Runninghead:MyMPSACTIONRESEARCH 1

MyMPSActionResearch

MichaelJ.Miller

MinneapolisPublicSchools:Minneapolis,MN

ProPay123:MyMPS

August4,2015

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 2

PartI.)FocusofthePlan

A. School/Site

ThisauthorteachesatThomasEdisonHighSchoolinNEMinneapolis.EdisonSeniorHighhas
anenrollmentof756students.Ofthatnumber,roughly49.5%ofthestudentpopulationisblack,
notofHispanicoriginaccordingtotheMinnesotaDepartmentofEducation(MinnesotaReport
Card,2015).Whilenearlyhalfoftheschoolisblackthisdoesntshowthetruediversityof
Edison,whichhasmanyAfricanAmericanstudent,butalsoincludesstudentsfromseveral
countriesaroundtheworldandhasasignificantpopulationofSomalistudents.Accordingtothe
MinnesotaDepartmentofEducation(2015)10.4%ofstudentsareAsian/PacificIslander,18.8%
areHispanicand17.3%ofstudentsarewhite(MMinnesotaReportCard).

Thisauthorteachesmostlyseniors,buthisclassesalsoincludesomejuniors.Theclasses
includedinthisactionresearcharebothU.S.Governmentclassandsomementionwillbemade
ofthestudentachievementdatacollectedontheeconomicsclasses.However,thedatacollected
ontheindividualassignmentsforthepurposeofthisactionresearchcamefromtheU.S.
Governmentclasses,nottheeconomicclasses.Datadiscussedontheeconomicclassesispurely
relatedtostudentgradesandwillsuggesteitheranimprovementornochangeinstudent
achievementasaresultoftheuseofMyMPS.

B. Focus:

ThefocusofthisActionResearchProjectistodeterminetheimpactofMyMPSonstudents
accesstocoursematerialsandtheimpactonassignmentsturnedin/scores.Theresearch
question,towhatextentwilltheconsistentuseofMyMPScreategreateraccesstoclass
materialsforstudentsasseenthroughthepercentageofassignmentsturnedin?

Thisfocuswasselectedbecausethisauthorwaslookingforawaytoprovidegreateraccessto
hisstudents.Thisauthorwantshisstudentstonotonlyhaveaccesstocoursematerialinhis
class,butalsointheMediaCenter,atthelocallibrary,athomeandanywheretheycangetwifi
of4Gaccess.Thisauthorsgoalwastoseewhatimpactincreasedaccesscouldhaveonthe
numberofassignmentsturninginandthereforegrades.Throughhisfirst2.5yearsatEdison
HighSchool,thisauthornoticedthatsomeofhisstudentshavemissedoutonsignificant
academicpracticebecausetheywerefrequentlyabsentorlatetoclass.Thesefactors
significantlyinfluencedtheresearchthisauthorchosetoconduct.Anotherpartoftheresearch
willlookatstudentsperceptionsofthecontentbasedontheuseofMyMPS.Iminterestedin
seeingifstudentsfeelliketheyhavegreateraccesstothecontentandabetterunderstandingof
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 3

thecontentbecauseofthe24houraccessandthemanyresources(presentations,videos,images,
etc.)postedonMyMPS.

C. Data/InformationSources

Avarietyofdata/informationsourceswereconsideredandincludedinthisresearch:
1. Themostimportantdatawascollectedontheassignmentsthatwereturnedin.
a. OnedatacollectionwasdoneonanassignmentthatwasnotpostedonMyMPS
b. ThreedatacollectionsweredoneonassignmentsthatwerepostedonMyMPS
2. Asurvey,includingthreequestions,meanttogaugehowusefulstudentsfoundthe
resources(images,text,videos,etc.)onMyMPSandtodeterminehowhelpfulstudents
foundittosubmitassignmentsonlineusingMyMPS.
3. Finally,acomparisonofstudentssecondquarterandthirdquartergradeswillbeusedto
attempttodetermineifanycorrelationexistsbetweenthetwo.

D. LearningfromMyMPSCourse

TheMyMPSProPaycoursehelpedthisauthorbetterunderstandhowtomovefrome nhancement
totransformational.Discussionsaroundtheseideamovedhimfromhisinitialplantoprovide
someresourcesonMyMPSandrecommendingthatstudentsuseittothepointwherethisauthor
completelyrunshisclassesoutofMyMPS.Thischangewasmadeatthebeginningofthesecond
semesterandbytheendofthesecondweekofthesemesterhisstudentsknewthattheyneeded
tograbaChromebookandgotoMyMPSatthebeginningofclasseachday.

OthermajorthingsthatwerelearnedfromtheMyMPSProPaycoursethatinfluencedthis
authorsresearchincludethemanyfeaturesofMyMPS.Specifically,thelessonsonadding
images,videos,discussionboards,etc.toMyMPSinmodulesixandsevendirectingimpacted
hisresearch.Creatingpages,units,units,discussionsandassignmentswereallessential
componentstotheresearchprocess.Thesefeaturesallowedthisauthortoprovidethe
transformationalstructurethathisstudentsneededforMyMPStobetrulyimpactfulinhis
classroom.BeingabletoembedvideosontoMyMPSallowedhimtopullvideosfromYouTube
andposthisownvideosforstudentstouse,givingstudentsaccesstocoursecontentanywhere
andanytime.

E. StudentsSelected

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 4

StudentsselectedfortheactionresearchincludethisauthorsthirdperiodU.S.Governmentclass
andhisseventhperiodU.S.Governmentclass.Theseclasseswereselectedbecausetheyeach
haveamixofstudentsincluding:advancedlearners(IB,APandCIS),ELLstudents(including
thosenewtothecountry),studentsreceivingSpecialEducationservices(includingEBDand
learningdisorders)andamajoritybeingmainstreamstudents.Theseclassesalsoincludeamix
ofstudentsfromavarietyofethnicgroups(AfricanAmerican,Latino/a,Somali,Native
American,Hmong,KoreanandCaucasian).Themajorityofstudentsintheselectedclassescome
fromfamiliesofalowersocioeconomicstatusandreceivefreeorreducedpricelunch.Ima
littleconcernedthatthelowerSESofmanyofthestudentsinthesamplemayimpactthedata
andshowlittleimpactbecauseoftheresourcesthatstudentshaveavailableathome.

Thesestudentswereselectedbecausetheymakeupasamplethatisagoodrepresentationofthe
studentpopulationthatthisauthorhasseeninhisseniorclassesoverthelasttwoyears.The
chosensamplealsoincludesanumberofstudentsthathavehadseverallateandmissing
assignmentsthroughthefirsttwoquartersoftheyear.Thisisimportantbecauseitdirectlyrelates
tothechosenresearch.Thefinalreasonthesegroupsofstudentswereselectedwasbecausethey
arelikelytogivethisauthorthebestunderstandingofhowhisstudentswillbeimpactedbythe
useofMyMPS.

F. HopeofOutcomeforThisAuthorandHisStudents

ThehopesofthisresearchreportisthatusingtheMyMPSsystemwillincreasetherateatwhich
assignmentsareturnedinandincreasestudentscoresonassignments.Thefirstdesiredoutcome
willbemeasuredbydividingassignmentsintofourcategories:turnedinontime,turnedina
littlelate(nomorethanthreedays),turnedinverylate(anytimeafterthreedays)andthosenever
turnedin.Studentswillbeallowedtoturninlateassignmentswithoutpenaltybysubmitting
themonMyMPS.Theseconddesiredoutcomewillbemeasuredbycomparingtheaveragescore
ontheassignmentsintheresearchtopastgrades.

G. CourseResearchThatSupportsFocusofActionResearch

Severalofthematerialsinclassinfluencedtheresearchoftheactionresearchreport.Some
quotesfromtheresourcesareincludedhere.Blendedlearningisanymixofusingonline
learningandfacetofacelearning.Thetrickisfindingtherightmix(BlendedLearning,2013).
Thisinfluencedthisauthorandopenedhimuptotryingtoimplementmoreonlinelearning.This
canbeseenbythechangeinthisauthorsclassroomthatmovedfromallpaperassignmentsto
puttingeverythingonlinesostudentscouldaccessmaterialsanywheretheyhaveinternet.

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 5

InformationonModule4oncreatingassignments,discussionboardsandsurveysgavehimthe
confidencetoimplementthesethingsinhisclassroom.Assignments,discussionboardsand
surveyslaterbecamethemajorsourcesofdatacollectedfortheresearch.Additionally,Modules
sixandsevenprovidedagreatdealofinformationonhowtoaddvariouslearningtoolstohis
coursepage.Theuseofimages,videosanddiscussionboardsbecameinstrumentalinthe
developmentoflearninginhisclassroom.Thesematerialsmovedthisauthorsclassroomfroma
fullyfacetofaceclasstoablendedclassthatgavestudentaccesstoclassroommaterials
anytime.

