Completing my action research project and report has given me new insight into career planning and action research. Foremost in my thoughts is the idea that action research is like a road trip.
As with any successful road trip, action research encourages us to…
As with any successful road trip, action research encourages us to…
Know where you’re headed and map a route to get there.
You may not know exactly where your action research may stop along the way, but you need to have a general destination in mind. Your plan should be specific enough for you to be able to see if you are hitting milestones, but flexible enough that you make room for detours and side trips. Knowing where you want to go allows you to ask good questions and line up the kind of personal support you need to get there.
Dare to take the road less traveled.
Action research encourages you to look up and be aware. Looking around for opportunities and taking advantage of them can take you places you never thought you could go. In action research there is more than one path to success. Flexibility is strength. If your ideas get “stalled out” for a while, you can simply refocus your ideas and get back on the highway.
Traveling with others may make your trip more memorable and enjoyable.
Some people you travel with may have some directions to help you find your way. Others may just make the journey more fun. Learning circles are extremely helpful in providing a forum where you can discuss your ideas and ask questions.
Conclusion
This year has been the most transformative of my educational career. The MALT program has opened my eyes to new ways of thinking and has solidified my educational philosophy. And for the first time in my career, I feel that I have reached my destination. I have arrived at a career I am passionate about.
Instead of focusing on my day-to-day responsibilities, I am now stopping to reflect on how I can best help serve the students at Carrington in the years to come. I am developing strong relationships with the other faculty and staff members so that I am confident that I have a support system on campus. Finally, I am looking to data to support the effectiveness of my ideas. Data is proving to be a key focus of my position. I am tracking student online grades twice a week and entering it into a spreadsheet that I use to keep the instructors and program directors informed of student progress. All of the Carrington campuses also recently completed a student survey which is proving useful for evaluating our program effectiveness. The data from that student survey also affirmed that the students are pleased with the addition of the Student Success Center to the campus. The students indicated that they are very pleased with the new spaced and with the services I am providing.
Along with establishing a support system for the students on campus, I have set myself apart as an educational technology integrator. I have introduced the faculty to prezi.com as a tool to use instead of PowerPoint. I have also introduced popplet.com as a brainstorming tool they can use to review material for tests. Recently, I went to each Vet Tech class and gave a short presentation on studyblue.com, a website that allows you to create (or share already created) digital notecards to replace paper notecards (as well as utilize the information on the cards as a study guide or create a quiz). It is already becoming a popular web tool for the students.
I am so pleased to have finally settled into a work environment where my educational philosophy and my strengths are appreciated. Every day, I am reminded in small ways that my efforts to improve student success are appreciated by students and staff. Action research has become an invaluable tool in developing my role on campus. As I continue down my career path on campus, I plan to utilize the tools I have learned from action research. In particular, I plan to continue to foster positive working relationships with my coworkers to reflect on my actions and plans for potential long-term student success benefits.
Instead of focusing on my day-to-day responsibilities, I am now stopping to reflect on how I can best help serve the students at Carrington in the years to come. I am developing strong relationships with the other faculty and staff members so that I am confident that I have a support system on campus. Finally, I am looking to data to support the effectiveness of my ideas. Data is proving to be a key focus of my position. I am tracking student online grades twice a week and entering it into a spreadsheet that I use to keep the instructors and program directors informed of student progress. All of the Carrington campuses also recently completed a student survey which is proving useful for evaluating our program effectiveness. The data from that student survey also affirmed that the students are pleased with the addition of the Student Success Center to the campus. The students indicated that they are very pleased with the new spaced and with the services I am providing.
Along with establishing a support system for the students on campus, I have set myself apart as an educational technology integrator. I have introduced the faculty to prezi.com as a tool to use instead of PowerPoint. I have also introduced popplet.com as a brainstorming tool they can use to review material for tests. Recently, I went to each Vet Tech class and gave a short presentation on studyblue.com, a website that allows you to create (or share already created) digital notecards to replace paper notecards (as well as utilize the information on the cards as a study guide or create a quiz). It is already becoming a popular web tool for the students.
I am so pleased to have finally settled into a work environment where my educational philosophy and my strengths are appreciated. Every day, I am reminded in small ways that my efforts to improve student success are appreciated by students and staff. Action research has become an invaluable tool in developing my role on campus. As I continue down my career path on campus, I plan to utilize the tools I have learned from action research. In particular, I plan to continue to foster positive working relationships with my coworkers to reflect on my actions and plans for potential long-term student success benefits.
“We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”
― Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead