For my EMPLACE contribution, I am creating a podcast designed to communicate the purpose and importance of our project in a way that is accessible to a wide audience. When I think about who I want my podcast to reach, I do not imagine a narrow or purely academic group. While students on campus are an important audience, I want the message to be understandable and meaningful to anyone who may encounter it. A podcast has the ability to travel beyond the classroom, which means I have a responsibility to make the content clear, inclusive, and engaging.
Students are a significant audience because they are often still forming their habits, perspectives, and awareness about larger issues. Many are learning how to think critically and make independent decisions. Through the podcast, I want to help them understand not only what the workshop is about, but why it matters and how it connects to their own experiences. Because podcasts rely on voice rather than visuals, I must be especially intentional about tone, pacing, and clarity. If I use complex terms or research-based language, I need to slow down and explain those ideas in a way that does not feel overwhelming.
At the same time, I recognize that other stakeholders may listen. Professors, campus leaders, and even community members could hear the podcast. Their perspectives shape how I approach the structure and depth of my content. I need to clearly explain the reasoning behind the workshop, the ideas that support it, and the thought process behind our planning. In audio form, organization becomes even more important because listeners cannot reread a sentence if they miss something. This pushes me to carefully structure my points so they build logically and are easy to follow.
Most importantly, I think about the individuals who are directly impacted by the issue our workshop addresses. They are not just part of the audience—they are the reason the conversation exists. That awareness influences my word choice and the level of care I bring to the discussion. My goal is not simply to promote an event, but to contribute to understanding and encourage meaningful reflection.
My recent interactions with my research team, community partner, and CODE320 mentors have significantly shaped how I plan to approach my work moving forward, particularly in terms of accountability, collaboration, and overall project quality. At the beginning of the semester, there was a noticeable lack of cohesive collaboration among my group members. Communication was inconsistent, and it often felt like everyone was working independently rather than as a unified team. This experience made it clear to me how important it is to not only complete my own responsibilities on time, but also to actively contribute to team morale. Moving forward, I want to be more intentional about encouraging collaboration. Whether that means checking in with teammates, helping to keep everyone aligned with deadlines, or creating a more supportive and communicative environment. A strong team dynamic ultimately leads to a stronger final product, and I want to play a key role in fostering that.
In addition to my team experience, my professor has had a major influence on how I structure my work. Initially, I had set a goal of conducting around 40 interviews, which, in hindsight, was not realistic given the time constraints of the semester. Through their guidance, I realized that focusing on a smaller, more manageable sample size, around 10 participants, is not only acceptable but actually more effective. This shift in perspective has allowed me to prioritize depth over quantity, ensuring that each interview is meaningful and well-analyzed rather than rushed. It has also helped me better organize my workflow, making the process of transcribing, coding, and analyzing the data feel much more achievable.
My interaction with my community partner, although brief, was also very impactful. Before spring break, I presented my updated plan, which includes completing my interviews, transcribing them, coding the transcripts, and ultimately editing the audio into a visually appealing podcast. Her positive response gave me a sense of reassurance that I am on the right track and that my work aligns with the expectations and needs of the community. This feedback has motivated me to stay committed to my timeline and to focus on producing a polished and meaningful final product.
Overall, these interactions have reinforced the importance of setting realistic goals, maintaining consistent communication, and contributing positively to group dynamics. By striving to meet deadlines, uplifting my team, and staying organized in my individual work, I am better positioned to deliver a high-quality project that reflects both collaboration and intentional effort.
What is the process of giving and receiving feedback like for you? What can you do to give better feedback and improve how you engage with the feedback you receive from others?
The process of giving and receiving feedback for me has been deeply rooted in listening. When someone shares their experiences with water conservation – whether it is about how they grew up using water, the habits their families practiced, or the changes they have made over time, I try to approach their story with attentiveness and respect. Giving feedback in this context is not just about evaluating what they said, but about understanding why they said it the way they did. I listen for the details they emphasize, the emotions attached to their experiences, and the specific examples they choose to include. From there, my feedback has typically involved sharing my thoughts about how effectively they conveyed their message, how clearly, they explained their ideas, and how their story connects to larger conversations about sustainability and environmental responsibility. I also tend to reflect on how their experiences relate to my own, which helps create a sense of dialogue rather than judgment.
