Syllabus

Events Calendar

Parsons & Brown: Chapter 1

Lesson

• Explore all of the links on the course home page, and get comfortable using them.
• Complete the tasks listed on page 1 of the lesson.
• Order your books and begin reading Parsons & Brown chapters 1 and 2.
• Visit the Library Tutorial on choosing a topic, and complete the online questionnaire to check your learning.  After you complete the quiz, save the results and upload the file to the dropbox in eLearning.  (Note: You can save the results by using the save as command on the file menu in your Internet browser.) If you are unable to save the results from your browser, save the confirmation message from your email program and upload the file to the Week 1 Lesson 1 dropbox.
• Visit the Library Tutorial on concept mapping, and complete the online questionnaire to check your learning.  After you complete the quiz, save the results and upload the file to the dropbox in eLearning.  (Note: You can save the results by using the save as command on the file menu in your Internet browser.) If you are unable to save the results from your browser, save the confirmation message from your email program and upload the file to the Week 2 Lesson 2 dropbox.

Parsons & Brown: Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2

Lesson

• Read the prologue and the authors' complete rationale for the text book and how you can benefit from learning about research. 
• Read chapter 1 of the Parsons and Brown textbook.
• Follow the directions on Page 11 of your Parsons & Brown text for the "Cooperative Learning Exercises." The lesson lists 5 steps. I would like you to follow the first 4 steps (step 5 just asks you to repeat the assignment). The lesson is designed for small groups in a classroom setting. We will do this individually.  After addressing each of the four steps, compare your responses to the model responses.  Post your responses in the Week 2 Lesson 1 dropbox in eLearning. 
• Read Chapter 2 of the Parsons and Brown textbook.
• Follow Table 2.1 on page 20 of the Parsons and Brown text book, write 5 observations and 5 corresponding researchable questions. Make sure your questions can be tested in that they make a comparison and that the outcome can be measured. (Hint: in the example "effective" and "help assimilate" are not measurable. These terms are constructs and need to be further defined in ways that can be measured. How would you measure effectiveness?)
• For each of the 5 research questions you created in this last activity, create the corresponding null and research hypotheses.
• Compare your observations, researchable questions, and  hypothesis statements to the model responses.  Correct any deficiencies that you identify.  Post your responses in the Week 2 Lesson 2 dropbox in eLearning. 

Measurement, Reliability, and Sampling

Parsons & Brown: Chapter 3

Lesson

• Read Chapter 3 in the Parsons and Brown textbook.
• Visit the Library Tutorial on Basic Library Orientation , when asked what you would like to do, choose "Search for Articles." Complete this tutorial before you move on to the next assignment.
• Following the example in Table 3.1 of your text book, think of 3 constructs you might be interested in measuring and then create operational definitions of variables that could be used to measure that idea.  To check the quality of your work, compare your work with the model responses.  Then post your constructs and operational definitions of corresponding variables in the "Week 3 Lesson 1 " dropbox in the eLearning system.

Parsons & Brown: Chapter 4

Lesson

• Visit the Library Tutorial on What is the Internet, and complete the online questionnaire to check your learning.  After you complete the quiz, save the results and upload the file to the dropbox in eLearning.  (Note: You can save the results by using the save as command on the file menu in your Internet browser.) If you are unable to save the results from your browser, save the confirmation message from your email program and upload the file to the Week 4 Lesson 1 dropbox.
• Complete the training for researchers: Human Participant Protections Education for Research Teams (training provided by the National Cancer Institute [NCI] and/or National Institute of Health [NIH]).
• Save the certificate electronically, and print it. (Keep both the printed copy and the electronic file for your records [and for use in future courses].)
• Upload the certificate to the dropbox Week 4 Lesson 2 in eLearning. Make sure you check the uploaded file afterwards to verify that it was uploaded correctly.

Hypothesis Testing, Validity, and Research Design

Parsons & Brown: Chapter 5

Lesson

• Visit the Library Tutorial on scholarly journals versus popular magazines, and complete the online questionnaire to check your learning.  After you complete the quiz, save the results and upload the file to the Week 5 dropbox in eLearning.  (Note: You can save the results by using the save as command on the file menu in your Internet browser.) If you are unable to save the results from your browser, copy and paste the completed quiz into a word document that can then be uploaded and save the confirmation message from your email program and upload that file to the Week 5 dropbox as well.
• Go to the Student Papers link at the top of this page and read Sample 2.
  • Identify the Research Question, Null and Alternative Hypothesis.
  • Identify the statistical sentence in the results that addresses that question, and interpret the p value. (Focus on the MAIN Analyses)
  • Compare your answers with the model responses.  Correct any deficiencies.
  • Post your work in the Week 5 dropbox in eLearning.
  Go to the Student Papers link at the top of the page, and read Sample 4.
  • Identify the Research Question, Null and Alternative Hypothesis.
  • Identify the statistical sentence in the results that addresses that question, and interpret the p value.
  • Compare your answers with the model responses.  Correct any deficiencies.
  • Post your work in the Week 5 dropbox in eLearning.
• Prepare for the upcoming midterm.  Make sure you check the elearning Quiz tab regarding the dates and times of the exam.

