The Agenda

How I map my ideas

What I hear a lot of in this program is the phrase "research agenda." So much of our identity as students, scholars, and professors is tied to our research. I can't think of a time I haven't introduced myself first by name, then by what program I belong to, then by research interests, in that order. Describing my research interests can be tricky sometimes, because before I came to MSU, I knew very little about Higher Education. What I brought to the program was my experience as an adult learner, and my professional experience as a nonprofit practitioner. I also brought some hunches about teaching and learning, and a small but meaningful project on curriculum development.

This semester, as mentioned previously, I have the opportunity to work on three different projects. I have been thinking hard about how I can tether my "research agenda" to these three projects, and I think I've figured out how. I can do this by asking questions about "how this applies to this." For example, I am faced with a project that is focused on undergrads, and all of the data I need to use is from first and second year undergraduate students, but I don't really have an interest in undergrads. Right now, I don't think they are part of my research agenda. Ugh. Yet I realized yesterday, that all I have to do is ask "what can be learned from [insert my interest here] to help me understand younger students?" Easy, right? Why I didn't think of this sooner, I'm not sure. But I think it's going to work. I know this is a bit vague, and it is to me as well, but I'm getting better at staying connected to my research agenda while incorporating many other areas of research. I'm getting better at articulating what I'm interested in and absorbing new ideas, while still remaining focused on where I want to go. It's a balancing act for sure, but I'm confident it will make my introductions much easier.