Research Ideas
During my time at the University of Georgia I have pursued work at Upward Bound in teaching a Summer course. I loved every moment of it. I have worked with wonderful staff in the LDT program and have accomplished many goals in developing some very specific projects I would like to pursue in the program. Because of my background in education through working in UGA's Upward Bound Summer program, I have a great deal of insight into technology in the classroom. My experience at Upward Bound enabled me to use technology in creative ways to engage students with project-based learning activities. Many of the successes and failures in this Summer program really made me consider what works in this setting and what does not work so well in the classroom. One goal I always attempted to pursue was to make each project and task as authentic as possible by creating projects that connected to the real world. However, there were many opportunities that could not be provided to the students, such as real world activities that could actually simulate the experience of science courses or experiments. Some students had science related topics that actually did have simulations through online resources, however. The idea of using a simulation to dissect a frog or to manipulate the columns of a structure to determine how it could hold up a building fascinated me in how they could simulate and realistically present the world around them. These experiences were also engaging to the students, which got my mind jogging about creating these developments on my own. Ultimately, what I wish to do is research the use of fidelity within educational curriculums. This area of study has various applications from case-based activities to computer-based simulations.
Domain Areas
Overall, the domain areas I would be interested in studying are the use of fidelity through case-based learning, simulations, and other methods in the classroom. Based on the research of Alessi (1988), the ultimate goal is to apply his models of simulation fidelity to other methods of learning that attempt to recreate realistic scenarios. While attending EDIT 9990, I researched the concepts of Jonassen and his attempts to show how individuals solve problems. In particular, studies into case-based learning reveal possibilities for future research work. The use of cases or scenarios could potentially allow learners to learn from the triumphs and errors of the past. There are many avenues through which the use of cases can allow someone to complete a task that appears to be authentic and at the same time allow people to have experiences they have never experienced before, even from different perspectives. These case-based experiences can allow people to consider an authentic experience and come to conclusions by considering new scenarios never experienced before. I wish to study how a case can be used within Alessi's fidelity model and expand it to other forms of education beyond simulations. In particular, I want to focus in the medical field, such as at the Pharmacy School, Veterinarian School, and the Medical School.
Goals
In particular, my goal is to determine how to create a curriculum that can create an overall increase in forward reasoning. In essence, I want to apply fidelity in an increasing manner to promote reasoning skills in medical diagnosis. Forward reasoning is a method that has shown the most effective decision making processes in medical doctors at the expert level. Through an increasing level of fidelity I ultimately want to see an increase in the use of forward reasoning by medical professionals. Alessi's (1988) fidelity model dealt strictly with simulations. The goal I wish to accomplish is to expand these models to other forms of education. Alessi's hypothesized relationship of fidelity and learning indicates a course for the level of expertise within a simulation and how fidelity can be increased. Through analysis of this model with other forms of learning that can help to provide a learning case, simulation, or other means of learning, I want to accomplish a course for learning design and application of these particular methods at the correct time in a curriculum. Based on putting a fidelity level on these methods, a curriculum designer could plot the correct course of when a particular method should be used for novice, experienced, and expert learners. When a learner is ready, the use of a higher fidelity teaching method can be applied and create a better learning environment for students.
Importance
Ultimately, the importance of this research is to improve the application of teaching methods at the correct time in a learning environment. If a fidelity level is increased at the correct time, it may create an overall better learning environment for students. This fidelity level within the learning environment can teach important skills to learners. By using cases, simulations, and various other methods within a domain area, such as medical training, a medical student could potentially become more proficient by obtaining the highest level of learning for their skill level as a student. This could potentially create a better learner and overall better environment. Overall, the goal is to increase the level of forward reasoning levels in the medical practice. This form of thinking can promote an overall better decision making outcome for doctors at the expert level.
Research Questions
Some of the proposed research questions are:
What level of fidelity is a case-based scenario within the expanded Alessi model?
When should a case-based scenario be used based on the expanded Alessi model?
How should a case-based scenario be written to increase fidelity levels?
Can case-based medical reasoning exercises increase the frequency and accuracy of forward reasoning?
Can increasing fidelity levels of a curriculum at the novice, skilled, and expert levels promote the use of forward reasoning?
References
Alessi, S. M. (1988). Fidelity in the Design of Instructional Simulations. Journal Of Computer-Based Instruction, 15(2), 40-47.
Jonassen, D. (2007). Case-based Reasoning: Toward Phenomenological Ontologies. Technology, Instruction, Cognition & Learning, 5(3), 275-288.