Sunday, October 11, 2015

A500.9.4.RB_WrightKyle - Course Reflections


Reflect on your perceived value of this course. Include both positive and negative aspects of your experience.

The most significant value I personally identified in the Leadership Foundations In Research course was the self reflection and examination of my thinking tendencies. I personally identified several tendencies both sociocentric and egocentric ideas that often stand in the way of my ability to think critically. One specific sociocentric idea that effects my though patterns deals with video games, I am old school and when I see individuals wasting time playing video games I have a tendency to automatically assume that they are lazy and immature, while this may be the case with some, the idea that all individuals that enjoy playing games are lazy is a stereo type and  unfair sociocentric idea that I learned as a child from my social group, my parents, the funny part about that is now that my mother is older and retired she plays online games.

What might you have done to improve your learning experience in this course?

One of my biggest challenges in any course I have taken has always been finding time to devote the level of study needed to truly grasp the concepts, while I am not dumb I am a slow reader and therefore it takes me twice as long to accomplish the weekly work as I would anticipate others spending. Another improvement to my learning experience in this course would be spending an narrowing and focusing the direction of my research on Irrational Thinking so I could have put additional focus on the final directional of the project. While I like the direction I took in the end I think I could have learned much more had I focused my direction a couple of weeks earlier.

How might the University or your instructor provide additional support for your learning?

This is the first course I have taken since Embry Riddle started using the canvas software and I have to say it is a significant improvement over the old Blackboard software. While the Canvas software took a short amount of time to adjust to it provided the information in a friendly and efficient manner. I personally do not have any suggestions for improvement on the part of Embry Riddle.  As far as Professor Watkins, I think she provided a clear and accurate direction for student learning and her understanding of course objectives and timely input made this course enjoyable and informative, therefore I also do not have any improvement recommendations for Professor Watkins.

Were there topics covered in this course that seem particularly relevant or irrelevant to your experiences and to what you expect to come in future courses?

The introduction to qualitative and quantitative research seemed to be a little misplaced, while the Foundations in Research seemed to be on a specific direction I think a overview in module one that introduced students to all forms of research might be more beneficial than simply dropping the idea of  research methods after five weeks of straight discussion on critical thinking, or maybe a mix of research methods included in each weeks discussion or course work.

Friday, October 2, 2015

A500.8.3.RB_WrightKyle

My understanding of good presentation design is a presentation that is clear and concise, yet thorough and insightful.  According to Garr Reynolds in Presentation Zen there are four big principles can make your presentations more satisfying and effective, these principles are: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. (The Big Four: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity) In Presentation Zen: How to Design & Deliver Presentations Like a Pro Garr Reynolds listed: simplicity, moderation and minimization of chaos and clutter as basic concepts which can and will improve our presentation effectiveness and increase the connection power of our presentation content. (Reynolds G. )

In other words a good presentation design provides the audience with the detail needed in a way that does not overload or overstimulate their senses, while at the same time it also does not bore them to sleep with needlessly excruciating details, and wordy explanations that are better left to the detailed research manuscript.


For example Air Force training courses are typically examples of bad presentation design, they are loaded with bulleted statements which the presenter then reads verbatim from the screen. Two major problems with this are the amount of information is more than the audience can visually process in three seconds, and slides can be more effectively used by giving the audience a visual image that can stimulate a second channels and thereby reinforcing the audible message. (Presentation Zen: How to Design & Deliver Presentations Like a Pro)


It is like the difference between watching a movie in 1960 black and white as compared to the high-definition and color of todays 70” flat screen televisions. In this illustration the black and white movie of the 1960 was good back in the day and is similar to the bulleted PowerPoint presentation, however, people did not sit in front of a television watching hours of movies back in the 1960, nor did they spend hours on a computer every day, therefore our minds have come to depend on the high definition color picture to contrast the information for us and provide that mental image that enlightens and stimulates our minds and is now depended on to make those need mental connection for learning and memory.

