In one form or another, research is a part of our everyday lives. Some “projects” are less time consuming than others and some are less complex. No matter what you do, whether you work full or part time, are a parent, sibling, significant other, or just a student, you are solving problems in all aspects of your life.
This week we are going to focus on research from an interdisciplinary perspective. The following questions are here to help get your brain going so feel free to expand on this topic besides just answering the questions below. As always, you all are doing great in making contributions to this blog. Thank you for your input!
- How do we use research in our everyday lives? in school? at work?
- Which specific skills are used when completing a research project?
- How might these skills be translated towards future employment?
- How might your ability to solve problems from an interdisciplinary perspective be valuable to a future employer? current employer?
- Create a potential (fictitious but believable) work scenario where your research and problem solving skills as an interdisciplinary thinker might come into play.
1. We research in so many ways, each and every day, and the internet has made it so much easier! Just about every new product I purchase I have researched through Google. I also look at reviews from their customers. In school I mainly use the internet, but I also use news paper articles, and books. At work I research ways to prospect, and to retain current members (I work at a gym).
ReplyDelete2. When completing a research project there are several skills used. A few of the skills used include: researching on the internet, researching books, articles, creating and completing surveys. There are also many skills we use which have to do with putting the information together such as: reading, writing, and computer skills.
3. I feel that all of these skills can translate to future employment. In just about any job there will be problems that arise, which you need to fix. Researching the best (most efficient and effective) way to fix the problem involves all of these skills.
4. I believe that my ability to use an interdisciplinary perspective will be, and is, very valuable to employers. Because of things I have learned in the IDS major, I am able to look at a problem, and come up with multiple routes to take to fix it. I am also able to combine different solutions, whereas someone else might be a more “one track” minded.
5. My scenario: I am a manager at a restaurant, and our staff turnover is way high. Because I am an IDS major, I take a few different angles to focus on when trying to solve this problem. Not only will I change the verbiage of the hiring ads, but I will also put them in different locations (for example putting them on the internet instead of in the news paper). At the same time, I will run a survey throughout my staff, to see if the management needs to improve. I will also take a look at benefits, etc. On top of all of this, I will tweak the way we are hiring and training new staff.
Because of my IDS major, I am more easily able to look at thing from different, and sometimes combined angles.
This weeks topic is so interesting!
ReplyDeleteAmanda- when I was reading your post it made me think about other articles I have read lately about the internet and our generation. To us, we all turn to that first most likely, I mean we can even get the encyclopedia and books on the computer now instead of print. But then on the other hand we still know that the print is out there and we can use it and do. Sometimes it makes my own mind wonder about how the facts of the past when the internet wasn't here compared to now it is, and how reliable sources have become? (Not sure if I worded that right to understand.. lol)
-Cydney :)
My research depends on the importance of the situation. If I want to research something simple—Wikipedia and Google would be my choices. If the matter is serious, I can start with those web-sites, but move to more reliable government or institutional sites and sources. In school library databases are big help. So far, I found all information I need for my research papers in those databases.
ReplyDeleteWhen a person is conducting research, the most important skill is evaluation of information. Sometimes it is really difficult to define if the information is relevant or not, reliable or not, recent or out-of date. All this factors depends on the knowledge about the field, one conducts research in.
The research skills are important at work. First of all, to find a job, suited for person’s desires and abilities, is a search process itself. Second, all jobs require problem-solving skills, and research plays big part in problem-solving.
IDS graduates can bring new insights to existing jobs. They think different, first of all. Also employees with IDS degrees use several approaches to the problem, several fields of knowledge. Thus, it will be more helpful for employers to have several more opinions, than usual.
When I start work in a Hospital as administrator, which mostly assumes manager duties. For example, one day the Hospital computer network starts to fail. Before the staff call network specialist, I can check out the problem, because as IDS graduate I had several classes (I also have an experience with networks) about how to deal with that problem. Also if I need to order or update program software on Hospital PCs, I have knowledge in that area, so it would be easier for me to decide: either our software is good enough or we need to get new one. Also I can judge about user-friendly characteristics about new programs, maybe the teaching of new programs to new stuff would cost more, than benefits of new software. Those are examples of my IDS problem-solving skills. The example of research skills is going to be faster time of finding information and making a decision faster, based on quick search with my existing knowledge about several disciplines.
