Although initially intimidated by the number of readings for this week, it was in the end a pleasure to read them. A common trend that I have noticed in first-year courses at the iSchool is a disconnect between the expectations of students as outlined in assignments and the rather tangential ways in which the assigned readings relate to them. Not so in Research Methods, and especially in reference to last week's (see my entry on Hine and Orgad) and this week's readings. In particular, Luker's step-by step walkthrough of constructing a research project in chapter 7, and Knight's table of research methods combined with the concept of combining methods like pigments to produce particular results (Chapter 5) have direct application to assignment 4. It is refreshing to be handed a set of tools that have clear utility in completing a course's deliverables, and it is great to get a wider view of constructing a research project from both Luker and Knight at a time when we all need it.
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