However, I recognize that giving strong feedback requires more than simply responding with my personal opinions or drawing connections to my own experiences. To give better feedback, I need to be more intentional about identifying and naming the specific themes present in what others share. For example, if someone talks about water shortages in their community, I should clearly point out themes like resource scarcity, economic impact, or cultural habits surrounding conservation. By explicitly identifying these themes, I can provide feedback that is more analytical and constructive rather than general or surface-level. This also shows the person that I truly understood the deeper meaning of their story.
Another way I believe I can improve these skills is by balancing affirmation with constructive critique. While it is important to acknowledge what someone did something well, such as using vivid examples or providing strong personal reflection, it is equally important to gently suggest areas for growth. This might include encouraging them to clarify certain terms, expand on key details, or connect their story more clearly to broader environmental data or research.
When it comes to receiving feedback, I can also grow in how I engage with it. Sometimes feedback can feel personal, especially when I have invested time and thought into my work. Instead of immediately defending my choices or focusing on what I disagree with, I can practice pausing and identifying the core message behind the critique. If someone points out that my explanation of water conservation methods lacks clarity, for instance, I should consider whether I assumed too much prior knowledge from my audience. Engaging with feedback in this way requires humility and a willingness to see blind spots in my own communication.
Overall, improving both how I give and receive feedback means becoming more intentional, analytical, and open-minded. By actively listening for themes, offering balanced and specific responses, and approaching critique with humility, I can contribute to more meaningful conversations about water conservation and strengthen the collaborative learning process.
Starting the Community Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES) in August of 2024 began the process of interacting with research that allows our cohort to help the local community with a wicked problem. The wicked problem we were assigned and chose to address for our course of four years is conservation. Conservation is an important topic that knowledge is needed to be communicated about throughout the world and we are a group of young adults at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville that are trying to put action to needed work.
When beginning conservation research we were able to start by learning the background of conservation. Addressing questions like “what is [water] conservation and why is it important?” This helped prepare our team to get information and knowledge that would help draw the disconnect/barriers between solutions/help with a specific audience comforting conservation. The specific audience and age group we chose to select to educate and motivate towards this topic is young adults ages eighteen through twenty-five.
After learning background information and getting familiar with connections about our wicked problem, we were able to bring the action part of our research into doing things such as creating surveys and conducting interviews. These surveys and interviews aimed to determine both what is hindering young adults from participating in water conservation issues and how we can convince them to get involved.
Based on our research, we developed products that aid in our purpose of engaging young adults in this topic. This consisted of social media campaigns, social events, social media content based videos, podcasts, as well as brochures offering a variety of engaging knowledge. Using these different methods for our products allows us to share our research through multiple platforms, reaching a broader audience.
My name is Jasmine Davis and I will be introducing my perspective of “Involving Young Adults in Conservation” research. Starting off the beginning of my research journey , I did not know as much as I should have about conservation. The first semester of fall 2024 allowed that to turn around. My team, professors, and I spent that semester doing research on information like stakeholders, conservation, wicked problems and young adults. This allowed me to expand my knowledge and obtain background information before starting. The following semester provided my team and I a chance to do surveys on young adults ages 18-25 on the Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville campus. One take away from that semester of research was not being able to capture as many responses as we wanted. However, we were able to learn key prohibitors such as motivation, awareness, time , and more. Starting our second year of research I was able to do more of an individual research path with a survey. I decided to make a survey for the young adults who participated in SIUE’s Cougars in the community service day specifically with our community partners Heartlands. I decided to do this survey to get the personal opinions of young adults towards conservation. I was able to learn a variety of factors. Taking the feedback from my survey, I plan to create a similar but more intimate conservation event for young adults here on campus. My event will provide awareness, knowledge, guidance on how to fix habits towards conservation, and a take home craft. I would like to create this event to help my peers help themselves and the world. I would like my event to provide knowledge that they are able to spread. I plan to hold my event in the Morris University Center in April in collaboration with Heartlands Conservancy.
