Once you know what your questions are and the sources of data that might answer them, you can start to plan for some of the very practical issues surrounding an online action research project.

Your action research project likely will require that you follow a schedule, coordinate with other people, and plan for resources.

Following a schedule

You can’t just decide to start an action research project and jump into data collection that very day. Action research is an intentional process, one that requires advance planning. Once you’ve developed your research questions, you’ll need to develop and pilot your data collection instruments.

Most likely, you’ll also have to work within your class schedule to determine the appropriate points when data collection should take place. It’s a good idea to create a master schedule, allowing time for each part of the project, right down to writing up the results. If you have a deadline for providing a written report, you might want to start with that and move backward.

Coordinating with other people

Coordinating with other people takes time and can be unpredictable. Don’t forget that you may need to get permission to conduct your project. You’ll need to design your data collection instruments. You also might want some feedback from your colleagues along the way, or assistance with data analysis (particularly statistics) and validation.

Determine all of the people who you want to be a part of your project up front, and tell them about your project at the beginning. In part, you want to ensure that they are willing to help you out and have the time to do so.

Plan for resources

You may incur expenses during your action research project and should plan in advance for those. Little things like photocopies and telephone calls can add up, and larger expenditures may include travel or equipment.

Additionally, you may need to access special resources at your institution, such as hardware or software, if you do any type of technology-based data collection or analysis.

If you think ahead about these issues and make sure you have all of the time, people, and resources that you need, the project should go smoothly!