COURSE NAME: Action Research

COURSE NUMBER: R 7038 COURSE NAME: Action Research TERM: Spring I 2008

INSTRUCTOR: Deborah (Debbie) Shearer RECOMMENDED TEXTS FOR ALL PROGRAMS PHONE: 312-777-7716 Title Action Research: A Handbook for EMAIL: Practitioners [email protected] Author(s) Stringer, E.T Copyright 1996 FAX: Publisher Sage 312-777-7748 ISBN 0761900640 Edition ALT PHONE: Title Action Research Author(s) Stringer, E.T Copyright 1999 REQUIRED TEXTS: Publisher Sage ISBN 0761917136 Title Doing action research in Edition 2nd your own organization Author(s) Caghlan, D., & Brannick, RECOMMENDED READINGS FOR T. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE Copyright 2005 Title Action Research in Publisher Sage Human Services ISBN 1412902479 Author(s) Stringer, E.T. & Dwyer, R Edition Copyright 2005 Publisher Pearson Education ISBN 0130974234 Title The action research Edition dissertation: A guide for students and faculty. Author(s) Herr, K. & Anderson, G. Copyright 2005 Publisher Sage ISBN 0761929916 Edition RECOMMENDED READINGS FOR BUSINESS Title Collaborative Research in Organizations: Foundations for Learning, Change, and Theoretical Development Author(s) Adler, N., Shani, A.B., & Styhre, A Copyright 2003 Publisher Sage ISBN 0761928626 Edition

RECOMMENDED READINGS FOR EDUCATION

This Course Requires the Purchase of a Course Packet: YES NO R7038 Action Research - Syllabus

Instructor Dr. Debbie Shearer E- [email protected] mail Phone 312-777-7716 or Office 219-838-5189 Hours Mondays Noon to 5:30 Tuesdays Noon to 5:30 Fridays 1:30 to 5:30 Other times available upon request Office 350 North Orleans Room 1319 Chicago, IL. 60564

Faculty Biography: Shearer has extensive business experience and education. Her experience includes being a Manager and Scientist at AT&T as well as Lucent Technologies (Bell Laboratories) for over 15 years. As a manager, she planned and implemented documentation and training projects, new technology for the telecommunications industry and worked with people all over the world. Her skill areas include: Business Communications, Organizational Behavior and Development, International Management, Strategic Planning and Project Management. Her knowledge areas include Business Law, Operations, Knowledge Management, Organizational Learning and Business Administration. Further, she taught High School Special Education for 7 years and has worked in public and medical television.

Further, Dr Shearer holds a PhD in Organization Development and a Post-Master’s degree in International Management from Benedictine University. Her Master’s degree is in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University and she had completed as Bachelor’s degree from Ball State University. Her research centers on how people on global work teams communicate, create, transfer and use knowledge. She has presented at many conferences throughout the United States, Denmark, Norway and France. In addition, she is active in the Academy of Management and is a peer-reviewer for a known publication in Organizational Development. She has won a Bell Labs President Quality Award and a Organizational Development Institute International Project of the year award in 2001. Course Description:

The course advances the proposition that the action research approach is a useful paradigm in the field and worthwhile model for dissertation work. Historical, philosophical and theoretical foundations will be discussed, but practical application will be the primary focus simultaneously with learning. This is consistent with an action research approach. Collaboration and group work is also a hallmark of action research so students will demonstrate their abilities to design, diagnose, plan, implement, observe, and reflect in cooperation with classmates. The various roles and skills necessary to be an effective action researcher will be discussed, as well as important issues related to empowerment, contextualization, ethical considerations, and validity.

