Amber D. Wolfe

Competency 2: Create Knowledge

 

I chose to use my individual research paper titled “Distance Learning as it Affects Rural Students and Higher Education” from EDCI 513 for all three competency areas and the justifications are outlined below.  In addition, I also pulled in the annotated bibliography from EDCI 660 A as an artifact for the first area of the competency.

 

Demonstrates ability to describe common research methods in Educational Technology

 

Artifact- EDCI 660a Annotated Bibliography

 

Competency- The annotated bibliography for EDCI 660 A was created using 6 sources that I researched for my EDCI 513 paper.  This assignment allowed me to correctly use APA formatting, which I was fairly unfamiliar with, as well as requiring me to synthesize, not summarize, the resources into a concise paragraph that would fit within the length requirements of the bibliography.  As I continue on my educational path, this skill will be something that I will consistently rely upon, and I hope to be able to eventually cite a reference in APA style without having to reference the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

 

Artifact- EDCI 513 Individual Research Paper and EDCI 531 Final Synthesis Paper

 

Competency- This paper allowed me to examine several research methods, not only through the cited resources, but also through personal interviews, video and virtual methods, and keen observation.

 

Demonstrates ability to read and evaluate Educational Technology research 

 

Competency- When researching the topic of distance education for rural areas, I read and summarized 14 scholarly articles, 6 textbooks, and 9 journal articles.  The intensive work required me to identify key themes, locate cross-references for support of ideas, and hypothesize potential solutions to several identified problems.  I was also able to perfect my note-taking abilities, allowing me to easily locate the pertinent information from each source.  This skill will continue to be used as I progress into my practicum project, and will allow me to grow my research skills.

 

Applies research findings to the solution of common problems in Educational Technology

 

Competency- After researching the scholarly articles and textbooks that I used for my paper, I was able to project out from the findings to use my own thoughts on how to best apply the information, and how it could potentially be used in a real-world situation.  The topic has come up in several professional conversations over the past 6 months and I have been able to cite the sources I used, as well as provide factual data and information to those in conversation.