Today is March 1st and my plan is to submit my thesis on Sept. 1st – in exactly 6 months! In that time I need to interview several students, collect data from 3 surveys and 2 assignments, analyze all that data, finish writing the extended summary (kappa), and write the fourth article! There won’t be many vacation days for me in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m still on track though and I’m now nearly finished with my duty work. 25% of my time (1 year of the 4-year PhD scholarship) is spent teaching and contributing to various work-groups, tasks that have been relevant and rewarding. This means that I can use the next half year to concentrate exclusively on my thesis. (Plus presenting at a conference or two…)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since I last blogged everything has been going smoothly. There’s been time for reading, writing, collecting my thoughts and making sense of everything, preparing data files, outlining the final article, designing the new survey, testing myself with flashcards, and finding a research assistant to help me assess the assignment data. A hectic phase with the final data collections for the longitudinal study is starting now in March, and I’m as prepared as I can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My biggest fear now is that I’ll get very few survey responses. Or that I’ll get COVID with brain fog! I need every neuron I have, plus more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After I submit my thesis, an appointed committee will have about 3 months to evaluate it. If it’s approved, I’ll then get a date for my defense. I’m hoping that this will be in the end on November, which is when my stipend ends, so that I’ll be totally finished with my PhD before the money supply runs dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At this point, I’m thinking of my research day and night. I dream about it and wake up with ideas that I try to write down before they dissipate. Total absorption. What a process! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The importance of information literacy is constantly growing worldwide, as seen now in the war between Russia and Ukraine. I’ve heard it called both an “Information War<\/a>” and a “Disinformation War<\/a>“. In countries without a free press, citizens don’t necessarily have access to information that isn’t controlled by the government, making it hard to know what the truth is. But also in other countries it’s becoming increasingly difficult to know when written information, pictures, and videos are real and when they’re false or manipulated. We need guidance to help us determine what’s true<\/a> so we can form justified opinions, take a stance, and take action. Also, we need to avoid spreading dis- and misinformation – think before you click Share! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Being information literate helps us with these things, as it involves the ability to think critically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Facts matter! Information literacy matters!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today is March 1st and my plan is to submit my thesis on Sept. 1st – in exactly 6 months! In that time I need to interview several students, collect data from 3 surveys and 2 assignments, analyze all that data, finish writing the extended summary (kappa), and write the fourth article! There won’t be … Continue reading My last half-year<\/span>