ALARA in partnership with Bob Dick is offering a free 4 month, 14 session basic Action Research Course.
For more information about Aerol- action research and evaluation on line- please follow the link to:
http://uqconnect.net/action_research/areol/areolind.html
The theme is the integration of effective change with rigorous research. In some respects, it is
a combination of the principles of community and organisational change with those for change-oriented qualitative research,
sometimes with use of quantitative research too.
The program does not attempt to cover all varieties of action research. Nor does it analyse the philosophy of action research
in any depth. The main intention is to allow participants to understand some processes which combine action and research, and
which can be used in practice.
Later sessions briefly describe an action research approach to evaluation.
The on-line sessions are supplemented by archived files on various aspects of action research and evaluation.
There is no charge (apart from your usual connect charges, if any). This is provided as a public service by Bob Dick, and ALARA.
This will give you an idea of the contents and style of the course. You can also work through these web materials at your own pace, if
you wish. This is an alternative to the email version. It doesn't include the discussion group and learning groups of the email
version. Also, it isn't revised as often as the email version (which I fine tune each semester), so it's less up to date.
If you wish to subscribe to the next email version of areol, please
A. read the following description,
B. then send answers to the questions (below)
You may also wish to check the responses of areol 13 and areol 14
subscribers to the final evaluation. You'll find them, uncensored, at
http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/areol/areol13eval.html
http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/areol/areol14eval.html
A. The commitment you are undertaking:
If you hope to gain much benefit from areol you are undertaking a
commitment to:
o read the orientation material before the course begins
o read the sessions
o take part in the accompanying general discussion list each
session
o help evaluate areol at about the middle of the program, and
again at the end
o agree to your posts on any of the areol lists being
analysed as part of an action research project
If you have little time, you can take part in areol with a time commitment of about 70 or 80 minutes a session (sessions are
mailed about weekly): 20 minutes to read the weekly session; 20 minutes to access the relevant archived resource files; 20 minutes
to take part in the accompanying discussion list; and a little thinking time. (You may be able to pare this back a little by
being selective about the archived resources you read.)
(Evaluations of past areol programs suggest that this is a heavier commitment than some participants anticipate. The sessions, each
of about 7000 to 8000 words, are mailed out weekly. The comments of past participants suggests that, if you do not set aside time
each week you will find it hard to keep up with the material.)
In addition, an evaluation of areol after the final week takes about 15 minutes.
When there are a lot of subscribers, four learning groups are set up. These are for participants to discuss their applications
of action research without overloading the main discussion list. If you choose to join one of the learning groups, this may add
about another 20 or 30 minutes each week to your commitment.
Beyond this, there are many further opportunities for involvement. Most sessions describe relevant activities, suggest further
Treading, and identify archived files which expand on the material.