Face-to-Face in Writing: My First Attempt at Conducting a Text-based Online Focus Group

Having completed graduate degrees in educational research and counseling, I have studied the theory of focus groups and participated in many while in a classroom setting. Interestingly, I had never moderated one until my first attempt in a text-based online environment. This paper describes my preparation for the session as well as the issues I faced while actually conducted the focus group. Readers will find that being prepared by establishing rapport with their group prior to the event, understanding the change of dynamics that distance brings to the process and handling the pressures of an expanded role as moderator, will help ensure a successful focus group session

Face-to-Face in Writing: My First Attempt at Conducting a Text-based Online Focus Group

Having completed graduate degrees in educational research and counseling, I have studied the theory of focus groups and participated in many while in a classroom setting. Interestingly, I had never moderated one until my first attempt in a text-based online environment. This paper describes my preparation for the session as well as the issues I faced while actually conducted the focus group. Readers will find that being prepared by establishing rapport with their group prior to the event, understanding the change of dynamics that distance brings to the process and handling the pressures of an expanded role as moderator, will help ensure a successful focus group session

Measure Twice and Cut Once: A Review of Clark and Creswell’s Mixed Methods Reader

The Mixed Methods Reader is an edited book that presents the reader with a synthesized introduction to the philosophy, history, methodology and practice of mixed methods research. The first section presents the reader with a series of 14 foundational articles, with a second section presenting nine carefully chosen exemplar articles demonstrating best practices in the field. The editors did a remarkable job in combining theory and application with the inclusion of a framework throughout the text which includes discussion questions, visual diagrams and introductory comments for each article. This creates a synthesis and ease of use that guarantees this text to be a classic for years to come

The Number of States and the Economics of American Federalism

In 1789, it was possible to speak of a federation of distinct states joined together for their mutual advantage, but today, it is rather the nation that is divided into subnational units. What caused this shift in focus from the states to the federal government? Surely, the transformation from a collection of thirteen historically separate states clustered along the Atlantic seaboard to a group of fifty states largely carved out of federal territory has played a role. Building on previous analysis of the economics of federalism, this Article considers the dynamic effects of increasing the number of states on the efficient allocation of government authority between the state and federal governments. When the number of states is low, the externalities imposed by state-level actions are more limited, and so is the scope of federal power. When the number increases, however, the scope of efficient federal power expands because the states face collective action problems. In the second Part of this Article, we apply these insights from the economics of federalism to the question of the optimal number of states in a federal system. Having too few states will lead to insufficient cohesion at the federal level, risking secession, and ensuring weak government. On the other end of the scale, having too many states encourages the centralization of power. While the optimal number of states in a federal system will ultimately depend on geography, legal culture, and technology, the available data suggest that the ten provinces of Canada may be too few, but the fifty states of the United States may well be too many. What difference did it make to American federalism and constitutional law between 1791 and 1912 that the United States grew from being a federation of only thirteen coequal states to being a federation of forty-eight coequal states? This Article will attempt to speculate about that important question-a question which has not been systematically analyzed so far in the otherwise extensive law review literature on federalism. With its fifty states, the United States federation today has many more member units than it started out with and many more than do other federations around the world. Our thesis in this Article is that this trend in American federalism is a very consequential and under-appreciated development