For my project, I’m creating a social media campaign to promote Jasmine’s on-campus workshop. Everyone in my group is working on their own part of the overall plan, but I’m the only one focusing on the social media side. Because of that, I have to think carefully about who I actually want this campaign to reach and how it’s going to make an impact. Social media can either be really effective or completely ignored, so I don’t want to just post something basic and hope for the best.
The main audience I want to reach is young adults on campus. They are the ones most likely to attend the workshop, so if they don’t see the posts or don’t feel interested, the event won’t be successful. That means the content has to be engaging and relatable, not just informational. I have to think about what would actually make someone stop scrolling and pay attention. It also needs to be clear about why the workshop matters and why someone should take time out of their day to attend.
I also want professors to see the campaign. Professors have influence and can encourage students to go, mention it in class, or even connect the workshop to what they’re teaching. If they see value in it, that gives the event more credibility. In addition, I think about investors or potential sponsors. Even if funding isn’t the focus right now, presenting the campaign in a professional and organized way shows that this workshop has real purpose and potential to grow. The way I design and promote it reflects on the entire group and the seriousness of the project.
Most importantly, I want the campaign to reach the people who are directly affected by the issue the workshop focuses on. They are the reason this workshop exists. Keeping them in mind reminds me that this isn’t just about getting attention online, but about spreading awareness and encouraging meaningful conversation. Since I’m responsible for the social media portion, I feel more pressure to make sure it actually works. It pushes me to balance creativity with strategy and think beyond just completing my assignment. Overall, considering these different audiences makes me more intentional about how I approach my work and the impact it can have. My project is involved with getting people active in person which project which brings my project into the next project.
Research Method #3: Laylah’s Research
My name is Laylah Leech, for my project, I was to engage young adults using social media content based videos. The way I achieved this was by attending an Heartlands event that our research group is partnered with. I did interviews with many different ages and put all of the recorded clips into a 1 minute video. The importance of creating these videos helps build awareness and influences behavior through related content.
Above are some questions that I’ve asked my interviewees at the event. After interviewing them, I’ve learned a few ways that young adults do not know much about water conservation and how to move forward with getting engaged or engaging them. Overall the interviewing process went well and helped me gain the information needed. Up next we have Isaiah Otey presenting his contribution.
For my EMPLACE contribution, I am creating a podcast designed to communicate the purpose and importance of our project in a way that is accessible to a wide audience. When I think about who I want my podcast to reach, I do not imagine a narrow or purely academic group. While students on campus are an important audience, I want the message to be understandable and meaningful to anyone who may encounter it. A podcast has the ability to travel beyond the classroom, which means I have a responsibility to make the content clear, inclusive, and engaging.
Students are a significant audience because they are often still forming their habits, perspectives, and awareness about larger issues. Many are learning how to think critically and make independent decisions. Through the podcast, I want to help them understand not only what the workshop is about, but why it matters and how it connects to their own experiences. Because podcasts rely on voice rather than visuals, I must be especially intentional about tone, pacing, and clarity. If I use complex terms or research-based language, I need to slow down and explain those ideas in a way that does not feel overwhelming.
At the same time, I recognize that other stakeholders may listen. Professors, campus leaders, and even community members could hear the podcast. Their perspectives shape how I approach the structure and depth of my content. I need to clearly explain the reasoning behind the workshop, the ideas that support it, and the thought process behind our planning. In audio form, organization becomes even more important because listeners cannot reread a sentence if they miss something. This pushes me to carefully structure my points so they build logically and are easy to follow.
Most importantly, I think about the individuals who are directly impacted by the issue our workshop addresses. They are not just part of the audience—they are the reason the conversation exists. That awareness influences my word choice and the level of care I bring to the discussion. My goal is not simply to promote an event, but to contribute to understanding and encourage meaningful reflection. Up next we have Zuleyri presenting a monarch tagging event hosted by Heartlands Conservancy.
