The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 36, No. 2 - 105

ResNet Symposium Programs 1995-2006

search Group, 2005b). Even for those who do not work in housing departments, the presence of “Collaboration” as one of the persistent themes throughout the time period studied indicates the importance placed on collaborative relationships, often with housing and other student affairs departments and offices.

LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
Limitations
The primary limitation of this research stems from the type of data collected and analyzed. Although the presentation data offer a perspective on change and differing interests, they present only one perspective on the activities and concerns of ResNet Symposium attendees. Pre-conference sessions, keynote speakers, ad hoc Birds-of-a-Feather discussion groups, and informal discussions also constitute a significant portion of the symposia. In addition, presentations whose content deviated from the published title and abstract were not accounted for in this research, as such deviations were not tracked in our data sources (conference programs published immediately prior to each conference). Finally, the presentations analyzed were only those accepted for presentation. They were all filtered though a proposal process that intentionally shapes their number, type, and content. Thus, this analysis necessarily reflects not only the interests and concerns of ResNet Symposium presenters but also those of the conference organizers. An inherent limitation of any research of a historical nature is that events that occur before or after the time span of interest may not be captured. In this instance, we were unable to

gather in a timely manner program data from the first ResNet Symposium in 1994. We also were unable to incorporate the presentations from the most recent ResNet Symposia in 2007 and 2008, as the data analysis for this study occurred in late 2006 and early 2007. The latter limitation may have limited our ability to classify some categories properly, particularly newer categories that should, in the long run, be categorized as consistent themes. Another possible limitation may be the application of the Ethnographic Content Analysis methodology to this type of data. The methodology has previously been employed in the analysis of rich media, particularly video. Although it was necessary to employ a methodology that explicitly permitted exploratory research and data analysis, employing a methodology such as ECA in a novel context or on new data carries many risks, including the fundamental risk that the methodology may not be at all appropriate in the new circumstances. Finally, even if this analysis correctly represents the challenges and interests of those who presented at and attended the ResNet Symposium, extending this to the larger population may not be practical. As with any sample, the primary question is whether that sample proportionally represents the larger population. That is an unanswered and largely unanswerable question in this instance.

Future Research
Historical research into issues related to residential computer networks—initial installation, collaboration between units and divisions, and supervision and training of student employees—has been advanced by this research. A similar analysis of presentations at other

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 36, No. 2

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