H. OutsideResearchThatSupportsFocusofActionResearch

Outsideresearchwaslimitedinthedevelopmentofthefocusthisactionresearchproject,but
somepeerreviewedresearchwasdoneontheideaofblendedlearning.Theinitiallyclass,
MyMPSskillset(takeninAugustof2014),initiallygotthisauthorinterestedintheuseof
MyMPS.Thisauthorwasparticularlyinterestedinhowitcouldbeusedtohelphisstudents
duringtimeswhenhecannotmeetwiththem:nights,weekends,daystheyareabsentanddays
heamabsent.Theoutsideresearchonblendedlearningnotonlyconfirmedthefocusonthe
research,butalsoprovidedmotivationformovinghisownclassroomtowardablended
classroommodel.Theexcerptsbelowaddedtheactionresearchprocess:

Studentsincreasinglyliveandthriveinthedigitalenvironment,comfortablewith
virtual,screentoscreenandfacetofaceinteractions.Thesestudentsengageandwork
withmultilayeredpackagesofnonlinearinformationcomprisingimages,sound,video,
textandgraphics(Chigeza&Halbert,2014,pp.134135).
UsingBlackboardAnalytics,theteachingstaffobservedthatmostpreserviceteachers,
frombothmodesofdelivery,increasedtheirengagementandinteractionwiththesubject
contentintheonlinelearningmodules(Chigeza&Halbert,2014,p.139).
ThisquotediscussestheuseofBlackboard,anotherLearningManagement
SystemwithsomeofthesamefeaturesasMyMPS,andsuggeststhatstudents
becamemoreengagedwiththecontent.Thismotivatedthisauthortoseehowhis
studentsengagementwiththecontentwaschangedbyMyMPS.
AccordingtoBarbour(2009)ascitedinCorryandCarlsonBancroft(2014),students
enrolledinonlinecoursesdoaswellorbetterthantheirclassroomcounterparts(p.9).
Thisresearchshowedhimthattherewaslittletonodownsideofattemptingto
makethisauthorsclassroomintoablendedmodel.

Morethananyotherfactor,whatledtothefocusofthisactionresearchprojectwasthisauthors
curiosityaboutblendedlearningandhisbeliefthathisstudentscouldbenefitfromablended
learningclassroommodel.
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 6

II.) RESEARCHQUESTIONS

A. MainResearchQuestion

Themainresearchquestionforthisactionresearchprojectistowhatextentwilltheconsistent
useofMyMPScreategreateraccesstoclassmaterialsforstudentsasseenthroughthe
percentageofassignmentsturnedin?

B. AlignmentBetweenMainResearchQuestionandFocusofActionResearch

Theresearchquestionstatedabove,whichisalsostatedinsectionBofpart1(focus),alignswith
thefocusoftheactionresearchbecausethefocusdirectlyconnectstotheideaofcreatinggreater
studentaccess.Thefirstpartofthefocusoftheactionresearchlooksattherateatwhich
assignmentsareturnedin,specificallyassignmentsthataresubmittedonline.Student
submissionswillbebrokenintofourdifferentcategories:turnedinontime,turnedinslightly
late(3daysorless),turnedinverylate(anytimeafter3days)andneverturnedin.Thesecond
partofthefocusoftheactionresearchwillbetodetermineifstudentsbelievethattheyhave
greataccesstothecontentandabetterunderstandingofthecontentbecauseofthe
materials/sources(videos,powerpoints,definitions,images,etc.)postedonMyMPS.Thiswillbe
measuredthroughstudentsurveys.

Thesetwoverydifferentcomponentsoftheactionresearchprojectwilladdresstheresearch
questionandgivethisauthorabetterunderstandingoftheimpactoftheuseofMyMPSinhis
classroom.Finally,aneedsbasedexitsurveywillbeusedattheendoftheyeartodeterminewho
MyMPScouldhavebeenmorebeneficialtohisstudents(moreteachersusingit,greaterInternet
accessoutsideofschool,1to1programwherestudentsgettotakehometechnology,etc.).

C. PotentialforStudentsGrowthandImprovedTeacherPractice

Implementingtheproposedstrategieshasthepotentialtoeliminatemissingassignmentsinthis
authorsclasses.Thiswillmeanthatstudentswillnotmissoutonlearningbecausetheyarelate
toclass,sickorabsentforanotherreason.Throughhisfirst2.5yearsofteachingthebiggest
issuehasbeenstudentattendance.Studentsarefrequentlygoneforillness,familyemergencies,
dentist/doctorsappointments,suspension,mediation,skippingclassandotherunknownreasons.
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 7

TheuseofMyMPScreatesanopportunityforstudentswhomissclassforanyreasonan
opportunitytogetamoregenuinelearningexperiencethansimplyamakeupworksheet.Ifthe
blendedlearningisdoneright,itwillalsogivethestudentstocompleteanymakeupwork
beforetheyreturn,meaningtheywillneverneedtofallbehindandplaycatchup.

Thisactionresearchwillbenefitthisauthorbecausehewillbeabletoputgreaterfocusonwhat
ishappeningonthecurrentday.Hewillalsobeabletoputgreaterfocusonthecurrentquestions
beingbroughtup.Bylimitedandeliminatingmissingassignmentsandhavingdiscussionsabout
makingworkup,thisauthorwillbeabletoputmuchgreaterfocusonhiscurrentprofessional
practice.Thismeansmoreindividualhelptimeandassistancecanbegiventostudents,which
willprovideabetterlearningexperienceforthisauthorsstudents.

Studentwhodonotmissschoolwillalsohaveasignificantopportunitytogrow.Studentofall
levels(high,mediumandlow)canbenefitfromablendedlearningclassroommodelbecauseit
eliminatestheclassroomwalls.Allofthestudentsinthisauthorsclasseshaveaccesstothe
contentathome.Theycantforgettheirbooks.Iftheyareanaudiblelearner,theycanlistentoa
videothatthisauthorcreatedgoingoverthecoursecontent.Ifittakethemalittlemoretimeto
understanddifferentinformation(particularlythecomplexgraphsseenineconomics)theycan
watchavideomultipletimesandpauseitatanypoint.Thisauthorsstudentscanprintoffextra
copiesofpracticeproblems.Hisstudentscancommunicatewitheachotherviaemailorin
discussionforums.Everystudent(high,medium,low)willgreatlybenefitfromhimusinga
blendedclassroommodelthroughtheuseofMyMPS.

D. QuestionsthatmaybeRelevanttoOthers

1. Isthereawaytotrack/followstudentsuseofMyMPSbesidesastudentsuvery?
a. ThisisaquestionforITeitheratMPSoratitslearning.
2. WhatistherelationshipbetweenstudentaccesstoMyMPSandstudentsgrades?
3. WhatimpactwilltheregularuseofMyMPShaveongraduationrates?
4. DoestheregularuseofMyMPScreateadisincentivetoattendclass?
5. WhatimpactwilltheuseofMyMPShaveonpreparingstudentsforcollege(where
blendedlearninghashistoricallybeenmoreused)?

III.) ACTIONPLANANDIMPLEMENTATION

A. PlanofAction

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 8

AdetaileddescriptionoftheplanofactioncanbefoundbelowinsectionIIIpartsBH.Data
willbecollectedonavarietyofassignmentsthatwillbesubmittedonMyMPS.Thedatawillbe
gearedtowarddeterminingifmorestudentsaregettingworkturnedinontime(orevenlate)
comparedtousingpaperassignments,turnedinduringclass.

B. CourseStrategiesandWhyTheyareImplemented

1. Postbasiccoursematerials(bellringer,learningtargets,vocabularyandquestions)on
MyMPScoursepage.
a. ThisisimportantbecauseitwillgivestudentsareasontogotoMyMPSand
createanopportunityforcontinueduse,whichwillmakegoingtoMyMPSadaily
habitforstudents.
2. RunclassthroughMyMPSregularly(notnecessarilyeveryday,butfrequently)and
requirestudentstogotoMyMPSandfollowalong.
a. ThiswillallowstudentstobecomemorefamiliarwithMyMPS.
3. IncludeassignmentsonMyMPS(discussionforums,surveys,andassignmentsthat
requireawrittensubmissionordocumentattached)
a. Thiswillbewherestudentsturninassignmentsandwhereassignmentswillbe
gradedfortheclass.
b. Thiswilleffectivelyreplaceallpaperassignmentsinthecourse.
c. Thiswillbethemainsourceofdatacollectionfortheactionresearch.
4. IncludeadvancedresourcesonMyMPS(videos,discussionforums,images,powerpoint
presentations,classhandouts,graphs,etc.).
a. Includingmoreadvancedresourceswillprovidegreaterstudentaccesstothe
contentbycreatingmultipleandvariedexposurestothecontent.
b. Byputtingthesematerialsonlineitcreatesandopportunityfor(1)studentswho
wereinclasstoreviewthecoursematerialsoutsideofclassand(2)studentswho
missedclassanopportunitytoseecoursematerialsforthefirsttime.Bothgroups
ofstudentswillbeabletoaccessthecourseresourcesasfrequentlyastheywould
like.

