What is Classroom Action Research?

“It is the integration of teaching and scholarship [where] instructors use data readily available from their classes to answer practical questions about teaching and learning in their classrooms” Gwynn Mettetal "Improving Teaching through Classroom Action Research"

It is less formal than traditional educational research, but more systematic and data-based than teacher reflection

What are the steps involved? How can CLT help at each step?

CLT staff members can help faculty refine their research question(s), and conduct a literature search on the topic. More importantly, CLT will be involved in deciding the data collection methods, conducting the data collection and analyzing the results. CLT will also help instructors disseminate their findings with the AUC and international community, via workshops, symposia (such as CLT’s), conference presentations or publications.

What Research Methods Can CLT Help with?

CLT can help you collect and analyze data from various sources, both qualitative and quantitative. For example:

• Observation/Record (e.g. filming)
• Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID)
• WebCT derived data:
       o Online discussion analysis
       o Student tracking tool
       o Quizzes
• Focus Groups
• Student Opinion/Perception Survey (e.g mid-semester survey)
• Background demographic survey

Examples of past CARs

Economics 202 Course Redesign (Herb Thompson, Economics)
This research has resulted in a conference presentation and a publication. For PowerPoint presentation, click here.

Other CARs include:

• Concept Tests: Is Peer Instruction Any Good?” (Adham Ramadan, Chemistry)
• “Critical Thinking and the Experiential Learning Model” (Amani Elshimi, Writing Program)
• “Classroom Action Research for Collaborative Learning” (Lotfi Gaafar, Mechanical Engineering)
• “Using Maple to Enhance Math Instruction” (Mark Werner, Mathematics)
• “Webquest and Integration of Research” (Natascha Gast, Writing Program

CARs that resulted in publications/conference presentations:

• McCallum, A, Gast, N and Sarraf J (2005) Instructor Reflections on Building a Virtual Community presented at 5th Annual MERLOT International Conference
  
• Bali M, Ramadan A and Rizk N (2006), “Full-time, In-class, Face-to-face Courses... Why (then) Online Discussions?” Presented at 4th International Conference on eLearning Applications, January 2006, Cairo
  
• Bali M, Ellozy A and Thompson H (2006) “Redesigning Introductory Economics: Techno-collaborative learning”, Presentation at The International Conference on Web Information Systems Technologies (WEBIST) 2006, Setubal, Portugal. April 2006
  
• Bali M and Ellozy A (2006) “On rubrics, critical thinking and online discussion: A case study at AUC” Proceedings of the 13th American University in Cairo Research Conference Presented April 2006 (proceedings in press)
  
• Bali M, Ellozy A and Thompson H (2006) “Redesigning Introductory Economics: Techno-collaborative learning”. Special issue of International Journal of Web Information Systems. Springer (in press)