Course Syllabus – Last Updated: January 29, 2020 Research Methods and Data Analysis INST 808 Fall 2020 Learning Outcomes This 3-credit course is a seminar course that covers different topics within research methods and analysis. This Spring 2020 semester, we will focus on conducting quantitative research to understand behavioral and social aspects of technology use and to inform technology design. Topics will cover experimental design, ethics in research, and data analysis. You will engage in a hands-on project involving quantitative data collection and analysis that culminates in a research paper about a topic of your choice. You will interact with the material through readings, discussion, and individual assignments. After successfully completing this course you will be able to: read, interpret, and evaluate quantitative work. develop strong, testable research questions. identify appropriate methodological approaches to evaluate research questions. collect and analyze quantitative data. present (both verbally and in-writing) quantitative research data to diverse audiences. Required Resources Course website: elms.umd.edu Assigned Textbook Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences Edition: 6th Authors: Frederick J Gravetter Lori-Ann B Forzano Dr. Hernisa Kacorri [email protected]Class Meets Wed 2pm – 4:45pm ATL #1114 Office Hours HBK #2118A By appointment Teaching Assistants Jonggi Hong [email protected]TA Office Hours By appointment Prerequisites Basic statistics and some familiarity with R or Python. Course Communication ELMS announcements or
Transcript
Course Syllabus – Last Updated: January 29, 2020
Research Methods and Data Analysis
INST 808Fall 2020
Learning OutcomesThis 3-credit course is a seminar course that covers different topics within research methods and analysis. This Spring 2020 semester, we will focus on conducting quantitative research to understand behavioral and social aspects of technology use and to inform technology design. Topics will cover experimental design, ethics in research, and data analysis. You will engage in a hands-on project involving quantitative data collection and analysis that culminates in a research paper about a topic of your choice. You will interact with the material through readings, discussion, and individual assignments.
After successfully completing this course you will be able to:
read, interpret, and evaluate quantitative work. develop strong, testable research questions. identify appropriate methodological approaches to
evaluate research questions. collect and analyze quantitative data. present (both verbally and in-writing) quantitative
research data to diverse audiences.
Required ResourcesCourse website: elms.umd.edu
Assigned TextbookResearch Methods for the Behavioral SciencesEdition: 6thAuthors: Frederick J Gravetter Lori-Ann B
ForzanoI have requested the ebook in the course reserves (elms)
Supplemental reading (if you need a refresher in basic stats)Essentials of Statistics for the Behavioral SciencesEdition: 8th, 9th, 10th
Authors: Frederick J Gravetter Larry B WallnauI have requested the ebook in the course reserves (elms)
Readings will consist primarily of book chapters and
Tips for success Start early on your project and use every
opportunity for feedback. If you don’t feel comfortable with stats or
programming come talk to me as soon as possible and we can talk about best strategies to catch up with things that you will need for your project.
Complete the reading at least two days before the class and allow yourself some time before writing the reflection.
Be an active participant and ask questions – in class or office hours, or on the discussion board. Ask me, your TA, and your classmates.
expected to attend class regularly, particularly given the importance of in-class participation in this course.
Workload & GuidelinesYou are expected to put in about 9 hours of work/week outside of class. Some of you will do well with less time than this, and some of you will need more depending on your project. Guidelines for written materials for the course include:
Full name and assignment title at the top of the paper Single-spaced 11 or 12-point font that is easily readable 1-inch margins In-text citations and references section in APA style. Consistent formatting Free of grammatical errors and erroneous typos
Please note that your final paper may follow a different formatting depending on the goal, e.g., a journal or conference publication, a Medium post, or an HTML page in your website.
GradesYour grade is determined by your participation and performance on the learning assessments in the course and is assigned individually (not curved). I am happy to discuss any of your grades with you, and if we have made a mistake I will immediately correct it. Any formal grade disputes must be submitted in writing and within one week of receiving the grade. All assessment scores will be posted on the course ELMS page.
Learning Points Category
Category
Assessments # Each Total WeightClass Participation 14 15 210 21%Reading Reflections 13 10 130 13%Representative Paper 6 20 120 12%Research Project Paper 1 many intermediate
deliverables450 45%
Research Project 1 two presentations (to peers & 90 9%
Final letter grades are assigned based on the percentage of total assessment points earned.
Final Grade Cutoffs+ 97.00
%+ 87.00
%+ 77.00
%+ 67.00
%A 94.00
%B 84.00
%C 74.00
%D 64.00
%F <60.0
%- 90.00
%- 80.00
%- 70.00
%- 60.00
%
Activities, Learning Assessments, & Expectations for Students
Class Participation (210 points – 21%)Students are expected to attend class regularly and actively discuss the readings and presented material, engage with the students leading a paper, and participate in class activities. You are not graded on attendance, but you are graded on participation. We will track attendance and engagement to help us evaluate your participation grade.
