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Reflection of Learning for ED 850 Christina Scott San Diego State University

Individual Research Project and Presentation - A Factorial Analysis of Online Learner Success Rates in California Community Colleges: An Investigation on Gender and Age

I started out in this class completely petrified of statistics ! ho"ever this class "as one of the #est academic e$periences I have had% &he 'no"ledge of statistical analysis has helped enhance my a#ility to apply the scientific method to li#eral arts studies (education) and has helped me understand the scholarly articles related to online education "hich include discussions of surveys and evaluations applying statistical formulas and tests and the significance of the results% &he po"er point presentation of my individual *uantitative research is the artifact for this reflection and demonstrates my a#ility to meet the follo"ing ED 850 course learning outcomes+ Describe the nature and use of statistical procedures Utilize statistical analytic software (such as SPSS) Run various analytical tests on data Critically interpret results Discuss implications of findings for policy and practice Present research and findings in oral format

&hese course outcomes demonstrate the use of the scientific method and fulfill the Ed.D program learning outcome of decision sciences% &he presentation of our individual "or' for this pro,ect "as in preparation to present this type of "or' at a professional conference! and thus

additionally reflects the Ed.D. program learning outcome of professional activities in this field% &he individual research I conducted for this class provided me "ith a greater understanding of ho" to assess student learning in online education #y using e$tant data from the California Community Colleges Chancellor s -ffice Data .art% Conducting the factorial statistical analyses of the data using the S/SS soft"are also prepared me for considering a *uantitative approach to my dissertation study% 0s stated previously! my severe lac' of understanding of *uantitative methods I feel negatively impacted my research a#ilities #y my not #eing a#le to fully understand and analy1e pu#lished research in the area of online education that presented *uantitative findings% 2o"ever! #y having the opportunity to apply statistical tests and analyses using factorial analysis to my o"n *uantitative study has ta'en my from not understanding *uantitative research to "anting to pu#lish my o"n% In addition to #eing a#le to run statistical tests and apply the information! I really en,oyed the process of presenting and discussing the information "ith my peers and /rofessor 3ood% I love to teach and present! it is the area that I usually e$cel in! and it "as a personal achievement for me to #e a#le to present my research on this topic "ith confidence and ease% &he feed#ac' that I received on this research and presentation #y #oth Dr% 3ood and classmates has inspired me to "or' on this research more to su#mit for pu#lishing% -verall! I feel this artifact represents my a#ility to successful conduct *uantitative research and provide insightful findings regarding online learners! meeting #oth of the decision sciences and professional Ed.D. program learning outcomes.