Have a nice Labor Day.
Class Meetings
-The next Wednesday class will meet on 9/7 in Enterprise 174.
-The next Monday class will meet on 9/12 in the Enterprise 420 computer lab. (Walk all the way to the back of the room.) We will use the first part of our session to make sure everyone is able to access the computer tools for the course.
Reading Homework
-Read Booth: Prologue and Chapters 1-2.
-Read Leedy & Ormrod: “What is Research?” from Practical Research: Planning & Design (Course Reader)
-Read Boix Mansilla: “Assessing Student Work at Disciplinary Crossroads."
-Read Graff and Birkenstein: Introduction and Chapters 1-4.
Writing Homework
-All students should Complete Research Log #1 by Tuesday 9/6 at 22:00. Post here to the course blog. (Wednesday students will already know how to do this, but for Monday students and any absentees, I put some instructions in small type below. You can always just email me if it won't work.) Research logs are meant to suit your project’s development, so there are many possibilities: post a comment about a potential idea, a potential source, an assigned text, your feelings about your progress or lack thereof, or post a question, tip, or response to another student. Aim for about 100 words but feel free to post more, or to post additional entries. Cross conversation is encouraged, though please be respectful of other students.
-All students should complete an initial one page Statement of Interest about a potential research topic and
Blogger Instructions
I will be doing a tutorial during the 9/12 class, or you can meet me before or after class. And you can always just email me if you are unable to get the blog to work.
1) If you already use Gmail, Blogger, Docs, Picasa, My Maps, or any other Google product, go to Blogger.com and sign in with that name and password. Skip to step 7.
2) If you have not already sold your soul to Google, now is the time. Go to Blogger.com and click where it says "Don't have a Google account? Get started."
3) The first thing they want is an existing email address and password. You can use your GMU address, your work email, your home email, etc. (This is basically their way of converting MSN and Yahoo customers.)
4) Make sure the "notifications" box is off or you'll get junk mail. Give them a fake birthday but make sure it's before 1990.
5) If you get through to the next screen, you should be signed on. Skip to Step 7.
6) If for some reason you got into the "Create Your Blog now" area by accident, just create a generic blog with any name and design specifications whatsoever. You won't ever use it in this class.
7) Type 390gas.blogspot.com into your browser. You should now be able to post on the course blog. Click on "comments" just below where you are reading now. Scroll to the bottom to where the white box is and you can write your test post, question about the syllabus, Research Log #1, or anything else you like.
8) At some point, Google may send a verification email to whatever email address you gave them. I'm not sure whether or how that comes into play, but I think you need to follow the instructions.
Docs Instructions
About half of you already know how to share me a document on Google Docs. Remember, the address to use is aaron.mclean.winter _at_ gmail.com <--- I can't type the @ there or I'll get spam emails. For the other half, I will show you how to do this on 9/12. But you don't need to actually send me anything on Docs this week, unless you (Lucia) really want to.
Maggie Here.
ReplyDeleteResearch Log #1...
I am kind of at a point where I already have plenty of sources but not all academic article sources. And I have a topic I'm strongly interested in which I am not totally sure how to go about following through with because of my lack of knowledge on opt-outs and the process of the doing a project within the research project.
The study project part of this idea is the topic for a 489 credit I'm looking to do in the spring on Imagery Recall Study with preschoolers.
ReplyDeleteWe'll get you the academic sources. But the other ones can be a good starting point for generating an idea.
ReplyDeleteAndy Ackley
ReplyDeleteResearch Log#1
There are several things swirling around in my head at this point, and several things that I am wrestling with concerning completing my degree. First off, I am apprehensive about these final BIS courses (390 and 490). Up to this point, I have selected courses that I find interesting and have mostly enjoyed them. I have taken the slow route—enrolling in the program in fall 1999—in order to balance my full-time job and family life. This has all worked out well for me. I have earned mostly As, some A pluses, and only 2 A minuses. Most important, I have learned a lot!
My apprehension over this semester stems from 2 sources. The first problem is in choosing my topic. I am worried that I will end up with a topic that I do not have a passion for or that will be too difficult to research. I have e-mailed my advisor/mentor to set up an appointment to discuss some possibilities, but I have not heard back from her yet. My advisor is Yevette Richards Jordan from the African American Studies Department and Women’s Studies. I have taken two classes of hers, and I am passionate about cultural difference, social justice, and how they intersect with legal policy.
My other fear is in over-extending myself by taking 2 courses this semester. I have only taken one course per semester up until now, and that has worked well for me. The reason I signed up for another course is to complete my degree by May 2012. Presently I have completed 112.5 credits. If I earn 3 for BIS 390, 4 for BIS 490/491, then I will have 119.5 credits--.5 short of the 120 requirement! However, I am inclined to ease my concern over this by dropping my other class for this semester, and then only having to concentrate on one source of anxiety—my research project.
Emma
ReplyDeleteResearch Log #1
This Fall I’m taking two classes because I’m planning to graduate in May 2012. My concern was that will it be okay to take another class with BIS 390 ? to my surprise the other class is not writing intensive as 390, and this class compliments 390 so I decided to take both classes . My concentrations are Special Education and Instructional Technology. At this point of time, I’m trying to communicate with my mentor, Prof. Nasser on how to get best source for my topic and some possible ideas about the topic. We are in the process of meeting and talking more. I has not finalized my topic yet,so meeting with my mentor will help me do so.
My BIS contract concentration title is known as Information Assurance, which basically deals with information security. Those working in the government sector have probably heard this term. The disciplines that make up my concentration come from the AIT and ISOM departments. I have some rough ideas for my topic with one being how the public sector should embrace cloud technology to reduce inherent weaknesses that come with the typical fat client/server model. Other potential ideas I have in my head deal with the current methods the federal government uses to secure information systems. In a nutshell they are massive, fragmented and inefficient, thus making it difficult to maintain a secure system while also using more resources than are probably necessary. The second topic I’m not entirely sure about, but again it is just an idea. One potential problem I can see is coming up with valid sources.
ReplyDeleteI am very excited to continue my research in the assistive technology fields as it relates to special education. In my BIS 390 class I was still deciding on how broad I wanted to take the assistive technology concentration but have decided that special education will best suit my goals to continue with the masters cohort in special education. Assistive technology is a field that is growing and can be applied to many areas of education to enhance curriculum. I plan on researching and exploring the production of a handbook for general education teachers that have special education students in the inclusion setting. This handbook can provide information as to the available AT devices both hardware and software that can assist students with disabilities as they access the gen ed classroom. These AT devices are available by the county but many teachers are not well versed in how to adapt them in their gen ed. curriculum. I will be meeting with my mentor to go through some of my questions about this topic but hope that I can go ahead with it this semester.
ReplyDeleteJamie DeMonaco
ReplyDeleteResearch Log #1
The 2 issues I found most difficult to tackle when I last took this class were: creating a research topic that addressed a need that others (as well as myself) would actually be interested in AND finding 20-25 scholarly sources that addressed my topic. My disciplines are social movements, nonprofit studies and policies. I know that I want to have an emphasis on my social movements discipline; when social movements are discussed, current policies are challenged so it is easy for me to tie those two disciplines together but when I try to add my nonprofit discipline, I find that my research topic has to be molded in a direction that I do not want to go because I HAVE to include the nonprofit studies discipline. I would like to find a way to address the nonprofit studies discipline without it having to carry a heavy emphasis within my paper.
These are the following topics I am playing around with as well as the foreseeable issues I see with each of them:
1. How nonprofits restructure society/ social norms and affect public policy
The emphasis here is on nonprofits which I am less interested in now, thus will lose interest in my research and procrastinate on my research.
2. How social movements towards democratization impact world resources and why nonprofits prevail when governments fail
I think this is interesting but I don’t think the wording of the topic is as tight as it could be plus, this has a greater focus on nonprofits.
3. How to work within government policies and utilize nonprofit organizations/ nonprofit organization practices to create effective social movements
I REALLY like this topic as of now and think that this interesting and that I can create a convincing case as to why this knowledge is important. My only concern is finding scholarly sources that are relevant.
4. The dangers of corporate and foundation funding for nonprofit organizations and why utilizing social movement tactics and grassroots fundraising create more-effective nonprofit programs
This could be a really interesting topic as I have already done some reading on this subject but almost all of the material I read was from popular sources and it was very difficult to find scholarly sources; it seems that currently this is not yet a big issue within the academic world.
Lucy Paschalides
ReplyDeleteResearch Log #1
My Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) will be titled Business and Event Management. My BIS program will consist of two concentrations; the first is Tourism and Event Planning with a minor in Business Management. Currently, the Tourism and Event Planning interdisciplinary program allows me to become more marketable in the competitive Event Planning industry.
I haven’t started my research or know how I will begin but I do know it has been a dream of mine to someday own my own business. I have strong interpersonal skills and on completion of the BIS coursework I want to have a business plan in hand so I can start that dream. I ultimately want to be responsible for my own destiny and yet give something back to the community for social good. It is a passion of mine to work for non for profit organizations
K. Taylor
ReplyDeleteResearch Log #1
Like Tom, I also found the readings helpful. I have a better understanding of the type of questions I need to ask and the approach I need to take when conducting research and writing.
