Category Archives: Uncategorized
Protected: Identifying Methodology and Methods #2
ENVS 814 Terminology Activity 4 (Specific Methodologies)
ENVS 814 Terminology Activity 3 (Methodology vs Methods)
ENVS 814 Terminology Activity 2 (Self)
ENVS 814 Terminology Activity 1 (Core)
Qualitative Research Terminology Matching Activity
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Time of the Great Digital Upheaval
It is mid-March 2020, in a week that has seen most institutions in Canada, the US and much of the world change how they teach, how they communicate and how they gather. Institutions are announcing the cancelling of in-person classes, the moving of classes to remote and online delivery, the closure or restriction of access to campus, cancelling or making optional course evaluations, sending staff home to work remotely as kids are also home from school,
Questions of access equity, including internet access and how to assess fairly in the midst of work and home disruptions in so many of our lives. Self are self-isolating to protect family members, others have returned from travel and self-isolate to protect their community. Kids in many jurisdictions are home from school and non-essential travel is curtailed, community events, concerts, sports (including NBA, NHL, Football season in Italy) and more are closed, paused or moved online. The Berliner Philharmoniker concerts are now only digital. Coffee meetups with friends are now FaceTime’s, Zoom meetings and Google Hangouts.
Some institutions are already cancelling spring and summer courses, and some have already cancelled current classes, though most are trying to move remotely. Professional organizations are approving 75% hour completions as completions for practicums.
Work, Higher education, and life are disrupted, reprioritized.
And in the midst of it, we are seeing each other as human. As family members with partners, kids, cats and dogs. As team members in figuring out our options. As people frustrated and grieving lost opportunities and moments, and some grieving those we have lost to the virus. A massive rewriting of daily life, and of the roles and ways we interact.
How we teach, how we learn, how we assess…what does a good early ending look like when we don’t have the usual milestones? What does mentoring look like when we can no longer hand over a book? What is fair for the students? What is credible and will look reasonable later to our peers and to anyone reviewing this year.
We will redefine what it means. Each time we chose what makes sense, what is honest, what makes sense, what is needed. Each time we see the human in the learner, in the peer and in the educator. We are all in extraordinary times, let us be extraordinarily considerate and remember what will matter most is what we learn about the world from each other’s choices. Let them be good ones.
For resources on teaching: keepteaching.ca
For peace of mind, remember this does feel and is new and yet the birds are still returning to their summer grounds.
(Workshop) Plotting a Dynamic Journey: Intermediate Excel To Master Pivot Tables And Conditional Formatting For Quicker Thematic And Data Visualization
In many projects, I find myself in a room of stakeholders discussing the data. As questions emerge, it becomes evident that they are interested in just-in-time data.
It takes skill as an evaluative leader to guide the discussion through increasingly complex datasets and even more complex interpersonal and power dynamics: being able to utilize and adapt pivot tables, charts, and conditional formatting can inform evidence-based change through engaging data discussions with stakeholders. This workshop is intended for individuals familiar with data entry in typical Excel datasheets with rows and columns.
Through this workshop, you will develop technical practice competencies related to analyzing and interpreting data (new CES competency 2.8) and group facilitation skills related to data discussions (new CES competency 4.5). Recognizing and planning for the use of pivot data tables and charts that auto-update has additional implications for effectively using human, financial and technical resources (new CES competency 4.3).
Session: CES Workshop, Halifax, May 29, 2019
Register via CES conference registration select member or non-member registration and then select Plotting a Dynamic Journey May 29th workshop list www.c2019evaluationcanada.ca
Interested and unable to attend CES, complete the contact me form to be notified of upcoming workshops or to arrange to host a workshop.
About Carolyn Hoessler:
I am passionate about respectful, meaningful, efficient discussions that unlock pathways towards meaningful change and alignment of goals, activities and measures. I bring to our conversation, 12 years experience in facilitating learning, assessment and program development within higher education and beyond. And as a methodological geek, I draw on quantitative, qualitative and mixed method analyses to explore questions of change, contribution, and evidencing value.
Language: English
Learning outcomes:
By the end of this full-day workshop, attendees will be able to:
- Create pivot tables and then adapt them to address additional questions
- Create charts and visuals that auto-update from refreshed pivot tables
- Organize data effectively to create pivot tables with consideration of row identifiers, demographics and the aggregation across rows but not related columns.
o Note: if you have 3 scorers rating the same outcome variable represented as 3 columns, the pivot table will treat each column as a separate variable (and separate column or table). - Conditionally format data and pivot tables based on both colour scales and specified criteria
- Thematically code qualitative data and organize results with a pivot tables to analyze and summarize for both simple coding and multiple codes per quote.
Please note that this session will include demonstrations in a Mac interface. There will also be Windows-based examples and instructions. Hands-on guidance for Windows-based will be provided. To request a Windows-based workshop, complete the contact me form
Subject Matter Expertise: I have facilitated national and international workshops on statistics from a practitioner lens, mentored faculty on qualitative and quantitative analysis in the evaluation of course and program design for over 6 years, and taught graduate courses in statistics, qualitative research methods and mixed methods, I routinely conduct surveys and focus groups with responses from up to 200 students and analyze them in excel for internal reports for program improvement, and work in large-scale datasets.
Facilitation Experience: I have led workshops on teaching and facilitating learning (10+ years), on statistics nationally (CES 2018, ISSOTL 2017, EDC 2011, STLHE 2009) and internationally (ICED 2010), data visualization nationally (STLHE 2018, EDC NJAW 2018) and on evaluation in educational development nationally. I have also taught small group sessions on excel for evaluation project teams.
When the degree is not the ticket to a job, what can educators and job seekers do?
The goal for many is to be prepared for careers and get hired.
Yet in an era where top companies no longer require a degree and a degree is not a golden ticket, what does it means to be prepared?
“One of the ingredients in Shopify’s success has been to completely ignore academic credentials in hiring,” Tobi Lütke, Shopify’s CEO said recently on Twitter, in line with other tech companies.
Degrees are no longer exclusive indicators of success and prerequisites for job interviews. Rarely will a company ask to see your transcript and few will care if you graduated fifth or fiftieth. Even for graduate school, standardized tests and references carry much of the weight in addition to degrees.
Yet there are things that both job seekers and educators can do.
Job Seekers:
1) Stating naming what you can do and have learned: mine the outcomes of your program. Increasingly, programs have program outcomes as well as the course outcomes listed on syllabi. Consider what you have practiced, shown you can do, and gotten better at from your summer jobs, hobbies, volunteer work, and family contributions.
2) Create networks – Connect with classmates, faculty, speakers, parents, and friends. Find out more about the many ways you can work in this world, and learn what a day looks like then try it out as a volunteer or part-time job.
3) Talk about your skills in context: connect experiences to what you can do and what makes you a good fit.
Universities and colleges:
- Show examples of the skills in context. Even writing a paper is about persuasion, communication, synthesis, and research. It is about learning the language of a group and working from there.
- Embed career readiness into courses and programs including training in principles of teamwork, strengths, and conflict resolution.
- Show examples of the skills in context.
- Create and share meaningful relevant program outcomes that identify for students what learning they have gained.
- Assess and recognize competencies through competency-based education
- Provide the scaffold and expectation for developing a portfolio where students can collect, name, and showcase evidence of their learning.
Finally, it is time to end the debate of education for career or life or society. Communication, interpersonal skills, creativity, and teamwork matter just as much on the soccer field, the neighborhood fundraiser, in research teams, and on the job