Unit 2 | Conducting a Critical Inquiry – Digging in Deep (3 weeks)

Overview

In this Unit, you will conduct your critical inquiry both as a team and as individuals on the team by participating in the chosen learning event and delivery technology. As a team, you will work through an exploration, research, documentation, sharing, and feedback cycle with each individual attending to a self-identified area of interest/specific issue related to, or aspects of the experience. The timing of this will be dependent upon the learning event chosen and the date chosen by your team to do Assignment 1 Part 2 – team presentation. Please note that you may not be able to fully complete the learning event chosen in the time allocated, and it is your responsibility to plan for this if necessary at the beginning of this assignment.

Photo: Reflection – by Irwin DeVries, CCO

Learning Activities and Assignments

Continue to participate in the learning event chosen.
Continue to engage in interactive discussions with your team as part of the critical inquiry process.
Continue your participation in the learning event as a team and your individual investigation of the specific issue as outlined in your individual learning plan (Assignment 1 Part 1).
Complete Readings as identified in your individual learning plan (Assignment 1 Part 1).
Complete Unit 2 Activity 1 – individual blog updates
Complete Assignment 1 Part 2 | Team Presentation according to the time selected by your team in Unit 1.
Complete Assignment 1 Part 3 | Peer Feedback.
Participate in class bi-weekly meet-ups (synchronous) or view the recordings – see schedule for dates/times.

Required Readings and Resources

As outlined in individual learning plans (Assignment 1 Part 1) and emergent based on chosen learning event and delivery technology. experience and critical inquiry process. Aim for 300-500 words.

Activity 1 | Individual Critical Academic Reflection Blog Updates

Throughout Unit 2 you will be exposed to a variety of other learning events and delivery technology and related issues that have been investigated by the various teams, including your own. You will also be discovering many different components of the specific issue you are examining as outlined in your individual learning plan. Taking time to reflect on, consider, and synthesize your thoughts and the meaning making you are doing while you are doing it is an essential step in the process of conducting a critical inquiry and as you shift from research consumer to research producer. It is an acquired skill that requires constant practice to refine and it is one that is key to a successful MA degree completion. Indeed, as Tanggaard and Wegener (2017) summarize, “practice takes time, effort, reflection, and intention, as well as willingness to see the old in new ways and to go beyond preconceptions” (p. 50).

This activity invites you to make your thinking visible (Eisner, 1998) in the form of a critical academic reflection written in your individual blog. The following prompts may be used to help you frame some of your posts:

What ideas did I have about this type of learning event and delivery technology prior to experiencing it?
What impact might this type of learning event and delivery technology have on learning/learners? teaching/teachers? organizations? society?
What other examples would be worth investigating? Are there others? What might be missing?
What concerns do you have about this learning event and delivery technology and why? Do others have those concerns? Have they or how have they been addressed?
What opportunities are there for this learning event and delivery technology? What have others done? Where are the strengths? Have they or how have these strengths been realized in other settings?

Also: Write a minimum of three thoughtful and helpful comments on others’ blogs during this Unit. Please try to find blogs that have fewer comments so that everyone can benefit from peer insights.

This resource on critical reflective academic writing was provided in LRNT 521 and is shared here for your reference if needed.