Midterm Exam

Parsons & Brown: Chapter 6

Lesson

Make sure you read the lesson before completing these tasks:

• Go to the John C. Pace library and locate an article using one of the single case designs outlined in the content for this week.  Post the article reference and a summary including the research question with the dependent and independent variable and the design in the Week 6 Lesson 1 dropbox in the eLearning system.
• Take the midterm exam in eLearning system. The exam is time-restricted; once you start the exam, you will have only a limited amount of time to submit it.  Refer to the exam instructions in eLearning for time restrictions.  Exams submitted after the due date and time OR after the time-limit will receive a score of 0.  There will be no exceptions.  If you miss the scheduled time period for the exam, you will receive a score of 0.  There will be no exceptions.

Group Designs

Parsons & Brown: Chapter 7

Lesson

Make sure you read the lesson before completing these tasks:

• Visit the Library Tutorial on Primary versus Secondary Sources, and complete the online questionnaire to check your learning.  After you complete the quiz, save the results and upload the file to the dropbox in eLearning.  (Note: You can save the results by using the save as command on the file menu in your Internet browser.) If you are unable to save the results from your browser, save the confirmation message from your email program and upload the file to the Week 7 Lesson 1 dropbox.
• Go to the John C. Pace library online and find an empirically based journal article (one that used data to answer a research question) that uses a group design on a topic you are interested in.
  • Identify the main research question and extrapolate the corresponding null and alternative hypothesis statements from that research question.
  • Skip to the Methods section of the article and read about the "dependent variable", "measurement", "instruments", or any other language that might indicate their outcome variable or what they measured.
  •  Identify the variables they measured and the corresponding constructs.
  • Identify the type of data collected (was it a scale of measurement? If so, which one? what else did they collect?).
  • Identify how many comparison groups they used.
  • Identify how they assigned participants to groups or if they used a quasi-experimental design instead.
  • Post the reference for the article, the main research question, hypotheses, variables, constructs, types of data, number of comparison groups, and assignment to groups to the "Week 7 Lesson 2 " dropbox in eLearning.

Parsons & Brown: Chapter 8

Lesson

Make sure you read the lesson before completing these tasks:

• Read the following website which provides an excellent summary of Grounded Theory from conception to reporting results.
• Read the following website which provides an introduction to Ethnographic Research.
• Go to the John C. Pace library online and find a journal article that uses a qualitative approach, hopefully on a topic you are interested in.
  • Identify the main research questions and purpose of the study
  • Identify the qualitative approach used
  • Identify the type of data collected (was it interviews, focus groups, documents of some kind, email?
  • Identify the participants used.
• Post your work in the Week 8 Lesson 1 dropbox in eLearning

Review

• Study for the final exam, and read the instructions for the exam.

Parsons & Brown: Chapter 10

Lesson

• I'd like to hear from you about your thoughts on this course, what you have learned from it, how you can apply what you have learned from it, and any other feedback you feel like providing. For privacy sake, I'm asking that this assignment be submitted to the "Week 10 Lesson 1" dropbox in eLearning. Your classmates will not be able to view your postings.

• As a final assignment for this class, think about your interests as a professional. What did you come to UWF to learn more about specifically? As you continue through your course work, try to think of the content critically by asking yourself "How do we know this is true?"  You will find that much of what we know as Best Practice in our respective fields is labeled as such due to research that supports that practice and it's effects. You will also find that some techniques thought to be best practices by many people actually have no empirical support. This should concern you.  Expert teachers are educated consumers of information who think critically about what they are asked to do and why. If a new fad in teaching technique comes along, the first question to come to mind should be "how do I know this technique actually works?" With the knowledge you gain from this research sequence you will have the tools necessary for deciding for yourself what works and what doesn't.  I would like you to identify at least 3 "researchable" questions either developed from your course work or experience that you might be interested in pursuing in Research Practicum. Post these potential research questions in the "Week 10, Lesson 2 " dropbox section of the eLearning system.
• Read the instructions for the final exam.

11

Parsons & Brown: Review chapters 1-10

Class notes: Review

Lesson

• Take the final exam in eLearning. The exam is time-restricted; once you start the exam, you will have only a limited amount of time to submit it.  Refer to the exam instructions in eLearning for time restrictions.  Exams submitted after the due date and time OR after the time-limit will receive a score of 0.  There will be no exceptions.  If you miss the scheduled time period for the exam, you will receive a score of 0.  There will be no exceptions.