My name is Zuleyri Medina-Campos, and I will be writing about my project that I worked on the past semester. Our wicked problem is based on young adults and why they don’t engage in conservation activities. We would like to know this is so and what we can do to help change young adults’ point of view on conservation. I took it upon myself to attend a Heartland’s Conservancy and conduct interviews with the peers who attended as well.
Examples of themes
While coding and transcribing the interviews, I identified 5 themes, transportation, time management, work, babysitter issues, and lack of education. After conducting my interviews I now would like to create brochures that I will be able to pass out on campus. Now, Jaiden will present his products.
My name is Jaiden DeBoe, and my project for this semester is going to provide a direct link from community organizations to young adults in said community. Throughout the last semester, I spent my time researching the one problem that is the focus of my overall group project: “How can young adults be engaged in water conservation efforts?”. I felt that the best way to do this was to connect Heartlands, my community partner, with peers at SIUE. This started out by asking professors at SIUE how they felt about community organizations in a school setting.
After I received my survey responses, I immediately began my work on this semester’s product, which takes me to where I am right now. I am currently working on two smaller products, one which will allow Heartlands to know more about professors at SIUE, and one which will let the professors get to know Heartlands a little better. The goal of these two products is to allow them to understand each other better and hopefully form a connection in the future. Now, Ayiana will showcase her project.
Ayiana Baynes:
My name is Ayiana Baynes and my contribution to our group’s research is an informational brochure. I got to this product by conducting interviews at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. I asked students straightforward questions such as their involvement in conservation activities, where they got their information about these opportunities, as well as other questions to gauge their knowledge about the topic. I figured that the best way to bridge that gap between young adults and conservation is by getting into the mind
Figure 1: When asked the question above, “these events” meaning conservation activities, 9 out of 9 interviewees agreed with the statement; coming to an unanimous decision.
Based on the results of my interviews I came to the conclusion that there isn’t enough publicity around conservation. It is hard for young adults to learn about and engage in these activities when they don’t know about when, where, or even how it is taking place. Therefore, I will be creating an informational brochure that will contain resources to point young adults in the direction of volunteer opportunities, internships, activities, as well as overall knowledge about conservation. These resources will include events organized by our partner, Heartlands Conservancy, as well as other organizations in the area. In addition to that, these brochures will be digital as well as printed in order to reach a wider range of audiences by broadening their access to this information. Lastly, we will move to wrap up our research on our contributions.
Through our research and individual emplace contributions, our group has developed a clearer understanding of why young adults are not as engaged in conservation efforts and more importantly, what can be done to change that. Across interviews, surveys, and event participation, a consistent theme emerged. Which is, the issue is not necessarily a lack of care, but a lack of awareness, accessibility, and clear connection to everyday life.
Each of our projects approaches this challenge from a different angle. The social media campaign works to meet young adults where they already are. Using engaging and relatable content to promote workshops and spark interest. The social media campaign will be promoting Heartland’s non-profit foundation and Jasmine’s project that she has been working on. Young adults are constantly on social media so that should help with getting more people to show up to Jasmine’s event. The podcast expands the conversation beyond campus, making conservation understandable and meaningful to a broader audience. The brochure provides substantial, organized resources that help students easily find volunteer opportunities, internships, information about Heartlands and CODES, and educational materials. The community-connection initiative builds relationships between organizations and university faculty to create long-term engagement opportunities. The social media videos and interviews highlight real voices and lived experiences, helping make conservation feel personal and relevant rather than distant or abstract.
The Heartlands brochure and document for professors from Jaiden’s project serve to connect professors at SIUE with Heartlands from both ends. The list of professors at SIUE provides direct access to students who would most likely want to be involved with water conservation, based on their majors and the classes that they take. The brochure about Heartlands gives the professors information about the organization, information given by Heartlands themselves.
Together, these contributions form a connected strategy to raise awareness, improve communication, strengthen partnerships, and provide accessible pathways for involvement. Instead of relying on one method, we use multiple platforms to reach different audiences, students, professors, community members, and organizations. Ensuring that conservation is communicated in ways that are clear, engaging, and actionable.
