I feel better!

It was rainy last night and it made the weather pleasant for walk. I walked to the Uni...

As Allyson asked me I had tried to frame the themes for the interview questions. I divided the factors influence curriculum development into 3 categories:

1.              External factors

·      International factors

o  Global consideration

·      National factors

o  National needs

o  Economical needs

o  Financial pressure

o  Political issues (funding for personnel, equipment, building & maintenance)

·      Societal factors

o  Societal trends

o  Employer & industry needs

o  professional communities (for instance ACS or EA)

2.              Internal factors

·      Institutional factors

o  Environment (supportive, readiness)

o  Research & development committee

·      Department/ faculty

o  Availability (in terms of contents, instructor, time, resources, safe environment)

o  Collaboration with other colleagues

o  Committee for curriculum review

o  Course co-ordinator

o  Influential individual

o  Staffing issue (shortage or surplus)

o  Sense of belonging

o  Industry advisory committee

o  Responsibility of professional education

·      Students

o  Satisfaction

o  Background

o  Retention

o  Abilities

3.              Computer engineering itself as a fast-growing field

·      Differences of computer engineering with other engineering discipline

·      Strengths and weaknesses of the current curriculum

·      Emerging technology (content/ delivery/ assessment)

·      Related content

I also had found a very helpful article 'Comprehensive curriculum reform in higher education: collaborative engagement of faculty and administration". Their job is somehow similar to mine.

Not questions, only themes!

After speech pathology, I had a meeting with Allyson and Elena. I explained what I had found, but seemed that I wasn't right. I mean it wasn't the one that Allyson was expected. We talked a lot.
Some suggestions of Elena:

• What are the factors of computer engineering in curricula?
• What factors influence curriculum development in this field
• How do they perceive mandated requirement?

Allyson's suggestions:

• What influences curriculum development in computer engineering?
• What are the key factors of curriculum? aims, assessment, content, hours (content analysis)
• How they perceive mandated requirements in terms of curriculum? (Are such a mandatory elements a barrier to change)
• What role do they play in curriculum design? 

(I felt that Elena she is not interested in our discussion (yawning). It might be just my feeling because of that email she wrote to me. Not sure!

Any way, after Elena left the room and I was about leaving, Allyson asked me if I know what to do? I really didn't know. I think my face was clear that I confused. And it was funny, because I was about to follow Elena and asked her to continue our discussion, but she didn't realised, or maybe didn't care. 

We talked about our plan and I started explaining about my situation and my feeling. I told her Im not looking for someone to tell me what to do, but I need someone to confirm my work. I also told her that I trust her which I deeply do.

We ended up:

1.  What factors do/should  influence curriculum development in Computer engineering

-mandated requirements

·         To what extent the current curriculum reflects standards set by the Engineering Profession? (peak engineering bodies)

o   Communication skills etc

·         Reflects mandatory quality criteria

-          The current engineering climate

-          Student population

-          University environment (resources etc)

-          Personnel – skills, interests

-          Curriculum design

This will allow you to undertake critical review of the lit and determine what is the individual’s contribution

1. 2.      How do academics in computer engineering   current curriculum  and what is needed to bring about change?

At the end, she asked me to start coding based on the curriculum document and also making my themes, not questions. I felt that someone is caring!

Do I have depression??

I was talking to Allyson today and my tears just came out. Im thinking about all those pressure and feeling. Feeling of lost, feeling of confusion! Feeling of not knowing what to do!
Why whenever I want to talk about my research Im willing to cry? in speech pathology, in writing circle and even when Im with friends. And it happened today! Do I have depression? Whats wrong with me? Am I not strong enough? Am I not a PhD person? Whats the problem?

First draft of Interview questions! Im sort of happy! :)

Finally, finally I could manage to frame the first draft of my interview questions. After this I should see whats Allyson's idea about this! I hope everything goes well! Im sort of happy! :)

Interview questions, First stage

1.    Individual

a.    Tell me a little bit about yourself, your professional career, you career stage, how long you are in this position?

b.    How do you describe your career and your position in this profession?

c.    What is your responsibility in this profession?

d.    As part of your professional career, you know about EA competencies, how do you see these competencies? Are they usually a catalyst or barrier?

e.    What do you like about these competencies? What do you find difficult?

f.     How do you apply the competencies in your teaching method?

g.    What is the position of competencies in our current curriculum?

h.    What is the value of having these competencies in out curriculum?

i.      Do you think you do have power and authority to make the change?

j.      In facing to these competencies, do you have a sense of compulsion?

2.    Job Demands

a.    What do you think is your responsibility about these competencies?

b.    What is your need to do this task? Requirements: Resources/ Time/ knowledge/Equipment

c.    How much change do you think is required?

d.    Do you think what will be planned is what will be achieved?