 

Illustration of Ineffective Bulleted PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Illustration of Effective Presentation Slide

Notes: 72% of part-time workers in Japan are women (Reynolds G. , Top Ten Slide Tips, 2014)

References

Reynolds, G. (2014). Top Ten Slide Tips. Retrieved from Garr Reynolds: http://www.garrreynolds.com/preso-tips/design/

Reynolds, G. (n.d.). Presentation Zen: How to Design & Deliver Presentations Like a Pro. Retrieved from http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/pdf/presentation_tips.pdf

Reynolds, G. (n.d.). The Big Four: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. Retrieved from http://www.presentationzen.com/chapter6_spread.pdf

Sunday, September 27, 2015

A500.7.3.RB_WrightKyle

According to the text quantitative research aims to answer the question of why. (Mamia) “Quantitative Research is considered to have as its main purpose the quantification of data. This allows generalizations of results from a sample to an entire population of interest and the measurement of the incidence of various views and opinions in a given sample. Yet, quantitative research is not infrequently followed by qualitative research which then aims to explore select findings further.” (Qualitative and Quantitative Research, 2015)

In other words quantitative research is the quantification or quantifying of research data. It takes the major ideas and uses mathematical and numerical data collection and analysis in the research methods to produce verifiable numbers.

For example if you are quantitatively researching poverty in the state of Texas, you need a sampling based on your parameters that provide you with actual number of people in the state of Texas that fall below some economic level, say earn less than $40,000 per year. This will give you numbers which you can then compare to total number of people within the state or even compare to other states.

It is like I am comparing why certain personnel are promoted in the Air Force, using my own experience and results, from E1 Airman Basic through E4 Senior Airman each one is promoted based on time in service and time in grade as long as they no negative quality indicators, basically it is an experience and waiting for time. Then from E5 Staff Sergeant through E7 Master Sergeant, up until the last year, the factors included time in grade, time in service, medals, performance points, and testing ability, while it is still a quantitative review and promotion there are additional factors. Then you look at E8 and E9 and while all the other factors are still considered the board is a subjective influence which I would call qualitative, because it involves individuals reviewing your records to see how you have performed and not just what the numbers are behind the performance.

Image 1: SNCO Stratification Table



Image 2: SNCO Board Score Sheet

 
References
Mamia, T. (n.d.). Quantitative Research Methods. Retrieved from https://erau.instructure.com/courses/19283/files/2155661/download?wrap=1
Qualitative and Quantitative Research. (2015). Retrieved from Atlast Qualitative Data Analysis: http://atlasti.com/quantitative-vs-qualitative-research/

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

A500.6.3.RB_WrightKyle

According to Hoepfl “Qualitative research can be broadly defined as any kind of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of quantification." (Hoepfl, 1997, p. 1) In other words qualitative also know as naturalistic research, it refers a way of conducting, and conceiving research. In qualitative research, the researcher is the instrument or the tool for designing, collecting, and analyzing research. Qualitative research, in contrast to quantitative research, generally does not translate aspects of the world into numbers to be analyzed mathematically. Instead, it analyzes the world through the lenses the researcher brings to bear on the data.

Qualitative Versus Quantitative

 “The line between qualitative and quantitative research is not hard and fast, and both forms of research build on the contributions of the other. Researchers in education and other fields often conduct mixed methods research, thoughtfully and carefully combining the two to answer questions using multiple strategies.” (Kuttner & Threlkeld) “Quantitative researchers seek causal determination, prediction, and generalization of findings, qualitative researchers seek instead illumination, understanding, and extrapolation to similar situations.” (Hoepfl, 1997, p. 1)

So from my understanding qualitative research is based on subjective facts from the prospective of the researcher basically a quality based research, compared to quantitative research which I would classify as a quantity based research.

(Hoepfl, 1997)

Use of a Qualitative Research

“The qualitative methods are appropriate in situations where one needs to first identify the variables that might later be tested quantitatively, or where the researcher has determined that quantitative measures cannot adequately describe or interpret a situation.” (Hoepfl, 1997, p. 2)  In other words qualitative research would be used to establish perameters and  variables in an open, natural environment. The findings and conclusions of the qualitative research could then be futher researched and test in a controlled environment under a theory of quantitative research.  The major difference is the setting, qualitative is quality research in the subjects natural environment, where as quantitative is based in number in a controlled of lab type environment.

References
Hoepfl, M. C. (1997, Fall). Choosing Qualitative Research: A Primer for Technology Education Researchers. Journal of Technology Education, 9(1). Retrieved Sept 19, 2015, from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v9n1/hoepfl.html

Kuttner, P., & Threlkeld, A. (n.d.). Foundations of Qualitative Research in Education. Retrieved from Harvard.edu: http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page340273

Sunday, September 13, 2015

A500.5.3.RB_WrightKyle


So what is Critical Thinking?