The Number of States and the Economics of American Federalism

In 1789, it was possible to speak of a federation of distinct states joined together for their mutual advantage, but today, it is rather the nation that is divided into subnational units. What caused this shift in focus from the states to the federal government? Surely, the transformation from a collection of thirteen historically separate states clustered along the Atlantic seaboard to a group of fifty states largely carved out of federal territory has played a role. Building on previous analysis of the economics of federalism, this Article considers the dynamic effects of increasing the number of states on the efficient allocation of government authority between the state and federal governments. When the number of states is low, the externalities imposed by state-level actions are more limited, and so is the scope of federal power. When the number increases, however, the scope of efficient federal power expands because the states face collective action problems. In the second Part of this Article, we apply these insights from the economics of federalism to the question of the optimal number of states in a federal system. Having too few states will lead to insufficient cohesion at the federal level, risking secession, and ensuring weak government. On the other end of the scale, having too many states encourages the centralization of power. While the optimal number of states in a federal system will ultimately depend on geography, legal culture, and technology, the available data suggest that the ten provinces of Canada may be too few, but the fifty states of the United States may well be too many. What difference did it make to American federalism and constitutional law between 1791 and 1912 that the United States grew from being a federation of only thirteen coequal states to being a federation of forty-eight coequal states? This Article will attempt to speculate about that important question-a question which has not been systematically analyzed so far in the otherwise extensive law review literature on federalism. With its fifty states, the United States federation today has many more member units than it started out with and many more than do other federations around the world. Our thesis in this Article is that this trend in American federalism is a very consequential and under-appreciated development

Real Projects, Virtual Worlds Coworkers, Their Avatars and the Trust Conundrum

This qualitative study informs project managers of the impact that the authentic projection of coworker identity via avatars has on trust and potential project management success when teams use virtual worlds to collaborate. By exploring the common experiences and reactions of potential virtual team participants to a demonstration that showed how to customize avatars and use them to communicate with others, it facilitated the development of a grounded theory that confirms whether the projection of authenticity via avatars is an antecedent of team trust and real project management success. Real management success was the main objective, since it is vital for the enterprise to use all means possible for competitive advantage in an ever-expanding technological society

The Endurance Test: A Virtual Project Team’s Lived Experience in an Online Project Management Course

This case study examines longitudinal data from an online MBA program’s project management course to understand and describe the lived experience of a virtual student team that exhibited difficulty delivering a term project. Testing a theoretical model proposed by Lohle and Terrell (2016), the study affirms that unless students actively contact their instructor to escalate feedback and concerns about progress it is difficult to assess student contribution on virtual team projects. The instructor also actively solicited feedback and facilitated closure to compensate for a lack of student accountability. This prompted a research question asking whether requiring an online instructor’s constant oversight and engagement is an optimal strategy for effective project delivery on virtual student teams

Knowledge Management Using Student Feedback: A Study Of Online Students’ Lived Experiences On Virtual Teams

Introducing group projects in online courses provides an excellent learning laboratory for students to experience what it is like to work on virtual teams. This qualitative study leverages a knowledge base containing feedback captured in a university learning management system from a population of thirty-four students in an online M.B.A. project management course over three semesters to examine the lived experience of students assigned to virtual work teams. Anonymous student discussions about their successes and challenges while collaborating on virtual teams to deliver a final research paper are reviewed. A grounded theory is proposed and best practices provided for instructors interested in including virtual team projects in their own online courses

The Number of States and the Economics of American Federalism

In 1789 it was possible to speak of a federation of distinct States joined together for their mutual advantage, but today it is rather the Nation that is divided into subnational units. What caused this shift in focus from the States to the Federal Government? Surely the transformation from a collection of thirteen historically separate States clustered along the Atlantic seaboard to a group of fifty States largely carved out of Federal territory has played a role. Building on previous analysis of the economics of federalism, this essay considers the dynamic effects of increasing the number of states on the efficient allocation of government authority between the State and Federal Governments. When the number of States is low, the externalities imposed by state level actions are more limited—and so is the scope of Federal power. When the number increases, however, the scope of efficient Federal power expands because the States face collective action problems. In the second part of this essay, these insights from the economics of federalism are applied to the question of the optimal number of states in a federal system. Having too few states will lead to insufficient cohesion at the federal level, risking secession and ensuring weak government. On the other end of the scale, having too many states encourages the centralization of power. While the optimal number of state in a federal system will ultimately depend on geography, legal culture, and technology, the available data suggest that the ten provinces of Canada may be too few but the fifty of the US may well be too many