C. StepByStepImplementationProcess

AddingaContentBoxtoYourMyMPSCoursePage
1. LogintoMyMPSbyvisiting:
https://mps.itslearning.com/Index.aspx?Username=undefined&LanguageId=1
2. Clickonthecoursepageinwhichyouwouldliketoaddresourcesorassignments
(coursescanbefoundintheyellowboxinthetoplefthandcorner)
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 9

3. Onthelefthandsideofthepage(knownasthetree)clickthegreen+symbolAdd
4. SelectPage(thirdresourcesfromthetopontheleftside)
5. ClickonthetextNewPageatthetopandrelabelthepageasdesired
6. ClickthehyperlinkAddcontentboxnexttothegree+sign
7. SelectRichcontent
8. Titletheboxasdesired.(Steps68willbefollowedforeverycontentboxyouwouldlike
toaddtoaparticularpage.Thenexttwosetsofdirectionswilltellhowtoadddifferent
materialsinthosecontentboxes).

AddingTexttoYourRichContentBox
9. Clickinthedatafield(openspacebelowtheBlockTitlelikeanemail)
10. Typeinyourdesiredtextchangingthesize,fontandcolorasdesired.

AddingaVideotoYourRichContentBox
11. Completedirections18beforebeginningthissection.
12. Aftercreatingyourvideo(orfindingthevideoonYouTube)clickShare
13. ClickEmbedandcopythelinkthatisdisplayed
14. GobacktoMyMPSandinyourRichContentBoxclickSource
15. Inthedatafield(openspacebelowtheBlockTitlelikeanemail)andpastethelinkyou
copiedofthevideo.
16. ClickOKandyourvideowillbeadded.

AddingaFiletoYourRichContentBox
17. Completedirections18beforebeginningthissection.
18. AftercreatingyourfilesaveitasaPDF.
a. NotethatthefiledoesnotneedtobesavedasaPDF,butsomeotherformatsmay
notbeviewableonChromebooksoriPads.
19. Clicktheglobe(secondiconfromtheright,nexttothechainlinks)
20. Clickchoosefile.
21. Selectthefilethatyouwouldliketoadd.
22. ClickUpload
23. ClickOKandyourfilewillbeadded.

AddingaLinktoYourRichContentBox
24. Completedirections18beforebeginningthissection.
25. Afterfindingthewebsiteyouwouldliketolinktocopythehyperlink
26. Clickthechainlinks(farrighticon)
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 10

27. PastethelinkintheboxtitledURL
28. ClickOK
29. ClickOKandyourlinkwillbeadded.

Myrecommendationforhelpingstudents.Whenthisauthorincludedahyperlinkforstudentshe
alwayslinksthehyperlinktothetexth ere.Forexample,thisauthorwillsay,clickheretogo
tothewebsiteInordertodothisfollowsteps3031beforesteps2529.

30. Selectboldandunderlineicons(orholdctrl+Bandctrl+UonaPCorcommand+Band
command+UonaMac)andtypehere.
31. Highlightthetexthere(whichisboldedandunderlined)andthenfollowsteps2529.

AddinganAssignmenttoMyMPS
32. Completestep3again(13ifyouareaddinganassignmentfirst)completethisprocess
byclickingAddwiththegreen+sign
33. ScrolldowntothesectiontitledActivitiesonthepagethepopsupandclick
Assignment
34. Completethepagethatpopsupasdesired(title,describingtext,iftheassignmentis
active,iftheassignmentismandatory,howtheassignmentwillbescored,etc.).
35. ClickSavewhenyouarefinished.

AddingaDiscussionForumtoMyMPS
36. Completestep3again(13ifyouareaddinganassignmentfirst)completethisprocess
byclickingAddwiththegreen+sign
37. ScrolldowntothesectiontitledActivitiesonthepagethatpopsupandclick
Discussion
38. Completethepagethatpopsupasdesired(title,describingtext,ifthediscussionis
active,etc.).
39. ClickSavewhenyouarefinished

AddingaSurveytoMyMPS
40. Completestep3again(13ifyouareaddinganassignmentfirst)completethisprocess
byclickingAddwiththegreen+sign
41. ScrolldowntothesectiontitledActivitiesonthepagethatpopsupandclickSurvey
42. Completethepagethatpopsupasdesired(title,describingtext,ifthesurveyisactive,if
thesurveyinmandatory,etc.).
43. ClickSavewhenyouarefinished

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 11

Thesestepbystepdirectionscanbeusedtoaddthesameresources,assignmentsanddata
collectionsourcesthatareusedinthisactionresearch.Equallyimportanttothisprocessisthe
regularuseofMyMPSintheclassroom(bothstudentandteacheruse)toensurethatstudents
becomefamiliarwiththelearningmanagementsystemsothattheycanaccessitontheirown
outsideofclass.

Noresourcesshouldbewithheldfromstudents.Provideallclassmaterials(notes,handouts,bell
ringers,learningtargets,questions,etc.)onMyMPS.Whilethismaycreateanopportunityfor
studentstomissmoreclass,thevalueaddedfromtheincreasedaccesstocoursematerialsis
likelytoprovidemorebenefitthanconsequences.Advancedresources(images,graphsand
videos)shouldalsobeaddedtoMyMPSinordertoaidstudentlearning.

Theresourcesdonotneedtobeaddedinanyparticularorder,butthemorethatyoucanprovide
foryourstudentthemoretheirlearningwillbeimproved.

D. DataToBeCollected:Students,ResearcherandPractice

Students:
Datawillbecollectedontwodifferentclasses.Oneclassincludes31studentsofvaryingabilities
(advancedlearners,mainstreamstudents,studentsreceivingELLservices,studentsreceiving
SpecialEducationservices,HHMstudents,lowSESstudents,etc.).Thesecondclassincludes18
studentsandthediversityofthegroupissimilartothatofthefirstgroup.Amoredetailed
descriptionofthestudentscanbefoundinPartI:SectionEofthisactionresearch.

TeacherResearcher&ResearchersPractice:
Datawillbecollectedonfivedifferentassignments.Thisfirstassignmentwillbead iscussion
foruminwhichstudentswereaskedtoparticipate.Inthisdiscussionforum,studentsneedto
sharethetopictotheirresearchpaperandcommentontwooftheirpeersresearchpapertopics.
ThisdiscussionwillbecreatedonMyMPS.ThedirectionsforcreatingadiscussiononMyMPS
canbefoundintheprevioussectionindirections3639..

Thesecondassignmentwillbethet hesisstatementtothestudentsresearchpapers.Inthis
assignmentstudentswillgoontoMyMPS,selecttheassignmentandeithercopyandpastetheir
submissionintothetextboxorattachadocumentwiththeirthesisstatement.Thedirectionsfor
creatinganassignmentonMyMPScanbefoundintheprevioussectionindirections3235.

Thethirdassignmentwillbeap eerreviewedjournalarticlequoteandAPAcitation.This
willbeoneofthemostsignificantsourcesofdataforMyMPS.Thisassignmentwillrequire
studentstouseresourcespostedonMyMPS.Theresourcestohelpstudentsquoteajournal
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 12

articleandcreateanAPAcitationcanbefoundwithintheResearchPaperfolder,andtherein
withinaResearchPaperDirectionspaperandonapagecalledAcademicResearch.Students
willthenposttheirquotationandtheAPAcitationasanassignmentonMyMPS.Thisisa
significantassignmentfortheresearchbecause(1)datawillbecollectedonwhenthejournal
articleisturnedinand(2)howsuccessfulstudentswerewiththeassignment.Thefirst
significancewillspeaktothefocusontheactionresearchongettingmoreassignmentsturnedin
ontimeandturnedinatanypoint.Thesecondsignificancewillhelpthisauthordeterminehow
usefultheresourcesprovidedonMyMPSareinaidingstudents.Thiswillgivehimabetteridea
ofhowgoodofateachingresourcesMyMPSis,whichwillbevitalifheamgoingtouse
MyMPStocreateablendedclassroom.

ThefourthassignmentwillbeanA PAformatbibliography.Thisassignment,whichwillbe
postedonMyMPS,willservethesamedualpurposeasthejournalarticle.

Thefinalassignmentwillbethestudentsactuallyr esearchpaper.Thisresearchpaperwillalso
beusedforbothdatacollectionsources(likethejournalarticleandthebibliography).

Thesesourcesofdatacollectionareusedbecausetheywillgivethisauthorthemostaccurate
pictureofhowMyMPScanbeusedtosupporthisstudentsonthisverydifficultassignment.The
researchpaperisaveryimportantpartofthisthisteacherspracticeasitisoneofthemost
authenticassignmentstohelppreparehisstudentsforcollege.

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 13

E. Data

DataTable#1:SeventhHourAmericanGovernment
1 C C C Q
2 C C C C
3 C C C L
4 C C C L
5 C C C C
6 X X X X
7 C C C C
8 C C C L
9 C C X C
10 C X C C
11 C C C C
12 C C C C
13 C C C C
14 C C C L
15 C C C Q
16 X X X X
17 C X C C
18 C C X X
19 C C C Q
ONTIME 88.90% 83.30% 83.30% 47.3%
SLIGHTLYLATE 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 21%
VERYLATE 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 15.7%
NEVERTURNEDIN 11.10% 16.70% 16.70% 15.7%

Key:
1. Numbersareusedtoprotectstudentprivacy
2. C=anassignmentthatwasturnedinontime(ONTIME)
3. L=anassignmentthatwasturnedin13dayslate(SLIGHTLYLATE)
4. U=anassignmentthatwasturnedinmorethan3dayslate(VERYLATE)
5. X=anassignmentthatwasneverturnedin(NEVERTURNEDIN)

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 14

Thetableofdataabovewascollectedfromthisauthorsseventhhourclass,whichwasdescribed
earlierinthisreport.Thestudentdatacoloredblue(students6,15and18)arestudentswhomiss
over25%ofclasstime.Students18hasmissedover50%ofclasstimewhilestudent6has
missedover85%ofclasstime.Thetableabovesimplyshowsiftheywereabletoturn
assignmentsin,nothowwellthestudentsdidonthoseassignments,whichmaybedirectlytied
totheamountoftimetheyspendinclass.Thestudentdatacoloredred(students16and19)are
studentswhoareinclassover80%ofthetime,buthavehadmanylateassignmentsinthepast
(beforetheuseofMyMPS).

DataTable#2:ThirdHourAmericanGovernment
SRN TOPIC THESIS JOURNALARTICLE PAPER

19 C C C C

20 C C X Q

21 C L X Q

22 C C C L

23 C C C C

24 X L Q L

25 C C Q L

26 C C C C

27 C C X C

28 C C C C

29 C C C C

30 C C C C

31 C C C C

32 C X X X

33 C C C C

34 C C C C

35 C C X C

36 L C Q X

37 L L C C

38 C X Q C

39 C C C Q

40 Q Q C C

41 C C C C

42 C C C C

43 C C C Q

44 C X X C

45 X L C C

46 C X X L
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 15

47 C C C C

48 C C C C

49 C C C C

ONTIME 83.90% 70.90% 64.50% 67.70%

SLIGHTLYLATE 6.50% 12.90% 0.00% 12.9%

VERYLATE 3.20% 3.20% 12.90% 12.9%

NEVERTURNEDIN 6.50% 12.90% 22.5%% 6.4%

Key:
1. Numbersareusedtoprotectstudentprivacy
2. C=anassignmentthatwasturnedinontime(ONTIME)
3. L=anassignmentthatwasturnedin13dayslate(SLIGHTLYLATE)
4. U=anassignmentthatwasturnedinmorethan3dayslate(VERYLATE)
5. X=anassignmentthatwasneverturnedin(NEVERTURNEDIN)

Thetableofdataabovewascollectedfromthisauthorsthirdhourclass,whichwasdescribed
earlierinthisreport.Thestudentdatacoloredblue(students20,24,28,32,36,38,39,40,41
and45)arestudentswhomissover25%ofclasstime.Somestudentsinthisgroupmissasmuch
as85%ofclasstime.Thetableabovesimplyshowsiftheywereabletoturnassignmentsin,not
howwellthestudentsdidonthoseassignments,whichmaybedirectlytiedtotheamountoftime
theyspendinclass.Thestudentdatacoloredred(students21,35,44and46)arestudentswho
areinclassover80%ofthetime,buthavehadmanylateassignmentsinthepast(beforetheuse
ofMyMPS).

F. Timeline

TheMyMPSProPayclasswastakenstartingattheendofJanuary.Thisbeganwiththisauthor
learningofthesystem,whichledthisauthortostartusingMyMPSinhisclassfulltime,starting
atthebeginningofthesecondsemester.WhilehisuseofMyMPSstartedbeforetheProPay
class,thatusewaslimitedbecauseofthisauthorsunderstanding.Somemoreadvanced
materialstoaddedtohiscourseMyMPSpagesbeforetheywerecoveredintheProPayclass
becauseoftheindividualcoachingofKevinKeller.KevincametoEdisononmultipleoccasions
betweenJanuaryandApriltohelpthisauthorfurtherdevelopthisauthorscourseMyMPSpage.
Kevenalsoremainedinfrequentemailcommunicationprovidingadditionalresources,including
averyhelpfulvideothatshowedhimhowtoembedvideosonthisauthorscourseMyMPS
pages.

MyMPSwasusedconsistentlythroughoutthesecondsemesterinordertoensurethatstudent
werefamiliarwiththeresourcesandsystems.DirectionsandatimelinewerepostedonMyMPS
aswellforstudentuse.Thefirstassignmentinthedatacollectionwasadiscussionforumwith
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 16

thestudentsresearchtopicwhichwassubmittedonJanuary30,2015( about2weeksafterthe
firstuseofMyMPS).Thesecondassignment,thestudent'sthesisstatementswassubmittedon
February27,2015.Thethirdassignment,thestudentspeerreviewedjournalarticleswas
submittedonMarch13,2015.Thefinalassignmentwasthestudentsfinaldraftoftheirresearch
paper,whichwassubmittedonMay8,2015.

G. Coaching

JanuarystartedtheMyMPSclass,classroomlearningandindividualhelpduringtheMyMPS
ProPayclass.ThisauthoralsoreceivedmultipleemailsfromcourseinstructorKevinKellerwith
informationthathelpedthisauthoruploaddifferentmaterials,creatediscussionforumsandset
uphisgradebookonMyMPS.ThemosthelpfulcoachinginJanuarywasavideosenttothis
authorbyKevinshowinghowtoembedvideos.

FebruaryKevinKellervisitedEdisonHighSchooltoworkwiththisauthorandthreeother
teachersusingMyMPS.Thiscoachingsessionwasfocusedonsettingupunitsandtheplanner
functiononMyMPS.ClasseswerealsocontinuedduringFebruary.

AprilKevinKellervisitedthisauthorindividualinApriltoreviewthisauthorsresearch,
checkinonhowthingsweregoingandreviewtheActionResearchrequirements.Individual
coachingduringthissessionfocusedonnextstepswiththeActionResearchaswellashowthis
authorwillbeabletosavehisassignments,resourcesandlessonsonMyMPStousenextyear.

H. RefiningthePlan

Theonlychangesthatweremadetotheactionresearchplanwasreducingthesamplesizeto
makeitmoremanageable.Asisoftenthecaseinquantitativeresearch,asamplesizethatistoo
largecanbecomeveryoverwhelming.Thisauthorwasinitiallyplanningoncollectingspecific
dataonallofthisauthorsstudents,butreducedittojusttwoofhisclassestomaketheprocess
moremanageableforhimself.Thesamplesarestillveryrepresentativeofhisstudentsasawhole
andwillprovideinformationthatwillbeusefulinallofhisclasses.Nootherrefiningwas
neededbecauseallofthedatabeingcollectedwasgearedtowardthisauthorsstatedgoals,allof
thedatawasmeasureableandtheusesofMyMPSwillbenefithisstudentsasawhole.

IV.) DATARESULTSDISPLAYEDANDDESCRIBED

A. StudentData,ResearchersLearning&ResearchersPractice
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 17

ThefirstassignmentcollectedwasadiscussionforumonMyMPSwherethestudentshadto
describetheirresearchtopicandcommentontwoclassmatesresearchtopics.Thegoalofthis
assignmentwastonotonlycollectthestudentsresearchtopics,buttoalsohelpthisauthor
becomemorefamiliarwithMyMPSandgivethemanopportunitytocommunicatewitheach
otheronline.Forthedatacollection,anyassignmentturnedinontimewasrecordedwithaC.
Assignmentsthatwere13dayslaterecievedanLwhileassignmentsthatwerelaterthan3days
receivedaQ.AnystudentsthatdidnotturnanassignmentinatanypointreceivedanX.This
allowedthisauthortogetabetterideaabouthowMyMPSwasimpactingthepercentageof
assignmentsthatwerebeingturnedin.Assimilardatacollectionwasdoneonstudentsthesis
statementsandpeerreviewjournalarticles.Thefinaldatacollectionlistedonthedetailedchart
insectionEorpartIII(locatedonpage12)wasdoneonapaperassignment,afinalcopyofeach
studentsresearchpaper.Onceallofthedatawascollectedandanalyzedasurveywasdeveloped
andgiventostudentstohelphimbetterunderstandhisstudentsperceptionsontheusefulnessof
MyMPS.

ThroughouttheMyMPSclassthisauthorlearnedagreatdealaboutblendedlearning,flipped
classroomsandthemanycapabilitiesoftheMyMPSsystem.Throughouttheresearchprocess
thisauthorlearnedthatwhilehisstudentsmaynothavetheresourcesthatcouldmakeblended
workbest,theystillenjoyhavingallofthecoursematerialsonline.Inastudentsurveygivenon
Tuesday,May26,2015,81.63%ofstudentsrespondedthattheyfoundtheuseofMyMPS
helpfultotheirlearning.Inthesamestudentsurvey,studentsalsosuggestedthatthemosthelpful
componentofMyMPSwasthenotesandclasspresentationbeingpostedonline.Othervery
helpfulcomponentsincludepostingassignmentsonline,submittingassignmentsonlineand
postingvideosonline.

Thebiggestimpactoftheresearchonthisauthorspracticewasthedrastictransitionfromapure
facetofaceclasstoablendedclass.Thisauthorcertainlyhasntfoundtherightmixof
facetofaceandonlinelearningyet,buthisclassroomincludesmuchmoreonlinecontent,
resourcesandopportunitiesforstudentlearningthaniteverhasinthepast.Postingassignments,
discussionforums,videosandotherresourcesandtransformedbyteachingpractice.

B. QuantitativeData

BaselineDataBudgetAssignmentfromSecondQuarter

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 18

Thebaselineassignmentwasabudgetassignmentthatwascompletecompletelyinpaper
packets.Studentsweregiventimeinclasstoworkonthisassignment,buttheyalsoneededto
workoutsideofclassinordertofinishtheprojectbytheduedate.
BaselineDatafromFall2014

SeventhHourBaselineData ThirdHourBaselineData
ONTIME 38.80% ONTIME 41.40%
SLIGHTLYLATE 5.50% SLIGHTLYLATE 13.80%
VERYLATE 33.3%% VERYLATE 13.80%
NEVERTURNED
NEVERTURNEDIN 22.20% IN 31.00%

Asthedataaboveshows,thisauthorpreviouslyhadaverydifficulttimegettingassignments
turnedinontime.Furthermore,fartoomanyassignmentsareneverturnedin.Thisis
undoubtablehavingamajorimpactonstudentsfinalgrade

SeventhHourResultsTable
ONTIME 88.90% 83.30% 83.30% 47.3%
SLIGHTLYLATE 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 21%
VERYLATE 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 15.7%
NEVERTURNEDIN 11.10% 16.70% 16.70% 15.7%

ThirdHourResultsTable
ONTIME 83.90% 70.90% 64.50% 67.70%
SLIGHTLYLATE 6.50% 12.90% 0.00% 12.9%
VERYLATE 3.20% 3.20% 12.90% 12.9%
NEVERTURNEDIN 6.50% 12.90% 22.5%% 6.4%

StudentSurveyMay26,2015

RoughlyhowmanytimeswouldyouestimateyouaccessedMyMPSoutsideofclass?[This
includesinthemediacenter,advisory,anotherclass,theHennepinCountyLibrary,athome,on
yourphone,etc.
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 19

Question1:HowhelpfuldidyoufindMyMPStoimprovingyourlearning?

Question2:H
owhelpfuldidyoufindMyMPStoimprovingyourlearning?

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 20

Question3:WhatwasthemosthelpfulcomponentofMyMPS?

C. ImpactonStudentLearning

Thedatacollectedshowsthepositiveimpactofblendedlearningonstudentlearningbecauseit
clearlyshowsthatmorestudentshaveaccesstothecontentandresourceswhenitissharedin
classandonline.Thedatashowsacleartrendofmoreassignmentsbeingturnedinduringthe
thirdandfourthquarters(midJanuaryMay)whencomparedtothebaselinedatatakeninthe
secondquarter(beginningofJanuary).Whilethisdatadoesntdirectlytellthisauthorexactlyif
studentlearningwasimproveditisclearthatamajorityofthestudentsintheactionresearch
foundtheuseofMyMPSveryuseful.

Thisdatawasmeasuredbylookingattheassignmentsturnedin(therateatwhichtheywere
turnedinandthestudentscoresontheassignments)aswellasthesurveygiventostudentsatthe
endofthesemester.

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 21

D. DataonStudentAchievement,Disaggregated

Itwasdifficulttocollectanylongitudinaldataonthisauthorsstudentsacademicachievement
withtheadditionofMyMPSbecausethisauthorimplementedtheuseofMyMPSatthestartof
thesecondsemesterwhenstudentsswitchedfromEconomicstoU.S.Governmentorfrom
GovernmenttoEconomics.Sincethesetwoclassesareverydifferentintermsofcontent,real
worldcontextanddifficultythereweretoomanyvariableschangingtocollectgoodlongterm
data.However,somechangesappearedtohaveoccurredthatmaysuggestthattheuseof
MyMPShadapositiveimpactonstudentachievement.

ClassAveragePercentages(Quarter1Quarter4)
ThirdHour FourthHour SixthHour SeventhHour

Quarter1 67% 71% 73% 71%

Quarter2 57% 63% 76% 65%

Quarter3 77% 70% 68% 82%

Quarter4 72% 64% 76% 71%

ImportantInformationtoUnderstandthisTable:
1. Manystudentsmisstimeatthestartoftheschoolyear(somemisstheentirefirstweekof
school)
2. Absencesincreaseduringthewintermonths(lastsecondquarterandearlythirdquarter)
3. Manystudentsareabsentmorefrequentlyduringthelastfewweeksofschoolifthey
realizetheydonothaveenoughcreditstograduateontime
4. ThirdhourandseventhhourstartedtheyearwithaverydifficultEconomicsclassand
thenwenttoU.S.Government,whichisalittleeasier.Fourthandsixthhourswerejust
theopposite,statinginU.S.Governmentandthenmovingintoamoredifficult
Economicsclass.

Clearlythetableshowsthatthereissomedifferencebetweenquartersoneandtwowhen
comparedtoquartersthreeandfour.Thirdhourssemesteroneaveragewas62.5%,whichis
significantlylowerthanthesecondsemesteraverageof74.5%.Thismaysuggestthattheuseof
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 22

MyMPShadasignificantimpact(12.5%increase)onstudentachievementandlearningforthe
studentsofthirdhour.Unfortunately,thedatadoesntgiveusaclearpicture,becausethechange
inthecoursescertainlyplayedaroleinthechange.Seventhhour,acoursethatmirroredthe
scheduleforthirdhour,hadsimilarresultswithanincreasefrom68%insemesteroneto76.6%
(8.6%increase)insemestertwo.

Theresultsinterpretedabovecanbeconsideredintwoways.Eitherone,theuseofMyMPShas
asignificantimpactonstudentachievement,orhisU.S.Governmentclassisveryeasycompared
tohisEconomicsclass.ThisauthorisnotgoingtodefendhisU.S.Governmentclasshere
becauseheknowsimprovementsneedtobemadetothatclassandthatworkisalready
underway!However,ifonelooksatthedataandsaythattheseresultsareattributedtothe
changeincoursethenoneshouldexpecttoseethatsame8%to12%change(butadecrease)in
studentscoresforfourthandsixthhours.However,thisisnotthecase.Fourhourmaintainedthe
samepercentage,67%,foreachsemester.Sixthhourdidexperienceadecreaseinstudentsscores
from74.5%to72%.However,this2.5%decreaseinstudentscoresismuchlowerthanone
wouldexpectwhenonelooksatthedatafromthirdandseventhhour.Thissuggeststhattheuse
ofMyMPSdidplayasignificantroleinimprovingstudentachievement.Itnotonlymadethe
resultsinthirdandseventhhourmoresignificant,butitalsoreducedthedecreasesonewould
expectinfourthandsixthhour.

SemesterAveragesandPercentageChangeData
Class Semester1 SemesterTwo PercentageChange(+/)

ThirdHour 62% 74.5% + 12.5%

FourthHour 67% 67% NOCHANGE
SixthHour 74.5% 72% 2.5%
SeventhHour 68% 76.6% + 8.6%
*ForthisActionResearchProjectthedatawasnotdisaggregatedtolookatvariousethnic
groups.

Key:Semesterpercentageswerecalculatedbyaddingthequarterpercentagesfromthosesemesterstogetherand
dividingbytwo.

E. BaselineData

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 23

OncethefocusoftheActionResearchwasdetermineapretestwasgiventostudentstogetan
initialdatacollect.ThebaselineassignmentisdescribedingreaterdetailinsectionBofthispart
oftheActionResearchReport.Oncetheresultsofthisassessmentwerecollectedandanalyzed
theintervention(consistentuseofMyMPSandexplicitinstructiononhowtouseMyMPS)was
introduced.Manydatacollectionswerethendowntohelpthisresearchergainabetter
understandingabouthowMyMPSwasimpactingthisauthorsstudents(thismostlyappliesto
thirdandseventhhourwhoturnedassignmentsinonline).Thesamepreandposttestcouldnot
beusedbecauseofthenatureofthedatacollected(actualclassassignments).However,thedata
collectedthroughouttheresearchwassimilarinnaturetothedataonthepretest.

Intheend,theresultswereallevaluatedinordertohelpthisauthorbestdeterminetheimpactof
theconsistentuseofMyMPS.[SectionsBDincludetablesofthedatathatwascollected.
SectionBhasthebaselinedata,butithasalsobeeninincludedbelow].

SeventhHourBaselineData ThirdHourBaselineData
ONTIME 38.80% ONTIME 41.40%
SLIGHTLYLATE 5.50% SLIGHTLYLATE 13.80%
VERYLATE 33.3%% VERYLATE 13.80%
NEVERTURNED
NEVERTURNEDIN 22.20% IN 31.00%

F. DatafromCoachingCycles

Datawasnotexplicitlycollectedonthecoachingcycles.However,inthefirstcoachingcycle
KevinKellerprovidedthisauthorwithresourcesthathelpedhimuploadandembedvideosinto
thisauthorsEconomicsMyMPSpage.Thiswasimportantbecause11.32%ofhisstudentssaid
thiswasthemostbeneficialcomponentofMyMPStothem.Thiswasreallyhelpfulforhis
Economicsclasswherestudentswereabletowatchvideosthisauthorcreatedoutsideofclass.In
thesecondcoachingsessionthisauthorandhiscolleaguesdiscussedhowtocreateunitsinthe
planner,whichprovidedmuchgreaterorganizationforthisauthorscourseMyMPSpages.This
washelpfulbecauseitmadeiteasierforhisstudentstogothroughoutcoursematerialsandfind
whattheyneeded.Theseindividualcoachingsessionnotonlysupportedhislearningfromthe
MyMPSProPayclass,butreallythisauthorviewsthemasbeingessentialtothesuccessful
implementationofMyMPSinhisclassroom.

G. EnoughData

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 24

Enoughdatawascollectedinthisprocess.Therewerefourdifferentdatacollectionsoutsideof
thepretest,plusasurveythatprovidedextradata.Overall,thisauthorbelievesthesesixdata
collectionpoints(datatablesandgraphsareincludedinsectionsBandD)gavethisauthoran
accuratepictureoftheusefulnessofMyMPSinhisclassroom.

H. VisualData

VisualdatacanbefoundinsectionEofPartIIIaswellassectionsB,DandEofPartIV.This
visualdataisintheformofbothtablesandpiecharts.

V.) DATAINTERPRETATIONANDANALYSIS

A. ExplanationofData

Thedataconnectstogethertoshowapositivecorrelationbetweentheimplementationof
MyMPSandstudentsaccesstocoursematerials.Thisleadsthisauthortotheconclusionthatthe
useofMyMPSgiveshisstudentsgreateraccesstothecoursematerials(bothinandoutofclass)
andshouldthereforebecontinuedinhisclassinthefuture.Useablendedclassroommodel
clearlyhadapositiveimpactonstudentsaccessandultimatelystudentsgrades.
Thebaseline(pretest)showsdatashowsthat31%ofthirdhourdidnotturninthepretest,but
only6.4%ofthissameclassdidnotturnintheposttest.Atthesametime,22.2%ofseventh
hourdidnotturninthepretest,whileonly15.7%ofstudentsdidnotturnintheposttest.This
authorbelievesthattheseresultsaresignificanttojustifythecontinueduseofMyMPSanda
blendedclassroommodel.Theturninratedataisfurthersupportedbythedataofstudents
perceptionoftheimpactofMyMPSthatwascollectedthroughtheMyMPSStudentSurvey.This
datasuggeststhatstudentsfoundtheuseofMyMPShelpful(57.14%saiditwasextremely
helpfuland24.49%saiditwassomewhathelpful).

Additionally,thisdataisfurthersupportedbythesecondquestionontheMyMPS,which
describeshowoftenthestudentsusedMyMPSoutsideofclass.Thisauthorwouldhavelikedto
seeatleast10usesofMyMPSoutsideofclassforeachstudent,butonly44%ofstudentsused
thissystem10ormoretimesoutsideofclass.Thirtysixpercentofthestudentssurveyed
respondedthattheyaccessedMyMPSfiveorfewertimesoutsideofclass.Ifthisauthorwereto
issuethissurveyagain,thisauthorwouldcreatea0usescategorytogivehimbetterdataon
whatpercentageofhisstudentsdidnotaccessMyMPSatall.Overall,thisdatashowshimthat
themajorityofhisstudentsusedMyMPSoutsideofclassandfoundtheuseofthevarious
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 25

materialsandresourcesonMyMPShelpful.Notonlydidstudentsfindthishelpful,butitleadto
anincreasednumberofassignmentsbeingturnedin,whichcanbeseenbycomparingthe
pretestandposttest.

B. Impact:Students,ResearchersLearning,ResearchersPractice

ImpactonStudents:TheimplementationofMyMPSinthisauthorsclassroomhadasignificant
positiveimpactonstudentlearningandstudentsgrades.Theprevioussectionofthisreport,and
othersections,havealreadydiscussedtheimpactofMyMPSontherateinwhichstudentsturned
inassignments.Additionally,asSectionDofPartIVsuggests,theremayhavebeenasignificant
impactonstudentsoverallgrades.Twooftheclasseshadsignificantgains,whiletheothertwo
classeshadverylittleimpact.Itisdifficulttosaywithcertaintybecauseofthemanychanging
variablesincluding:timeoftheschoolyear,proximitytograduation,changingcourses
(GovernmenttoEconomicsorEconomicstoGovernment)andstudentshomelives.

ImpactonResearchersLearning:ThroughtheActionResearchprocess,thisresearcherhas
learnedhowtouseablendedclassroommodel.Switchingtoablendedclassroomgavestudents
muchgreateraccesstocoursematerialsandpreventedstudentsfromfallingbehindwhenthey
missedclass.LearningnotonlyoccurredthroughthegroupactivitiesintheMyMPSProPay
course,butalsothroughoutsidereadings(earlierreferencedarticles)andthroughtryingdifferent
thingsinclassandreflectingonhowtheyimpactedthestudents.Additionally,chaptersixofJon
W.WilesandJosephC.BondisbooktitledC urriculumDevelopmentAGuidetoPractice,
focusesheavilyontheuseoftechnologyintheclassroom.Whilethischapterdoesnottalkabout
theuseofaLearningManagementSystem(LMS),likeMyMPS,itdoescallforusingmore
technologyintheclassroomandsuggeststhatablendedclassroomisbest.WilesandBondi
(2015)suggeststhat,Wemustviewtheimmediatefutureoftechnologyinschoolsasablend
(p.171).Allofthisinformationinfluencedthisauthorashecreatedablendedmodelforthis
ownclassroom.ThroughouttheActionResearchprocess,anduponitscompletion,thisauthor
learnedfirsthandthepositiveimpactablendedclassroomhadonhisstudentsassignmentturnin
rateandstudentlearning.ThemostimportantthingthisauthorlearnedfromtheActionResearch
processisthatablendedclassroommodeldoesnthavetobedifficulttoimplement,butcanhave
aprofoundimpactonstudentaccessandstudentlearning.

ImpactonResearchersPractice:AsaresultoftheActionResearchprocess,thisresearcher
hasswitchedtousingablendedclassroommodel.Thiswillnotonlygivethisauthorsstudents
greateraccesstothecontentsharedinclass,butitwillalsogivethestudentsagreater
opportunitytoexplorethe21stcenturytechnologiesthattheywillneedtouseinlife.Using
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 26

21stcenturytechnologiesisalsoapartoftheCommonCoreCurriculum.Thisisasignificant
changeinthisauthorspracticethatwillrequirecontinuedcurriculumdevelopmentand
reflection.Thisauthorspracticewillalsobechangedbyincreasingtheamountofdatathatthis
authorwillcollectonstudentsinordertodeterminethecontinuedeffectivenessoftheuseof
MyMPS.

