Other Reminders: Iris brought something to my attention about the recommendations given in the "creating a proposal" document that might explain some of the confusion I saw last night. It says the methodology explains "how you came to choose this project," or something like that. That's not right. What it should say is, given that you have already explained project choice in the introduction, your methodology explains how you plan to conduct the project and why you chose this method or plan instead of some other method or plan.
As indicated in the last session, the time I will be sitting down to review your draft proposals in detail is the weekend following Thanksgiving (Nov. 27-28). So most of you should think of that as a formal deadline for the complete proposal. Whatever suggestions I give you at that point could then be implemented by the end of the semester. (You should still shoot for Dec. 8 so you can enjoy yourself at the bar! But I am going to a wedding in Alabama soon after and can't actually review anything until Dec. 12). For those of you struggling to meet the Nov. 27-28 deadline for whatever reason, the absolute minimum would be a revised project description and literature review, and then we'll try to race you through the remaining steps.
Gail's Research Log 9 – Reflections on Lessons Learned - Part 1
ReplyDeleteI remembered how research-challenged I felt when I first began this process. My first official foray to the library to search for sources felt somewhat virtuous, if only because I was pushing that fear aside and delving into something that I knew would be a challenge for me. Thankfully, Mr. Killian – a kindly gentleman – was on duty at Fenwick Library that day. We talked through a few ideas, and this gave me my start and a mini boost of confidence to move forward. However, the first sources I produced were less than stellar, and I realized that I needed to delve much further and work harder to locate better sources.
The processes of creating a statement of interest, a project description, a concept map, and a list of 25 questions related to my topic taught me how to focus my topic, and examine that topic from various perspectives. During this process, I learned what I had already suspected – writing a research proposal is much more challenging than other forms of writing. Alas, research is not efficient, and I could not wrap my head around that concept for weeks. I finally learned how to develop my inquiries to collect additional and better sources, enabling me to produce a more comprehensive revised literature review.
A useful lesson that I took away from Aaron’s lectures and in his notes, was his suggestion to remember that often defining what you are not going to do, helps you better define the boundaries of your project. I need boundaries. Thankfully, Julie gently reminded me of that throughout this process as well. I also do well with rules and structure. All of our assignments that required me to produce something that led me to the next step helped me as it provided me with the structure that I crave. I also learned (and am still learning) that you must write, reflect, rewrite, and later edit. I often begin editing documents before I am certain that the material is even worthy enough to keep. Unwise!
Additionally, I learned that if you can share your ideas and drafts with a classmate who is very wise, honest and reliable, you will gain a wonderful friend, and you will be extraordinarily grateful for that friend. This is one of the best pieces of advice I have for incoming BIS students, especially once they begin BIS 390. I learned that a partner keeps you on track with a project of this nature – even for those of us who have had many responsibilities over the years and are used to meeting deadlines on a regular basis.
Gail's Research Log 9 - Cont.
ReplyDeleteIn framing my topic, I think I have come a long way, but I know that there is always much room for improvement. I will be contemplating my proposal further to tighten things up as I prepare to begin the first stage of my project. Until certain aspects of my project are in progress, it may be difficult to completely assess if I’ve framed this problem as completely as I would have liked to at this point in time. But it bears repeating that without the feedback I received along the way, I would not have moved forward in setting up my proposal with a more finely-tuned statement of interest and project description.
I put a lot of effort into this class, and I needed to do so. BIS 390 often consumed my thoughts often after I left my computer. As much as I dreaded the warnings regarding the time required for BIS 390 while I was a student in BIS 300, and then again when I heard them repeated by my BIS advisor, and then again at the start of BIS 390, I am very grateful for those warnings. It takes me a long time to get the words to flow; knowing that this class would require a large commitment helped me to better plan for it. As one of the paralegals I used to work with often repeated “Forewarned is forearmed.”
Going forward I must be cognizant of my goals to ensure that I retain proper focus on my research problem. I must complete some preliminary work soon pertaining to one of my personal sources; I will be meeting with him in late December. Learning to be self-evaluative and more critical of my work was another lesson learned that will help me better assess my progress in the next few months. I hope that will help me more easily discern what is missing, or when I’ve gone off track. I must define the exact methods to analyze and present my research. Additionally, I must make APA Style my friend, and try to become an expert user.
All of the professorial and peer comments provided to me helped me to achieve much better results during this process. A special thanks to Aaron and Julie for helping me see the forest when I was stuck in the trees. As mentioned, I have a long way to go, but I am extremely grateful for the knowledge that you all have shared with me thus far, and I look forward to completing this journey with many of you next semester.
