This page holds work for the Fall 2008 IS 366a course. You can view other people's portfolios by clicking on the IS366a tag on the bottom of this page, or by editing this page and looking in the sidebar.
This course has absolutely been a great experience. Not only did the course provide us with rich information relative to the theoretical aspects of ‘Qualitative’ research, but it also provided us with the opportunity to gain hands-on ‘real-life’ qualitative research experience. Personally, given that I have previously taken a similar course during my Masters program, the ‘field-study’ component was of most value to me. Being able to practice and apply what I read was just great, in addition to the fact that it provided me with some practical experience that I will be able to reflect on during the course of my doctoral dissertation.
Another major take-away for me was to learn about the different approaches of qualitative research. My previous knowledge primarily revolved around the ‘case study’ approach. However, after reading the various chapters of Creswell, I am now able to understand and differentiate between the five different approaches (Narrative, Phenomenology, Grounded Theory, Ethnography, and Case Study) discussed within his book (2007). A third take-away of this course, is that it provided me with further insight on the different qualitative research data analysis and report writing techniques. In relation to this, I can proudly say that I now comprehend what a ‘thick description’ is all about.
Given the limited amount of time that we had in the field, it is understandable that we were only able to conduct so much. However, if granted with more time, it would have been great to interview more individuals. To be specific, being able to interview a few more physicians and nurses, other stakeholder groups, such as, ancillary care technicians, as well as some management and IT personnel could have potentially added great value to our study’s final findings. It would have also been great if we were provided with the opportunity to conduct longer periods of ‘participant’ observation. From a theoretical standpoint, I would have liked to learn about the different qualitative data analysis tools, as well as being able to use one of such tools for the data analysis component of our field study.