Problemimpacted Populationworks Cited Research Un

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Problemimpacted Populationworks Cited Research Un

Project 3: Research Summary

Research in the workplace solves a problem. Tasked with a problem in
the workplace, you may be asked to gather the information necessary to
fully understand the issue at hand, solve that problem (or offer
potential solutions), prove that your solutions are viable, and/or test
your solution(s). Doing this work requires different types of research
that go beyond simply querying a library database or using Google. You
often will need to speak directly to target populations and audiences,
and directly contact resources and experts in different professions and
in the community. You also may need information in addition to or
instead of scholarly resources. Local and national journalism may add
context and perspective. Professional experts, government agencies,
state and local authorities all may be relevant sources, as are
individuals in target populations. Essentially, research in the
workplace requires you to think critically and creatively about

  • The type of information you need; and
  • The best way to get that information.

Your job as a researcher is to address, explain, and/or solve a
problem using the most relevant and applicable methods and resources. If
a resource can supply information you need, then it is the right
resource for the job.

It’s also important (when thinking about a problem you are
researching) to keep in mind that you probably aren’t the first person
or organization to deal with this issue. Look at other organizations,
groups, or communities negotiating the same or similar issue. Research
how those groups describe and deal with the problem. The perspective of
experience is invaluable to your work.

Assignment

This project asks you to do workplace research into a local problem
impacting USF or the surrounding community. Your goal for this project
is to describe the problem in detail using as much information as you
can gather from as many different sources as are useful. That means you
are looking at research gathered by others (e.g., government agencies,
non-profit organizations, professional and academic experts), but also
you will gather your own data by contacting experts and asking impacted
population for their perspective. You will produce a memo that reports
your findings, giving readers a robust understanding of the problem you
have researched.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  • Engage with a problem-based scenario similar to those found in the workplace
  • Develop research skills appropriate for addressing a specific problem
  • Integrate research into a project deliverable
  • Develop professional and technical writing and editing skills
  • Practice writing for a specific purpose and audience
  • Produce a specific genre of professional discourse (informational report)

To complete this project, you will choose a local problem occurring
at USF or in the community. You can select a problem from the list below
or pick your own problem of a similar nature.

Problem I chose:

  • Mental health awareness and/or access to mental health services at University of South Florida

Once you have selected a problem, you will research the problem, to include the following topics:

  • Background information: Put the problem in context. What does the audience need to know to understand why the problem is a problem?
  • Explanation of the problem: Describe the problem in detail. What is happening?
  • Causes of the problem: Describe the factors contributing to the problem’s occurrence. Why is the problem happening?
  • Impacted Population: Describe the people most directly impacted by the problem. Who is the problem happening to?

To conduct your research, you may wish to use any of the following
methods and resources, or anything else that helps you explain the scope
of your problem:

  • Newspapers (local, university, national)
  • Reports from government agencies, universities, and/or NGOs
  • Scholarly research
  • Facts and statistics compiled by government agencies and/or NGOs
  • Interviews with experts and/or impacted individuals
  • Surveys (social media makes doing surveys easy)

Deliverables

Major Deliverable (due Thursday, November 7):

  • A report in memo format that describes your problem in detail using
    all the research you have conducted. The memo should have the following
    section headings:

    • Background Information
    • Explanation of the Problem
    • Causes of the Problem
    • Impacted Population
    • Works Cited

  • Research Progress Report, due Tuesday, October 29 : A memo that describes a) the research you’ve done to
    date; b) which topics that research applies to (background info,
    explanation of the problem, etc.); c) what you have left to do before
    completing a draft.

NOTE: To receive full credit, you must have 3/5 sections
completed by the final due date on Wednesday, November 7, to create a
solid foundation for Project 4, including your reference page or “works
cited”.