The evolution of research
If
you look back twenty to thirty years ago, the process of analyzing research was
structured differently compared to that of current day. Data would be sent out
to scientists in various labs across the world to crunch the large numbers
researchers gathered. They would then receive the calculated results weeks
later.
Researchers
would begin their studies with books they got from the library, whereas now
they might do a simple Google search. When tackling a research assignment in
today’s world, 93 percent of students go to the Internet and never once set
foot in a library, as EdTech reported. Research devices are now easier to
transport, and can measure statistics and variables that researchers struggled
to in the past.
Teaching
With Ease
When
Ball State University health science professor Jagdish Khubchandani reflects on
research he’s done in the past, he first thinks of how long it took to get
mathematical calculation results on studies he researched in 2003 while in
India. The data he had gathered would be sent off to researchers in another
country, and roughly a week later, the results would be sent back to
Khubchandani.
It
was a lengthy process, but the technology to calculate such large numbers more
quickly hadn’t been invented yet. Researchers would send information by mail
because emailing the information wasn’t an option in India at the time. Today,
Khubchandani can get research calculations instantly. There are no waiting
periods or delays. He can get his research done more efficiently and in a
timely manner.
Outside
of the lab setting, technology has completely evolved Khubchandani’s teaching
methods inside the classroom. There are now projectors and desktop computers
for instructors in almost every classroom he has taught in. In past years, he
might have used a chalkboard or overhead projector for his lessons. Today,
Khubchandani can go over PowerPoints and post them online for students to
review at their leisure after class. Students no longer turn in assignments on
paper, they simply submit them online.
Khubchandani
explains that because of recent technology, students have more resources in the
classroom. In courses today, over 90 percent of classrooms use technology in
some form, EdTechReview reported. Some students aren’t even going into the
classroom as a result of the increase of online education growing in
popularity. EdTechReview wrote that 32 percent of students are taking online
classes as they pursue a higher education. A downfall, though, is that
one-third of professors consider online education inferior to face-to-face
learning.
But
Khubchandani isn’t completely sure how the future of research or education will
be impacted by technology. He says it’s something that is still unclear to most
because of how much has advanced in recent years. He described it, simply, as
interesting and something that will hopefully promote more research and
innovative thinking.
It
has already come a long way, and will most likely continue to evolve even
further.
Creating
New Options
Cara
Karamacoski, a sophomore exercise science major at Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis (IUPUI), is a research assistant for their Department
of Kinesiology. The objective of Cara’s research is utilizing FirstBeat heart monitor
technology to quantify fitness-related outcomes in a Division 1 women’s soccer
team. If it weren’t for the advanced monitors the athletes wear, her research
would not be possible.
Advancements
in technology have not only created new ways to conduct research, but they’ve
also opened up the options for studying more topics, like Cara’s sports
research.
The
research Cara does works like this: The IUPUI women’s soccer team voluntarily
wears FirstBeat monitors to record physiological information in real time
during practices, games, and off-season conditionings. The player wears the
device as it measures heart rate and VO2 average. VO2 is the maximum amount of
oxygen intake that someone can utilize when they are working out at maximum
effort. In return, those two variables can help in analyzing players’
performance and recovery. It can show hints that a player is exhausted and has
been worked too hard.
Knowing
that a player has a high heart rate and VO2 levels tells Cara and her research
team what intensity level the player reached. The end goal of their research is
to prevent injuries and overtraining.
The
monitors that Cara uses in her research are very easy to transport, making it
easy to go to practices and games in different locations. The devices themselves
are small enough to fit in a backpack, and she collects the data on her laptop
Cara
says that although the FirstBeat Monitors are an advancement and allow her
research team to gather the data they need, there are still ways that the
monitors can be improved. She would love to be able to collect even more
physiological data that could help be the best players out there, such as red
blood cell count.
FirstBeat
monitors focus on the physiology of the heart. The heart is considered the most
important muscle in the human body because it sustains life and pumps 2,000
gallons of blood each day, as the Science Museum of Minnesota reported. Because
of its sustainability, FirstBeat monitors a recipient’s heart and its
ever-changing nature. Physicians and researchers are better able to understand
what is going on inside the bodies of athletes and its impact on their athletic
performance.
There
are currently no FirstBeat monitors that collect red blood cell count, but Cara
hopes it will someday be a reality. She thinks that it would allow her research
to become even more accurate. Being able to monitor an athlete’s red blood cell
count can help indicate dehydration or breathing issues, two other indicators
of player exhaustion. This can be important to know because red blood cells
carry oxygen throughout the body, thus correlating with VO2 levels. Knowing an
athlete’s red blood cell count and VO2 level can allow teams to play and
practice in a safer manner.
The
evolution of technology has and will continue to advance in ways that will
allow researchers to dive even deeper into their experiments and studies.
Impacting
Professions
As
soon as sophomore Bailey Prather, a health education and promotion major, gets
assigned a research paper, the first thing she does is google her topic. She
generally only looks at the first four to five research articles that come up,
and begins sifting through them. Bailey says she does this because she always
has her laptop with her, and thus has all of the information she will need at her
fingertips. Throughout the entire research process, she only goes to the
library to type out her paper, not once using Bracken Library’s extensive
research catalogs.
The
Internet has allowed access to thousands of scholarly and research articles.
The University of Colorado-Boulder reported that many students have felt the
need to bypass library research completely and go directly to Internet
research, never once utilizing library resources.
In
some cases, the amount of readily-available Internet and research articles can
be positive. Having direct access to scholarly articles can help students have
a broader range of materials to choose from, and can reach more people in
general, as Khubchandani discussed. Another way that technology and research
articles have impacted lives today is in the health community. People are able
to better educate themselves with health terminology and conditions.
Technology
has allowed people to better monitor their health and increase communication
with healthcare professionals. Khubchandani reflected how people are able to
increase better health awareness and in return be able to communicate with
health professionals more efficiently. Patients are able to challenge their
doctors, something Khubchandani says is a good thing.
Patients
should be able to challenge their health care professionals because it allows
for a more patient-centered treatment. The patient is the one that has to live
with a course of treatment or operation, so it should ultimately be their
informed and educated decision that makes the final say.
Having
the Internet as a research tool does have its consequences, though, says
Khubchandani. According to the University of Colorado-Boulder, the Internet has
become a place for biases and false truths. Anyone can post content on the
Internet for others to see.
Some
people don’t know truthful web content from fabricated material. This can cause
problems because it can put people and a company’s credibility in jeopardy.
Once a company or individual has been proven to have published false content,
it becomes very hard for their work to be taken seriously again, Khubchandani
explained.
According
to OpenMind, an organization dedicated to sharing and spreading knowledge,
almost all aspects of our lives have been altered since technology increased
its presence in our lives. Students have scholarly articles at the tip of their
fingertips, research has allowed for better data gathering, and people are able
to self educate. As Khubchandani says, there is no telling what the future of
technology will look like. But, how we establish facts and reach new
conclusions will evolve as technology broadens.
Regards
Pralhad Jadhav
Senior Manager @
Knowledge Repository
Khaitan
& Co
Upcoming
Event | MANLIBNET 17th
Annual International Conference on 15-16 September 2017 at Jaipuria, Noida,
India
No comments:
Post a Comment