Participatory Action Research

In our blended online (85%) and in person (15%) program, the students work very closely as a cadre. We work hard at developing collaboration and community, because we believe that an experiential demonstration of these processes is much more effective than talking about them. In fact, the entire faculty works diligently to create learning experiences that are consistent with the messages we are presenting. We understand that our actions, as well as our words, are a significant part of the learning context.

The culminating experience of the four semester (year-long) action research course takes place in the last semester, when student projects are showcased. The process of conducting action research encourages students to develop adaptive expertise though self-initiated, collaborative professional problem solving. The goal of this experience is a transformational change in the way our graduates continue to learn from their everyday workplace practice.

We believe you will be able to observe the extraordinary degree of effort students put into their work. We think also that you will see the level of communal support they provide for each other. This is unusual in online courses, where frequently student interaction only entails writing a required number of messages reviewing peer work. We chose instead to work on developing the community bonds of reciprocity in learning circles. The result is that there is a pervasive sense of shared responsibility for the quality of the group.

The descriptions below and the links in the menu to the left will help you understand the process of learning online. There are public and private aspects of the course. The threaded discussions that take place in blackboard, moodle or google groups are private and cannot be shared. However there are course descriptions and some public spaces where students work and you are welcome to explore these spaces.

1) The course descriptions: The first link is for the course syllabi for each of the 4 parts of the course. The syllabus serves as the learning contract between me and the students. Each of the courses builds on what was already learned in the previous course. Depending on what time of the year you look, you will see a combination of the courses from the current and past year. I modify the course each year as I discover new strategies or perfect ones that I have tried in the past.

2) Interact: The next link will take you to Interact, the wikispace of the Center for Collaborative Action Research (CCAR). This is where we discuss strategies and approaches to do action research. It is an open site inviting participation and the goal is to collect different strategies and approaches to teaching action research. Looking through this site and companion CCAR website provides a clear overview of the process of doing action research at Pepperdine University.

3) Learning Circles: The course is arranged in learning circles which support the process of doing action research. These are small interactive groups that where there is both individual leadership and group investment in the set of action research projects.

3) Tapped In, SKYPE, and Second Life. We schedule regular synchronous "text" and voice chats in Tapped In, Eluminate, and Skype Conferences. The link takes you to Tapped In as a demonstration of a virtual space for community building. Skype is voice through the computer and we often use this voice contace for learning circle work. We use Second life to provide an immersion experience in a virtual world. By meeting in a range of settings, students learn the different ways each application shapes the knowledge building process.

4) Mindmaps WikiSpaces: This link opens a wiki that is an important part of our teaching. We use wikis for collaborative projects as well as logistical coordination and knowledge management. You are welcome to look at the work of Cadre 8, 9, 10 and 11. Each semester we engage in collective writing and students also use the site to manage their work and list links to their individual websites.  Students also work in a private wikis (googlesites) as they develop their action research ideas.  You might want you to look at Future Spaces, a cadre 8 student project to teach their peers about a book they read in another one of the courses. This provides an example of students blending their work across courses, which we actively encourage.

5) Center for Collaborative Action Research (CCAR). We have created a number of sites for students to share their work with future cadres beyond the program. We are developing a community of practice around action research by connecting new action researchers with those who have more experience. The best examples of student work (selected through peer review) are featured in the Center. This is a new effort and we are continuing to evolve the web center. All students create electronic portfolios and you can view their work from the the student server.

6) Exhibitions. We will share a sample of videos of exhibitions to enable you to capture the spirit of this capstone event. Exhibitions are the last event during the face-to-face time at the completion of the course. Students use this opportunity to share their work with the academic community.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Margaret Riel or Paul Sparks the Co-chairs for the program. We like to say that our goal is to make you a more powerful version of yourself. We hope you find this program a good match for your continuing education.

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