I am still trying to decide between two possible topics. One explores the ramifications of baby boomers retiring at the same time. What would that mean for the workforce, social security and healthcare? The other topic explores the issues of an unprecedented number of older adults with chronic medical and mental health conditions and not enough qualified professionals in field of gerontology to care for them. Are universities, institutions and employers doing enough to emphasize the value of education and training in area of long term care and gerontology?
Research log #1: I am doing a BIS honors project, so I will be designing a research study that I’d then carry out in BIS 490. In previous classes, I’ve been collecting research sources and writing about them. In my BIS 489 class (this semester) I’m working to present information to parents on a website. In my final project, I want to test these materials to see if parent well-being improves when they have access to reliable information as well as support (discussion groups). For the study I plan to recruit expectant parents and randomly assign them to the “intervention” group or to the “control” group. At the end of the study, all the parents would be tested on a measure of well-being, and I’d be looking to see if there is a group-level difference between the two groups. As my first step, I will try to identify which outcome measures I want to use. Martin Seligman is a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a leader in the field of positive psychology. He recently moved from a focus on happiness to the more inclusive construct of well-being. I will investigate what measures of well-being he has developed, and compare that to an often-used measure in studies of parenting, the Parenting Stress Index. I know I have to design a project that will meet the standards for human research, and take my proposal to the GMU Human Subjects Review Board. I want to do some more investigation about the requirements and guidelines for human research.
ReplyDeleteJason Gard
ReplyDeleteResearch Log #1
So far my project is in the brainstorming stage of development. I’ve got a couple of ideas floating around in my head, but in the weeks to follow I’d like to narrow it down to just one so I can get moving on the process. When I put together my concentration I wanted to create a program of study that I could put into practice in almost any office setting. I wanted something that would be more marketable to employers than my other degree (Agriculture Technology). Back when I was fresh out of high school that’s what I decided to major in, but now that I’m a little bit older and my situation has changed I’ve decided to change careers. This time around I’m mixing Management and Conflict Analysis and Resolution courses into a major that I’m calling Business Conflict Resolution.
With that being said, one of the ideas I’d put some thought into is looking at how younger college students decide on a major. How they know at such a young age what they want to study as a fundamental basis for their future careers. I understand that this would be a little bit of a reach to tie in both of my concentrations, but it is a subject that sounds interesting to me.
Another idea I’ve been kicking around is my belief that conflict analysis and resolution training for upper management positions is extremely beneficial when trying to manage today’s diverse work population. I feel like this would be the better of the two options when trying to tie in both of my concentrations, but we’ll see how it turns out after looking into both and hearing what everyone else thinks.
(George) I think I posted on the thread for the Monday class? does it matter?
ReplyDeleteGeorge, the threads for the two classes are combined. The thing to watch out for is just to post to the most RECENT thread, but I can always find it anyway.
ReplyDeletetest, test, testing . . .
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteStacy Light
ReplyDeleteWednesday Class
Group Comments on Sample "A" Statement of Interest
The paper was about music administration/management and the author proposed studying a failing musical organization. Overall we felt the paper was good and explained the authors plan well. However there was a significant problem with the paper. It was organized backwards.
Basically, the 2 most important sentences were buried in the middle and end of the paper. As we were reading the paper, we didn't understand why the information we were reading was significant and some group members had trouble understanding the point of the proposal. It wasn't clear until the last sentence of the paper. The train of thought would have been easier to follow if the following 2 sentences/sections had been stated upfront: (1) "Without proper administration , organizations cannot survive... to study an organization that is not thriving could provide important lessons for other [musical] groups." and (2)Learning how to analyze and recommend changes that can improve a non-profit organization, especially during financially challenging times, will offer me additional credibility in the marketplace."
Also, the proposal came off as somewhat "cold-blooded" (I'm quoting one of my groupmates). The author discussed studying the music organization to see the mistakes they make as they fail. However the author made no mention of trying to help the group see the mistakes or even share her findings.
Thanks to all the fluffy bunnies. About your last comment, "share her findings" is the key. (In reality she did help them quite a lot.)
ReplyDeleteDavid Eddy - Research Log #1
ReplyDeleteMy potential ideas for my research and paper/presentation are:
1) Review how pedagogical methods have changed over time. Start off the discussion of ancient times teaching methodologies as an initial reference, then proceed directly to how our country’s teaching methods have evolved from 1607 to present. Articulate different periods in history/policies that have resulted in a change in teaching methods/strategies. Possibly develop a time graph depicting these incremental changes. When all is said in done the last portion (1/3) of the paper will focus on what I believe pedagogy will look like in ten to fifty years from now with the introduction of NCLB/student Inclusion, etc., and the use of existing and futuristic technology.