@ Cydney: I remember the not-so-old movies,when people went to the libraries and looked through A LOT of newspapers to find information they need, or looked through the HUGE and FAT books with all the indexes, etc. I cannot imagine our research today without interner. Comfortably sitting at home, with one click one can access almost any information in the world, within seconds. One should just know where to look, though.
ReplyDelete@ Amanda: Totally agree, that research is a fundamental part of any problem-solving process. Research helps us to look at the problem from different points of view, avoid bias, and find the most rational and easiest way for the best outcome.
ReplyDelete1. We use research every minute of our life, If its just simply walking we are taking everything in, and using research to see how to get to our next destination.
ReplyDelete2. When competing a research project we use are analytical skills to help us answer things. I feel that everyone will use different skills to do their research because we are all wired differently, but I think they will try to add something of importance to a research project.
3. With most job you need to problem solve in the work force. For future employment you need to use your skills to find out what you like the job that your applying for and apply it.
4. I think there are so many ways to do the same thing, but everyone does them differently. So what I would do is utilize all of my problem solving skills and use them to help my current employer. It will become useful for them knowing, I can do more than one thing.
5. If I was on a marketing firm for a coffee company and they wanted me to help the company increase sales. I would think of many different ideas, as well as research the situation to get more business for the coffee shop. I would be thinking of many different elements to help make the business work such as new products, price, promotions, and place. So you have to incorporate many different things when making a business work.
I love the work scenarios so far! These are great examples of how to use research and problem solving skills in real life.
ReplyDelete#1 How do we use research in our everyday lives? in school? at work?
ReplyDeleteWe use research all the time. I am attached to google. I have a smart phone so whenever I need to know anything I just google it. In school and work, its the same way. I have to research all the time for project or assignments.
#2 Which specific skills are used when completing a research project?
I think to do research you need to be able to tell what a reliable source is and whether something is actually need for a topic.
#3 How might these skills be translated towards future employment?
Theses skills are going to translate to a future job for me because in marketing there's a lot of researching about clients, target population, and for future clients.
#4 How might your ability to solve problems from an interdisciplinary perspective be valuable to a future employer? current employer?
I am currently interning with the marketing director at Waterford Lakes and I think my ability to solve problems has been helpful in a couple of ways. I have been able to come up with multiple solutions for problems. Also I can come up with solutions that are appropriate for a given situation.
#5 Create a potential (fictitious but believable) work scenario where your research and problem solving skills as an interdisciplinary thinker might come into play.
I am putting on an event for a mall that I am a marketing director at and we need to increase sales. I would think of a bunch of different things that would do that, such as different events at the mall, different cheap ways of advertising, potential promotions.
@agaas- I totally agree I could not imagine life without having the internet to turn to and my job revolves around the internet. I work for Universal in an office and we have a live system within the parks here and hollywood and everywhere and its just nuts how I cannot memorize anything I have to depend on the internet and internal database becuase info changes faster than you can read it! lol So yes it would be crazy to do research or work without :)
ReplyDelete1.Research is used in every aspect of life. I generally use research in the following way. First, I need to recognize the objective of my research, for instance, if I encounter a new situation in my life, it could be on an academic or personal level, I need to know and distinguish what the answer that I am looking for is or what I want to learn from that specific situation. After recognizing the issue and objective I proceed to evaluate alternatives and different points of view. Then, I perform a series of scenarios that will help me to project in my mind what could be the possible effects of my findings. Finally, I will need to apply those concepts or knowledge to the issue or problem from which it originated. The complexity of the process depends on the issue, and it is mainly used to approach situations that may arise in my life when I need some kind of explanation or understanding.
ReplyDelete2. I think it is important to be determined, to have a clear understanding of what you want, to maintain an open mind, to analyze everything from different points of view, to be organized, and especially to remain calm during stressful or frustrating situations.
3. All those skills can be translated towards future employment because I am taking all the preliminary steps to resolve a problem and coming up with alternatives that could help the work environment.
