNC, and will also function as a virtual remote for Keynote presentations run on the Mac. Of course, Keynote itself runs using the Keynote app, which is a useful reduced-function version of the desktop app. Finally, I also found the iPad to be a useful accessory tool during class discussions as a way of quickly finding examples or accessing information as questions came up while being able to keep the regular laptop presentation on the screen. Since the classroom cart system only allowed for one external VGA connection, I brought in a passive VGA switch to try switching back and forth between laptop and iPad. This worked OK, but was a little clunky to deal with. The since-added Airplay-to-Apple TV capability has potential to address some of these issues, but it’s probably not practical given KSC’s current wifi/network configurations. Overall, the iPad is a very good tool for quick research and presentation of multimedia and web-based information in the classroom, but it is not a replacement for the laptop at this point in time.

Cons: Simple things are sometimes frustrating. Moving files around is tedious, maybe better now with iCloud, that remains to be seen. But, up to this point the choice are few for moving files to and from the device (iTunes, DropBox, DropCopy), and don’t always play nicely on the KSC network. A good deal of time was spent trying to establish a reliable wifi connection in the classroom, and connection to the KSC Secure network was often a problem. Also, some network protocols are apparently blocked on the KSC network, so some simple things that would work at home, such as the remote desktop clients and other remote control apps, would not work in the classroom. There were similar issues with DropCopy and one or two other apps that are meant to connect to a local or remote desktop client. This is obviously a result of security-based decisions, and certainly understandable, but it means that some functionality is lost. These are things that should be kept in mind when contemplating anything other than the basic functions of the devices.

Another basic (almost silly) problem is the fact that the VGA dock adapter does not lock into the Ipad securely, and tends to fall out at the most inopportune times. This is a design flaw with these newer dock connectors (the older iPod type worked better), and while it may well help to keep the connector on the device side from being broken, it makes it very difficult to use the iPad in any way other than stationary. Handholding the device will almost certainly cause the cable to come out, and re-establishing the connection with the projector is not always simple. A Bluetooth type connection would be preferable, and this does in fact work just fine using the Apple TV device, but the Apple TV requires an HDMI connection on the display or projector, something that is lacking on most data projectors (and is 100% non-existent on projectors at KSC, as confirmed by Steve Armstrong).

The Keynote app also has severe limitations, as only the simplest Keynote presentations created on a laptop will run properly on the iPad. If your create it on the iPad and present it on the iPad, you’re fine. But if you make a presentation on your MacBook and send it to the iPad, you will need to ditch any fancy transitions, some multimedia, and may also have to settle for different fonts. I expect this may get better as time goes on, but if you want the presentation to run as-is, your only choice is to same it as a movie and run that. Of course, timing then becomes an issue, but it’s one workaround.

Overall, the iPad is a fantastic personal multimedia information device, with some good basic tools for productivity. It still has some growing to do to become a fully effective learning device in a group situation (unless and until all students have iPads!), but the potential is great. It also will require a rethinking of how campus networks adapt to the uses of mobile devices; the policy and technology are currently keeping some of that potential from being realized.

Flickr image by brewbooks

Teacher: Niall Moran

As part of a Summer Innovation Project, Niall Moran adopted a Kindle to determine first-hand if the digital format would serve his Sociology students. Battery life and text availability were two areas he was particularly interested in. Below are Niall’s comments on the project (read about Niall’s second summer innovation project on the use of Diigo).

This past summer I started using a Kindle and the following are my general impressions. The usefulness of the Kindle, at least for how I came to learn to use it, can be split into two categories. Firstly, the Kindle as an e-reader is wonderful for reading non-educational texts. The availability of texts is every bit as good as you would find in the traditional bound text. The Kindle itself has excellent battery life, is super portable and aesthetically pleasing in its own way. The battery has never suddenly died on me, which is a nice change from my laptop and mobile phone.

However, when it comes to actual textbooks, the Kindle has some major drawbacks. The majority of the texts that I assign are currently unavailable for the Kindle or any other e-reader for that matter. This is the Kindle’s major drawback. I could choose my texts based upon their Kindle availability, but this would severely restrict me.

On the upside, the Kindle reads .pdf files. I read far more in .pdf format than I do in book format. Online journals are typically my first port of call for information. Now, instead of having to read them online or print them out, I can use the Kindle. This is by far, in my opinion, the aspect to the Kindle. I used to hate having to read journal articles on my computer. The Kindle is far easier on the eyes than a computer monitor and its’ portability means that you can break away from the desk. It also allows you to highlight text and sync this to your word processor meaning that you can still take notes. Using the Kindle means that I print far, far less journal articles than I did previously, so there’s a tree/money saving aspect too.

