Higher Education Observer

This is an executive summary/argument for using Action Research at a college. As Our institution moves from a two-year college to a full-service baccalaureate institution, faculty will be increasingly asked to consider their role in the creation of knowledge for their respective disciplines and instruction in that discipline.   As the Faculty Fellow for Publication and Communication, I approach the role as one of facilitating not just faculty development in instructional methods for the classroom, but also in professional development in the personal, service, and research aspects of their work. Concurrently, I am beginning my journey as a doctoral student in the Adult Education and Organizational Leadership at the University of Georgia.   The goal of the faculty in this program is to lead us to be scholar/practitioners using, among others, the action research methodology. In this memo, I would like to outline the characteristics of and processes used in action research

Note:  I am in two doctoral classes this semester.  One is on Leading Change and the other is about Action Research methodology.  This is a reflection on my understanding of Action Research. In reading Theory U for Dr. Watkins’ class, I came across a casual quotation in the book.   It is not a book about action research but one that is highly dependent upon it.   Scharmer quotes Kurt Lewin, “You cannot understand a system unless you change it.”   That quotation hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks.   That is action research in a nutshell, if you will.   It is a process of understanding a system, and the people and processes within that system, by trying to change it.   I am writing this essay the day after our SACS visiting team has given us our final report.   They were on our campus for three days.   As the chair of the Quality Enhancement Plan committee, I had a large responsibility in preparing for the visit.   Starting in June 2010, I led this effort.   It consumed