Required Texts:

Required of all students: Caghlan, D., & Brannick, T. (2005). Doing action research in your own organization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 1412902479

Herr, K. & Anderson, G. (2005). The action research dissertation: A guide for students and faculty. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 0761929916

Publication manual of the American psychological association. (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN: 1-55798-971-2

Note: Obtain the wire bound version, if possible

Recommended Texts:

For all students: Stringer, E.T. (1996). Action Research: A Handbook for Practitioners. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Stringer, E.T. (1999). Action Research (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Recommended Texts:

For Business Students:

Adler, N., Shani, A.B., & Styhre, A. (2003). Collaborative Research in Organizations: Foundations for Learning, Change, and Theoretical Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Recommended Texts:

For Education Students: Stringer, E.T. (2004). Action Research in Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Recommended Texts:

For Behavioral Science Students: Stringer, E.T. & Dwyer, R. (2005). Action Research in Human Services. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office; Adobe Acrobat Reader (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC) 5.0 (MAC) or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus. Goals: Program Outcomes: 1. Research 1.1. Performing – Design, conduct, and justify applied research in a business context using appropriate methodology 1.2. Understanding – Evaluate and apply existing theory and research to current business practice 2. Communication 2.1. Oral – Present orally, complex business information that is concise, clear, organized, and well supported in a professional manner appropriate to the business context 2.2. Written – Present in writing, complex business information that is concise, clear, organized, and well supported in a professional manner appropriate to the business context using required format 3. Critical Thinking/Problem Solving 3.1. Critical thinking – Evaluate relevance of established theory to current business practice and identify gaps in current literature 3.2. Problem Solving/Decision Making – Given a business situation, diagnose the underlying causes of the situation, evaluate possible solutions, in relation to underlying business theory and determine and defend appropriate course of action 3.3. Information Literacy - Conduct an exhaustive literature search from a variety of sources, evaluate the credibility of the sources, and apply that information to create new knowledge 4. Team 4.1. Leadership - Conduct an exhaustive literature search from a variety of sources, evaluate the credibility of the sources, and apply that information to create new knowledge 4.2. Collaboration - Given a case study or business situation collect, assimilate, and disseminate the views of stakeholders 5. Ethics 5.1. Ethics - Given a case study or business situations, evaluate the ethical dimensions of decision situations and personal, social, and corporate responsibility not absolved by market forces 6. Diversity 6.1. Diversity - Given a case study or business situation evaluate the multicultural dimensions of decision situations and multicultural solutions to business situations Course Objectives:

1. Identify the theoretical foundations of Action Research. [5%] 2. Develop practical applications of Action Research. [15%] 3. Investigate the applicability of Action Research in a current work setting. [10%] 4. Develop a professional orientation toward the practice of Action Research. [10%] 5. Collaborate with other students in an Action Research cycle. [20%] 6. Use computer and other technological applications for access to Action Research resources. [5%] 7. Consider and include ethical standards related to Action Research. [10%] 8. Develop an Action Research Plan. [15%] 9. Create an effective Action Research dissertation and professional presentation. [10%]

Course Schedule

Note: This is a blended course so you do not have to do all of the assignments on the class eCollege site. The assignments you will need to do online are presented within the table below.

The design of this course includes both classroom and online sections. Refer to class intranet site for additional information when determining assignment locations and supporting information outside of lecture and in class discussion.

W Assignments e e k 1 Discussion Questions:

1. How often would “taking the context into account” and including the input from others have helped you make a better decision at work or in a project? Comment on at least two other postings.

2. Good communication is essential to implementing models that depend upon feedback loops. Discuss what you should do if the essential condition of good communication does not seem apparent in a setting where you have been asked to initiate an Action Research cycle. Comment on at least two other postings.

3. The action researcher often functions as a resource for people collaborating in a project. What special skills, knowledge, or other attributes do you bring to strengthen your group? Find at least two members of the class who has what you would need and comment on their postings.

Assignments:

1. Application Complete one assignment as directed by the Facilitator and submit to the Discussion Board. a. Begin writing a journal recording your experiences, both group and personal, and email a summary of it to the instructor at the end of the week. Sites that can help include: www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arr/arow/rdiary.html www.engl.niu.edu/wac/reflect.html Also consult the text readings, as well as other resources, related to reflection, meta-learning, and journaling.

b. Good observation skills and openness to the total experience are essential to the Action Research professional. Think about the challenges you would face if you implement an Action Research project in your workplace, and find at least one resource to use to fill the gaps in your abilities. Summarize how you would apply this within an Action Research framework.

See Course Project towards end of syllabus. 2 Discussion Questions:

1. Find one journal article and one article on the Argosy Online database or the Internet that contains a relevant review of literature related to the problem you described in week one. Cite the articles in APA style. Describe three things the authors did well or did not do well. Comment on at least two other postings.