Log#4
ReplyDelete25 questions (revised)
1. What type of subprime loan(s) caused the housing market to crash in 2008?
2. What communication theories would apply to the predatory lending practices that took place during the housing crash?
3. Who was affected by the housing crash?
4. What is the definition of “Subprime”?
5. What is the definition of predatory lending?
6. What has been done to prevent lenders from participating in predatory lending practices in the future?
7. What laws have been passed to guard Americans against predatory lending practices since the housing crash took place?
8. Why was subprime lenders allowed to take advantage of consumers for so long?
9. What actions have congress and banks taken to make sure this don’t happen again?
10. How many subprime loans were originated in 2006 during the height of the bubble?
11. What have been done to educate consumers on buying and financing a home?
12. Why are the chosen communication theories good for this type of proposal?
13. In what way are the theories in conflict with each other or offer differing perspectives?
14. Whose idea was it to deregulate the banking industry and how did this decision come about?
15. What were the consequences for consumers who took out subprime loans during this time period?
16. What criteria were used in the past that allowed consumers to obtain a loan and buy a house?
17. What tools are available that will let consumers know if they are ready to buy a home?
18. What role did government actions and interventions play in this crisis?
19. Were minorities, elderly people, and first time home buyers targeted by lenders? If so, How?
20. How was it so easy to get a loan all of a sudden?
21. If the criteria changes and loans are harder to obtain, how would this affect minorities who don’t have sufficient income to purchase a home?
22. Will the Government come up with a plan or policy to build affordable housing?
23. What happened to the communities/families that were affected by the foreclosures?
24. How have the federal government/lenders/banks responded to those that were or that are affected by this crisis? Have this response been effective?
25. What does it mean for lenders to be “Too big to fail”? And what should be done in the future to prevent a lender from being “Too big to fail”?
Research log #9
ReplyDeleteI have to say, now that I am through (almost, anyway) BIS 390 that, while it was a ton of work – and I certainly worked very hard – it wasn’t as insurmountable as I worried it would be. We heard such dire warnings in 300, and the syllabus is full of caution signs, and I felt like strangers on the street were wearing “BIS IS HELL” t-shirts, but in the end, this class was exactly the amount of work it needed to be to make next semester bearable. I think I feel this way because everything I have done is a positive step in the lurch to graduation. There weren’t a lot of extraneous assignments, the bane of my existence, and there was plenty of lead time (though it didn’t always feel that way) to get things done. I feel like I worked almost as many hours per weekend – hours and hours, granted – as I did in BIS 300, but with a much better product to show for it.
If I could take anything back, it would be some of the readings. I felt like I was reading things I already knew, or that I didn’t need to know yet, or that I could have figured out on my own. Some of the readings were useful, absolutely, but I never knew when I started if I would be engaged or rolling my eyes. I don’t know the cure for that, but I wanted to put that out there.
When I started this class, I was lucky enough to have a good, solid project idea. Now that it is over, I feel really well-prepared to follow the steps I have laid out to finish my project. Re-writing my project description this week really showed that I know a *lot* more now than I did in the first month of class. I have a bunch of sources, I have knowledge of the ideas that are currently being discussed in my field, and I have a plan to follow to get my presentation finished. I also know more than I thought I would about the expectations for next semester – although not enough to make me feel able to relax over break.
I definitely have a lot of work ahead of me. I can give myself a slight panic attack if I read my methodology section too closely: the work I have yet to do looks frightening. Writing about what I will be doing was hard. I really hope doing it will be slightly easier…or at least interestingly varied.
As Gail’s BIS buddy, I have to second her recommendation to find a friend whom you can trust to read your every word, critically: to comment on half of them and to strike out the other half. She and I have gotten together for half the Saturdays (thanks for all the food!!) and emailed each other easily 50 times most weeks just to share ideas, or to vent, or to congratulate. Knowing that I was accountable to her, and knowing that I didn’t want to let her down, forced me to do work on days when otherwise I would have happily done anything else. Reading her work, too, forced me to think critically about our assignments. She rescued me more than once; I am incredibly fortunate to have her support.