Now that I have begun to collect books and articles on the Kindle I use a free piece of software called Calibre. It’s like an iTunes for ebooks but also has a very useful format converter. It can be downloaded here and I highly recommend it.

Teacher:

Class: Queer Theories – WGS 302

Introduction

Professor Sara Hottinger has been looking for a way to use Twitter in her classes. While Twitter has seen tremendous growth in the past years, its academic use is still considered novel in many ways. Professor Hottinger aims to use Twitter as a means for continuing the conversations and discussions that begin in class, and as an opportunity for her students to connect with a broader community. Using Twitter is one thing, but assessing the student use of Twitter is another altogether. To address this issue, Professor Hottinger has created very specific expectations for the first four weeks of class. During this time she’ll closely monitor the contributions of each student. After the initial four weeks of the semester, students will not be required to use Twitter in the  same highly structured manner, but a subsequent assignment will draw from their continued use of their Twitter network. Take a look below to see how the assignment is structured in her syllabus.

Using Twitter to Discover Queer Communities:

Lynn Arnold

Teacher: Lynn Arnold

Class: Current Topics in Food & Culture – HLSC 216

Introduction

As part of project where students create a healthy snack food for children, they develop the product as well as a marketing plan and the packaging.  The package is required to have an accurate Nutrition Facts Label, which can be generated using a website.

Creating an accurate nutrition facts label is a long procedure with lots of steps, and students have a hard time remembering all the parts.  To help them, I created this desktop video as part of the Blended Learning: Using Video Effectively class.

Benefit

Now students will have something to refer to and won’t need to ask for directions over and over. I may or may not go over the process in class.

Click the picture below to view the 4 and half minute video which Prof. Arnold created using Jing, free screen capture software.

Céline Perron

Teacher: Celine Peron

Class: Design for the Performing Arts – TAD 162

Introduction

I plan to use this video in TAD 162 Design for the Performing Arts.  I will post it on Blackboard for students to view before the lighting project in the class.  My original, in-class presentation is about 45 minutes long, so I decided to narrow the topic and focus only on lighting properties.

Making this video made me realize that it probably would be more effective to create a series of small presentations instead of a long one. I have a new person teaching a section of this course in the fall and I can share this presentation with her.

Benefit

Students will be able to view the presentation as often as they need, as opposed to trying to remember what I said in class.  In the past, I only posted the slides. In addition, in many introductory courses faculty are asked to give a survey of all aspect of theatre, but few have expertise in lighting.  This simple introduction to light can help both students and faculty.

Click the picture below to view the 5 minute video which was created using Jing, free screen capture software.

Teacher: Brian Donovan:

Course: Elementary French I.

As part of a Summer Innovation Project, Brian Donovan created instructional support videos using Jing for his blended format Elementary French class. Below is Brian’s reflection on the project:

Describe your project

My idea was to create materials students could use at home, so they didn’t need to be in the classroom all four days.  The materials had to be as effective as class time teaching would be for them, though, so the use of instructional videos simulated lessons I would give them in person.  The “Repeat after me” videos I gave them helped them work on their speaking without the distraction of other students in the classroom, and the recording exercises they did for me were in place of being put on the spot in class to “perform.”  They wouldn’t have me correcting them as they spoke, but they could listen to the recordings and repeat as many times as they needed to get the sounds.  I told them to email questions if they had any, and I would get back to them as quickly as possible.  On online days, I made sure to check emails regularly, and I held a lot of office time in case anyone needed to come in for help.

How was your teaching and/or student learning impacted?

One positive part of this method is that each student can move at his or her own pace with the online day’s materials, and the students can work on things when they’re at their best, not when we have class time.  I think it makes them more apt to put effort into the class time when we’re together.  Not being in the classroom the entire time gave me more time to work on the materials, so that was a plus.  I was also near a computer, and I could email them back if they had questions or problems.

How did you measure the impact?

Luckily, I could tell how things were working out when the students performed in class.  I could tell if they spent time with the material on their own and got in practice—especially from the recordings they made for me.  With small classes, it was easy for me to follow each student’s progress.

Reflection / How did it go?

What went well?