4. My ability to solve problems might be valuable to an employer because I approach a problem by analyzing and evaluating different perspectives. I understand the importance of implementing various concepts related to the problem that will help everyone to understand the root of the problem and the possible reasonable solutions.
5.When a problem with a customer arises and the need of service recovery is required. Then I will need to approach the problem, evaluate the source of error, maintain a calm demeanor and come up with the best solution that will help to satisfy the customer and maintain the morale in the establishment with the rest of the employees.
I think everyone does researches daily whether they know it or not. I am constantly researching things from what cosmetics to use to what foods to eat. I am a mortgage processor so I research member’s credit and work history. I also research properties and county records for information. In school I am constantly on the Google researching information and topics for papers and class projects.
ReplyDeleteI think the skills used when completing a research project include organizational, brainstorming, analytical, reading, and comprehension skills. I think these skills can be translated towards future employment because in any job or career employees must be able to think outside the box. Many jobs require individuals to do some marketing whether they are selling a product or themselves. In my case I process mortgages, I have to research each file and member history to determine what is the best product for member or if they can qualify for a loan. I also have to market our products that the credit union offers; again I have to determine what will benefit the member.
Being able to solve problems from an interdisciplinary perspective will be valuable to a future employer because it will demonstrate that that employee can be creative and think outside the box. I think it shows the employer that he or she is up to a challenge and can use multiple resources to solve any issue that may arise. At my current job is has come in handy, recently we have been very slow so we had a meeting to brainstorm different ideas on how to drum up more business. My idea was to work with the other departments and offer cross training.
As an elementary school teacher you are required to teach multiple subjects throughout the day. It is the end of the week and you realize that you have not covered a specific topic in science and that block is done for the day. After lunch you are teaching math, you quickly research how you can incorporate this science topic into your math lesson. This is a great way to get those students interested in science to like math and vice versa.
Research is used all the time almost every day. The access to technology has made research even more common and crucial in day to day activities. At work, I research the availability of a product or the specs of a product multiple times a day. At home I research things like directions, movie times, television schedules, etc.
ReplyDeleteA research project requires skills such as writing, reading, deciphering, locating and comprehending.
These skills are important for many reasons when talking about future employment. One, for example, would be in the interview process. Researching the company and any products that they might offer can be a huge aid during an interview. It shows that you have true interst in the company that you are interviewing with.
Companies are always seeking out problem solvers. Being interdisciplinary in your abilities to solve problems can do nothing but help. Not all problems can be solved from one point of view. Being able to look at things from multiuple angles is always a benefit.
IDS can help in any situation where there is a dispute or a problem between two or more departments that perform different tasks.
How do we use research in our everyday lives? in school? at work?
ReplyDeleteIt really depends what I am researching for, my immediate way is to Google it. With the help of my I-phone I really can search any in formation that I need from wherever I am. It is really amazing that we depend so much in the Internet. Sometimes I go to the library from school but it is really seldom. When is a project from school I usually search in websites that finish in .org or .edu. When is a personal situation I go to the specific website or like I said I Google it first.
Which specific skills are used when completing a research project?
I believe it is very important to find reliable information that we can use in our research. I also like to find different opinions or points of view so I can have my very own and personal outlook.
I also like to talk about the topic that I am researching for with different people usually my husband or other friend that attend school in my work, so I can hear what do they think about certain topic.
How might these skills be translated towards future employment?
I can be translated in working with different groups and getting to a solution. Finding the way to solve problems. By being a good listener and accept criticism.
How might your ability to solve problems from an interdisciplinary perspective be valuable to a future employer? current employer?
It is always valuable to solve problems, for example in my job, I usually solve a lot of customer service problems without calling a manager which is valuable because there are some employees that call them for everything that happens and usually there is a way to solve it on the spot without involving anybody else.
Create a potential (fictitious but believable) work scenario where your research and problem solving skills as an interdisciplinary thinker might come into play.
A cosmetic line is launching a new product so the company wants to know when is the best time for the launch and what are the necessary ways to make this a successful product for the company. There has to be a marketing plan in when and where the product has to be place. Maybe think about an introductory price so it will be attractive to the customer. The advertisement also is a very important process. Create events in each retail store for the launch.
