Search | Menu IETC’s Action Researchers are Making a Difference
Madison College’s Institute for Equity and Transformational Change (IETC) is an inclusive hub where faculty, staff, and the college community actively advance equity-based practices.
IETC supports Action Research projects from faculty and staff who identify an area of inquiry and related research plan. Action Research is designed to critically examine the dynamics within the classroom, department, or college, pinpointing areas for improvement, and devising equitable solutions. The proposed research will support the ideals of equity and inclusion in the learning experience. The aim is to share the research findings throughout the college and the broader higher-ed community for all to benefit from.
“Action Research is so powerful because at the core it’s about action. We're making impacts and tracking the outcomes,” said Dr. Michele Turner, IETC Lead Action Researcher. “We want to make sure that the research we do is practical, and it isn't just sitting on a shelf somewhere.”
The IETC team envisions that the collection of Action Research projects will eventually serve as the foundation for a research conference hosted by Madison College or even lead to the publication of a journal. This would ensure that the value of the research is recognized and shared broadly.
The concept of a conference or journal helps to position two-year institutions as important centers for academic research. Turner pointed out that many people do not view two-year colleges as research institutions and may even have an aversion toward research at these colleges. The IETC aims to change this perception. The IETC team aims to foster cross-collaboration in research projects by encouraging interdisciplinary proposals from different programs or departments hoping to research similar issues. Dr. Marco Torrez-Miranda, Director of the IETC, said many projects to-date have come out of Academic Affairs but more recently he is seeing proposals from Student Success, Student Engagement/Retention, Academic Advising, and other support services.
Another key goal of the IETC is to get more students involved in the research.
“We firmly believe that students have to be part of the process of transforming the educational landscape,” Torrez-Miranda said. “We don't want to create things for students we want to create things with students and ensure they're part of the process.”
The IETC has two undergraduate research assistants and plans to bring on additional students and involve them in planning the conference and publishing the journal.
Since 2021 there have been 17 Action Research projects either completed or in progress. In each case, a member of the faculty or staff has crafted a proposal for research into an area of need or interest. Proposals are reviewed by a committee and those accepted will receive executional and financial support from the IETC.
Faculty or staff interested in learning more about becoming an action researcher can visit the IETC page on SharePoint.
These summaries provide a glimpse of Action Research being done by Madison College faculty and staff.
Developing Linguistic Equity Training for Writing Center Tutors
Susanne Treiber, Academic Manager, Writing Center
Dr. Cherif Correa, English Instructor, Co-chair English Department
2021-2022 Action Research Cohort
One of the first Action Research projects was based in linguistic equity training proposed by Susanne Treiber and Dr. Cherif Correa. The research featured a series of focus group interviews with Writing Center tutors and multilingual and multi-dialectical students and staff to better understand their experiences and needs.
“Writing Center practice, like education, is rooted in monolingualism. As a culture, we assume everyone speaks English when in fact, our country has no official language supporting our 1st amendment right to freedom of speech,” Treiber said. “Historically, writing center training has been around writing as a process and there wasn't a significant amount of discussion around topics like the power of language use and how it represents access to social and economic mobility.”
The study uncovered several actionable insights including the fact that the linguistically diverse participants shared difficult experiences navigating language and literacy in a range of situations, whereas the nearly all of the tutors reported positive early language experiences.
While the linguistically diverse students were proud of their language background, they expressed hesitancy about knowing when or if their language experiences were welcome in academic settings.
The research has led to the development of training tutors to better support linguistically diverse students. Professional development has included topics on awareness of linguistic prejudice and discrimination, understanding the history of English standardization in U.S. education, researching non-U.S. cultural education systems and languages, self-exploration of linguistic identity, and critical language awareness pedagogy.
Looking ahead, Treiber is working in concert with Writing Center Coordinator Andrea Benton with support from the IETC to develop workshops for faculty. “Our goal is to build awareness around what it means to have a linguistically equitable classroom environment,” she said.
Analyzing the Digital Badge Effect on Black and Hispanic Male Students
Dr. Robin Nickel, Strategic Academic Initiatives
Spring 2024 Action Research Cohort
A pilot project that Nickel was working on revealed that Black and Hispanic students were earning digital badges (micro credentials, not tied to course completion) at a higher rate than their White counterparts. She initiated an Action Research project to investigate what motivates students to earn badges and how to best support them. These badges are tied to key job skills in demand by employers including communication, critical thinking, self-management, teamwork, and cultural awareness, among others.
Nickel interviewed students in the Spring of 2024 to determine what made them pursue a badge and interviewed instructors as to why they offered badges in their courses.
The students cited a sense of accomplishment and pride as a key reason for pursuing badges as well as their utility in job searches. The interviewees used their credentials on LinkedIn, resumes and in email signatures. They also valued the authentication and verification built into the digital badge system with one student noting that it was important because “anybody can come up with different certifications on the internet.”
Nickel interviewed one student experiencing homelessness, who said, “By getting a badge I was letting everybody know that I was succeeding. It gave me a great opportunity to let the rest of the world know that I was moving forward.”
The instructors offered badges in their coursework to motivate students and to support their job searching efforts. They view digital badges as a strategy to create more equitable assessments linked to specific assignments rather than course completion. The importance of this last point is underscored by Nickel who said, “Students who withdraw from a class may still have learned along the way. If they demonstrate these core skills at any point in a course, what do they have to show for it? Digital badges are tethered to the student and independent of the course, allowing us to capture these moments.”
One of the students was a new father who couldn’t finish a class due to other responsibilities. He walked away with a digital badge – proof that he learned and accomplished something.
The research identified barriers to widespread use of badges including the lack of a systemwide objective, lack of an embedded tool within the learning management system, and lack of a formal implementation plan to name a few. Nickel said instructors decide whether or not to offer badges in their courses.
The research recommendations include communicating the availability of digital badges to students and faculty and training faculty to use them within the new learning management system. Findings also support 1) using faculty onboarding as an opportunity to educate new faculty about the availability of badges, 2) emphasizing the role of badges in equitable practices, and 3) maximizing the curriculum mapping process within programs and departments to avoid duplication across multiple courses.
Neurodiversity and Mental Health Inclusion at Madison College
Dixie Burns, Physical Sciences Instructor
2024-2025 Action Research Cohort
Dixie Burns’ own experiences with autism, generalized anxiety and OCD inspired her to undertake an Action Research project focused on fostering inclusivity for neurodivergent students and those with mental health issues. It aims to reduce stigma and prejudice through strategic interventions and evaluate the effectiveness of certain strategies in creating a more supportive and inclusive environment at Madison College for students to thrive.
Her research includes anonymous student surveys and evaluating specific changes to the physical classroom environment and teaching approaches. She refers to her room now as a neuro-affirming classroom.
“My approach is all about structure with flexibility,” Burns said. “The structure and routine aspects are really important for neurodivergent people and then the flexibility allows for the individual differences.”
Burns’ Action Research project is ongoing but is already making a difference. She has established affinity groups for neurodiverse faculty and as a result of sharing her project with her classes, neurodiverse students have expressed their appreciation for being recognized and non-neurodiverse students are beginning to understand and appreciate the differences.
“One of the most valuable things that I heard from my students is they felt normal in my classroom,” she said.
One of Burns’ goals in shining a light on the needs of neurodiverse students is to demonstrate that they have challenges, but also strengths. She noted that it's not a deficiency, it's just a different way of the brain working.
Abstracts from the breadth of Action Research projects are available to faculty and staff on IETC’s SharePoint page.
Others interested in learning more can contact Dr. Michele Turner at transformationalchange@madisoncollege.edu.
