Assignment 1: Reporting participant-observer field notes (Individual)

Overview

You will maintain field notes of your experiences as a participant observer from weeks 1-7, documenting your experiences and observations while ‘developing as a climate action researcher’. Reflecting on observations collected in your field notes, you will write a brief narrative that highlights three key learnings during the course. Relate your personal learning to broader issues pertaining to worldviews, climate action, and participatory, collaborative or interdisciplinary practices in research. For this assignment, engage multiple forms of creative expression, including image, sound, video, and text.

Instructions

Guiding question: How am I developing as a climate action researcher?

From weeks 1-7, record your learning observations, including experiences with other participants in your personal field notes at least 2-3 times per week. Include reference to your experience completing the assigned learning activity for each week. Apply a “24-hour rule”, generally recording field notes within 24 hours of an observation or experience, so that some data or impressions are not lost to recall. Start by viewing How to write an effective field note (YouTube) and reading chapter 12 on Interpretive research in social science research: Principles, methods and practice (Bhattacherjee, 2012).

You will reference these field notes as evidence in a reflective report due in week 9 that highlights insights you have gained related to 1) how you see the role of worldviews in sensemaking, 2) your understanding of ethical issues in climate action research, and 3) one focal issue that interested you in participatory, collaborative or interdisciplinary research practices. You will discuss your learnings during the course using key terminology from course readings, citing appropriate sources in APA style.

Requirements

A reflective report will be submitted as a Word document between 1000-1500 words (excluding references) or as a recorded digital presentation (example PowerPoint, Prezi) between 8-15 minutes duration (with references listed).
Include reference to your observations in completing the assigned learning activity for each week.
The report must A) reference evidence from your learning journal and B) use key terminology from course readings to C) address the three key topics of worldview, climate action research ethics, and one focal issue in participatory, collaborative or interdisciplinary research practices.
All external sources must be acknowledged using the APA format for in-text citations and references.
The assignment must be submitted on or before the due date in the activities schedule.

Assessment Criteria

In this assignment, you are expected to:

Describe and apply the principle of how worldviews guide perspectives on science and social issues (Learning outcome 1.3)
Ask relevant, probing, and detailed questions to deepen knowledge that informs arguments, choices, and practices (Learning outcome 3.1)

Weight: 25%

Submit: To Assignment 1 dropbox in Moodle (this will be accepted any time from Saturday, 11 November to midnight on Sunday, 19 November 2023)

Marking Rubric:

Course Learning Outcome/Assessment Criteria	Excellent (A+ to A)	Proficient (A- to B+)	Satisfactory	Unsatisfactory (B to B-)
Citation and APA format	All citations and APA format are correct.	Most citations and APA formatting are correct.	Some citations and APA formatting are correct.	Citations and APA formatting are not correct.
Describe and apply the principle of how worldviews guide perspectives on science and social issues (Learning outcome 1.3)	Based on evidence from your field notes linked to all the assigned learning activities, the report appropriately uses key terminology from course readings to offer insights into the 3 required topics. The report is thoughtful, well organised and demonstrates a sophisticated comprehension of how your experiences inform your understanding of the 3 topics. All references to observations and readings are relevant, clear and sufficient to support the inferences made from them.	Based on evidence from your field notes linked to most of the assigned learning activities, the report appropriate use of key terminology from course readings to clearly address the 3 required topics. The report is logical, organised and demonstrates a good grasp of how your experiences inform your understanding of the 3 topics. Most references to observations and readings are relevant, clear and sufficient to support the inferences made from them.	Based on evidence from your field notes linked to a majority of the assigned learning activities, the report makes limited but usually appropriate use of key terminology from course readings to inform the 3 required topics. The report is mostly coherent, organised and generally demonstrates a basic grasp of how your experiences inform your understanding of the 3 topics. Many references to observations and readings are relevant, clear and sufficient to support the inferences made from them.	The report makes little or inappropriate use of key terminology or does not address all the 3 required topics or is not well-supported by your field notes. The report does not make a coherent or well organised demonstration of how your experiences inform your understanding of the 3 topics. References to observations and readings are generally inadequate to support the inferences made from them.
Ask relevant, probing, and detailed questions to deepen knowledge that informs arguments, choices, and practices (Learning outcome 3.1)	The report shows clear evidence that self-inquiry guided most of your field observations and that your reflections on those notes helped identify relationships between worldview, climate action ethics, and focal research issues.	The report shows evidence that self-inquiry guided some of your field observations and that your reflections on those notes highlighted some of common elements between worldview, climate action ethics, and focal research issues.	The report shows some evidence of self-inquiry in your field observations and some reflections on those notes to better understand worldview, climate action ethics, and focal research issues.	The report shows little or no evidence of self-inquiry in your field observations, and little or no reflections on those notes to better understand worldview, climate action ethics, and focal research issues.