In a scenario like this there is a lot of areas that are involved and that need to agree in different things and work together.
1. We research in our everyday lives all the time. We research anything from the cheapest price on a purchase your going to make, to if you will like a movie to even whats going to be on TV that day. We also research alot for school. Besides just researching for class assignments, we research what classes we will enjoy with what teachers at what time and day.
ReplyDelete2. Many skills are completed when doing a research project. First, you have to know what your looking for so clearly define that before you start. Then start big. Search everywhere and anywhere you can. You will find alot of useless stuff and alot of usefull stuff. Once you find whats usefull, stick to those and you will be able to find what your looking for. 3.These skills will be highly used during employement. First off to find a job. In order to a find a job, much research is needed. You need to research what you want to do and where. Then you can research different companies until you find one you like and research location, price, hours, and everything else you are interested in. Without research you will be stuck with a job you are unhappy with.
4.The skills gained from IDS studies research will help out future or current jobs because it will show you are able to research many different areas. Alot of times, people focus on one area and they have trouble branching out. When you are in IDS, you have to be able to deal with many different topics and different issues which will help you with jobs.
5. A scenario would be if i am working on a congressional campaign and i need to advertise for my candidate. Luckily one of my areas is political science while one is Ad/PR. This means i will be able to advertise to the right people and know what to say because political science background. Without either of these, i would not be able to do the same job as with them.
@Sammy Barakat
ReplyDeleteI love your work scenario. You explained it very well.
@Wayne Bannatyne
ReplyDeleteI love what you said about companies looking for problem solvers. You are 100% right.
Everyone has such great examples of research so far!
ReplyDeleteNot only are we able to access so much information through internet research, it is easier to be able to put our own information out there as well.
Also, remember, that the information that you find on the internet may not always be reliable or factual. The internet is saturated with a lot of false information, so always research to find the facts, and not settle for one source!
@ucfseniorgirl I agree completely we use research all the time but I think we rely to much on technology for our research purposes. People should be able to use different means when conducting research.
ReplyDelete@nikim Yes some times don't even know that they are using research. Its seems that they just take it as a way of life sometime, not realizing that they are researching.
ReplyDeleteHow do we use research in our everyday lives? in school? at work?
ReplyDeleteWe use research in everything that we do. From learning about how to maintanance a bike to working on a resume, we make use of all the knowledge we compile on a daily basis in our every day lives. At school, I can use my reasearch to pass a class or show my professor how usefull I can be in his research project. At work, I can find ways to become more productive and get a promotion.
Which specific skills are used when completing a research project?
Analytic skills, the ability to decide what is useful, critical thinking, group working, leadership, etc.
How might these skills be translated towards future employment?
They will literally help me to get a job, because I will be able to show my employer how useful I can be to him and how much money I can make him.
How might your ability to solve problems from an interdisciplinary perspective be valuable to a future employer? current employer?
I will basically be the guy that would be able to do the job of two or more people. I would be the goto guy for everything and would make myself the most importent person around besides my boss.
Create a potential (fictitious but believable) work scenario where your research and problem solving skills as an interdisciplinary thinker might come into play.
I'm working for a building company and I am the guy that is the painter, the carpenter, and the welder.
As such, I am able to work all day on a multitude of things for the project that I am doing and I am the only one that is doing it all. There will be no mistakes, because I am controlling all the aspects of my work and I am making all the right decisions because I am competant at my job.
Soon I will be made a foreman at my job and will make a lot more money and I will be in control of a group of people instead of just controlling myself.
1) The human mind subconsciously researches a million choices on a daily basis. Simple decisions such as: Which cereal am I going to eat? What shirt am I going to buy? Am I going to do homework or am I going to nap? School allows our brains to research specific / specialized topics. The papers we write to even answering simple questions on a blog. No matter what type of career or job setting you may have, when you are at work you are researching. You could be analyzing data or just remembering usual guests at the establishment where you work.
ReplyDelete2) Specific skills are required to complete a research project. Motivation is probably the highest priority. You need to have the motivation to either good a good grade or because the outcome of the results would be beneficial to you. Patience and determination will help you persevere. Organization will also play a significant skill in your research project. Organizing patterns, data, and information will allow for a more successful project and results.
