Action Research Progress

Over the last few months my Action Research Project has been dead in the water.  Everyone I've been in contact with has either given me incorrect information or simply pointed me to a different person.  I was starting to think I may need to completely start over with a new project to research and implement, until TODAY!  Thank the lord I finally got in contact with the right person, she was very excited to help me and is allowing me to attend a meeting next Tuesday to get my students set up for their grades and attendance monitoring through the Grades First program.  I am relieved and hopeful that this program will really make a difference my students' academics.

Ready for the future...

During the last three weeks of this course, every time I felt like I was done drafting my plan I would read someone else’s template on their blog or another chapter in our text and realize I could do so much more.  I really enjoyed being able to read other students’ comments and concerns on our discussion board throughout this process.  When I started my first course, I will admit that I thought having to comment on the other students’ discussion postings may be busy work.  I can see now how much my work has benefited from these comments and I am very grateful for everyone's input.  I know I will continue to make changes and improvements to my plan, but I am confident in what I have put together so far.  I think the biggest challenge for me will be making reflections consistently.  I have multiple jobs and a three year old so life can get pretty crazy; I will definitely need to have a scheduled time once a week for reflection.  Otherwise, I’m afraid the end result will not reflect the hard work put into the project.
 
What I've loved most about this course is not only am I getting the opportunity to solve a very real issue in my program, but throughout the few meetings I've had concerning my project I have opened up so many more "wonderings" to explore.  I am meeting with professionals on campus that I otherwise would have not had the opportunity to meet, and learned about projects they are working on that I can apply to my program.  It is very exciting for me to be able to apply what I am learning in school to my job; I feel like this is going to be a huge year for growth in myself and my team.

I would like to be able to learn more about collecting data in a team situation.  I picked a subject for my project where students' grades will be the main form of data, but if I apply this type of research more often to my program I will have to incorporate data that is not as concrete, and maybe takes a little more explaining.

To learn more about this I am planning on networking as much as possible with coaches from other Division I Universities and using the AACCA website as a reference.  In the future, I would like to be able to attend coaching seminars and workshops that I haven't been able to before due to budget issues.

Action research requires us to look for change, instead of waiting for it to happen on its own.  And it demands that we continue to grow as teachers and leaders for the benefit of our students.
 

Week 4 Updates to Action Research

The first issue that caught my eye this week was that everyone, including myself, has expressed concerns about the other professionals involved in their projects.  Maybe we are all control freaks, or maybe we just love our students, but it made me think about what I can possibly do to make sure I am getting the responses I need from the professors involved.  One student pointed out that I need to implement a program that is extremely user friendly.  This made me think that I should be exploring options that our professors are already familiar with at the university. 

I originally wanted to use Blackboard for my project; another student recommended I look into it further because it has the capability to do everything I need.  However questioning revealed what I was afraid of, using Blackboard is not a requirement for professors at Lamar University so there is no way to ensure I would have grades to look at throughout the semester.
I had my first IT meeting Friday to specifically talk about my project and the program options I would have.  I am happy to say we came to an agreement on the Grades First program that the Athletic Department and Advising Center utilize.  It turns out I’ll be able to use it for free because of licensing that was already purchased.  So I killed two birds with one stone!  Funding issue avoided, and program to implement picked out.  I am extremely excited!

Changes:

While completing the assignment I decided to add an initial e-mail that will go out to all professors on campus explaining the program and their need for involvement.

A specific change that came about from reading everyone’s comments is to make sure everyone involved knows what’s going on.  I realized I hadn’t set a specific time to meet with our Stars Program.  This program is where my students will go for tutoring when assigned.  I need to ensure their buy-in to my project by fully explaining the benefits of the program, and my expectations for their involvement.  My site supervisor agreed during our meeting because aside from the actual professors, they are the only other people involved in the project that don't already have direct ties to the participating students. 

Updates to Action Research Plan

After taking a break and reviewing my plan again.  It was clear to me that I needed to add some type of self-reflection.  I want to make sure I have a specific time to ask myself what I can be doing to help support the success of the program I am implementing, and how can I go above and beyond for my students.  I also want to ask the same of my team members.  They are all adults and I expect them to honestly say if they are taking advantage of everything the program has to offer or if they are just blowing it off and praying their grades improve.  I also need to put a protocol in place for when teachers don’t respond to the e-mail prompts and fail to get grades and attendance to me.  How will I handle this to make sure the program is given a fair shot?  I would like to include a survey for alumni who were on the team before we had any program in place.  I also need to explain the other types of data I will be using besides surveys. 

Action Research Template

For my action research project I will be examining what technology program I can utilize to monitor the students' attendance and grades in the extra-curricular program I run in order to decrease the number of lost scholarships and eligibility status.

I would like to implement a program that will benefit the cheerleaders and mascots I work with, as well as their parents, by decreasing the number of scholarships lost due to falling grades and supporting their overall academic achievement during their time at this university.

I will use the cheerleaders and mascots for the 2013-2014 season (roughly 30 participants) to implement the program I choose and compare my findings to the dance team 2013-2014 participants (roughly 30) that will not be using the new technology program.  Right now we use a terrible system of waiting for final grades to be given to us, putting anyone under a 2.5 gpa on probation, and taking away their scholarship until their grades show improvement.  These two programs are very different but all of our students are juggling full-time status, while making over 100 public appearances a year, and working.  Luckily, both of our programs have the same number of participants so I can use everyone.

