The stuff they hate to love:

Engaging graduate students in

required research courses
Mid-term e-portfolio

Elspeth Slayter, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Salem State University
 Mid-term e-portfolio
 Access to the Internet required to view all
elements of this portfolio

 See “click here” hyperlinks to essays, and other

items posted on my FLC blog or related websites

 Caveat: First time preparing an e-portfolio, have

tested all links, apologize if there are any bugs
 Table of contents
I. Intro to SONAR FLC
II. Teaching philosophy
III. Context: Overview of course, students,
curriculum
IV. Before and after
V. My own learning objectives
VI. FLC inspirations Planned innovations
VII. Achieving the objectives
VIII. Plans for analysis of student learning, feedback
IX. Plan B
 I. Intro to SONAR FLC
 Supporting Students Overcoming Negative
Attitudes About Research
• Specifically: Required research courses

 Focus on graduate students

 Focus on human services students

• Social Work (focus of this individual project)
• Occupational Therapy
• Education
 I. Intro to SONAR FLC
 Explanatory haiku from May
2010 meeting:

Sonar pings the signal

Critical consumers-
Get high on research!
 I. Intro to SONAR FLC:
Why SONAR “resonates” with me
 Image on previous page resonates because…
• It’s about engagement

• Need to consider nature of original wave, reflected wave –

and patterns it creates

• By nature a reflective process

• To some extent process moderates/mediates hierarchical

professor-student relationship to foster engagement in
required research courses
 I. Intro to SONAR FLC
 High anxiety about required research courses
among human services graduates

 Inspired by need to foster increased

engagement

 Often felt I spent more time managing anxiety

than facilitating learning…
 I. Intro to SONAR FLC

Yet in the end, all

FLC members did not
Began with plan approaches had
embrace a true CBPR
focused on community-focused
approach in project
community-based part elements, click here
icipatory research design
for more commentary
 II. Teaching philosophy
 Previously-crafted teaching philosophy for this
course
• For the full essay, click here

 Key elements:

• “Research as a second language”

• Need for “translation,” “de-mystification” and “starting

where the student is.”
 II. Teaching philosophy
 Why not a new teaching philosophy?

 Realized old teaching philosophy still fits

 Needed a new framework or lens for the course

 Chose: “Evidence-based social work practice”

• More on that in a moment…
 III. Context: Students
 Social work students do not come to this
program to “do math”
• Even though research is MORE than math

 Used to believing what they read, hard to break

out of mold into critical thinking mode

 Approach class with anxiety, sometimes

hostility
 III. Context: Existing course
 Introductory course:
• Art & science of literature review
• Use of library resources
• Introducing basic research methods, statistics
• Preparing for year-long research projects
 Product = community-based research project

 Required in graduate program in social work

 Very traditional (read: students think it is BORING)

syllabus (see Appendix A)
 III. Overview: New course
 Retains focus of existing course (see Appendix
B)

 Changes approach to reading, in-class work,

assignments, textbook

 LENS/FRAMEWORK for teaching the course

shifts
• Evidence-based practice
• Mirrors the “process” of a social work “case”
 III. Overview: New course
 What is
evidence-based practice?

 A process of considering
existing research, one’s own
expertise and client/patient
values in approaching social
work practice
• Click here for more details on
how I conceptualize “EBP”
 III. Overview: New course
 Why evidence-based practice as a lens/framework?

 Integrates two key curriculum elements: research, social

work “practice”
• I.e. screening, assessment, engagement and intervention of social
services clients
• Integration also a goal of accrediting body,
Council on Social Work Education

 Creates a parallel process for teacher, learners as

reflective practitioners.

 Also a “buzzword” in social work that needs clarifying!

 IV. Before and after
 Existing course: Research in Social Work (see
Appendix A)

 Re-framed course: Evidence-Based Practice in

Social Work (see Appendix B)
• Name change focused on engaging students from the
start (…and perhaps with a bit of trickery intended
therein…)
 V. My own learning objectives
Global goal Objectives
To integrate 1a. To reduce students’ anxieties and fears about research-related
research content
methods,
statistics and 1b. To increase student interest and understanding of the use of research
social work findings in professional social work settings post-graduation.
practice
content
towards 1c. To foster collaboration between the research and practice faculty at
development the School of Social Work
of critical
thinking 1d. To improve students’ critical thinking skills with respect to
skills critiquing research for use in social work practice
 VI. Innovations
planned for course
 Change in overall lens for course (e.g. evidence-based practice) with input from
faculty that teach practice (click here for how FLC process impacted
development of these innovations)

• Dyad activities: Use of research everyday life; Question formation activity

• Individual activity: Mini-ethnography with applied behavior analysis elements

• Class activity: Practice professor visits class

• Online group activity: Discussion moderated by community partner

• Individual activity: Article critique

• Final assignment proposal response: By community agency partner, practice professor partner

• Individual and group activity: Reflection exercise

 VI. Innovations planned for course:
Linkage to objectives

Informs self-
• Global goal: confidence • Acknowledge fears,
• Integrate research, anxiety
• Objectives:
practice content • Make research
• Reduce student fear,
tangible
anxiety re: research • Link to real world

Informs critical Implementation

thinking of innovations
 VII. Achieving the objectives
Objectives Activity Assessment