Ultimately, our work shows that increasing young adult engagement in conservation requires intentional outreach, meaningful storytelling, and stronger connections between communities and campuses. By combining research with practical tools and media-based strategies, we aim not only to promote individual events, but to foster long-term awareness, participation, and responsibility toward conservation efforts.
Who do you want your work to reach? Who are the relevant stakeholders, and how do/should they shape your work?
I would like for my work to reach not just young adults ages eighteen to twenty-five but to anyone who is willing to understand and learn more about water conservation. These stakeholders should shape my work by making me pay close attention to the formatting and the words used to describe the methods I took in collecting data as well as what the data means and being sure to elaborate deeply on certain terms that may be unfamiliar to them such as “codes” and “dissemination.” Water conservation is not an issue that affects only one generation or one community. It is a practice that has influence in many fields and areas of life such as households, businesses, farmers, policymakers, and future populations. Because of that, my work should be understandable and meaningful to a broad range of readers, not just people who are already familiar with technical research language.
My primary target audience are a particularly significant audience because they are at a stage in life where habits, beliefs, and civic awareness are still developing. Many people in this age range are beginning to live independently and begin to pay utility bills and learn more about the importance of how they use resources. If my work can help them better understand why conservation matters and what practical steps they can take, then it has the potential to create long-term impact. At the same time, I am aware that there are others who would also benefit from learning how to make more informed decisions about water use. Homeowners, community leaders, educators, and local governments are also stakeholders, and they may rely on clear information in order to design policies or change behaviors.
Because my audience is so broad, these stakeholders should strongly shape how I present my work. They push me to pay close attention to my formatting, word choice, and explanations. Academic writing can easily become filled with specialized vocabulary that makes sense to researchers but confuses general readers. For example, terms like “codes” or “dissemination” may be common in research environments, yet they might be unfamiliar to someone outside of that context. If I use words like these, it is my responsibility to slow down and explain what they mean, why they are important, and how they relate to the results I am presenting.
Announcements : Week of Feb 23rd – We need to find a time we are all available this week to meet with ANNA of Heartlands- Have projects and updated information to share with her – Meeting only has to be 20 minutes on Teams
Everyone put availability
Emplace Plan
What is our research story ?
Our research story deals with connecting young adults ages 18-25 with the resources to be able to participate in different types of conservation
Our research story helps get a better understanding on why young adults don’t participate in conservation
What did we achieve ?
Surveys, presentations, brochures, podcast, and interviews
Creating my first vlog episode for my podcast project. – Isaiah
Previous research ( named above)
Connecting with peers & professors
Creating a content based video to engage young adults on water conservation used sources like social media – Laylah
What do we want to achieve ?
Getting young adults engaged in conservation
Connecting Heartlands with young adults at SIUE – Jaiden
Want to create a social media campaign- Sam
Boost Jasmine’s campaign with social media- Sam
Create a cohesive blog post on emplace featuring all of our different projects and how they blend into one another in conclusion but also stand out as individual units and how those units uniquely contribute to the overall final product. – Isaiah
Creating events to engage young adults and present and spread knowledge about
conservation to young adults – Jasmine
Creating a brochure to pass around campus -zuleyri
Using social media, which is a source that most young adults get their information from and produce and video that’ll grab their attention but also keeping it informative- Laylah
Spreading information about volunteer opportunities and the importance of conservation efforts among young adults. – Ayiana
What does our research mean to a broader audience?
Our research serves to provide multiple methods of both educating people on and reducing the stigma surrounding water conservation and practices surrounding the topic. This helps to better promote engagement of our target audience (young adults) in participating in water conservation which is the main goal of all of our research/projects. – Isaiah
Dissemination Plan – Put Names by sections & DUE February 8th 11:59pm
What is the purpose?
