Progress on dissertation proposal

I meant to have my research proposal completed before Christmas so I wouldn’t have to worry about it over the holidays. I evidently didn’t manage that.

I’m now struggling to complete it, partly because I’m in a fluster about it but also because trying to write it is highlighting the fact that my reading for it has been a bit haphazard (and thin!).

I’ve got some ideas down and attached the work in progress to this post while I finish it off. All elements are subject to change. Any comments are welcome.

Title

Can digital storytelling play a role in institutional innovation and change? Supporting JISC funded projects in the creation of narrative-based digital media.

Overall Aim

To examine how JISC funded research project teams working in the “Transformations” programme can make the best use of digital storytelling techniques to aid dissemination of outcomes and to facilitate further synthesis of the outcomes of the wider project.

At present I intend to present the results of this research using a combination of blog posts and digital media accompanied by written literature review and commentary presented in an online format, possibly using a wiki or blog.Most of the literature around digital storytelling focuses on its use as a tool for reflective learning but I want to determine how relevant the technique is for research projects as an aid to reflective practice and community engagement.

Key research Questions

• What is the role of narrative in organisational innovation and change?
• What are the benefits to project teams and their stakeholders of using digital storytelling as part of their project methodology?
• What aspects of a project team’s work are best suited to presentation in a narrative format? Which aspects are NOT suited?
• Does the act of storytelling during and at the close of the project have any perceivable impact on the project’s success?

Methodology and Method

Given that the dissertation is looking at storytelling, I want to take a qualitative, narrative approach. I want to use an ethnographic methodology that captures the stories of the people involved. I am going to be an observer but also as a participant as I will be supporting the project teams as part of my professional role. Additionally, I intend to document the impact that I have on the process. There are range of people involved in this programme including programme managers, project support officers as well as the roles within the project teams and I want to try to build a picture of how this approach to narrative reporting affects them professionally.

Observation – recording the key milestones of the teams involved in the programme. If possible capturing iterations of any pieces of digital media produced by the research teams. This could be presented as a timeline of events.

Intervewing – with a range of people involved in the programme from the institutions and from JISC. I want to be able to construct a series of stories based on the experiences of these interviews.

As it stands, I intend to present the results of this research using a combination of blog posts and digital media accompanied by written literature review and commentary presented in an online format, possibly using a wiki or blog.

Review of the literature

[Still working on this bit]

Project Plan

[ditto]