Dr. Veletsianos picked three major topics from our long list of questions to address them in his podcasts.
How does one keep up with the rapidly changing technology in the researches?
I liked Dr. Veletsianos’s response when he described that technology change is a problem, but not because it evolves rapidly, but because focusing on the technology itself brings up issues, and advised everybody to “try not to study technology, try to study problems” (2018a, 2:04). At the same time, I was not entirely satisfied. Some of the research what we read throughout the MALAT program felt outdated due to older technology being studied (MySpace, Moveable Type, etc.), although the problems themselves were general and universal. On the other hand, in some cases, I feel many studies are so general, and theoretical without focusing on technology. I predict it will be hard to find the right balance.
“Tools” to use for researches.
Dr. Veletsianos listed both technological and other resources, but naturally, as he described not everything applies to every research project. The tools Dr. Veletsianos described were an excellent list, and I am in a very good position as not too many of them were new for me: iPhone/recorder for recording interviews, survey tools (Google Forms, Survey Monkey) document sharing (Dropbox, Google Docs), literature review (online library, Google Scholar), qualitative analysis software (Dedoose, NVivo), statistics, regression (MS Excel). The most important resource is, what Dr. Veletsianos (2018c, 4:45) listed and emphasized are his colleagues, when they bounce questions back and forth, share ideas, co-analyze data, or even co-write articles. “They are human resources” (Veletsianos, 2018c, 5:03) but vital for moving forward.
Academics to share their works broadly. Modern-day academics have to play the role of both researcher and marketer; there is an expectation to establish a blog, participate on social media, etc.
Dr. Veletsianos ( 2018b) described in his podcast that researchers wish to address and a solve real-world problem, but also suggested that these researchers need to leave the lab, and the close-knit community, and go to a broader audience. Based on personal preference, and the targeted audience, this outreach can happen on blogs, social media, op-eds, local journals or else. Researchers should not just write for their peers. In Dr. Veletsianos’s case, as he is researching online learning, his role is to make a change in the classrooms worldwide; thus he needs to make it available to those who practice online learning, such as learners and to practitioners.
All illustrations are created by the author.
References
Veletsianos, G. (2018a, Aug 13). Podcast | How should we keep up with technological changes in the researches [Audio podcast]? Retrieved from https://www.dropbox.com/s/5dxtmbm7ye2v10t/question1.mp3?dl=0
Veletsianos, G. (2018b, Aug 13). Podcast | Thoughts on academics sharing work broadly [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.dropbox.com/s/rbkc5oga0mfvpif/question3.mp3?dl=0
Veletsianos, G. (2018c, Aug 13). Podcast | “Tools” I use in researches [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.dropbox.com/s/vz7k0frmkttn9hj/question2.mp3?dl=0