Review the guidelines for the project below. Note each section of the project, and be sure to visit Canvas for due dates, scoring rubrics, and the submission instructions.
PURPOSE:
Now that you have begun exploring the idea of “research as conversation” and how authoritative voices join that dialogue, you will delve further into a conversation that is occurring in your field of interest. Before forming your own opinion, it is imperative to listen to different points of view. But whose voices should you seek out? You definitely would want to hear from professionals in the field and perhaps scholars who have conducted research on the topic. These voices create a good foundation for the conversation, but they don’t include other perspectives that might be valuable. Often additional stakeholders are holding this same conversation on social media, blogs, or YouTube. During this project, you will identify and evaluate sources you would like to invite to the table to talk about this topic.
TASK:
This project is divided up into 3 parts. Each part will have an assignment deadline in our Canvas module.
Part 1 Identify the voices
Identify an issue question within your field of interest.
Find a professional organization/association in your field. Browse the organization/association website (news, press releases, reports) to identify what is being discussed about this issue. If you find another topic that grabs your attention, feel free to change your issue question.
Use Google Scholar or library databases to find out what research studies have been conducted that help inform the conversation on your issue. To keep your information current, limit your results to 2015-2022. Select 2-3 research studies, read the abstract and skim the rest of the article focusing on who did the research and why. If you have trouble at this point, reach out to our research coach for assistance.
Explore additional perspectives on your topic by searching newspapers, YouTube, and Twitter, blogs, or other social media outlets to find the stakeholders discussing this conversation.
Part 2 Evaluate their authority
Create notes for each voice
Who?
Identify each source, including the author and the publishing organization
Evaluate their authority on the topic (do they have a degree? an important position? experience? etc.)
Explore their reputation–can you identify certain biases or a clear purpose?
Include an APA citation for the source.
What?
Briefly summarize what they have to say about the topic.
Do they provide new information or a unique perspective?
How?
How does the source contribute to the conversation?
Consider their use of evidence/argumentation (new research, statistics, opinions, or even, nothing at all)
How might that chosen format add to the conversation?
Why?
Discuss why this voice is important to the conversation (or why not, if you do not see a contribution)?
Consider perspective, audience, evidence, and other factors.
Part 3 Create and share your dinner table conversation
Using the Genial.ly slide template (included in the guide), build your conversation around the table. Each of the four slides will include 6 guests: (1) a professional association, (2) a scholarly research article, (3) a newspaper article, (4) a YouTube video, (5) a social media post, and (6) one additional source of your choice (consider other perspectives or stakeholders–like, a company website that addresses the topic). Each slide will address one of the four questions that you answered in Part 2 (Who? What? How? Why?).
Use your notes about each source to build your slides. Your responses for each source should be brief (2-3 sentences) and directly address the question for that slide.
Share your findings in a 6-8 minute presentation about your topic. This will include an overview of your chosen issue question, an examination on whether there is consensus or controversy on the issue, what did you learn about exploring information in your field (including important platforms for information)?, and where do you expect the conversation to go next?
Submit a reflection response after completing the project. Prompt will include: Reflect on how we share information with each other? Why would you go to one platform over another? And how is authority constructed?
Criteria for Success:
See Canvas for due dates, submission instructions, and scoring rubrics for each part of the project.