Educational Research Design Module (Week 7)
The following is a reflection on the Tuesday morning class that took place on 30th May 2017 from 10:00 to 13:00 using Gibbs Reflective Cycle.
Description
THIS WEEK: Presentation of Past Graduates Work (Part 1); Ethics in Research (Part 2)
NOTES: from today’s class…
PART 1
PART 1 – 10:00 – 11:15
Presentation of Past Graduates Work
Room 2069
Padraig McDonagh
Applied Research Methods
He uses software called Packet Tracer in teaching Networks.
He teaches using: Concepts, Theory, Simulation Software
Screencasting to reduce interruptions in class. He used the Active Presenter software. He used unlisted YouTube videos. There are very good analytics.
Research Question:
FROM: Can screencasts improve performance in using simulation software to lean computer networking
TO: Can screencasts aid student’s use of software in learning computer networks?
Papers on cognitive load, simulations software, screencasts, research (Grix 2010)
Websites http://www.infed.org
“I have adopted a post positivist approach to my research.
Action Research
Create some screencasts
Release them to students
Get feedback on what works / what doesn’t
Records views/usage
Refine the screencasts
Produce second set of screencasts for more advanced tasks
Get feedback
Surveys
– Likert scale
– Open to all students
– Anonymised through Google Forms
Metrics
– Google analytics to record page views
Data
– ???
Creating quality screencasts
Getting students to take the survey (approx. 100 first year computing students)
Analysing results from Google/Surveys
Missing a key piece of information
Ethics approval
Google Forms (he would use this again). Good spreadsheets.
Please agree to,the following before proceeding:
(Getting them to agree
Note: I like the way it displays the comments beside (to the right of) the graphs.
Note: He used a mobile phone for recordings of focus groups and he did his own transcripts.
Note: He said that if he was to do the research again, he would do more focus groups and for longer duration.
What did he learn?
Test, test, test your survey questions.
Make sure your questions aren’t leading.
Focus groups are a wealth of information.
Data collection is tough if you don’t plan ahead.
A critical friend is very valuable.
Presentation of Past Graduates Work
Room 2069
Jennifer Burke, DIT Bolton Street
Methodology: Action Research
4 sessions of pre-test and post-test.
She also used surveys.
Reflective Journals.
Note: She gets a lot of views of her SlideShare presentations.
Note: She thinks Pinterest is great. She and her students upload a lot of material there.
She had her journal paper published in AISHE (All Ireland Society for Higher Education).
Caitriona Ní Héigh
PART 2 – 11:30 – 13:00 (Dr. Frances Boylan)
Ethics in Research
Room 5037
What is a human participant?
– Living human beings
– Human beings who have recently died
– Foetuses
– Embryos
What type of research will you be undertaking?
Note: Interviews, Surveys and Focus Groups
Note: I will probably be using mixed methods.
Different types of participation.
– Covert research (observing people who don’t know they are being observed for research purposes)
– Indirect or passive research (research on pre-existing data)
– Direct or active research (people actually involved. Clinical trials, filling in surveys, giving interviews, etc)
Research ethics is the application of moral rules and professional codes of conduct to the planning, conducting and reporting of information about research subjects.
Three codes that are appropriate:
– ???
– ???
Code of Ethics / Ethical Guidelines
1. Informed consent
I need to say what my research will be for.
Hand out an information sheet to my participants.
Detail purpose, method, possible outcomes (conferences, papers, etc), how much time they will need to devote (say 3 interviews over 5 weeks) e.g. survey and interview would be called material information.
Participants have to be volunteers.
Permission in relation to recording and transcribing.
Permission to have it published.
Have a couple of lines at the start of the survey stating that they agree to participate. Organise the survey so that they can’t continue past the first question if they say ‘No’ – they don’t consent.
2. Harm
This can be emotional harm, damage them socially, damage their reputation. Allow participants to withdraw at any point.
3. Confidentiality & Protection of Identity
Data should be anonymised. Storage of data. Encryption.
4. Conflicts of interest
5. Disclosure
…of confidential information.
N.B. I WILL NEED TO FILL OUT AN ONLINE RESEARCH ETHICS APPLICATION. THIS WILL BE IN TODAY’S POWERPOINT LECTURE.
https://form.jotformeu.com/…..
Note: You must have the Ethics Committee approval for publishing papers and conference proceedings.
Research Ethics Decision Tree for Educational and Teaching & Learning Projects.