According to Nosich critical thinking involves three parts: asking questions, trying to answer those questions by reasoning them out, and believing the results of our reasoning. (Nosich, 2012, p. 5)  In other words critical thinking is purposeful and focused thinking on a given idea.  For example, is my paper is correctly formatted in APA style, you would first makes sure you understand APA formatting by studying the available text on APA style, then you would read through your paper focusing on quotes and ideas that you pulled from other sources, validating that each one had the correct reference annotation, then you would build your reference list at the end of your paper being careful to format each reference accordingly.  Critical thinking is like being a private investigator of your thoughts and continuing to ask yourself why or how to the fifth, six, or even tenth degree.
 
Critical thinking has eight elements of reasoning plus context and alternatives: assumptions, concepts, conclusions/interpretations, implications and consequences, information, point of view, purpose, and question at issue. (Nosich, 2012, p. 49)  “The elements of critical thinking are the basic building blocks of thinking, essential dimensions whenever and wherever it occurs.” (Crenshaw, Hale, & Harper, 2011, p. 15)  In other words the elements of critical thinking are the foundation upon which critical thinking is built. In this case the question at issue is what is critical thinking? And we are thinking about critical thinking in the context of a brief literary review personal knowledge acquired throughout the past few weeks of this course.  The purpose of critical thinking is to focus on the subject to find a clearer and more correct classification of the subject. The assumptions of critical thinking are that critical thinking leads to better informed decision making. The concepts of critical thinking are through critical thinking you can have a better life because my decisions are better therefore my way of life will be better. The conclusions and interpretations associated with critical thinking are, critical thinking will provide better answers and more logical solution to your questions. The implications and consequences of critical thinking are mostly the cost is of time and effort to seek out logical and focused solutions and to gather the information from reliable trustworthy sources, however the major consequences involves not using critical thinking and results in poor decision making. From my point of view critical thinking is worth the time and effort it takes to think in a critical manner, and all too often when we do not take the time or spend the effort to think critically we end up spending more time and effort re-accomplishing a task or project that could have been accomplished the first time around with a little critical thought.
 
Critical thinking also has standards which include but are not limited to: clearness, accuracy, importance and relevance, sufficiency, depth, breadth, and precision. (Nosich, 2012, p. 133) Standards of critical thinking are like sifters that remove all of the chaff that would get in the way of clear accurate thinking. While Nosich only list a few standards there are many more standards and “the context in which standards are relevant in a given situation.” (Crenshaw, Hale, & Harper, 2011, p. 16)

In conclusion critical thinking is thinking that is clear, concise, focused and reflective. It is not quick to make decisions, nor is it the easy way out. It takes time and effort, and it ask many questions, however, the end result of a well thought-out, well reflected critical thinking solution to a problem or issue can be a force multiplier and payoff exponentially. 
 

References

Crenshaw, P., Hale, E., & Harper, S. L. (2011). Producing intellectual labor in the classroom: The utilization of A critical thinking model to help students take command of their thinking. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 8(7), 13-26. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/882841167?accountid=27203
Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to Think Things Through: a guide to critical thinking across the curriculum (Fourth Edition ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

A500.4.3.RB_WrightKyle

Ballet Slippers or Adorable?

In the  TED video by Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing. Dr. Iyengar assumes that Americans believe the following when it comes to making choices: Make your own choices, More options leads to better choices, and Never say no to choice.
 

Do you agree with Dr. Iyengar?

 
In reflecting on Dr. Iyengar's assumptions in Ballet Slippers or Adorable was talking to my wife, Robin,  who was a cosmetologist years ago and recalls having a similar situation with two colors of nail polish barely there and cotton candy which she used for French manicures. She recall it taking customers 15 to 20 minutes to choose between the two colors so she stop giving the customer the choice in similar shade of the same color. As to Dr. Iyengar's assumption that Americans believe, you should make your own choices, that more options lead to better choices, and never say no to choices, I would have to agree that the majority of American believe these statements. I would even take it a step further and say that most Americans believe that not only should you make your own choices, but you entitled to make your choices, years ago I would have also said that Americans believe that you are responsible for the consequences of those choices but that belief seems to be something that has been left in the past. While I was talking to Robin she mentioned working at the prisons as a guard, she work at the Robertson correctional facility and the Sweet Water juvenile correctional facility, one of the differences she noticed was the number of altercations the juvenile correctional facility had because the residents had choices such as what they wanted to watch were as the adult correction facility did not, their only choice for watching television was channel nine.
 