C. EffectivenessofProjectsStrategies

ThisActionResearchwasfocusedontherateatwhichstudentsturnedinassignments.When
onecomparesthebaselinedatawiththeendresultsonewouldconcludethatthestrategiesused
inthisActionResearchweresuccessful.Initially,seventhhourhad22.2%neverturnedin,which
resultedinseverallowscoresandunfortunatelyledsomestudentstofailtheclass.Theseventh
houraverageforassignmentsneverturnedin,acrossthefourassignmentsinthisAction
Research,endsupbeing15.05%.Thatisadecreaseof7.15%inassignmentsneverbeingturned
in.Atthesametime,whenonelooksattheassignmentsthatwereturnedinontimeonewould
observeanincreasefrom38.8%toanaverageof76.375%.Thatisanincreaseof37.575%or
nearlydoublethebaselinedata.Thirdhoursresultsweresimilarwithadecreaseinassignments
neverturnedinfrom31%to8.05%,whichisadecreaseof22.95%.Assignmentsturnedinon
timeincreasedfrom41.4%to71.75%,whichisanincreaseof30.35%.

Whenonelooksatthedatathatwascollectedforthisactionresearchitiseasytoseethatthe
consistentuseofMyMPSdidinfacthaveasignificantimpactonstudentaccesstocontentand
studentsabilitytoturnassignmentsin.Furthermore,asthedataonstudentsemestergrades,
foundinSectionDofPartIV,suggesttheremaybeastrongconnectionbetweentheconsistent
useofMyMPSandstudentlearning.Thisimpactwouldbepartiallyunrelatedtotheusesof
teachingassignmentsinasittakesintoaccountfourthandsixthhour,whichdidnotturn
assignmentsinonMyMPS.Thismaysuggeststhathavingcontentavailableforstudenton
MyMPSmayhavehaveasignificantimpactonstudentstestscores.However,furtherresearchis
neededinthisarea.Regardlessofthatfact,itisclearthatthestrategiesusedinthisAction
Researchhadasignificantimpactonstudentsaccesstocoursecontentandstudentsabilityto
turnassignmentsin.

D. ReasonforResults

ForadetaileddescriptionoftheresultsoftheActionResearch,pleaseviewSectionsBDof
PartIV.

 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 27

ThetwoclassesthatwerethefocusofthisActionResearch(thirdandseventhhours)both
experiencedsignificantimprovementinassignmentsbeingturnedinwhenMyMPSwas
introducedtotheclasses.Severalstudentsinthirdhourbenefitedbecausetheyhadaccesstothe
contentwhentheywereabsentfromschool.Onestudentwhomissedaweekofschoolfor
personalreasonsreturnedandhandedthisauthortheassignmentsthatwerecompletedwhilehe
wasgone.HetoldthisauthorthathewasbehindinallofthisclassesexceptforU.S.
Governmentbecauseallofthework,notes,videosandotherresourceswerepostedonline
(personalcommunication,March17,2015).Otherstudentsinthirdhour,whoarefrequently
absentfromalloftheirmorningclasseswereabletokeepup,toanextent,becausematerials
werepostedonline.Whilethesestudentscontinuedtostrugglebecausetheyweremissingthe
richclassroomdiscussionsthatoccuronaregularbasis,theyatleasthadanopportunitytoshow
proficiencyandpasstheclass.

Otherstudentsinthirdhourthatneverstruggledturninginassignmentsstartedtodobetteron
assignments.Whenquestioned,thesestudentscreditedtheimprovementonhavingnotesand
videosonlinethatallowedthemtotakebetternotes,focusmoreonwhatthisauthorwassaying
inclassandimprovetheirstudyingoutsideofclass.Additionally,specialeducationandresource
teachersalsocommentedthatitwashelpfultotheirstudentsastheyworkedonhomeworkin
advisory.

Inseventhhour,someofthestudentswhoarefrequentlyabsent,forunknownreasons,wereable
tooccasionallybringinmissingwork.Whileinmanycasestheworkdidnotmeetthe
proficiencystandardsset,thestudentswereatleastdoingsomelearningwhentheywereoutside
ofclass.Otherstudentswhomissedsignificantclasstimeforathleticswereabletogetmissing
notesandmakeupsomeofthelearningthroughonlinelecturesandvideos.Bothofthesegroups
ofstudentsshowedimprovementinassignmentsturnedin.

E. ImpactofCoachingFeedbackonActionResearch

Earlycoachingfeedback,inoneononemeetings,smallgroupmeetingsandthelargeclassroom
setting,positivelyimpactedtheActionResearchbyprovidingstrategiesandresourcesthatwas
thenincludedintheactionresearch.Examplesofstrategiesandresourcesthatcamefrom
coachingfeedbackincludesinformationoncreatingassignments,discussionforumsandvideos.
Someofthesestrategiesandresourceswereusedtoimpactstudentlearningwhileotherswere
usedtocollectdatafortheactionresearch.

Inlatercoachingfeedback,supportwasofferedforthisactionresearch.Initially,more
assignmentswereplannedforcollectingdata,butfeedbacksuggestedthatthisauthorshould
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 28

limitthenumberofdatacollectingassignmentsinordertogivemoretimetoimpactstudent
learningbetweendatacollections.Thisledtothereductionofdatacollectionassignmentsfrom
seventofour.Inturn,thisallowedmoretimeforstudentstobecomefamiliarwiththeuseof
MyMPSanditsmanyfeaturesbetweendatacollections.

F. Graphs/Charts/Tables

PleaseviewpartIIIsectionE,partIVsectionsB,DandEtoviewgraphs,chartsandtables.
Eachofthesesectionsalsooffersanexplanationforthedatathatisincludedinthegraphs,charts
andtables.

G. Analysis

Overthelasttwoyearsthisauthorhasdealtwithstudentsfallingbehind,manyasaresultof
absences.Thishasleftsomestudentswithouttheknowledgeandskillsneededtobesuccessful
afterhighschool.Thisrealityledthisauthortofindnewwaystoreachthesestudents,evenwhen
theyarenotatschool.Thisultimatelyledtotheuseofalearningmanagementsystem(LMS),
whichgivesstudents24houraccesstoclassroomcontentandcurriculum.Thehopewasthat
studentswouldengagewithonlinecontentmorethanmaterialsthatweresenthomeas
homework.Furthermore,itwasbelievedthatifstudentswereconditionedtofrequentlycheck
MyMPSforclassroommaterialsitwouldbemorelikelyforthestudentstovisittheLMSwhen
absent.

Inordertotestthesehypothesesthisactionresearchwasconductedanddatawascollectedon
assignmentsturnedin,whenassignmentswereturnedin,studentsscores(comparingfirstand
secondsemester)andstudentsperceptionsontheusefulnessofMyMPS.Thedatathatwas
collectedonstudentassignmentsislaidoutinpartIIIsectionE.Thisdatawasanalyzeand
comparedtothebaselinedatafoundinpartIVsectionB.Inthesamesection(partIVsectionB)
youcanseetheanalysisresultsofthedatainpartIIIsectionE.Foradetailedexplanationofthis
datapleaseviewpartVsectionA.

ThedatasuggeststhattheuseofMyMPShadapositiveimpactonstudentaccess.Assignments
notturnedinreducedfrom31%to6.4%forthirdhourand22.2%to15.7%forseventhhour.
Thissuggeststhatstudentsfounditeasiertoturninassignmentswhentheyweresubmitted
online.Thisauthorwouldliketoconductmoreresearchthroughfuturestudentsurveystosee
whatabouttheonlineassignmentsmadeiteasierforstudentstogettheassignmentsturnedin.
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 29

TheturninratewassupportedbystudentsperceptionoftheimpactofMyMPSas57.14%of
studentssurveyrespondedthattheuseofMyMPSwasextremelyhelpfulandanother24.49%
foundMyMPSsomewhathelpful.However,thisdatadoesntexplainwhytheuseofMyMPS
washelpful.

ThedatacollectedinpartIVsectionBwasthemainfocusofthisactionresearch.Thisdata
suggeststhattheconsistentuseofMyMPSpositivelyimpactedstudentaccessintermsof
assignmentsturnedin.Thismeansthisauthorsstudentshavegreateraccesstoclassroom
materialsasaresultofusingMyMPS.Theremayhavealsobeenaconnectiontoimproved
studentachievementasaresultoftheuseofMyMPS.ThedatainpartIVsectionDmaysuggest
apositivecorrelationbetweentheuseofMyMPSandstudentachievement.However,itis
difficulttosaythatthisdataisconclusivewithoutfurtherresearch.