Over all, I think the students enjoyed the split class time/online time.  Some of my online instruction videos went along a bit fast, as I only had 5 minutes of recording time for each video.  Rather than do part A and part B, I kept the video to 5 minutes, just covering the basics.  I had their “attention spans” in mind, as well…

What would you do differently?

I didn’t have as much planning time as I had originally set aside, so next time I’ll spend more time on making sure I have even more materials for those students who need/want more than just the basic lesson and exercises.  For example, instead of just providing a lesson video, a “repeat after me” video, written exercises and a recording, I could also create supplemental lesson videos with extra practice; perhaps look at the material in different ways.  One other thing I’d like to try would be making myself available for video conferencing, in case the student needed some help but didn’t want to drive in to meet me at my office.

Course: Sociology 301 / Sociological Research Methods.

As part of a Summer Innovation Project, Niall Moran adopted Diigo to better enable student research for his Sociological Research Methods class. Below are Niall’s comments on the project.

This past Summer I taught Sociological Research Methods in a blended format. This was my first time teaching the class in blended format. Typically, I structure the class around the students completing a research project. Students are taught to move beyond the gathering and assessment of literature and into the field of identifying, collecting and analysing data. Due to IRB restrictions the students are requested to create a research project that involves content analysis. The key challenge I faced in moving to an online format was to create an assessment that would allow us to complete this form of assessment. I needed to develop an assignment that would allow me to be heavily involved. With the help of Jenny from CELT here’s what I came up with, although I take full responsibility for aspects that did not work out as expected!

SOC 301-01 Online Research Project:

Objective:

To produce an original piece of research by employing content analysis on web based data.

See Babbie Chapter 11, here, here and here for an introduction to content analysis. There are also many more relevant resources on DIIGO. Using these will make your project much easier to complete.

Tools:

1) Each student will be given a DIIGO account that will help you find and collate your data in an efficient and stable manner. Here you will also have access to relevant resources that I have found. It will also help us keep track of our progress. While each project will be individually completed and graded, a strong degree of collaboration is expected. Check out the relevant discussion board – “Research Project” – on BB.

Here’s a handy guide to using DIIGO:

Especially check out the Research, Share and Collaborate options.

2) Each student will also have a Wiki on BB. You will be adding to your Wiki as you go along with the research. By the end of the course you will have published your completed research project on your Wiki. You will also have access to the Wikis of your colleagues.

Key Methodological Steps:

1)     Develop a hypothesis or research question. See Babbie (2008:45-49) and here.

Remember, this is research where your data must be found online. I have shared a set of links with you via DIIGO that might be helpful. Many are formal data repositories and feel free to use these. You will be conducting a secondary analysis in this case. If you are analysing data that another person has gathered you are conducting secondary analysis or working with secondary data.

You also have the option to gather your own data. This will necessitate identifying a potential data source and then collecting the data. For many of you this may be a more interesting option. You get to choose your topic. If you collect the data yourself then you are dealing with primary data.

Here is an excellent example of secondary analysis: Durkheim’s research on suicide. Focus on his hypothesis development.

2)     Conduct a Literature Review:

A literature review provides the reader with an overall impression of the state of research in the field/area that you are researching (See Babbie 2008:122-123; 466-467) and here. The literature review acts as a foundation to the collection and interpretation of your data. Of special importance here is your capacity to identify the different paradigmatic perspectives that are applied to researching the area. Is it a conflict perspective or a functionalist perspective or even perhaps a postmodern perspective? For more information on paradigms refer to Babbie and any other Sociology texts you may have at hand, especially your Theory and Intro texts.

Many students are familiar with conducting “research projects” that are in fact essentially literature reviews. A social researcher understands a research project as adding to the field of knowledge and as collecting data. So it is the next steps that are probably quite new to you!

3)     Identify and Collect Your Data:

In order to collect your data you will first have to identify your sample (See Babbie Chapter Seven) and then observe. Your sample could be Vogue Magazine, Family Guy, the Keene Sentinel, a collection of photographs or whatever you come up with. Your observations will also involve the process of coding (See Babbie 2008:361-368). Check out examples of content analysis on DIIGO for some inspiration here.

4)     Analysis of Data:

Analysis of data is the key moment where you can link social theory and data. There are a number of ways in which this can happen. I like to think of it as a process of Noticing, Collecting and Thinking (Seidel 1998). See here for a complete outline.

In this section your literature review and your choice of paradigm will become crucial.

Outline of Research Project:

The finished paper should contain the following sections. Remember we will be conducting this project as we go along. You are not expected to be fully competent in every section to begin with, so feeling a little lost is to be expected. Remember we’re all in this together, so use the collaborative tools available to you, i.e. DIIGO, the Wikis and BB discussion boards.

