University of Redlands
Adriana Ruiz Alvarado focuses on improving the conditions and increasing the success of historically underrepresented students, particularly with regard to persistence to the baccalaureate degree and to experiences with the campus climate for diversity at both two and four-year colleges. Inherent in this work is also the role of institutional agents in helping students succeed. Her methodological expertise lies in employing rigorous quantitative methods and handling large-scale national data sets to help illustrate experiences of the most marginalized.
Fall 2019 was the first time that Education 644: Introduction to Education Research was offered in the School of Education. Prior to this academic year, all MA in Education students in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration, Higher Education and Student Affairs, and School Counseling had to take two separate inquiry courses focused on quantitative and qualitative methods. Adequately covering the basics of each in a single course has proven to be a lofty task as there is a lot of terminology involved and students need review beyond what is in the textbook. As such, class time has involved a lot of lecture – not my preferred pedagogical approach.
The proposed project would involve recording a series of videos to replace most of the lectures which students can watch before class, allowing class time to be used to answer questions and engage in activities where students can apply concepts. I already use Padlet, Poll Everywhere, Kahoot, and other technologies to review material, but this project can free up class time and allow for more in-depth engagement. The video modules would cover the following:
I will note that there are multiple sections of Education 644 offered throughout the academic year, and I am currently the only tenure/tenure-track faculty member teaching the course. If these videos prove to be effective, I can partner with the adjunct faculty
members who teach the other sections so that their students can also be impacted by the project.
While this proposal is specifically for Education 644, the videos can also serve as supplemental instruction for Education 840: Educational Inquiry for the first-year students in the Leadership for Education Justice doctorate program. I want to launch the flipped
format with one class first to work out any kinks, but eventually see the videos replacing most of the review that takes place in the doctoral class as well. Overall, I envision this project as a first step in flipping the introductory research courses in the School of
Education.
As a result of a flipped format, by the end of the course students should be able to:
