Dear colleagues The Southern Cross Institute of Action Research (SCIAR) once again offers its free on line action research course. Orientation material will be emailed on February 10. The first session will follow about two weeks later. Brief details, and a subscription form, follow -- Bob _____ _____ __ ___________ Southern Cross Institute __________________ / \ of Action Research / /\ \ ____/ /_/ AREOL 23 __ action research and evaluation on line ____ \____/\_\ A free on line course in action research offered as a public service by the Southern Cross Institute of Action Research at Southern Cross University ______________________________ ____________________________________ Areol 23 begins in mid to late February 2006. Conducted over four months or a little less, its 14 sessions (or thereabouts) will provide you with basic information about one form of action research. As with earlier programs, the theme of areol 23 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 the Southern Cross Institute of Action Research, SCIAR, at Southern Cross university. You can examine the areol materials on the web. You'll find an index page at http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/areol/areolind.html 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. If you wish to subscribe to the email version of areol 23, 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: By subscribing to areol 23 you are undertaking a commitment to: 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 one hour 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. (You can 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 takes about 15 minutes. If you choose to join one of the learning groups, this may add about another 20 or 30 minutes each session to your commitment. Beyond this, there are many further opportunities for involvement. Most sessions describe relevant activities, suggest further reading, and identify archived files which expand on the material. __________________________________________________________________ B. Subscription details 1. Name: 2. Brief bio (about two or three sentences about your interest in action research). This will be placed in a public archive: 3. Which, if any, of the following interest groups do you wish to join? (It is not a requirement that you join any of them. However, in joining an interest group you are committing yourself to taking part in the discussion in those groups): _ 3a. Novices' interest group. This is intended primarily for people who do not make much use of action research in their work so far, and would appreciate a mutual-aid group _ 3b. Practitioners' interest group. This in intended primarily for people whose interest in action research is to improve their practice _ 3c. Academics' interest group. This is intended primarily for people who are more interested in the research or philosophical aspects than in the practitioner applications of action research _ 3d. Thesis interest group. This is intended primarily for people who are using action research or related methodologies for thesis purposes, or are supervising such theses 4. Are you willing to helping to facilitate the interest group? 5. Are you willing for any email you post to areol and the associated lists to be analysed as part of an action research project? (Your anonymity will be protected unless your specific permission to identify you is sought and given. There is no particular research currently planned; this is to keep that possibility open.) Please mail this to [log in to unmask]