3) Motivation skills will allow you to retain whatever career you choose. Your motivation could be a salary raise or to receive more respect in the workplace. Organization will keep you on top of your duties and allow you to remain as dependable.
4) Future employers will be impressed with my overall knowledge and experience of the business. Interdisciplinary skills are the future of employment! My current employer respects my well rounded perspective on the business and sees high potential in me.
5) The setting is a marketing firm who is preparing to pitch an idea for a champagne for a particular product. My job as a marketing assistant would to help the Marketing Director successfully sell our idea. My interdisciplinary skills will come in handy. I would research the product’s company to determine their moral, financial, ethical, and cultural beliefs which I learned the significance of in my Behavioral and Social science background . Then I would use my skills in Communications to express and address the information accordingly to the product’s company. By gathering this knowledge I can organize the idea pitch to fit perfectly with their mindset for the products campaign.
-Mercedes Beaudoin
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@Veronica Alonso
ReplyDeleteI loved that you used modern technology as a research tool. It really represents how different research was from when out parents were our age.
-Mercedes Beaudoin
@mnoahmiller
ReplyDeleteAll of your examples throughout your post were great! You really emphasize what IDS can do in every day/life situations with research.
-Mercedes Beaudoin
@Wayne Bannatyne. It is certainly true when you said that not all the problems can be solved from one point of view. You always need to have a bigger picture of the situation in order to pick the best solution to your problems in every aspect of life.
ReplyDelete@Mercedes Beaudoin. You need to obtain a lot of diverse information of the market when you enter a product or service. You need to know what different attributes you possess that is going to give a competitive advantage overall. Analyzing only one part of the market would be a failure because you are reqreting important information that could be crucial to the success of the campaign.
@ Sammy Barakat, Are you in a Marketing minor? It sounds like tit when you mention the 4 p's in the scenario problem. I am and I love it!
ReplyDelete@ nikin, I like the idea of cross training, I think in any company will work great to train and be trained in different areas!
@Ivonne Morales - I agree with you on the skills used for completing a research project! I really liked your answer!
ReplyDelete-Samantha Dullard
@Wayne Bannatyne
ReplyDeleteReally good point about using research in an interview process.
-Samantha Dullard
There are so many different aspects that go into research! From creativity to critical thinking. As Ivonne mentioned, the more angles and aspects that we put into our research, the more that we will get out of it!
ReplyDeleteCross training was a great point as well. It is very important to have knowledge in different areas, and not be just one dimensional at our companies. If cross training is not offered, express interest in it, and it may make you stand out from every one else!
@veronica I started to smile when I read your post about technology and iPhones because as we speak I am writing from my iPhone. Sometimes it's as if I prefer it on here because of various reasons. For one everything is saved such as passwords and usernames so it's a quick process. I have my own computers but who knows when someone else is on there so I just dont save it. Also I hate lugging around a laptop or sitting in my room on my desktop this is convientant and can generate my thoughts whenever I feel so:)
ReplyDeleteResearch is very important and relevant to just about every aspect of life. In school, you do research for assignments, for deciding which clubs/organizations to join (if any), and especially when deciding which college to attend and what major to study. In life, you research products, brands, and prices when making big purchases, someone may research an ailment they have or drug they have been prescribed, and even when going on vacation (area hotels, activities, restaurants, etc.).
ReplyDeleteWhen completing a research project, you need analytical skills to decide what information is important. Organizational skills are needed to sort the information found. Also, composition skills are needed when drafting and finalizing the paper.
These skills can be used in future employment. Analytical skills are needed for comparing your competitors. Organizational skills are required to keep your gathered information and work place in order. Composition skills are necessary for presentations and writing intradepartmental memos.
My ability to solve problems from an interdisciplinary perspective would be valuable to a future employer, because I will be able to look at a problem from different angles and come up with a more thorough resolution.
@Amanda Barbatos: Your scenario is very effective. You can see your IDS skills come out when you chose to evaluate your current staff’s perspective of the workplace instead of simply looking at numbers.
@Nikim: Your scenario of an elementary teacher is very creative. I never would have thought of this for an example, but you are absolutely right.