3.    Organizational Environment

a.    How do you see your university in this process of change?

b.    Do you think the university is ready to make the change? Resources/ Labs/ Instructors

c.    Do you think the university as a system support this sort of change? How?

d.    Do you think these competencies align with industry needs? How?

e.    Do you think students ready to have these changes? Background?

Working on Sunday!

Its Sunday again! Another week!
Im thinking that Id a nice week. Hopefully in the following week I can finalise my questions for interview.
So far, Im thinking to work on 2 series of questions:

1. Questions about Change agents and how they act to see if they have the proper performance
2. Questions about effective practices for attainment of standards

Today, Im going to make the draft for my interview. I also need to send my draft to Allyson and Elena as we do have a meeting on Monday. Then Ive to look at the ethics application to see how can I start.

Happy Sunday!

Supervisors! Who are they???

In my academic life, I always have this wish to work in a group and be part of it. It gives a good feeling of belonging. However, I had no chance so far!! :|

Few months ago when I received an email that MY paper is going to be published in a journal, Elena seemed very happy. She said that she will take care of publication process. She made a minor change and asked to change the format based on the journal requirement. It was vey time consuming and now Im wondering why I didn't ask her to do the editing part!!
When it was the registration time, she excused that she couldn't do that because of non-sense making reason. She asked me to do that. I surprised that why she thinks that I can do it while she cant! Anyway, I did it (without any issues).
Around 2 weeks ago, I received the invoice which had to be paid. I forwarded and she was supposed to do it (we had 10 days time to make the payment). Haven't heard from her till last night she sent me an email to follow up the issue! It made me so crazy! Such a nice people are they these supervisors!
I sent an email:

I thought you have already paid as you said before!!! I cant follow up these emails anyway! Thanks!  

And immediately she replied:

I think you have misunderstood how the system works. I personally don't pay for it. The university does, but for that to happen the journal must become an authorised creditor to the university. I will chase it up tomorrow, but be careful with your language. I never said that I paid it. I said that I had organised the payment with the university. 

Seems that Im the one that always misunderstand! I don't care from which pocket she will pay. Doesn't she realize? Doesn't she realize that she didn't have much contribution in that paper and taking care of the publication process is the minimum task that she could do. Doesn't she realise that when she said something people counts on her statement. Doesn't she realise that... I think that she is not a real help at all, she doesn't require my academic need, but it seems that she is very good at telling people what to do!

Monday again!

I told the Jesmond community centre that I cant come any more (as I thought I must conclude this stage of my study). I had a meeting with Jennifer. She is so kind and happy to listen my stidy. I told her that I thought sense-making theory (introduced by her to me) is not working for me as Im from engineering and they dont believe emotions. I showed her my RQs and we discussed more. One thing that she told me and I really appreciated that she just told me was: Its the time that you stop reading and doing something. I think I was waiting for someone to tell me this. So, I feel that even she realised that...

Then, it was Allyson's class time. We continue working on coding. Doing coding is fun to me. It needs brain and I like it and I enjoy it. She said that we must let the code to navigate us. The main purpose of coding is exploring. Although as a qualitative researcher we avoid to interpret the data, but there is always a level of interpretation.

A messy day!

Youka and Majid sent me to the Uni around 6am and they went to work as a volunteer somewhere for a running race.
I think I finalized my RQs in my mind:

• How change agents manage to bring about standards into curriculum?
• To what extent the current curriculum reflects standards?

I thought I probably add more sub-questions to each of them later. I need to conclude this part ASAP. 

I started to look at standards and how we can manage them to insert them in our program. I found this book: Succeeding with standards (http://0-site.ebrary.com.library.newcastle.edu.au/lib/newcastle/docDetail.action?docID=10044792&p00=succeeding%20standards) 

Although it talks about standards for school, but it can applicable for universities as well. It says to have an effective practice for attainment of standards, we need: 

• Access

1. Content
2. Instructor
3. Time
4. Resources
5. A safe environment

• Instruction

1. Knowledge and skills
2. Variety of instructor role
3. Multiple students role
4. application and reflection
5. Adaptive learning environments

• Assessment and Reporting

1. Multiple assessment strategies
2. Criteria for assessment
3. Assessment that informs instructions & guides student learning
4. Student involvement in assessment
5. Effectively communicating assessment information

• Connections 

1. Interdisciplinary connections
2. Relevance
3. Family and community collaboration

• Best practice in the field of science, mathematics and technology

I thought I can start to make my questions based on these themes. However, the idea is not totally fitted in my mind, still very vague... 

Still stuck!

I was stuck in forming my research questions and I thought I can discuss with Elena. The good point about her is she is always available. There is sometime that you think you need a very urgent help and its a missery if you cant find the one that you think she can help.
Any way, I explained to her what Im concerned. The whole point of discussion focused on 2 points:

Firs, the theory that Im going to use. As usual, she said I dont know. I explained to her about the AGIL theory that I had found recently and she said in this case, your thesis has to have a sociology part!! (Which I don't agree).
That was my fault again. I shouldn't ask her about theory. I knew that she cant help.