OR
2) Taking a line out of Booth and Colomb’s book, I am considering also doing my project on the Battle of the Alamo, and why out of all the battles fought in this country, this one has reached mythical proportion Honestly, this is the topic I am most interested in because of my past life experience (yes, I’m referring to reincarnation). A stab in the dark process might include details of the less than one day battle for the Alamo, key players (three for four at a minimum), its comparison to other key battles in our Nation’s history and possible notions/assumptions of why We as Americans must “Remember the Alamo.”
I am waiting to meet with my Faculty Mentor on both topics. We were to meet yesterday at GMU, but it was a wash, literally. That said, I am ready to move forward with either topic, or something suggested that appeals to me.
Group comments regarding SOI paper sample B
ReplyDeleteGroup Members:
1. Robert
2. Mohammed
3. Jamie
4. Jeremy
5. Devin
Overall we thought the paper achieved its purpose in that it offered a possible topic of interest without too much detail. The explanation of the disciplinary components of psychology & management offered a good understanding of what the writer is attempting to do.
Having said that, we felt that the focus on expatriates in non Western cultures should definitely be narrowed to make it easier on the audience as well as the writer. The second paragraph confused us a bit as it listed too many directions on where the research paper might go. However, the final paragraph offered some clarification and stronger indication on some areas of research.
S.O.I. Sample G
ReplyDeleteDense
Get the idea eventually
Gives knowledge to someone who may not know about it
Beating around the bush to get to the main topic
Works better if first and second paragraphs were switched.
Hector Mejia, Research Log #1
ReplyDeleteIn my thoughts I wanted to stay with my original idea of developing a proposal about my job related tasks which involves the support I provide soldiers of the Army National Guard (ARNG) domestically and internationally and given more importance to the Iraq and Afghanistan area. The support I provide is very much related to my concentration of telecommunications, networking, and security. My job daily tasks involves videoconferencing for the Department of Defense and more specific for ARNG to support the military businesses as well as connecting soldiers stationed overseas in war related duty with families at home. Three or four years ago when I began the BIS program the support was more involved and we could see how rewarding the support became. Supporting soldiers by connecting them with their loved ones was pretty emotional and the rewards were very obvious. After families and soldiers have been separated for a long period of time emotions on both ends were very high. These days’ soldiers and their families can get connected by using Skype from their home computer. The job has now become more business related and the support is not as family oriented anymore. For this reason I thought about changing my proposal for the current and upcoming courses. However, it seems that writing about the fundamentals of telecommunications, networking, and security is not longer very pleasing and interesting. Therefore my proposal thoughts continue for a more interesting topic of interest to draw my audience attention.
Thanks again Jeremy for posting the group SOI findings =)
ReplyDeleteMy BIS degree concentration is Biochemistry Studies. I am planning on graduating at the end of Spring 2012. I am leaning towards doing a research on some topic related to medicine. I have been working as a respiratory therapist for several years. With a strong foundation in biochemistry, it allows me to further my profession in healthcare and continue my support for the patient with various illnesses. My research topic will be on some specific disease process and it will focus on the pathophsiology, etiology and research for new and upcoming treatment options for patient.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the Wednesday class. I'm still a little unsure of Google Docs, because I've never used it before. So I just wanted to make sure Fuzzy Bear got the Statement of Interest I shared earlier today?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Stacy
Research Log #1:
ReplyDeleteMy concentration is Global Security and I am interested in the connections of resource scarcity and conflict however, scalars have essentially polarized themselves on this issue. Resources scarcity alone is a broad topic so it seems that looking at terrorism (as opposed to conflict in general) will help me to narrow my focus to a manageable project. I recently found a book in the library on terrorism and development which may help me tie my original idea of scarcity and conflict into terrorism specifically. I have a wide range of starting points based on my coursework however; I am missing data that may help give me the one piece of information or particular insight worth further research. Finally, I have already checked out books from the library and know of other resources but have yet to read them. I really need to delve into these articles and books to find my particular niche for further research.
This is a test.
ReplyDeleteTesting for post.
ReplyDeleteMy interdisciplinary consists of Human Resources & Org. Communications. I had a difficult time narrowing down to a topic because its so much info. online & print for these concentrations. I have finally selected 3 topics relating to employee relations, communications & social media websites.
ReplyDeleteI want to continue focusing on research I'm truly interested in.
testing
ReplyDelete