2. Find one journal article and one article on the Argosy Online database or the Internet that contains a relevant review of literature related to the problem you described in week one. Cite the articles in APA style. Discuss the similarities and differences you noticed in the quality of the two resources. Comment on at least two other postings.

3. Action research requires collaboration, and all of you will participate in a group project. Share some of your positive and negative experiences of past team projects. What suggestions do you have to make the group projects in this course go more smoothly Comment on at least two other postings.

Assignments:

1. Application Complete one assignment as directed by the Facilitator and submit to the Discussion Board. a. Write a journal summary recording your experiences, both group and personal, and email it to the instructor at the end of the week.

b. There are numerous instruments available to measure or represent concepts like climate (scales) and context (force field analysis). Identify one to use and apply it to your setting. Share the results and write a summary of how well the instrument worked for you (or how it would have if you could not implement it.)

2. Field Experience Field Experience observations will include any literature, records, passive observations, information sources about the problem and the context for each student’s site. Use the information below to formalize and systematize your observations. a. In the setting, make notes about the physical surroundings, the context of the observation, and the kinds of behavior the setting encourages or discourages. b. As far as the participants are concerned, describe the persons in the setting, their roles, and the number of persons. Explain what brings the persons together and list the persons who are allowed in the setting. c. Note what is going on. Look out for an order of activities. Observe how persons interact with one another and if there are any relationships between persons and activities. d. Note the chronology of the interactions. Note the time when the situation begins, the duration of the situation. Look for recurrence of the situation and if so, how frequently it recurs. See if you can classify the situation into those similar to the one being observed. e. Include subtle elements of the situation in your observation. Things like unscheduled activities, the connotative meanings of words, body language, and any unexpected behavior. f. This information from the field observations will be used in the group discussions to help pick a project for the entire group to focus upon for the rest of the course.

See Course Project towards end of syllabus.

3 Discussion Questions:

1. Making changes and getting stakeholders to accept changes is not an easy task. You want to incorporate an Action Research project in your workplace. What benefits of Action Research could you outline and present to the stakeholders to encourage their support? Comment on at least two other postings.

2. Ethical issues are discussed and addressed in any type of research. We focus on not harming the participants, maintaining confidentiality, not making participation mandatory, not distorting data, and so forth. Action research requires close collaboration between researchers and participants. How will you maintain confidentiality in your Action Research project? Comment on at least two other postings.

3. While doing research in an organization, you will encounter political issues and forces that could undermine the research project or harm others. List five major forces of support and five major forces of resistance you could encounter at your organization or workplace if you began the Action Research project you identified during week one. Comment on at least two other postings.

Assignments:

b. Imagine you are going to do an Action Research project in your setting. Planning needs to include the political forces that are present. Construct a force field analysis to describe the major influences you will need to address. Chose one of them and follow through with developing a plan to address the issue. Write out the plan and share it with the group.

2. See Course Project towards end of syllabus.

4 Discussion Questions:

1. Discuss and evaluate techniques for gathering data in Action Research. Also, discuss the advantages/disadvantages of the techniques.

2. Action Research can be used to identify/diagnose problems and evaluate solutions. You plan the action steps and evaluate the outcomes. Despite the best planning, things do not always go as planned. There will be intended and unintended outcomes. What would you do after your Action Research plan was implemented and interventions were made but the outcomes were not what was intended? Comment on at least two other postings.

3. One thing that sets Action Research apart from other methods of research is the focus on interlevel dynamics. What are the levels of relationship in your organization? Describe the relationship between individuals, teams, interdepartmental groups, and the organization. How will you be sensitive to these relationships? Comment on at least two other postings. Assignments:

b. Prescribing action can lead to creative and locally unique solutions to many problems. Sometimes using a model program for a reference or even adopting it completely may be the solution. Find an example of a model program that addresses your problem, discuss how you would introduce this information into your setting, and then apply it in the diagnosis of your problem. Report the results and share them with your group.

See Course Project towards end of syllabus. 5 Discussion Questions:

1. After reading the articles from the links, discuss controlling for bias when using qualitative techniques of evaluation for your Action Research project. Comment on at least two other postings.

