I have confidence that I have selected a topic that is relevant to my position and one that I have great interest in learning more about. I would like to pursue an action research topic regarding a college face-to-face class that does not have an online Blackboard component compared to a face-to-face class that has a Blackboard component utilizing the discussion board tools. Specifically I would like to answer the question: Do students in a hybrid course actively engage in online discussions and display a greater understanding of the topic(s) by the end of the course compared to a course with no Blackboard discussion thread?

Our university will be starting a course redesign project. The basic plan is for instructors to formulate ways to enhance their face-to-face sections; moving away from the presentation of hour long lectures. I propose that active dialogue outside the classroom will help students engage more with the course content. I hope to begin looking for willing professors who will let me poll their students and generate questionnaires that will support or refute this action research.

This research will benefit me as I work with faculty members who are interested in using the tools available via Blackboard in their face-to-face class. By researching this subject I will be able to better support them and offer strategies that will enhance their instruction. The research gained here will help me present ideas to faculty who come to us for support.