1a. To reduce i. Change in overall lens i. Student surveys at start, end

students’ for course (e.g. evidence-based of semester (engagement
anxieties and practice) with input from faculty questions)
fears about that teach practice
research- ii. Use of weekly (i.e. each
related ii. Dyad activity: Use of research e class session, 1x per week)
veryday life
content check-ins/temperature
iii. Dyad activity: Question formati readings re: relevance,
on activity comprehension of material
(anonymous surveys with
iv. Individual activity: Mini-ethnog Likert-scaled questions)
raphy with
applied behavior analysis eleme
nts
 VII. Achieving the objectives
Objectives Activity Assessment
1b. To i. Change in overall lens for course (e.g. i. Student surveys at
increase EBP) start, end of semester
student (engagement
interest and ii. Class activity: Practice professor visits questions)
understanding class
of the use of ii. Use of weekly (i.e.
research iii. Online group activity: Discussion moder each class session, 1x
findings in ated by community partner per week) check-
professional ins/temperature
social work iv. Final assignment proposal response: By readings
settings post- community agency partner, practice prof
essor partner
graduation. iii. Innovation-specific
v. Individual/group activity: Reflection quick responses (same
exercise (click here), discussion of social methods as above in
location (click here) ii).
 VII. Achieving the objectives
Objectives Activity Assessment

1c. To foster i. Change in overall lens for i. Student surveys at start, end of
collaboration course semester (engagement
between the questions)
research and ii. Class activity: Practice profe
practice ssor visits class at least once ii. Use of weekly (i.e. each class
faculty at the session, 1x per week) check-
School of iii. Final assignment proposal ins/temperature readings re:
Social Work response: By community relevance, comprehension of
agency partner, practice material (anonymous surveys
professor with Likert-scaled questions)

iii. Innovation-specific quick

responses (same methods as
above in ii).
 VII. Achieving the objectives
Objectives Activity Assessment

1d. To i. Change in overall lens for i. Student surveys at start, end of

improve course semester (engagement
students’ questions)
critical ii. Dyad activity: Question
thinking skills formation activity ii. Use of weekly (i.e. each class
with respect session, 1x per week) check-
to critiquing iii. Individual activity: Article ins/temperature readings
research for critique
use in social iii. Assessment of grades on aspects
work practice iv. Individual/group activity: of article critique
Reflection exercise (click
here), discussion of social
location (click here)
 VIII. Plans for measurement of student
learning
 2 approaches to measurement of student
learning
• Grades
• Attendance/participation
• In-class data collection

 Remaining question: Is measurement of

grades and attendance/participation fair as a
measure of student learning? Is this pie-in-the-
sky?
 VIII. Plans for measurement of student
learning
Table 1: Grades, attendance and participation  To achieve this plan, I
would use the approach
New course
Traditional
course I piloted a few years ago
Variables
N=X N=X Independent
samples t-
(click here)
test
N (%) or M N (%) or M
(SD) (SD)
 Results in reports by
Attendance rate student about “grades”
GPA on mid-term for each learning
GPA on final
assignment objective
GPA on class
participation
• To be shared with
*p< .05; **p< .01; ***p< .001; students
 VIII. Plans for measurement of student
learning
i. Use of weekly (i.e. each Example: Circle the number that reflects
your comprehension of today’s discussion
class session, 1x per topic
week) check- 1 Totally irrelevant
ins/temperature readings 2 Almost all irrelevant
ii. Comprehension
iii. Anonymous surveys 3 Somewhat relevant
with Likert-scaled
4 Mostly relevant
questions
5 Extremely relevant
 VIII. Plans for measurement of student
feedback
 2 approaches to measurement
of student learning
• In-class data collection:
Focused on relevance vs.
comprehension, see table to
right
Example: Circle the number that reflects
your views on the relevance of today’s
discussion topic to social work practice
1 Totally irrelevant
2 Almost all irrelevant
3 Somewhat relevant

• Paper surveys at start, end of 4 Mostly relevant

semester
 See exemplar table shell on next 5 Extremely relevant
slide
 See link to draft survey, next slide
 VIII. Plans for measurement of student
feedback
Table 2: Self-reported expectations for engagement before first-class
exercise, pre-test/post-test  Feedback on
Categorical variable
measuring competency as New course
Traditional
course
Odds engagement
ratio
high/low reduced from N=X N=X test
Likert scale answer
(adjusti
For the “pretty” and
structure
N (%) or M ng for 
N (%) or M (SD) gender,
(SD)

readable version of my
GPA?)
My anticipated/actual
level of engagement in
this course is/was...
My comfort level about
data collection
learning about research
methods is/was...
instrument, click here
My comfort level about
• This will take you to a
learning about statistics
is... surveymonkey.com page
My comfort level about
learning new types of
• Note: You will have to fill
things is/was...
out the survey to see it all
*p< .05; **p< .01; ***p< .001;
 IX. Plan B: Not teaching the class I
worked on in Spring 2011
 Plan B, part 1: Collect baseline data on “old” style course (not
taught by me) and collect data next fall on “new” course
 Plan B, part 2: Implement several of the innovations in existing,
advanced course this Spring (and collect relevant data per
previously described approaches)
 Class activity: Practice professor visits class
 Online group activity: Discussion moderated by
community partner
 Final assignment proposal response: By community
agency partner, practice professor
 Individual and group activity: Reflection exercise
 Blog: The stuff they hate to love
 Plan to invite FLC colleagues to blog with me (
www.hatetoloveresearch.blogspot.com)

 FLC members, observers can email postings

directly via this address:
elspethslayter.SONAR.blogger.com