Research log #9 Reflection
ReplyDeleteAs I reflect back to the beginning of this semester, I remember reading all of the comments about how this class was challenging and how you have to be ready for it. I was also reminded of this when I met Dr. Winter, who had in the middle of his syllabus a picture of a yield sign. I knew at that moment that I was in for a ride. I can definitely say that this class was very challenging and it takes a lot of work and effort. I have learned that you have to be committed in order to succeed and that your classmates will be a great help to you since they are experiencing many of the same issues. The exercises we had to complete helped me to narrow down my topic (Eventually). The blogs were very useful and I would say it was the most instrumental. Reading what everyone else is writing about often times gave me the inspiration I needed. It also gave me many ideas related to my topic. I was so lost in the beginning because I had no idea what I was going to write about. I always knew I was interested in Real Estate, but I wanted to write about a topic that people were concerned with and something that would be helpful to those that may read it. When picking the topic, I wanted to make sure that it was a topic that would keep me interested and motivated, that is another reason why I chose The Real Estate market.
I have spent several hours researching this topic and have wanted to start over again and again. Dr. Winter encouraged me to move on and said to keep working at it. I must say, he was right. I believe that my topic has a shape now and a well defined thesis and I am so happy that I didn’t give up on it. My mentor was very helpful and she allowed me to bounce ideas off her and let me down in the nicest way possible when she thought my ideas were too broad. I am still revising my paper and will work on it diligently during the winter break. I feel as though I have to because I have so much ground I would like to cover and there is no way it can all be done in one semester. I didn’t realize that at first. For me writing the proposal was definitely one of the hardest parts and I hope it gets a little easier now that the project is more defined. I am so happy I kept many of the sources I found; they proved to be very helpful once I narrowed down my topic. If I had to give any advice to someone else preparing to take this class, it would be to make sure you have a good support structure. Someone that knows about your topic and someone that can guide you in the right direction when you stray away from your main idea. I found a co-worker that assisted me when my thoughts were all over the place, he helped me put things in perspective and see the larger picture. This course is definitely time-consuming but I have learned so much about what research is and what it isn’t. I still have a lot more work to do and I feel better prepared going into the second round.
Once I begin my project I will need to work more on the literature review as well as the methods of research. If BIS 490 is like this, I am in for a journey. I am hoping it’s a smooth one.
Research Log #9..Lorna Beltran
ReplyDeleteI definitely felt very cold feet on my first day. I know that I would be meeting classmates who are the non-traditional students, they are more experienced, knowledgeable and very serious with their writings. The thought of being with competitive classmates this time really scared me. The worse feeling was the unpredictable requirements of the course…intensive research and writings.
I have sighed a few times during the beginning of the class, saying how I really miss the traditional students (younger kids) whom I had attended most of my classes with, at least I thought that I felt a little more intelligent around them.
The guidance and patience of Dr. Winter have helped me survived my writing dilemmas. At the beginning, confusion was my best friend as my head kept spinning inside the blender. After having written the back ground literature review, I started to see the a little bit of my proper direction. My classmates were all very helpful as well. The exchanged of papers with them had helped me see with better clarification as to where I have been lost all these times.
The readings have guided me diligently and I like reading Booth’s book as it was more simplified for my style. Since I have written facts about my job, it has been very therapeutic for me, whenever I start to write my draft, I felt like I am talking to my boss and discussing with him all my issues and concerns. After doing the methodology, hypothesis, conclusion and timetable; I finally saw my draft of research proposal as a woman who is all dressed up in her captain gown (green and yellow). It is an overwhelming joy and I find myself in tears as I go thru my paper to re-read, revised and re-read, revised them- I am close to finally making my dream happen- my graduation.
The progress I felt was from the feelings of gaining more confidence with my draft. I was always embarrassed in sending my papers to Dr. Winter, not knowing what to expect. As time went by, my self esteem in writing and revising my draft research proposal has elevated. At this end, I am again starting to feel scared of the unknown. Who is BIS 490. What will it be like? How much more writings and research do I have to do? However, the thought that I have survived pleasantly with the help of my BIS 390 classmates and Dr. Winter’s patience, I know that I will do the same, continue writing and survive BIS 490. My warm thanks to all for your kind assistance with my draft research proposal.
Log# 8
ReplyDeleteYesterday I got back my submitted 1st draft of my full proposal. My advisor is not to keen on the usage of footnotes for citations. The foot-noting method makes citing sources a seamless process. Now, I have to go back and format every citation. I know that i am whining. However, it is frustrating when the formating process becomes more important than research and writing time...
Log #9
ReplyDeleteBIS 390 was as challenging as I expected. The most difficult part was to shape my ideas, organizing them in a way that made sense and put them in writing. I am still struggling with that as I would like to be able to connect them in a more meaningful way. Basically, improve how they flow in my paper.
Creating the questions about my topic was the most useful part of the learning process. Whenever I started to go off track or lose the trend of thought, I would go back to the questions and read them. This technique helped me to put the topic back into focus, get back to the “why this is important” and the dreaded “who cares?”.
