Methods of Inquiry Reflection

What a fall!  One of the two courses I took this fall at San Diego State was Methods of Inquiry, with Jim Marshall (independent consultant to corporate business entities and school systems).  This was another class in my Master of Educational Leadership program at SDSU that truly applied to my professional world as the course was happening.

This particular course focused on research and evaluation, and understanding how to go about collecting data to inform an evaluation.  We spent considerable time looking at the pros and cons of the various ways to collect data, from observations, to surveys, to focus groups.  As I was going through the course, I was thinking about ways to apply what I was learning to AAS and one of our new programs, the Learning Coach Lounge.  I was able to use the course to work with our Parent Advisory Council and others to think critically about the LCL.

There were plenty of take-a-ways from the course.  The biggest was thinking about the broader questions that need to be answered; not creating the survey but seeing the bigger picture and thinking about which tools will help answer those questions.  Of course, being able to then move forward and think through the ways to gather the right data.  The capstone for the class was creating a Program Evaluation Plan, which is linked to my website.  My plan was designed to fully review the Learning Coach Lounge and utilize many data collection methods.  I hope to use this plan in the spring to look for ways to enhance this program and others at AAS.

​I continue to be impressed with the program thus far.  It is truly rewarding to be able to learn with my cohort, my peers!  Thank you Dr. Marshall and my cohort for another great course at SDSU!