2. After reading the articles from the links, examine the importance of including all stakeholders in the evaluation process as a way of having a more effective and complete evaluation and as a way to encourage participation and ownership. Comment on at least two other postings.

3. After reading the articles from the links, identify what would be important to include in a comprehensive Action Research evaluation. Comment on at least two other postings.

Assignments:

b. The Logic Model provides a useful framework for evaluation that is compatible with Action Research and encouraged by state, local, federal and international organizations from a variety of disciplines. Find at least one example of the Logic Model that can be used in your setting and apply it. You may want to start with searching relevant sites at www.firstgov.com or a foundation like the Kellogg Foundation for good examples. The University of Wisconsin Extension has excellent useable forms and information on applying the Logic Model. List an example of the Logic Model that can be used in your setting and explain how you applied it to the setting.

2. See Course Project towards end of syllabus.

6 Discussion Questions:

1. Issues unique to Action Research dissertations include several shared with qualitative methodologies and other emerging methodology processes. There needs to be flexibility and communication between all parties including the institutional review boards. What roadblocks would you anticipate if you were to propose doing your dissertation where you work? Comment on at least two other postings. 2. Organization support is essential for an Action Research project to be effective, and may be even more critical if it includes a student dissertation research project because of the consequences if not allowed to complete. What could you do to ensure you would have the support necessary to implement an Action Research dissertation where you work? Comment on at least two other postings.

3. Some people question the rigor of Action Research approaches because it does not follow the same path to understanding that an empirical approach does. Post how you feel about Action Research rigor, and the questions that you still have unanswered about it as a valid and acceptable form of research. Comment on at least two other postings.

Assignments:

b. You are presenting at a national conference. Some people claim that Action Research lacks sufficient rigor to be taken seriously in academic circles. From your readings and what you have learned about Action Research, design an outline of responses to give assurances that your project is rigorous and credible.

See Course Project towards end of syllabus. 7 Discussion Questions:

1. Special Considerations for IRB may include some confusion as to who gets or needs informed consent in an Action Research dissertation. If you were a part of an Action Research dissertation for a peer without your knowledge, how would it make you feel? Comment on at least two other postings.

2. Choosing the Action Research approach may involve educating people about the rigor and validity of Action Research as a method of change, learning, and knowledge. What three major points would you select to defend the reasons you would choose an Action Research approach for your dissertation if you were answering the question to your immediate supervisor? Comment on at least two other postings.

3. Most Action Research dissertations do not record an Action Research intervention completely, but rather may focus on two or three action cycles at most. What issues arise when a doctoral student has to consider when their participation is “completed”? Would this be a different concern for an outside researcher than for an inside one? Comment on at least two other postings.

Assignments:

b. Estimate how long it would take you to implement the Action Research project you have been thinking about all during this course. Create a timeline with tasks as if you were going to do it as your dissertation. Make sure you include all reviewing boards and committees.

2. Field Experience Conduct a Field Experience interview where students will identify and address key issues necessary to educate their site about the value, expectations, and requirements to initiate an Action Research dissertation. Each student will summarize the interview into major concerns and areas for posting to the general classroom discussion area.

See Course Project towards end of syllabus.

8 Discussion Questions:

1. Discuss how this course has shaped your thinking about Action Research. Justify your response.

2. Discuss the qualities that are required or desirable to be an effective action researcher. Debate why you think these are important.

3. Justify how your understanding of Action Research has changed as a result of this course.

Assignments:

See Course Project towards end of syllabus.