I also found the critique we did in class very helpful. When the professor and classmates reviewed my methodology some problematic parts (i.e. not a well-defined title) that I had not noticed in my writing became obvious.
EThompson- Research log #8 – Reflection
ReplyDeleteI began obsessing about my topic over a year ago. It was difficult to imagine articulating and defining what I felt was a ‘no brainer’, common sense concept into a proposal that would merit the degree of study and research to quality for a final project. I talked with many colleagues, fellow students, my advisor. I spent an especially long time talking with an adjunct management professor - he was patient yet persistent in his questions, and in doing so helped me to narrow and frame the topic. Many thanks to him for giving up more than a couple of Saturday afternoons to sit over coffee at Starbucks.
The 390 class was helpful in continuing the questions – particularly the question of ‘why would anyone care?’ The interesting thing is that lots of people in my field care about this topic, but their broad and divergent opinions generate conversations that typically go nowhere. The best thing about working and re-working the proposal was discovering a framework - to be able to parallel project management with situational management. I now have some practical, scenario based ways to explore the problem.
log #8
ReplyDeleteWith the semester rapidly coming to an end I am concerned that i will be losing some much needed momentum I have recently built up. While it took me quite some time to get going I think the proposal has been progressing very well in the past few weeks. Finally focusing on a topic that I have some experience with made the research process much more tolerable. It was more of a building on existing ideas than creating new theories and researching blindly.
Research Log #8
ReplyDeleteI still don't know how I made it to the end of this semester. I thought this moment would never come. Many people had talked about how intense BIS 390 is and how organize and on top of the material I needed to be and I only wished I had listened to them from the day one.
For next semester I hope to take one day at the time, work on the research slowly and avoid procrastination. I also think it is a crucial point for me to look back at my paper and ensure and the information flows well and conveys the message I am trying to pass to my audience.
Iris writes...
ReplyDelete--------------
Iris White – log #9
I have trust in myself, don't I??
I started reading the first two logs from Gail and Julie which was against my rule as it can inhibit
me from searching for my own thoughts. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading them and must say “Ditto”
relating on so many levels; thanks for the laugh, I saw those T-shirts too!
If it had not been for the deadlines and Aaron waking me up from a stupor resulting from an avoidance
and fear, somehow believing I don't think I can do this, or maybe it will go away if I pretend it is not
there..........reality kicked in, adrenaline and almost surprise that I was able to pick myself up.
Writing the initial statement of interest and the introduction was less challenging as I had always had
a clear idea about what I wanted to do. Doing was a very different story. Searching for good sources
was one of the biggest challenges, the biggest one was to overcome the notion that I can't find anything
because it did not happen on the first try. Yes, I am impatient, and if it does not happen NOW then I
just can't help it, is my natural response to my dealings in general. Well, of course I went back to the
library on numerous occasions and it was worth it. Once I started a collection of valuable information
the reading and writing were even enjoyable, from this point on I was able to move forward (with
chaos on my desk, writing down quotes and paraphrases, not being able to find where I got them from,
organizing myself after spending hours of damage control, etc.) and produce material that made me a
little happy (yes, I am passionate about my field).
I have to admit that the relationship between my advisor and I could have been more productive. I
abhor imposing myself on others and they might not even interpret it that way. I certainly need to be
more stoic in that regard. That makes me remember, Aaron always seemed to have all the time in the
world when we met (I know he did not). I thought it a little freaky how much he knew about the aspects
of my subject; and it was encouraging that he believed that my work had grounds. Thank you Aaron!!
I read a quote from Goethe, co-incidentally (actually I don't believe in co-incidences) yesterday saying:
“as soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live”. Not trusting in yourself with an undertaking
like this is how I started. Hopefully you can learn to trust in yourself in the process (because you don't
have a choice – that would be me). Just one more note, I would not be surprised if there are more
valuable sources out there that I did not get my hands on. So I will keep looking with a very different
attitude.
As requested last night (which was great fun, by the way!) - here is the Brownie Recipe - enjoy!
ReplyDeleteElena’s Black Bean Brownies
1 15oz. can black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 eggs
½ c unsweetened cocoa (preferably Hershey’s Dark Special)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar (1/2 cup more or less to taste)
½ package (12oz) milk or white chocolate chips (or both!)
