Timeline and scope for my Action Research Project

My teaching in the design studio will be focused on site research between w/c Oct 6–w/c Oct 27. This timeframe includes a site visit, a case study visit, a collaborative drawing workshop, three assignments (carried out individually or in pairs by the students) and tutorials. I am planning to evaluate and review the results in October and in November.

Planned activities and data

I will be considering the intervention (a collective drawing workshop) as part of a longer cycle of site research related teaching activities. I will implement changes in the following teaching contexts:

• Collective site visit and assignment in pairs, Tue Oct 7th;
• Collective Drawing Workshop, Tue Oct 14th;
• Tutorials on individual site drawings, Tue Oct 21st and Fri Oct 24th;

I will evaluate the actions using three methods:

• informal discussions with co-tutor Roland Reemaa (method: collective autoethnography);
• analysis of artefacts made by students in response to assignments (method: document/object analysis);
• interviewing a focus group of students with the work they’ve produced (method: interview, object elicitation);

Personal circumstances 

In the period of carrying out this research, I am in the third trimester of my pregnancy. Although I am in good health and used to long walks, site visits are currently more challenging for me. I need to plan in seated breaks, bring water and snacks, and scope out nearest toilets. During the site visits, I will also keep my emergency contact and partner on call, in case I need assistance. Teaching in college is less challenging, however, I will need to count in extra breaks. I have also notified my line managers about my circumstances, and I can rely on their support.