W Module Topics Readings e e k 1  Introduction to the Process of Caghlan & Brannick Action Research Chapter 1  Theoretical and Philosophical Chapter 2 Foundation Chapter 3  Definitions and Concepts Chapter 5  Cyclical Models of Understanding  Roles for the Action Researcher

2  PREPARE Caghlan & Brannick  Selecting a Topic Chapter 4  Literature Review Chapter 7  Choosing a Framework Chapter 10

3  Setting the Stage Caghlan & Brannick  Planning for Reflection, Chapter 6 Ethics, and Politics  Meta Learning Dick, B. (1996). Managing Change [On-line]. Available at http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/change.htm

4  Gathering Data Caghlan & Brannick  Implementation Chapter 8  Organizational Change Chapter 9  IMAGINE

5  Evaluating the Program Caghlan & Brannick  Process Orientations Chapter 3  The “BIG” Picture Read the articles from the URLs provided below: http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/checklists/constructivisteval.ht m

http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/case1.html#a_c1_i ntro

http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/qualeval.html

http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/reflmech.html

http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/snyder.html http://www.health.vic.gov.au/healthpromotion/hp_practice/ev al_dissem.htm

http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/projectpages/marion/evalframework .doc http://www.nsdc.org/standards/evaluation.cfm 6  Issues Unique to Action Caghlan & Brannick Research Dissertations Chapter 11  Organizational Support  Choosing the Action Research Herr & Anderson Approach Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

7  Special Considerations for Caghlan & Brannick IRB In Conclusion  What an Action Research Dissertation Looks Like Herr & Anderson  Validity and Rigor Chapter 5  Scope of Action Research Chapter 6 Dissertations Chapter 7  Review and Conclusions  Final Project Presentations  Critique and Feedback on Action Research Projects

8  Course Summary  Assignments

Class Project:

Course Project: Title: Action Research Project Overview / Scenario The project for this course, Action Research, will be divided into group and individual assignments. There will be weekly project assignments for groups and for each individual as well. Collaboration, Practical Application, and Reflection will form the cornerstones of the group project. Points for the group project and the individual project will be combined and are a significant portion of the grade.

Group Project Assignments: During the first week of class, you will be assigned to an Action Group. Each group will be responsible for identifying a problem to address, defining it, and then applying each of the phases of Action Research as they are introduced in the lessons. This part of the project will result in the creation of a final PowerPoint presentation. The facilitator will assign a thread for every group. There will be weekly threaded discussions in every group area where all group members will have to participate. These discussions will be evaluated.

Individual Project Assignments: You will keep a journal of your experiences, both team and personal, and e-mail a summary of it at the end of the week to the instructor(s) of the course. The summary should be no more than 250 words comprising several short but carefully crafted paragraphs. It should include important reflections and insights, and must not be a repeat of the course material. For example, instead of saying the team cooperated well in selecting a topic (what the group did), write about how it felt to collaborate, what it encouraged you to think about, how you related the experience to the course, and what you learned about yourself as a person. Your complete journal should be available for review at the end of the course if requested. Reading those areas of the text that refer to reflection and other materials on journaling will be helpful.

Your course project will be divided into a number of tasks related to the weekly content covered in the course. The project tasks are threaded through the project.

Task Listings:

Week 1: Forming a group and defining a problem. Initiate a process to determine what your group will be improving through an Action Research intervention in one group member’s workplace. Each member of the group must describe a problem and issue that lends itself to Action Research from their place of employment or interest. Provide a detailed description of the problem, define the problem, and explain its context. Then go to the group area and post and discuss your problems and issues. Accordingly, begin to form a consensus on the focus of your group project.

Format Your project paper should be in Microsoft Word 2000 or higher. Follow APA 5th edition style. Your paper should be double-spaced and in 12pt font.

Assignment Grading Criteria: Project Maximum Points Described a problem lending itself to action research. 5 Provided a context for the problem. 5 Participated in the discussion by asking a question, providing a 5 statement of clarification, providing a point of view with rationale, challenging a point of discussion, or making a relationship between one or more points of the discussion. Justified ideas and responses by using appropriate examples and 5 references from texts, Web sites, and other references or personal experience. Submitted on time, using correct grammar and spelling. 5 Total: 25

Week 2: Phase I – Diagnosis Apply the Week Two reading and observation assignment to choose a framework for the project. All members of the group will refine their individual problem for the project and share it with the group. Your group will finally choose one problem for the Group Project.

Format Students will have to participate in an online discussion on the topic and will be evaluated on the same.

