ALICE WASS
Exploring Media
182MC - Critical Media Methods
Individual Work:
For the individual coursework we had to create a 'Digital Research Diary'. This consists of our personal reflections and responses to seven different readings which discussed different research methods. This coursework is uploaded onto this website so you are able to go and read them.
Group Work:
For the group work we were set weekly tasks linked to the research method we had be learning about that week. Every week we created a five minute video which we then put together at the end of the six weeks into one thirty minute long, 'Behind the Scenes' video. This behind the scenes video aims to show the audience the different research processes, not the actual results of the research. This then allowed us to reflect on how we found each method and to compare them to each other, as well a demonstrating that we have the skill set to conduct more of this research in the future.
Reflection on 182MC:
The focus of this module, research methods, was something that I had not studied before in relation to media, and therefore at the begging I did not really know what to expect. During the Christmas holidays I had begun reading and studying one of the textbooks we were given for the course which focused on research and the ideas and content seemed complicated and confusing. However, after the lectures began everything started to make sense, especially in relation to how the linked together.
By completing the weekly readings before the lectures I found that the concepts were much easier to understand, and that after the lectures I always felt confident about the different research methods we were learning about. Even though some of the readings were complicated by breaking them done and writing up my opinion about the content I found that they started to make more sense, and that many sparked my interested to explore further into the topics through other readings I found myself online and in textbooks. These readings mixed with the lectures gave me a strong theoretical understanding which I believe I will build on and develop over the next couple of years at university.
I found the group work to be a good way to turn my theoretical understanding into a practical research method. It was easy to use the skills we had learnt and apply it to our own work each week. With each new task I got to try out new skills and methods, which made the research much more interesting, but also allowed me to understand the positives and negatives of all the different research methods. By practicing them all I would now feel confident in conducting them all again. However, during the group work there were issues with the group itself. This left me in the position of having to become a group leader, where every week I produced the final video, most weeks I made a voice over to go with it, and also the final write up of our findings. This has made me feel more confident with the research methods and also my production skills as at times they were greatly tested, it has also shown that I have the ability to manage a greater amount of work. Yet, it would have been better if I had a stronger leadership ability, maybe one which was more assertive which would then encourage other members complete the work they needed to do, instead of helping individuals out by taking on their work myself in order to make sure it was all completed in time. I feel like this is a difficult balance to achieve, but hopefully in the future I will be able to avoid situations similar to this again, and can improve my teamwork and leadership skills by learning from this experience.
Critical Reflection of Module Feedback:
I am extremely pleased with the mark of 72 and the feedback I received, especially in view of the struggles that occurred during it.
For the group Behind the Scenes video, the marker commented that it was produced clearly and demonstrated excellent planning and teamwork. The marker highlighted our excellent coordination, and my personal leadership role and individual passion which had contributed towards producing a video to an excellent standard. I was particularly happy that the marker said that my leadership role had significantly shaped the process, as I had put in a lot of time and energy to ensure our production was the highest quality we could achieve. When editing, I made the decision to add quotes from theorists on screen, which the marker commended. During the editing I spent a lot of time considering how to use different visual techniques to convey information. These techniques and conventions were noticed and complimented, particularly the decision to have the group members reflect on their experiences during each weekly task, which was helpful in determining the learning process and also helped to further audience engagement.
As for my individual Digital Research Diary, the marker said the posts demonstrated my excellent understanding of research and how research can be conducted using various techniques. I was pleased with the positive feedback, as I had spent a lot of time researching the different methods. I found learning about research interesting and feel I have learnt a lot during this module.
This feedback has increased my confidence about taking on more leadership roles in the future, which was something I had been hesitant about in the first term. The positive comments about my practical work has made me much more assured about the standard of work I can produce and I will continue to volunteer to take on roles involving editing video and sound.