VI.) REFLECTIONANDNEXTSTEPS

A. DeepenedUnderstandingandChangeinPractice

Asaresultoftheactionresearch,thisauthorunderstandsthattheuseofaclassroomLMS,like
MyMPS,canhaveapositiveimpactonstudentaccess.Thisincreasedaccesstoclassroom
contentandcurriculummayalsohaveapositiveimpactonstudentachievement.Asaresultof
thisactionresearch,andthisauthorsnewlygainedknowledge,thisauthorwillnotteachaclass
withoutanLMSagain.UsinganLMSinclassesinthefuturewillallowthisauthortocontinue
tonotonlyprovidestudentswiththematerialstheyneedtobesuccessful,butalsocollect
evidenceonstudentachievementandattemptedtodetermineifthereisasignificantimpacton
studentachievement.

B. PersonalInsightFromCourse

TheMyMPSProPaycourseprovidedthisauthorwithamuchbetterunderstandingofclassroom
LMSs(specificallyMyMPS).ThisnewunderstandingofMyMPSallowedthisauthortotakehis
classroomLMStothenextlevelandprovidestudentswithdiscussionforums,assignments,
videosandotheronlineresources.Asaresult,notonlydidthisauthorsstudentsbenefit,but
manyofthisauthorscolleagueshaveaskedhimtohelpthemsetupaMyMPSpagefortheir
classes.ThismostsignificantthingsthisauthorlearnedintheMyMPSclasswerehowto
actuallycreatethematerialsthatwerelikelytohavethegreatestimpactonstudentsandthe
potentialimpactofmovingfromusingtechnologytosupplementwhatthisauthorisdoinginthe
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 30

classroomtousingtechnologytotransformwhatthisauthorisdoingintheclassroom.This
authorwouldhighlyrecommendtheMyMPSProPaycoursetoothers.

C. NextSteps

Movingforward,thisauthorwillcontinuetouseMyMPSinhiscourses.However,additional
featureswillbeattemptedonMyMPSsuchasconnectedMyMPStoGoogleDocssostudents
canuploadandsharetheirnotesonMyMPS.Thiswillallowstudenttoworkcollaborativelyon
takingnotesandallowthisauthortoofferfeedbacktostudentsastheytakenotes.Pairingthis
newfeaturewiththeuseofdiscussionforumswillallowstudentstoworkcollaborativelyasthey
createtheirownlearningoutsideofclass.Otherfeaturesmaybetestinthefuture,butatthistime
thisisallthatisknown.

InadditiontoconnectingMyMPStoGoogleDocs,thisauthorwillcontinuetousemanyofthe
featuresofMyMPSthatprovedsuccessfulintheactionresearch.Usingfeatureslikeonline
assignments,discussionforums,studentsurveys,questions,classroomnotesandmaterialsand
instructionalvideoswillallcontinuetogivestudentsgreateraccesstoclassroommaterialsand
mayincreasestudentachievement.

D. ImpactofARCoaching

Peerswhocompletedtheactionresearchprocesswiththisauthorprovidedvaluablefeedbackon
howtobetterorganizerhisclasspagestomakethepageseasierforstudentstouse.Thisdirectly
ledtothecreationofunitswithineachMyMPScourse.Whilethisdoesntprovidestudents
withanyadditionalcontentorresources,itdoesorganizetheexistingcontentandresourcesto
makeiteasierforstudentstouse.Noothermajorinsightfulchangesweremadeduringtheaction
researchprocessasaresultofpeerorvideocoaching.Mostofthecoachingthisauthorreceived
wasaimedtowardbuildmoreresourcesontohisMyMPSpagetohelpstudents.Foramore
detailexplanationforARCoachpleaseviewPartIIISectionG,PartIVSectionFandPartV
SectionD.

E.OtherCollaboration

Othercollaborationwaslimitedinthisactionresearchprocess.Thisauthordeterminedhis
researchquestion,collectedandanalyzeddataallinisolation.Somecollaborationdidoccurin
coachingsessions.Theactionresearchbenefitedfromthislimitedcollaborationbecauseofthe
newfeaturestheauthorlearned.Forexample,someteachersinthecoachingsessionsetuptheir
plannersdifferentthanthisauthor.Seeingdifferentexampleofhowtostructureaclasson
MyMPSorhowtosetuptheplannerprovidedthisauthorwithoptionswhendevelopinghis
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 31

MyMPSpages.Furthercollaborationdidoccurindiscussingtheresultsoftheactionresearchin
afinalcoachingsessionandincasualconversationswithothercolleaguescompletingtheaction
researchprocess.Collaborationwasimportanttothisactionresearchbecauseitallowedthis
authortostructurehisMyMPSpageinawaythatwouldbesthelphisstudentsandpositively
impactthedata.

F.PossibleFutureCollaborations

Possiblefuturecollaborationscouldinvolvesharingtheresultsofthisactionresearchinaneffort
toencouragemorecolleaguestouseMyMPSandswitchtoaflippedclassroommodel.The
actionresearchshowedthebenefitsofusingalearningmanagementsystemandthisauthor
believestheresultsofthisactionresearchcouldspreadbeyondthewallsofhisclassroomand
impacttheschoolatawiderlevel.Additionally,futurecollaborationcouldalsooccurwithother
teacherswhousedMyMPSinadifferentwayandgotdifferentresults.Combiningavarietyuses
couldbeevenmoreimpactfulonthisauthorsclassroompractice.

G.ImpactonTeachingandLearning/ProcessforSharingwithEducationalCommunity

Overall,theimpactonteachingandlearningisthatitprovidesaccesstostudentoutsideofthe
classroom.Increasingstudentaccessprovidetohaveapositiveimpactontherateatwhich
assignmentswereturnedin.Improvedaccesshasthepotentialtohaveaverysignificantimpact
onstudentlearning,testscoresandoverallgrades.

Perhapsthebestwaytosharetheresultsofthisactionresearchandthepositiveeffectsofusing
MyMPSisbyfirstdiscussingtheresultswiththisauthorscolleagues.Byinitiallytalkingtohis
colleagues,thisauthorwillbeabletogainsupportforMyMPS.Oncesupportisgainedfor
MyMPSamongthisauthorscolleaguesitwillbeeasiertospreadtheinformationthroughoutthe
largereducationcommunity.Thissharingcouldoccurthroughprofessionaldevelopmentamong
contentareas(whichwouldallowteacherstoseehowMyMPScanbeuseddirectlyintheir
contentarea)orthroughcoachingsessionandprofessionaldevelopmentfromthedistrict
technologyleaders.

H.PotentialImpactonOtherStudents

Thisauthorbelievesthattheimpactexperiencedthroughtheactionresearchisnotuniquetothe
samplestudents,butwouldoccurwithanygroupofstudents.ResearchpresentedinsectionHof
Part1describesthepositivebenefitsofgoingwithaflippedclassroommodel.Thepositive
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 32

impactofonlineeducation,orevenbetter,ablendofonlineeducationandfacetoface
interactionsyieldsgreaterstudentoutcomesthansimplefacetofaceinteractionsinatraditional
classroomsetting.Notonlydoestheflippedclassroommodelleadtogreaterstudent
achievement,doingthisthroughanLMS,suchasMyMPS,allowsstudentstointeractwiththe
contentinthewaythatbestmeetstheiruniqueneeds.Itisbecomeofthesepositiveattributes,
andtheresearchthatsupportsablendedlearningorflippedclassroommodelthatleadsthis
authortobelievetheresultsofthisactionresearchcouldbesimilaramongotherstudents.
 MYMPSACTIONREASEARCH 33

References:

Chigeza,P.,&Halbert,K.(2014).Navigatingelearningandblendedlearningforpreservice
teachers:Redesigningforengagement,accessandefficiency.A ustrailianJournalof
TeacherEducation,39(11),pp.134135.

Corry,M.,&CarlsonBancroft,A.(2014).Transformingandturningaroundlowperforming
schools:Theroleofonlinelearning.J ournalofEducatorsOnline,11(2),p.9.

ItslearningMarketing.(2013).BlendedLearningin2Minutesand38Seconds.Retrievedfrom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5txJfv2q0c&feature=youtu.be.

MinnesotaDepartmentofEducation.(2015).Minnesotareportcard:Demographics.Retrieved
fromhttp://rc.education.state.mn.us/#demographics/orgId999999000000__group
Typestate__p1/orgId30001352000__p1.

urriculumdevelopmentaguidetopractice(9thed.).New
Wiles,J.W.,&Bondi,J.C.(2015).C
Jersey:Pearson,Inc.