Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye
-DOROTHY PARKER
My doctoral journey began with the intent of helping students in my classroom, but has evolved into recognizing student needs across the world. It not only changed my perspective, but also my career trajectory.
During this program, I have purposely changed careers to better understand and develop materials that will service my students’ needs; I stepped out of the classroom and into academia to find that these solutions do not exist. This is my scholarship philosophy; you must go where the answers take you, even if that place is unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Creativity and curiosity drive me to find new solutions, while the discipline and rigor of academia force me to be purposeful and intentional in my pursuit of answers. The quote above rings true to me, as I have had to learn to effectively focus my creativity within the confines of academia.
In my exploration of differentiated assessment techniques, I’ve found that there is still much to be implemented in an online realm. It has taken some time for me to find a way to articulate that need; I knew that the education field has a large body of assessment research, but the idea of multi-modal assessments within a learning management system is still unexplored. The potential exists, yet in my personal experience, limited instructors choose to utilize it. This raises many so many questions, and I want to discover the answers. Are these features being used, and if so, how? Where is the research?
A Paradigm Shift
My intention is to marry these these concepts into a new framework that can effectively assess physical skills via a learning management system, while promoting student voice, autonomy, and creativity. I believe that my research has the potential to shift educational paradigms. While the concepts are familiar, I am curious if this alternative approach has the ability to unlock higher levels of student succcess in vulnerable populations.
The following video explains my initial research thoughts based upon my findings in the literature. However, after further research, I’ve decided to modify this proposal due to emerging research questioning the concept of “learning styles.” Rather than identify specific learning styles, which has proven problematic, I have chosen to target assessment styles, student choice, and student demographics.
Next Steps
The literature review for this topic encompasses several fields of education, technology, communication, and psychology. It requires a systematic analysis with a deep dive into multiple disciplines. In an effort to simplify and contain the concepts, I intend to narrow the focus to a rubric-based skill assessment delivered via a learning management system.
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CONTINUE LITERATURE REVIEW & GLOSSARY
Estimated Completion: Spring 2021
There are an excessive amount of technological terms that must be defined and clarified, and I want to incorporate cognitive load, multimedia theories, and human performance theory within the research. I also need to further explore assessment research, particularly rubrics, as this is the area with the most potential to be contested. My goal is to have this completed by the end of the 2021 semester, along with my official proposal, so that I can request my IRB and begin the next phase.
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RESEARCH DESIGN
Estimated Completion: Fall 2021
I would like to have my research pilot materials prepared ready to deploy by the end of the summer. This step requires the co-design of an online course with a faculty member, as well as a rubric and assessment design. I have several faculty members who have volunteered to participate in my research.
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RESEARCH DEPLOYMENT & PUBLICATION
Estimated Completion: Spring 2022
Upon deployment of the course, I intend to analyze the data and prepare my findings. I intend to submit the findings to several peer-reviewed journals. Both ISTE and Adobe have expressed interest in my research. Depending on the results and my ability to validate my methods, I have been invited to publish in their industry publications as well.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
It can be difficult to articulate my research goals, but ultimately, I’m hoping to answer:
If students are given a technological choice of assessments with the freedom to express their content mastery using their own creative voice, will we see an effect on both student success and engagement?
There are several layers of complexity in this question, so I have decided to start my research on a smaller level, and work towards the final question. If the assessment piece doesn’t produce an effect, then the rest of the question may be irrelevant.
Evidence of Scholarship
The following items are examples of products I’ve created within the ISDT program. While they may not directly reflect my potential research, they were an integral part of the journey to discover the path I’d like to pursue. Each assignment allowed me to further clarify the hypothesis I was struggling to define.
ONLINE LEARNING AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
This literature review is an exploration of the connections between online learning and physical education, with particular focus on where online assessments stand withing learning managemnt systems.
Currently under peer review for publication in “Online Learning”
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN THEORY: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY FIELD
This literature review explores the connections between similar fields, demonstrating the need for consistent terms to unite instrucitonal design research in a cohesive, all-encompassing field.
Currently under peer review for publication in “Issues and Trends in Learning Technologies”
READ THE PAPERA MULTI-MODAL APPROACH TO ONLINE ASSESSMENT
This was my initial research proposal. Due to emerging research concerning learning styles and the validity issues surrounding the VARK questionnaire, I am currently revising this proposal with the intent to publish by the end of November 2020. The new proposal will be titled “Assessing Kinetic Skills in an Online Environment.”
READ THE PAPERBUILDING TECHQUITY: OVERCOMING EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE OBSTACLES
This faux “magazine” was developed as a communication tool to help organizations address the issue of technology equity, a relevant issue to my future research.
VIEW THE RESOURCE