IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN ONE DISSERTATION: DATA COLLECTION TO ANALYSIS TO DISSEMINATION

Abstract

Session will address how a series of unrelated technological toolsbecame essential to not only identify what research needed to becompleted, but how the data would be collected, analyzed and laterreported. Session will highlight how technology was used: 1) to identifythe problem, 2) to clarify its significance in a university setting andin current literature matrices, 3) to create tools to engage the studentin the data collection process, 4) to compare and contrast the findings,and 5) to disseminate the results of the research to a wider audience.Information and communication technology (ICT) has become a populareducational tool among students who are currently enrolling in highereducation and entering the workforce. With the continued integration oftechnology in higher education, online registration has become commonpractice and a necessary skill students need to master to successfullynavigate university life. As first year undergraduate students arrive atuniversities they are unfamiliar with the many requirements of theonline registration process which they can find both complex andfrustrating. Therefore, through the use of technology the researcher wasinitially able to unearth a potential problem statement supported withpertinent literature and then locate a reliable and valid instrument tosupport the research methodology. Using RefWorks and Microsoft Excel acomprehensive literature matrix evolved that quickly illustratedthematic areas that could become research questions for an extensivestudy. This information, coupled with the researcher's own view of areal-life problem at hand, served as the impetus for the purposestatement for the research.The research study discussed in this session provided first yearundergraduate students with a web-based, multimedia tutorial whichfocused upon the course search and registration process at the specificresearch site. It was the hope that the multimedia tutorial would allowstudents to build self-confidence in their own abilities to navigate thevirtual university environment and feel successful in the early stagesof their academic career. With the use of software such as AdobeCaptivate 4.0, Adobe Dreamweaver, and SNAP Professional, theRegistration Tutorial {[}1] was created and used to collect and analyzeperceived proficiency with ICT and effectiveness of the multimediatutorial. Technology came to the aid of the researcher in disseminatingthe findings, conclusions, and recommendations to a wider audience.Initially a PowerPoint was created with a series of screen captures fromthe actual multimedia tutorial to share the findings of the research fora university critique. The PowerPoint was later converted via CamtasiaStudio by TechSmith as a means to engage other review audiences andcapture the attention using audio, video, and text. In another venue,select findings were disseminated through a virtual showcase using AdobeAcrobat Connect as the medium. The Virtual Showcase session allowed theresearcher to asynchronously discuss, via a conference website and anonline discussion board, select findings to multi-disciplinaryresearchers in corporate and higher education settings across the globewithout having to exhaust limited travel budgets at her institution orthe travel budgets of those viewing the work.