Research Competencies
"Upon graduation, honors students will have demonstrated the ability to exhibit information literacy skills, synthesize and integrate ideas, produce original research or creative works, and contribute to knowledge."
Coming into college, I thought research only consisted of test tubes and lab coats–something that I thought was not in my future. After challenging myself to explore research in my field, I quickly came to learn that there is so much more to research. Throughout college, I’ve learned from my mistakes and misconceptions about research. I have grown tremendously as a researcher, and I know that I will only be able to improve upon these skills in my future career.
During my first semester of college, I started to learn how to gather sources effectively and efficiently for my CDIS 205 research paper about parents with deaf children. Instead of trying to hastily gather information, I realized that more diligent research can result in a better paper and learning experience. From there, I grew to understand that you also have to focus on ethically using sources in order to convey accurate information in my CMST 203 project about the importance of food in cultures. By interviewing people who had lived in the cultures we were reporting on, we were able to present more authentic information. I fully came to understand how to effectively and ethically gather and use information during my journalist internship the summer after my freshmen year of college. I realized that the information I was reporting on would impact my local community, so I needed to conduct thorough research before publishing my stories.
I began to understand what synthesizing information meant during my CMST 203 project as we brought together different sources of information to complete our assignment. In my HONR 401 class, I applied and expanded on my knowledge of synthesizing ideas during the creation of our performance video about race in the United States. We learned from various media types and sources of information and used that to communicate our research objective. I fully understood the importance of synthesizing once we put together our final project. By using an intertextual format to layer together a new story, I was able to make new realizations and create new knowledge. This was where I began to understand that research is the process of bringing ideas together in order to create new understandings.
I started to put my knowledge of research to the test during my individual research project the spring semester of my junior year. I chose to research how minorities are represented among Minnesota colleges’ marketing materials. I learned about identifying research questions during my journalist internship, but I full expanded on this skill throughout my project by developing my research question, conducting primary research, and exhibiting my research. This project was especially challenging for me since I had not conducted formal research before. I struggled with many things at first such as narrowing my topic and deciding how to gather information. After leaning on advisors, asking for guidance, and trusting my own learning process, I was able to put together a research project to present at the URS. It was an amazing experience being able to dive deeper into a topic within my field that I was truly passionate about. Not only was I able to learn more about research and my topic, but I was also able to create new knowledge and provide a new perspective in my field. Disseminating my results at the URS allowed me to gain feedback on my research that will help my future research endeavors.
Reflecting back on what I have learned about research in the past three and a half years has made me realize that research is essential in my future career in public relations. Understanding how to gather, synthesize, and ethically use information is something that I will be doing on a daily basis. Constantly asking questions and wanting to create new perspectives are skills that will help bolster my career. As a media professional, I will have the responsibility to disseminate reliable and accurate information to the public. My experiences practicing my research skills will be an invaluable asset in my future.
During my first semester of college, I started to learn how to gather sources effectively and efficiently for my CDIS 205 research paper about parents with deaf children. Instead of trying to hastily gather information, I realized that more diligent research can result in a better paper and learning experience. From there, I grew to understand that you also have to focus on ethically using sources in order to convey accurate information in my CMST 203 project about the importance of food in cultures. By interviewing people who had lived in the cultures we were reporting on, we were able to present more authentic information. I fully came to understand how to effectively and ethically gather and use information during my journalist internship the summer after my freshmen year of college. I realized that the information I was reporting on would impact my local community, so I needed to conduct thorough research before publishing my stories.
I began to understand what synthesizing information meant during my CMST 203 project as we brought together different sources of information to complete our assignment. In my HONR 401 class, I applied and expanded on my knowledge of synthesizing ideas during the creation of our performance video about race in the United States. We learned from various media types and sources of information and used that to communicate our research objective. I fully understood the importance of synthesizing once we put together our final project. By using an intertextual format to layer together a new story, I was able to make new realizations and create new knowledge. This was where I began to understand that research is the process of bringing ideas together in order to create new understandings.
I started to put my knowledge of research to the test during my individual research project the spring semester of my junior year. I chose to research how minorities are represented among Minnesota colleges’ marketing materials. I learned about identifying research questions during my journalist internship, but I full expanded on this skill throughout my project by developing my research question, conducting primary research, and exhibiting my research. This project was especially challenging for me since I had not conducted formal research before. I struggled with many things at first such as narrowing my topic and deciding how to gather information. After leaning on advisors, asking for guidance, and trusting my own learning process, I was able to put together a research project to present at the URS. It was an amazing experience being able to dive deeper into a topic within my field that I was truly passionate about. Not only was I able to learn more about research and my topic, but I was also able to create new knowledge and provide a new perspective in my field. Disseminating my results at the URS allowed me to gain feedback on my research that will help my future research endeavors.
Reflecting back on what I have learned about research in the past three and a half years has made me realize that research is essential in my future career in public relations. Understanding how to gather, synthesize, and ethically use information is something that I will be doing on a daily basis. Constantly asking questions and wanting to create new perspectives are skills that will help bolster my career. As a media professional, I will have the responsibility to disseminate reliable and accurate information to the public. My experiences practicing my research skills will be an invaluable asset in my future.