The center purpose of our project is to understand why young adults aren’t engaging in conservation activities and what we can do to help young adults engage in conservation activities. -Zuleyri
The goal of this project is to determine how to encourage young adults to engage in water conservation efforts in their community – Jaiden
The purpose of our project is to distribute products that will help young adults become more engaged in conservation. – Ayiana
The purpose of this project is to work together to fabricate a cohesive and encapsulating display of knowledge over how to get young adults better engaged accompanied by our research that will back it up in a clear and easy-to-comprehend way. – Isaiah
Our overall purpose of this project was to find ways to get young adults engaged in water conservation and make sure these practices could be used everyday and could be impactful. -Laylah
The central purpose of our research is to ensure that young adults have the access to information and actions to be able to participate in conservation as they grow into adulthood. We want to be the group to encourage young adults to a path in life that will help them in the long run. -Jasmine
Who is this project made for?
This project was made for young adults targeted at 18-25 years old who weren’t/aren’t as educated about water conservation. Also people who need to know more about water conservation and need navigation on where to start. -Laylah
Our project is for both our community partner, Heartlands Conservancy, and for young adults in our communities – Jaiden
Our community partner Heartlands Conservancy -Zuleyri
Young Adults
This project is made for young adults, who is our target audience, as well as Heartlands Conservancy, who is our community partner. – Ayiana
This project is made for young adults who possess some interest in but hold little to no experience learning about or dealing firsthand with topics related to water conservation or such practices that fall under that umbrella. – Isaiah
This project is made for young adults here at SIUE and locally ages 18 -25 who don’t have the knowledge , access, resources or motivation for conservation. – Jasmine
Why is it important?
Our group project is important because it provides multiple methods of educating people on and reducing the stigma surrounding water conservation. This is crucial to achieving our goal in facilitating the increase of interest or the decrease of factors that lead to non-engagement amid our target population, being young adults ages 18-25. – Isaiah
This project is important because it can educate young adults on how to contribute to solving problems in their communities. A lot of us are taught about the negative impact of issues such as pollution or contaminated water on our planet, but we are rarely taught what exactly to do about these problems in order to reverse the effects – Jaiden
The reason why this project is important is because conservation is an important practice that needs to be shared, and there are lots of people who want to be engaged, but just don’t know how to. So, this project will help to bridge that gap between their knowledge and actions. – Ayiana
Focusing on finding ways to get young adults engaged in water conservation and figuring out those stakeholders is important because young adults have the capability to make a change in society. If we can figure out ways to get them engaged, we can help them build long-term impacts into the environment. -Laylah
This social media campaign is important because it helps reach the young adults where they already spend a lot of time and attention. It spreads conservation quickly and in a format that is easy to understand and share. This campaign can create interaction and community by letting people respond, ask questions, and share their own actions. Overall, it turns conservation outreach into something visible, social, and repeatable rather than limited to a single event. – Sam Lee
Our project is important to allow students access to information , correct habits , and motivation for the future towards conservation that will help them be able to benefit their environment. It is also important for us to provide them with different opportunities to educate on something they may not have thought about. – Jasmine
What ethical considerations?
One concern in this project is encouraging young adults to participate in community activities while ensuring that they are willing to help out. We do not want to pressure young adults into thinking that they have to be active in their communities, this should be about volunteering – Jaiden
Background (such as where a person grew up or how they grew up) etc. -zuleyri
The ethical considerations are about making sure my posts are honest, respectful, safe, and fair to my audience and partners. I will only share information that is correct and supported. Motivating people ethically is the goal of this project. – Sam Lee
The ethical considerations that are important to think about is how our plans will affect the community. We need to make sure we are aware of our actions, behavior, and anything else that can possibly cause unethical conclusions towards the community. – Ayiana
An ethical consideration of mine is always making sure to inform the people I am interviewing that my podcast project will be publicly broadcasted and only to share information they feel comfortable with. – Isaiah
One ethical consideration that I have for this project is to provide a non-pressure inducing environment that facilitates a space of open communication. -Laylah
One ethical consideration I have for this project is presenting my information and research in a way that is helpful and welcoming and not pressuring. I would not like for my audience to feel any way towards outcomes I have created for them. – Jasmine
What working practices will you adapt?