Other items: (use your imagination)
Chopped nuts/walnuts
Toasted coconut
Butterscotch chips
Crushed peppermint sticks
Toffee bits
Mexican chocolate version: (pretty amazing)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Milk chocolate chips
1. Mix / mash the beans with the eggs (I use a stick/immersion blender for this – works well to pulverize)
2. Blend in rest of ingredients, adding choc chips last and stirring those in.
3. For microwave: bake in greased pie pan 9 - 10 minutes power level 80% to 90%
4. Regular oven: 350 degrees 25 – 35 minutes depending on pan (usually greased 13 x 9)
5. Have also made these in mini muffin tins – grease them well or they fight back when you try to take them out
Notes:
• These are better baked in a regular oven, but my kids have had brownie ‘emergencies’ and had to have them right away so I have the microwave directions
• Can also make ‘Blondie’ versions - with white northern beans and use butterscotch chips with almond flavoring in addition to the vanilla
• I have been getting away from canned beans – soaking and cooking the dry ones. I think that tastes better – nuttier and less ‘metallic’. If you do this then use 1 3/4 cups cooked beans for each batch.
Elena, your brownies were amazing – thank you for sharing them (and your secret recipe) with us. Aaron and Lorna, thank you again for arranging such a memorable conclusion to our BIS 390 experience.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBIS 390 was what I expected it to be. It was a bridge to 490 from 300. After 300 I had no idea how I was going to produce my capstone project. 390 helped me to establish the necessary framework for developing my ideas, and for conceptualizing my methods. I liked the loose deadlines that drove this class's schedule. I liked the flexibility of being able to explore my different disciplines without the stress of hard production dates. I was able to develop a viable capstone that is a kaleidoscope of my professional background juxtaposed with my scholastic goals. (This sentence could be on the bis brochure) I am stoked about 490...
ReplyDeleteLisa writes...
ReplyDeleteResearch Log #9 Self-Assessment
What I have learned in this course is that creating a research project is very challenging! I struggled mostly with the literature review because I wanted to capture the one or two key things I found instead of a more basic overview of how the literature related to the project.
The progress that I've made in framing my topic has move along and changed as I worked through each of the exercises - the list of questions, project description, etc. Dr. Winter's comments and the classroom reviews really help me clear up some of the areas that I was so unsure about.
I put a lot of effort into this class because I don't consider myself a very good writer and I struggle when it comes to create something meaningful to both myself and others. Every week I felt consumed with journal and revising sections and still revising sections. Almost to the point that you hoped it would just go away, only to realize you do it again in 490.
Areas that need future work when I begin my project are (my first guess would be everything!) narrowing down the mass amount of literature on my topic, keeping only the information that supports my methodology and staying focused on the "topic" not drifting off to other areas. And possible the will to write another revision of anything!
Alfreda writes...
ReplyDeleteLog #9
Self Assessment
I came into BIS 390 with the hopes of transferring my BIS 490 project back to the University of South
Carolina in order to graduate. Alas, I have accomplished that goal. The University of South Carolina has
accepted my permission to study elsewhere and I will be completing my degree in the fall of 2011. I
have persevered and been encouraged by DR. Leonard, Janet Ha, and Linda Hine. I also want to thank
Dr. Aaron Winter for putting up with me. I have had many challenges personally and he has been very
patient and kind. I also want to thank Dr. Winters for the excellent job he does in instructing. His verbal
and visual explanations have helped me to understand the process of producing a research paper. I want
to thank my classmates who continued to be optimistic with me, who made inquires on my behalf and
have encouraged me.
I knew that the research project was going to be challenging, yet I was looking forward to producing it.
The research in itself is not difficult for me as, I enjoy doing research. However, the writing process is
intimidating. My preferred communication is speaking, somehow I am able to relate information better
orally in a conversation then trying to write it down.
I got off to a slow start because I was coming into the program without an academic adviser, so I’ve
been playing catch a ever since, but this has not discouraged me because I no with time and instruction I
will be able to produce a creditable project in order to graduate.
This has been an incredible and wonderful semester for me and I pray that all will have a beautiful and
wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! Please remember Christ in all your
giving thanks.
The 9th research log is suppose to be a reflection article. As I look back at the Objectives listed in the BIS 390 syllabus I think we covered it all. The amazing thing is that I didn't realize how much I learned until I looked back at the list. What I really learned is that learning never stops and time really flies!
ReplyDeleteI do feel that by completing each phase of the process, that this enabled me to continually refine and reframe my topic more and more concisely, until I arrived at the present point that it is at today. All of this refining of each phase of the proposal amounted to a whole lot of work, work that was both tedious but also necessary for me to be able to complete each segment of my proposal. I do feel that there is much to do moving forward, especially as it relates to the timing of the actual writing of my paper next semester and I feel that it will continue to be a work in progress until the final draft is completed.