Second, we talked about research questions. She had some suggestions, but we didn't finalize. However, it helped me to see the situation better. We also decided that we consider change agents whoever who is involved in the process of change, in course level.

Research questions are a real disaster!

I can say that yesterday I was struggling all the day. I had a messy mind that I didn't know what to do. The biggest disaster was research questions!

Here are all my thinking:

• Change
• Change agents
• Sense-making theory
• Standards
• Educational change
• Curriculum developer
• Curriculum development
• Skill shortage
• AGIL
• Attrition
• Credible universities
• Curriculum Problems
• Internal problems
• External problems
• Quality
• Professional life of developer
• Computer Engineering
• Theory of change

I came out of :

1. How change agents manage to bring about change into the current curriculum?
2. To what extent the current curriculum reflects change? 

Thinking in the bus!

I was thinking all the way to Charlestown squire in the bus. I thought that:
If in the society (according to AGIL theory) we are facing internal problems and external problems then we can apply this theory in curriculum development area.
Internal problems -> Problems that concern the curriculum itself.
External problems -> Problems between curriculum and its content.
I have to found out is it possible to use it for curriculum development purposes!!!

Not harder, only smarter!

Cant wait till post what Ive found yesterday...Yesterday while I was looking for something, I found this:

How nice is it! When I come to the office I usually start working, without thinking. Maybe thats the reason I couldn't have the progress I was expecting. So, I will change to everyday thinking before working strategy! 

A productive day!

I started my day with Jennifer's resources. She was working on sense-making theory and I thought I might use that one in my study. I can make a connection, however I think I need more reading. I must give myself time.  Among those resources that she had given to me, I saw an article from 'Journal of Educational change'! Surprised!!! Journal of Educational Change! So specific! Cool! I must have a look!
I found couple of interesting articles, all printed and prioritised for reading.
Apart form a group of factors influencing educational change, I found an interesting model for educational change. The original theory (sociology) says that when changes happen in a society, we are confronting four areas of problems:

1. Adaptation
2. Goal attainment
3. Patten maintenance
4. Integration

Then the educational model relates educational environment to society and propose a level for each items.
Seems interesting! I need more reading to see if I can use this one.

Then I had a meeting with Allyson at 4pm.
She said that my assignment was acceptable. It smells IMPROVEMENT! I felt that! :) I had written all my questions (such a wise student I am ;)). The summary of the session is:

• My method of interview will be a mixture of structured and openness questions. 
• I start with a broad area of a theory (not necessarily the Theory of Change) to construct my interview questions. Then I will look at it to explore more (exploratory) .
• We talked about in-depth interview. Apart form the method, the aim is gain information as much as I can. 
• I realized that even for information which is available publicly, I need ethics as they are university's property. However, I was wondering that universities are very cautious about their properties, but when some lecturers  abuse students work, university does nothing. I didn't ask as I thought it is not related to our conversation. 
• I can pursue coding and analysing for the last assignment based on EA standards and Program Handbook, only for few courses. 
• I need a serious consideration for forming and framing my research questions. 
• Keeping the records of the process shows of having a system and it gives credit to the study.

Keep going!

Although, I proceed as slow as a turtle, but Im happy that at least I did have some progress:

• I learnt how to import webpages to NVivo
• I learnt a little but how to code data
• I submitted my second assignment to Allyson
• I joint a webinar about NVivo, which was a new experience

So far so good! However, I thought its better if I give up the poster presentation. Ill participate next time for sure...

Lets keep going!

New day, new start

Its Monday again. Id like to say I hate Mondays, but then I thought no. Instead of that I should make it a good start for a new productive week. I know I do have a loads of things to do, but I should be able to manage everything. Here is the list of my commitments:

• Poster (deadline next week 21. Oct). Do I have to attend? I don't have time for that and its not necessary. Or at least I should talk to Jo, if I can can change the abstract and send my previous poster. I MUST MAKE MY DECISION TODAY!
• Theory of curriculum
• Analysis with NVivo
• Assignment for qualitative study
• Change agents criteria

Im ready for a new productive week!

A new start! Lets start balancing!

Ok, I decided to write here again. I hope it helps me to reveal my stress and pressure...

And Im here again, me and the screen and a messy mind! Loads of work to do and not sure how to start:

• Poster competition
• Turkey conference
• Curriculum Theory
• Coding and Analysing
• Plus my dusty as a MUM!! and also being a wife, a good and caring one.

Sometimes, I think I just cant, I just simply cant...But then I say, I must. I should be strong enough to do everything together. Make a balance! Thats the clue. Making a balance among everything. So, lets start Balancing! :)