I am going to begin my research within Lamar University.  Other departments and programs like Athletics, The Academy, The Stars Program, and certain student organizations all have gpa requirements and have some way of keeping track of grades and attendance.   Then, it turns into a matter of if there are other technologies out there that will work better, and require minimal extra work for their professors.  I will be contacting other coaches across the country to see what programs they have in place at their universities, what they like/don't like, and do my own research online.  Once I find a program that my director agrees to, I will implement it into the semester.  I want to have different surveys for my students, during and after the semester to evaluate if the program helped them.  Looking to the future, my supervisor and I would like to be able to implement the program into all of our student organizations at the rec. center if it is successful.

Here is what my template looks like so far...any comments are greatly appreciated.

Action Planning Template
Goal: To determine what technology program I can utilize to monitor the students' attendance and grades in the extra-curricular program I run in order to decrease the number of lost scholarships and eligibility status.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Research and survey other programs and departments on campus that have funding and access to these types of technologies.	Kristyn Henderson	June 2013	Internet Access Survey Monkey	Research and surveys answered the question of what is currently available to other programs on campus.
Research online literature and survey other coaches and directors from outside universities that have access to these types of technologies.	Kristyn Henderson	June 2013	Internet Access Survey Monkey	Research and surveys showed what other top universities are using to address the same issues our program is having.
Survey the 2013-2014 cheerleaders and mascots about the benefits of implementing a grade warning system.	Kristyn Henderson	June 2013	Internet Access Survey Monkey	Surveys show if the participants actually believe early detection of falling grades and poor attendance will be the key to improving their grades.
Create an electronic form on OrgSync where participants (cheerleaders, mascots, and dancers) will sign to give consent to view grades and attendance.	Kristyn Henderson Jason Harrington and Christopher Huebner will assist in making the forms	July 2013	Internet Access OrgSync	Form provides the legal documents that must be in place to gain access to protected student information.
Survey professors on campus who deal with the current programs in place.  What they like, what they don’t, what program requires minimal work on their part?	Kristyn Henderson	July 2013	Internet Access Survey Monkey/Possible OrgSync or Blackboard Survey	Surveys show what programs professors want to be using, have time to keep up with, and what aspects they are looking for in a grade detection program.
Collaborate with my director and choose a program to implement in the 2013 fall semester. Seek advice and develop a protocol for professors who do not respond to the email prompts and deliver grades and attendance records.	Kristyn Henderson Art Simpson	Late July Early August 2013	Technology Program Chosen	Collaboration with the director will bring new life to what I have already been researching and a common understanding of what it is we are implementing and binding our students to for the next two semesters.  We will do some trouble shooting before implementation to better prepare us for professors who do not respond.
Collaborate with the dance team coach throughout the semester while using her team as the population that will not be implementing the program.	Kristyn Henderson Brixey Blankenship-Cozad	August 2013 - December 2013	Internet Access Survey Monkey OrgSync Surveys	Collaboration will give me the other side of the spectrum.  How are her students performing with no program put in place and how many are losing eligibility and scholarships during the semester?
When falling grades and attendance issues are detected by the program, assign mandatory study hall and Stars Program tutoring. Allocate time for self-reflection.  What can I do to go above and beyond to help my students succeed?	Kristyn Henderson Stars Program Personnel	August 2013 - December 2013	Resources offered by Stars Program	Study hall and tutoring will put the program to practical use.  Also, self-reflection at this point of the program will make sure that I, as their coach and mentor, am doing everything I can to help this program make a difference.
Survey all participants, professors, and parents at the end of the 2013 fall semester to evaluate the program. Ask participants to do their own self-reflections.	Kristyn Henderson Brixey Blankenship-Cozad	December 2013	Internet Access Survey Monkey OrgSync Surveys	End of 2013 semester surveys will tell us how the program is performing.  Is there a change from the last three years with no program in place?  Do we need to change anything about the program before the next semester?  The purpose of the participants’ self-reflection will help them focus on their main priority which is school.  Are they taking advantage of the program?
Continue program and research into the 2014 spring semester.  Assigning appropriate study hall and tutoring to students that have falling grades and attendance issues.  Survey all participants, professors, and parents at the end of the 2014 spring semester to evaluate the program.	Kristyn Henderson Brixey Blankenship-Cozad Art Simpson Stars Program Personnel	January 2014 -May 2014	Internet Access Survey Monkey OrgSync Surveys Resources offered by Stars Program	Continuing the research and program into the next semester will give us a better understanding of if it is really making a difference.  During the spring semester the students are performing 3-6 times a week on top on school and work.  Hopefully since we implemented the program in the fall they will have embraced it by this point and have learned to better manage their school work and time.
Conclude research, analyze data, and organize findings into a presentation for director and other program coordinators.	Kristyn Henderson Brixey Blankenship-Cozad Art Simpson	Late May 2014	Data Google doc spread sheet PowerPoint or some other presentation software	Action research report finalized to analyze all data and create a presentation. Findings will lead to implementation for all student organization programs within our department that have grade requirements.  Or further research will be conducted until a better system is in place.