Action Research Plan for Blended Learning Professional Development

1. Name of Study: Professional Development for Blended Learning
Monica Zvolensky
EDLD 5315
Lamar University

2. Professional development in blended learning: An Action Research Plan
As an educator in a masters program, I feel that I am steering toward the progressive
mindset. The struggle will be developing the skill that Wagner rightly emphasizes - leading by
influence (Asia Society, 2009). As an "interim" leader, I have struggled with developing better
influential skills. It's a work in progress, but something that I didn't realize until this class, that I
am actively researching. In my efforts to be a better leader, I have researched what others have
done or written about (blogs, HBJ articles, etc.), taking bits and pieces to try things that were
more natural to me and my team, continuously reflect on responses or engagement and adjust. As
I move through the process, I am constantly questioning myself, google and Pinterest, and my
team. I have asked many wrong questions along the way, too, and feel that those misdirects have
helped me really understand my focus, and some have been tucked away for the future -- the
what if's.
The goal of this action plan is to determine if educators are inclined to transition to
blended learning when provided professional development to be consumed at their own pace. A
collection of basic training resources to support the development of quality blended learning will
be complied and provided in an open format for all trainers. Trainers will have the opportunity
to utilize training provided and suggestions for continuing study. Bi-monthly meetings will be
created to allow trainers to share what has been discovered and development efforts, with the
goal of utilizing the time to share and collaborate.
Fundamental ResearchQuestion
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rush to utilize technology for learning solutions, and
observations show that the focus was the use of the digital tool, not the learning that was

3. delivered by the tool (Tyler, 2020). When the training was transitioned to hours long Zoom
meetings or a string of eLearnings and slide decks for review, learners became disengaged
(Christensen, 2020). The research shows that meeting learners needs and designing purposeful
training provides meaningful education (Schaefer, et al., 2019). The Research Question for this
study is - Does providing digital learning professional development resources and opportunities
increase the development and implementation of blended learning?
Study Information
The study will be presented to the trainers as a project with check-in points in the form of
one-on-one touch base meetings, workshops, and self-assessment surveys.
ResearchDesign
The study will utilize the mixed-methods research design. Utilizing both quantitative and
qualitative data will provide a better understanding of where to move each person forward since
the team is so small.
ResearchMethod
Online self-assessment surveys (see Appendix A) will be utilized at 2-week intervals
throughout the study. Interviews or one-on-one meetings will be scheduled with each trainer, bi-
monthly, to check-in and determine obstacles and celebrate wins will also be implemented.
Trainers will also be provided bi-monthly workshops, to share ideas and resources.
Implementation timeline will occur on a sliding scale across 6-9 months, as each of the 7 trainers
will participate in the study as training volumes allow.

4. Data Collection and Analysis
Data collection will be on-going as it is derived from the frequent surveys and interviews.
The triangulation mixed methods design will be utilized to determine trends.
Sharing and Communicating Results
Results will be shared with the team via a workshop, in an effort to collaborate and
reflect on next steps. Training leadership will be notified via a Project Summary meeting and
will include a research summary and results, and next steps or projects the team will initiate to
build on positive progress. The results will also be posted to a professional message board and
personal blog.
Final Reflection
Utilizing action research ignites a motivation to make changes. As there are always areas
for improvements, the focus on reflection as key portion of the process humbles the desire to
make changes without doing the homework. The need to understand what has been done and the
results of those efforts supports the anticipated research.

5. References
Asia Society. (2009, October 1). 7 Skills students need for their future - Tony Wagner [Video
file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS2PqTTxFFc&feature=youtu.be
Christensen, U. (2020, March 18). What Companies Can Learn From COVID-19 Remote
Learning 'Experiments'. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ulrikjuulchristensen/2020/03/10/what-companies-can-learn-
from-covid-19-remote-learning-experiments/
Schwarz, M., Scherrer, A., Hohmann, C., Heiberg, J., Brugger, A., & Nuñez-Jimenez, A. (2020).
COVID-19 and the academy: It is time for going digital. Energy Research & Social
Science, 68, 101684. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2020.101684
Tyler, K. (2020, May 29). Upskilling Benefits Companies and Employees. Retrieved August 08,
2020, from https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-
magazine/summer2020/pages/upskilling-benefits-companies-and-employees.aspx

6. Appendix
Appendix A – Self Assessment Survey
(Google form-https://forms.gle/Hvqrsy5yNPhtGg9b6)