VALIDATE CONTENT

I researched to create a job aid that required careful analysis of my sources to ensure that the content was relevant and the authors were credible. This artifact proves that I can carefully validate an author’s credibility and screen a source for appropriate content while conducting research, which is a crucial component of the planning and analysis phases of instructional design. 

Research is common practice in academic and professional settings. As a student, nearly all assignments require investigation of a topic, whether extensive for a long-form paper or supplemental to enhance comprehension of a lecture topic. Similarly, as instructional designers, designers develop learning materials through a deep exploration of a subject to execute an effective, comprehensive learning product. Evaluating the credibility, accuracy, and appropriateness of a source is essential. Without this process, the student's or the designer’s reputation is at stake. 

I took this process seriously while creating the job aid for my EDCI final paper. This infographic provides remote workers with metacognitive questions that will help them self-regulate their work habits. As shown in my artifact, I used several texts in my reference list. I procured these sources primarily through the Purdue Library website, which I also documented in my artifact. Using keywords and filters, I narrowed my search results by selecting the peer-reviewed check box and a specific publication, Harvard Business Review, which my professor had recommended. While learning more about Harvard Business Review, I stumbled upon Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School. Her book, Remote Work Revolution, received considerable praise and perfectly matched my topic. I listened to sections of her book on Audible and decided to download the Kindle version to read for my research. I followed a similar process for another key text in my research, Deep Work by Cal Newport. I visited his website, which described his professional experience, education, and reputation. As my artifact shows, he is a highly published author and a computer science professor at Georgetown University. These are just a few examples of my meticulous evaluation process to ensure that the content and sources were reliable and relevant to my research. 

Professionally, as an English teacher, conducting research and evaluating sources is a crucial component of my curriculum. I developed a "Website Credibility Checklist” to help my 6th graders understand the criteria to look for when finding sources. Using this checklist, they try to find if the website has an author, their education/experience, contact information, links to relevant sources, and more. On the other hand, when I was in undergraduate and graduate school over a decade ago, I did not have this guidance. I wish I had utilized these validation techniques more often while conducting research. Whether using technology or the brick-and-mortar library, having a clear understanding of how to check the credibility of sources would have deeply benefitted my studies because I would have felt more confident with those tools. Research at that time felt intimidating, and I could have been more thorough had I had the proper skills to validate my sources. 

This artifact was my first research paper in the LDT program, and in retrospect, I could have been more focused when I initially started researching. My head was swirling with ideas, and it took a couple of weeks to target the purpose of my project. I realized it was more beneficial to elaborate deeply on one idea rather than skim the surface of several ideas. Going forward, I will give myself time to brainstorm and workshop ideas before going too deep into the research process to save myself time and sanity, which will then reserve more time to validate the information that is most suitable for my projects. It will also leave room for me to develop these analysis skills by using tools such as SCImago, a website that analyzes and assesses scientific journals for their impact factors and citation traffic. Despite these areas of growth, I am proud of the time I spent thoroughly reviewing my sources because the result is a successful job aid.