Since my campaign is about young adult conservation and social media like the codes and Heartlands project, the best working practices are the ones that keep my content consistent, interactive, and easy to manage within a group. I am going to tie my post to real activities like Jasmine’s event. – Sam Lee
I am producing a brochure that will allow me to obtain practices such as creating a flyer, distributing it on campus, and informing others. -zuleyri
The working practices that I will adopt in order to be ready for distribution is to become more organized where I write down my actions and plans in order to stay on top of what I need to do and when it needs to be done. – Ayiana
I will be using a brochure to display Heartlands to professors at SIUE and a list of professors to show Heartlands who they would most likely benefit from a collaboration with. So it will be important for me to learn to display Heartlands and the professors in a way that is positive, yet truthful. – Jaiden
Some working practices that I could include in my contribution towards our project is to make sure that the video I create connects to our problem at hand and also making sure that the video is informational so that we can get our problem across but also making it very engaging which is our whole point of our project. Overall, keeping the audience’s attention. – Laylah
I will ensure that I have a schedule in place to make sure that I complete my project in a timely to conduct all the interviews and still have enough time transcribe and code them.
Working practices I will adapt will be organizing events with a purpose, communicating with community partners effectively for collaboration, and listening to student feedback. -Jasmine
How are you going to revise your work? What secondary sources might you need to explore to bolster your previous research? Who are you writing for and how will that impact your revisions?
This project will be revised through a process that combines qualitative analysis, audience awareness, and engagement-focused refinement. My initial research has been centered around a podcast project designed to engage young adults in conversations about water conservation. After recording my first full episode I used a software called “Descript” to transcribe the audio and systematically coded the transcripts from there. These codes were then grouped into themes that revealed how my target audience understands, values, or resists water conservation. Revision will focus on tightening the connection between these themes and the conclusions I draw from them, ensuring that my insights are clearly supported by the data rather than assumptions.
One major way I plan to revise my work is by revisiting my coding process. As I review transcripts multiple times, I may refine or collapse codes that are redundant, unclear, or too broad. This will help strengthen the validity of my themes and allow me to develop clearer metrics that accurately represent audience attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, feedback from my team will play a critical role in revision. Since the findings will be disseminated collaboratively on the Emplace website, team discussions will help identify gaps in interpretation, unclear explanations, or opportunities to present the findings in a more engaging and accessible way.
To bolster my research, I will explore several types of secondary sources. Scholarly articles on environmental communication and behavior change will help contextualize my findings within existing research on sustainability engagement. Studies on water conservation messaging—especially those focused on young adults or digital media—will help me compare my audience’s responses with broader trends. I also plan to consult sources related to qualitative research methods, particularly coding and thematic analysis, to ensure my methodology aligns with established best practices. In addition, reports from environmental organizations and government agencies on water usage patterns and conservation challenges will provide real-world context that strengthens the relevance of my conclusions.
My primary audience consists of young adults, particularly those who may not already see water conservation as a personal or urgent issue. This audience shapes how I revise both the content and presentation of my work. Because young adults often respond better to relatable language, storytelling, and practical takeaways, my revisions will prioritize clarity, accessibility, and engagement over overly technical language. At the same time, a secondary audience includes educators, researchers, and community partners who may use the findings for outreach or program development. This means my revisions must balance approachability with credibility, clearly explaining my methods and findings without oversimplifying them.
Last week I initiated the first of two focus groups that I plan to turn into two individual podcast style YouTube videos titled “Water Management Engagement CODES pt.1” and “Water Management Engagement CODES pt.2.”
So far what has gone well is the fact that I’ve already found one group to conduct the project with. Another thing is that I have been able to download a voice recording app on my phone that I use to pick up the audio from my focus group. With this app, I can title the different audio clips to keep the progression of the focus group organized so when I compile them to edit, the process will go smoothly.
Some problems I didn’t forsee was figuring out how I would get the length of the clips I needed to be drawn out and more informative. So far, the introductions and the first question’s responses have been relatively brief, and I need to figure out they can better expand on them to make for a more engaging focus group.
I wish I would think these things through more before the actual commencement of the first focus group, but I’m not worried because I can redo certain prompts as many times as necessary to extrapolate sufficient data.