1) Statement of Research Problem:

In this section concisely outline your research problem or hypothesis. This can take the form of a question or statement. Thus the relationship between two or variables is being expressed in the form of a question.

Another option is to use a hypothesis – this is simply a statement of the relationship between two or more variables.

Briefly contextualise the problem/hypothesis (i.e. where it fits in sociology and society) and explain why it is important to pursue. Use appropriate evidence where needed (e.g. According to XXXXX bullying is a widespread problem in our society. Furthermore, YYYYY argues that bullying is…. And so on, and so forth. This is very important because a good introduction to the area will capture the reader’s attention.

2) Literature Review:

Construct a literature review that is representative of the key research already conducted in your area. Review a minimum of 10 peer reviewed articles and texts. It is of crucial importance that these text/articles are peer reviewed. The literature review should identify the main theoretical developments, any theoretical or research gaps and general background information on your subject area. You are also permitted to use non-peer reviewed sources as long as you explicitly acknowledge this and are aware of their limited purpose. These sources do not count towards the minimum 10 mentioned above. Please see here for an excellent guide to constructing a literature review:

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html

Remember you are assessing what research has already been done, so a literature review acts much like a summary. At this point, you are not adding to the body of work; simply put, you are evaluating what has already been done. This may or may not have ramifications for your original research problem, so watch out for this!

3) Methodology:

Describe in detail your research method or how you are collecting your data. Are there pros and cons associated with this?

Identify the key variables in your hypothesis and explain the causal relationship between them.

Describe the processes of conceptualisation, operationalisation and outline indicators and dimensions.

Explain if the research is nomothetic or idiographic

Explain if the research is inductive or deductive.

Identify your data source(s) and how you went about sampling. Are there perhaps limitations here or are you happy with the size and scale of the data collected? How did you collect your data?

Consider and address the potential ethical issues that may arise in your research.

4) Presentation of Data:

Present the key findings of your research. This section can be considered to be descriptive; you will be describing your results and how you came about them.

5) Analysis:

Describe the means of analysis the research employs and why these are used? i.e. descriptive, exploratory etc.

Analyse the significance of your findings in the context of the literature review conducted above and in the light of your research statement and hypothesis.

6) Bibliography: Construct a bibliography using the ASA style.

Note: All citations must be completed using ASA style guide. Please see BB for a guide.

7) Present your paper on your Wiki no later than 5pm June 24^th.

Reflection:

Students were expected to use DIIGO to share their ongoing research in terms of their literature reviews and their data collection. I used DIIGO to share multiple examples of peer-reviewed content analysis articles with the students. We also had a number of discussion board exercises that used these articles. Also, each student was expected to update his or her Wiki on an ongoing basis. The aim here was to promote further collaboration.

So, how do it go? The results were mixed. For the most part, I found that the main issue I encountered was persuading all of the students to consider this assignment a six-week long project. Thus, we did not exactly hit the ground running and a great deal of frittering ensued. Because the course was asynchronous students were for various reasons wary of publishing work on their Wiki’s before their classmates did.

Frittering revolved around students signing up for DIIGO. There were numerous instances where students simply could not sign up. In the future, I would certainly make this activity a part of our first face-to-face meeting. Secondly, when students did sign up and began to bookmark, the age-old issues of what a peer-reviewed source is and what constitutes a literature review and data collection raised their heads. Luckily, I signed up for updates on DIIGO and could monitor and assess what students were bookmarking. I could also keep abreast of work via the student’s Wiki pages. Together this meant that the final assignment did not contain unwanted material. I certainly think that DIIGO when correctly used has the capacity to be very, very useful. The Wiki acted as a great complimentary tool. I could actually see and very promptly react to the work students produced. To overcome the frittering issue next time I would employ multiple deadlines instead of the final deadline. This of course was not so much a technology issue then as a problem with my assignment structure.

Overall, I also questioned my assumption that students are uniformly technologically savvy. There is great variation across the student body in terms of their capacity to use technological resources like DIIGO. I had naively presumed that they would take to it without any problems. Similarly, there was the wider issue that students taking blended classes for the first time are unaware of the norms of the virtual classroom, especially the prerequisite for working independently. In as much as I need to adapt to the blended classroom so too do the students. Perhaps, a short course for students on what learning online involves might go some way to alleviating some of the issues I experienced this summer.