Assignment Grading Criteria: Project Maximum Points Chose an appropriate framework for the project. 5 Applied readings for the week and fieldwork experience to 5 chose the framework. Described the chosen problem. 5 Provided a context for the problem. 5 Participated in the discussion by asking a question, providing a 5 statement of clarification, providing a point of view with rationale, challenging a point of discussion, or making a relationship between one or more points of the discussion. Justified ideas and responses by using appropriate examples and 3 references from texts, Web sites, and other references or personal experience. Submitted on time, using correct grammar and spelling. 2 Total: 30

Week 3: Phase 2 – Planning List and discuss issues of ethics and politics that would affect instituting Action Research at your workplace. You will first address the political and ethical issues (institutional and personal, supporting and non-supporting factors) you believe will influence efforts to initiate action research in your own work setting. Then, you will develop strategies in the group project site to deal with these influences.

Format Students will have to participate in an online discussion on the topic and will be evaluated on the same.

Assignment Grading Criteria: Project Maximum Points Listed issues of ethics and politics affecting the action research 5 intervention at the workplace. Addressed the listed ethical and political issues at the 5 workplace. Developed strategies for the group project setting to deal with 10 ethical and political influences. Participated in the discussion by asking a question, providing a 5 statement of clarification, providing a point of view with rationale, challenging a point of discussion, or making a relationship between one or more points of the discussion. Justified ideas and responses by using appropriate examples and 5 references from texts, Web sites, and other references or personal experience. Total: 30

Week 4: Phase 3 - Taking Action Prescribe an action and anticipate the results of the hypothetical intervention. After observing and planning, your group will develop a detailed description of what it intends to do and the results (outcomes and impacts) it expects to achieve. It is important to remember that changes happen on many levels with Action Research. Make sure your description is complete. Carry out this discussion in the group area and post a final draft of the actions and impacts in that forum.

Format Students will have to participate in an online discussion on the topic and will be evaluated on the same.

Assignment Grading Criteria: Project Maximum Points Prescribed an action for a hypothetical intervention at the 5 workplace. Anticipated the results of the hypothetical intervention. 5 Described the intended actions in the group setting in detail. 5 Described the expected results of the actions in detail. 5 Participated in the discussion by asking a question, providing a 6 statement of clarification, providing a point of view with rationale, challenging a point of discussion, or making a relationship between one or more points of the discussion. Justified ideas and responses by using appropriate examples and 4 references from texts, Web sites, and other references or personal experience. Total: 30

Week 5: Phase 4 - Evaluation Identify areas of interest to assess implications and the big picture. You should go through the literature for information on evaluation (see related articles) and find information useful to the Group Action Research Project. You will share these resources with your group and create an evaluation plan that reflects the Action Research approach. The discussion will be conducted in the group area and the final plan will be included in the final PowerPoint presentation.

Format Students will have to participate in an online discussion on the topic and will be evaluated on the same.

Assignment Grading Criteria: Project Maximum Points Identified areas of interest to assess implications and the big 5 picture. Provided references for information on evaluation that are 4 useful to the group project. Created an evaluation plan reflecting the action research 4 approach. Submitted a final plan as a PowerPoint presentation on time. 4 Participated in the discussion by asking a question, providing a 4 statement of clarification, providing a point of view with rationale, challenging a point of discussion, or making a relationship between one or more points of the discussion. Justified ideas and responses by using appropriate examples and 4 references from texts, Web sites, and other references or personal experience. Total: 25 Week 6: Dissertation Topic Work on the PowerPoint presentation for final submission. The PowerPoint should be created as if presenting to a peer and management group at work, proposing an Action Research dissertation methodology and enlisting their cooperation.

Format Students will have to participate in an online discussion on the topic and will be evaluated on the same.

Assignment Grading Criteria: Project Maximum Points Identified important points to include in the final PowerPoint 10 presentation. Proposed a dissertation methodology. 10 Participated in the discussion by asking a question, providing a 5 statement of clarification, providing a point of view with rationale, challenging a point of discussion, or making a relationship between one or more points of the discussion. Justified ideas and responses by using appropriate examples and 5 references from texts, Web sites, and other references or personal experience. Total: 30

Week 7: Dissertation Feasibility Complete the PowerPoint presentation and post it in the general discussion area. After posting the final presentation to the general discussion area, you are expected to comment and give constructive feedback on project presentations posted by other groups.

