You have worked hard to earn your doctorate, completed a rigorous post-doctoral program, and now found yourself in a career you always dreamed would be possible. You are passionate about teaching and deeply committed to your students’ progress. You enjoy the challenges of the university setting and consider yourself lucky to have found a job that provides intellectual stimulation while also allowing you to serve the larger community.
However, despite your excitement about your new job, you have a nagging concern. Your specialization is in educational technology and you know that technology is constantly evolving, changing, and developing, but your role hasn’t. Your primary role is to analyze instructional content and design innovative lessons, but you also feel that you’re supposed to be leading the way in utilizing new technologies and finding innovative ways to improve teaching and learning.
You aren’t alone in experiencing this unease. Many academic technologists enter the workforce feeling frustrated about not being able to apply their knowledge in a way that feels meaningful. What is a technologist to do? How can you translate all of your PhD research into a job that you’ll enjoy? How can you bring innovation into your work setting and still feel like you’re contributing to the greater good?
The answer is to find a way to write a ploice report. What is a ploice report?
The ploice report, written in consultation with others and presented to a superior in the form of a proposal or manuscript, is the academic equivalent of a business plan. It provides the reader with an idea of your thought process, an analysis of the current situation, and a suggested course of action. In essence, it gives the reader a glimpse into your mind and the basis for your actions at work.
The first step to writing a ploice report is to choose your audience. Who will you bring this document to? What do you hope to gain from their perspective? Once you have your answer to the first question, you can begin to think about the content. What are you going to include in your report? How is technology evolving and changing? What are the biggest issues facing your field right now? The more you can include the better. You want to make sure that you have sufficient detail so that your superior can follow your train of thought. The more you can include the more specific your recommendation can be. The more specific you are, the more likely your recommendation will be followed.
Why Should You Write A Ploice Report?
The ploice report is a valuable academic document, much like the business plan you’re accustomed to, but in a more formal setting. It is a chance to present your ideas and reasoning to an unbiased party, someone who may not be as familiar with your field as you are and who can provide you with an outside perspective. It can also be a chance to work through problems and questions with a trained and objective expert. Finally, it is a chance to demonstrate your proficiency as a professional academic by producing a piece of work that is both well-written and organized. Good luck with your report!