What is the implication of her comments on leadership?

 

In concluding I agree with Dr. Iyengar's assumptions that Americans believe they must have choices, I also think Dr. Iyengar was correct in the assessment she alluded to that too many choice can be problematic.  As a military member that has spent eight of the last eleven years stationed in Japan I can tell you from experience that part of the culture shock in coming back to the states is the number of choices for simple things like milk.
 

References


Iyengar, S., Dr. (n.d.). Retrieved Sep 5, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing.html
Nosich, G. M. (2011). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide To Critical Thinking Across The Curriculum (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson HE, Inc.
Wright, R. (2015, Sep 5). (K. Wright, Interviewer)

Friday, August 28, 2015

A500.3.4.RB_WrightKyle


As you explore the Hunt Library, reflect on how you might use the Library as a resource for your studies.

What makes a resource "scholarly" in nature?

Peer-Reviewed Journals

When it comes to scholarly journals, the terms peer-reviewed and refereed are interchangeable. Before publication, peer-reviewed/refereed journals go through a highly critical and rigorous review process by other scholars in the author's field or specialty. This review process ensures that the content being published is first being evaluated by the author's peers and also, reflect a solid scholarship in the their fields of study.

Scholarly Journals

Although peer-reviewed journals are always scholarly in nature, scholarly journals are not always peer-reviewed.  Scholarly journals are research focused, reporting results of original research and experimentation. They are heavily cited in the form of either footnotes or bibliographies, and written by, and addressed to, experts in a discipline. However, whereas peer-reviewed journals require a strict "peer-approval" for publishing, a scholarly journal that is not peer-reviewed only requires the approval of an editorial board. (Understanding Peer-Reviewed / Scholarly Journals, 2015)

 

In my exploration of the Hunt Library I decided to see what the Hunt Library had on the subject of scholarly.  What I found was educational for me, although I have used the library many times in my tenure at Embry-Riddle I have never used the guides that I recall, also scholarly articles or journals are research focused and have some type of research to back them up, however when looking for information to base my research and learn on scholarly journals and article are not necessarily the ultimate research data, according to the Hunt Library Peer-Reviewed Journals are scholarly journals that have been reviewed by other experts in that field and are a more reliable the source of information. All peer-reviewed journals are scholarly but not all scholarly journals peer-reviewed.

 

I like the comparison chart from Hunt Library, it illustrates the differences between scholarly journals, trade journals and popular journals in a easy to understand format.


Side-by-Side Comparison


CHARACTERISTICSScholarlyTradePopular
Comparison
PurposeTo report results of original research and experimentationTo report industry/trade trends, products, and newsTo report current events, opinions, and general information
LookPlain, serious, lengthy articles, may contain charts and graphs to support findingsGlossy, commercial, contains color illustrations/photos, and industry/trade related advertisementsGlossy, attractive, contains color illustrations/photos, and everyday product advertisements
AuthorScholars and experts in field of study/disciplineIndustry specialists or staff writersJournalists/reporters, staff or freelance writers
AudienceScholars in academic and discipline related fields, researchers, studentsMembers or those with interest in a particular industry or tradeAnyone
LanguageAcademic and technicalJargon of the industryNon-technical, written in a language for anyone to understand
DocumentationHeavily cited with footnotes or bibliographyOccasionally contain cited sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographiesSources are rarely cited, although references may be mentioned in text

(Understanding Peer-Reviewed / Scholarly Journals, 2015)


How is the scholarly information you found in the library different from the typical information you find when you Google a leadership concept?
The difference between research information you find on a google search and a scholarly journal would be: Google is not vetted and any can have information posed on a website that Google could pull from, Google is the equivalent of a popular journal, while it may have some useful data and information all the information obtained from these sources need to be validated and vetted against researched and proven data points.  While scholarly journals data is more reliable it still needs to be examined thoroughly I and one way of examining this data is using peer-review sources. One thing I will remember is that even articles and journals that have been scrutinized and vetted through peer-review are still just claims and can only be proven through critical analyses and through research. So think critical!

References

Nosich, G. M. (2011). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide To Critical Thinking Across The Curriculum (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson HE, Inc.

Understanding Peer-Reviewed / Scholarly Journals. (2015, Jul 30). Retrieved from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: http://guides.erau.edu/journals