Format Groups will have to post a final PowerPoint presentation of the project to the discussion area.

Assignment Grading Criteria: Project Maximum Points Included all the important aspects of the project. 10 Used a suitable dissertation methodology. 10 Justified ideas and responses by using appropriate examples and 5 references from texts, Web sites, and other references or personal experience. Submitted on time, using correct grammar and spelling. 5 Total: 30

Grading Criteria

Grading Scale Grading requirements A 100 – 93 Attendance/participation 25% A- 92 – 90 Weekly Assignments 20% B+ 89 – 88 Final paper 35% B 87 – 83 Optional 10% Optional 10% B- 82 – 80 100% C+ 79 – 78 C 77 – 73 C- 72 – 70 F 69 and below

Library:

All resources in Argosy University’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.

Library Resources: Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at http://library.argosy.edu. Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at http://library.argosy.edu/misc/onlinedblist.html.

In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosy.edu/infolit/ Resources: E-Journals, Organizations, and Resources on the Web http://www.triangle.co.uk/ear/ http://arj.sagepub.com/ http://arexpeditions.montana.edu/docs/about.html http://www.nipissingu.ca/oar/ http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/jare.html http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/ari/ari-papers.html http://www.springeronline.com/sgw/cda/frontpage/0,11855,5-40528-70-35707890- 0,00.html http://www.emtech.net/actionresearch.htm http://www.parnet.org/ http://www.did.stu.mmu.ac.uk/carn/pubs.shtml http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/intradoc-cgi/idc_cgi_isapi.dll? IdcService=GET_DOC_PAGE&Action=GetTemplatePage&Page=CS_PUBLICATIONS

Webliography

US Federal Government and links to State and Local www.firstgov.gov

The New Teacher's Guide to the U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/pubs/TeachersGuide

ERIC www.eric.ed.gov

Practical Teaching Ideas www.ncte.org/teach

Education Resources www.educationindex.com/educator

Action Research for Information Technology http://www.qual.auckland.ac.nz/action.htm Action Research Electronic Reader http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arr/arow/default.html

An Action-Research Approach to Evaluation Capacity Building http://danr.ucop.edu/eee-aea/AEA_duttweiler.html

Empowerment Evaluation: Collaboration, Action Research, and a Case Example http://www.eldis.org/static/DOC6861.htm

Kurt Lewin: Groups, experiential learning and action research http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-lewin.htm

Areol, Action Research and Evaluation On Line, as a web-based program http://www.uq.net.au/action_research/areol/areolind.html

School Renewal through Action Research http://www.schoolrenewal.org/strategies/i-research-cc.html

University of Strathclyde’s Graduate School of Business http://www.gsb.strath.ac.uk/worldclass/research/showtopic.asp? bhjs=1&bhsw=1024&bhsh=768&bhswi=1003&bhshi=575&bhflver=5&bhdir=0&bhje=1 &bhcold=32&bhrl=-1&bhqt=-1&bhmp=-1&bhab=- 1&bhmpex=&bhflex=&bhdirex=&bhcont=lan&topicid=6&thesection=&subsection=Acti on+Research

WEB Links To Participatory Action Research Sites:

An action-research resource for both students and practitioners http://www.goshen.edu/soan/soan96p.htm

Action Research Electronic Reader: Business as Usual or Action Research in Practice? http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arr/arow/rwortley.html

National Staff Development Council http://www.nsdc.org/standards/evaluation.cfm

Periodicals

There are several periodicals dedicated to Action Research hard copy as well as online. However, if you look at your textbooks, articles on the subject emerge from a wide variety of sources: nursing journals, organizational behavior and management periodicals, leadership and strategic planning, and a host of others across many disciplines. Besides the primary journals noted below, please search your profession’s library for additional information. http://arj.sagepub.com/ http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/jare.html http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/intradoc-cgi/idc_cgi_isapi.dll? IdcService=GET_DOC_PAGE&Action=GetTemplatePage&Page=CS_PUBLICATIONS

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.

Americans with Disabilities Act Policy

It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.

The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity

Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds. Acknowledgement of Syllabus Content

I have read and understand the course syllabus for R7038 University, Chicago. I hereby agree to the terms stated in this syllabus.

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