Originally published here.
This week we learned how to evaluate the validity and the reliability of research. After learning about internal and external validity and about determining reliability, we were asked to hone our new knowledge by applying it to the research that we did as a group. We then were asked to write up a paper than explains our evaluation process.
There was a lot of learning for this week. To be honest, I did not conduct very much research in college. It seems to me to be a missing piece in my college education. I don't have a Master's Degree so I never wrote or presented a dissertation. I am still surprised that I did not have a research project that demanded such close consideration and scrutiny in college.
Research is challenging and time consuming. Evaluation can really be shocking especially while noticing the flaws in the work you have conducted. Developing critical thinking is so valuable because it can not only shed light on the work of others, it can help you by preventing weakness in research in the first place.
These exercises have been very engaging for me. This course has been a great challenge. I am proud of the work that I have done so far and pleased with the learning. I am enjoying using the tools for publishing and communication to great effect. It is nice to have a purpose when learning. So far I have expanded my knowledge in the use of Twitter, Google Docs, HTML, Markdown, the Web, YouTube, Open Badges, and Open Courses.
As a teacher, this has been valuable for me because I am crafting a course in online literacy for next year. I have bookmarked many of the resources that we have used in this course to apply to my course next year. Thanks to the "Open"nature of this class, this is not only allowed but encouraged.
I am finding a great deal of value in this course.