Diving into Action Research: A New Learning Experience

This term has been one of the most meaningful in terms of both personal growth and collaboration. As I’ve worked through my action research plan, literature review, and course reflections, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of what it means to be a self-directed learner—especially within a learning community. I believe a score of 96 accurately reflects the quality and consistency of my contributions to both my own development and the learning of my peers.

One of the biggest successes this term was developing my Action Research Plan. It challenged me to think critically about how to improve student performance and engagement through a blended learning model in my innovation plan. I consistently sought feedback from both peers and instructors to refine the plan and ensure it aligned with my innovation goals. Collaborating with Kelsie Adams and Adaliz Barroso was especially helpful during this process. We shared drafts, exchanged feedback, and offered suggestions that helped strengthen our ideas. Their insights helped me clarify the structure of my study, especially in terms of data collection and aligning the intervention with measurable outcomes.

My Literature Review was another area where collaboration played a key role. Reading through peer research helped me recognize where I could go deeper with my sources. I noticed gaps in my initial review, particularly around student engagement strategies, and Kelsie pointed me toward a few key articles that I ended up citing. Adaliz also shared a perspective about growth mindset that pushed me to include a reference to Carol Dweck’s work, which really enriched the direction of my project. These conversations pushed me to not just find sources, but actually think more critically about how the research connects to what I’m trying to solve.

I’ve also worked hard to keep my contributions grounded and helpful during class discussions and group meetings. Whether it was a shared Google Doc or quick group chats, I made sure to give thoughtful feedback that my peers could actually use. I also made a point to check in with my group if I noticed someone was struggling or behind, because I know how much a quick message or bit of support can help.

While I’m proud of the work I’ve done, I know there’s always room to improve. One area I’m working on is being more proactive in initiating deeper discussions about connections between assignments. For example, during this course, we had several opportunities to connect the literature review with the action research design. I realized a little late that some of those connections could have been made stronger earlier on if I had brought them up more intentionally in group conversations.

I’m also working on balancing self-directed work with collaborative energy. There were times I got so focused on my own deliverables that I didn’t engage as much in class-wide discussions. I’d like to be more active in contributing ideas across the broader community, not just within my base group.

Impact of CollaborationCollaborating with Kelsie and Adaliz has been one of the most rewarding parts of this course. We’ve built a space where we can be honest, constructive, and encouraging—whether we’re sharing a half-finished draft or celebrating a win. We’ve supported each other across assignments, and in doing so, we’ve connected key ideas from each other’s work. For instance, discussing Adaliz’s focus on learner agency helped me think differently about how I measure student engagement in my own research. Kelsie’s ideas about instructional design made me revisit how I structured self-paced learning in my blended model. These conversations made my work better and pushed me to think beyond my own scope.

This reflection gave me a chance to pause and look at how much I’ve grown—not just in what I’ve learned, but in how I’ve learned. I’ve become more aware of how my contributions shape the learning community and how much I gain from the people around me. I’m learning that self-assessment isn’t just about grading yourself—it’s about being honest, recognizing growth, and committing to keep getting better.

Here is the link to the key pieces of work I contributed this term: Assessing Digital Learning & Instruction