Reading Reflections (130 points – 13%)This class requires a substantial amount of reading and discussion of reading in class. To ensure that you read and understand the required material and are prepared for discussions, each day that has a reading assignment, you will be required to submit a reading reflection that points out what was the most noticeable thing you learned and lists two discussion questions. The reading reflection should be brief, approximately 200-400 words per chapter and two questions per chapter. The grading is pass/fail based on the quality of the summary and discussion questions. Discussion questions will be posted in the Discussion Board on ELMS.
Representative Paper (120 points – 12%)For about six weeks you will be called to identify a scientific paper that is using the upcoming method, upload it on the Discussion Board on ELMS for everyone to read and lead the discussion in class. You may generate few (not more that 5 slides) to accompany the discussions.
Research Project (540 points – 54%)For a bit over two-months you will work individually (PhD student) of in groups of two (master student) to conduct a literature review, come up with a research idea, analyze data, and present findings. There are many deliverables (Please see the schedule below. A fine grained description of the project and break down points to be updated soon).
Course-Specific Policies
Page 3 of 7
Syllabus Change Policy. This is a living document and is subject to change. Please note that you have the latest document as indicated by the date at the document header.
Technology Use Policy. Bring your laptop and phone to class every day and limit their usage to course-related purposes only (e.g., taking notes, participating with Slido). If you are clearly dedicating more of your attention to your laptop or phone than to the activities of the class, your participation grade may be affected. Please understand your technology use in the classroom impacts not only your own educational experience, but that of the other students in class. Read this scholarly paper to learn more about how your technology use impacts you and others: Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013). Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers. Computers & Education, 62, 24-31.
Absence Policy. If you are sick and need to stay home, or need to see a doctor, then please do so. Inform both of us (instructor and TA) before class via email and you will be excused for that day. Missing more than 1 excused days of class will affect your grade negatively, unless you have special circumstances that cannot be avoided.
Extensions and Late Work Policy. If you will be late or need an extension, message us both (instructor and TA). We are here to help you learn, not give you a low grade. Let's figure out what we can do, together. In most circumstances, a late assignment will be graded down by 10% of its total grade per calendar day, starting on the same day it is due.
Groupwork Policy. Outside of class, your group will be responsible for meeting to complete all required assignments if you are not doing an individual research project. Teams will evaluate one another three different times during the semester. Teams are expected to attempt to resolve conflict and disagreements on their own before asking the instructor team for help. If a group identifies a problem student who is not contributing I reserve the right to invoke the "slacker clause." In short, you will be required to finish the remaining work for the quarter by yourself (this will be difficult, so you do not want this to happen).
Accessibility Policy. When possible we will make all our media (documents, images, videos, slides) accessible.
Attribution Policy. We will pay a lot of attention acknowledge and cite all sources for everything we use.
Accommodations. Please come and see me as soon as possible if you think you might need any accommodations for disabilities. In addition, please contact the Disability Support Services (301-314-7682 or http://www.counseling.umd.edu/DSS/). Disability Support Services will work with us to help create appropriate academic accommodations for any qualified students with disabilities.
Support for students’ health and wellbeing. I have made a conscious choice to have our assignment deadlines no later than 6pm and avoid any email correspondence after
6pm and on the weekends. I hope you will come talk to me so that I can help you find the right approach to success in this course, and I encourage you to visit tutoring.umd.edu to learn more about the wide range of campus resources available to you. In particular, everyone can use some help sharpen their communication skills (and improving their grade) by visiting ter.ps/writing and schedule an appointment with the campus Writing Center. You should also know there are a wide range of resources to support you with whatever you might need (see go.umd.edu/assistance), and if you just need someone to talk to, visit counseling.umd.edu or one of the many other resources on campus.
Names/Pronouns and Self Identifications. The University of Maryland recognizes the importance of a diverse student body, and we are committed to fostering inclusive and equitable classroom environments. I invite you, if you wish, to tell us how you want to be referred to both in terms of your name and your pronouns (he/him, she/her, they/them, etc.). The pronouns someone indicates are not necessarily indicative of their gender identity. Visit trans.umd.edu to learn more.
Additionally, how you identify in terms of your gender, race, class, sexuality, religion, and dis/ability, among all aspects of your identity, is your choice whether to disclose (e.g., should it come up in classroom conversation about our experiences and perspectives) and should be self-identified, not presumed or imposed. I will do my best to address and refer to all students accordingly, and I ask you to do the same for all of your fellow Terps.
Course ScheduleAll assignments = To be submitted online by 6:00pm that day
WEEK LECTURE, ASSIGNMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES
WEEK 1Wed 1/29 Topic: Ways of Knowing (+ Intro)
Tue 2/4 Reading Reflection (Chapter 1 & 2)
WEEK 2
Wed 2/5 Topic: Reviewing the Literature and Getting an Experimental Idea
Guest speaker: Joel Chan @ UMD
Tue 2/11 Reading Reflection (Chapter 3)
WEEK 3Wed 2/12 Topic: Overview of Research Methodologies
Mon 2/17 Literature ReviewTue 2/18 Reading Reflection (Chapter 6)
WEEK 4Wed 2/19 Topic: Experimental Variables and Sampling
Mon 2/24 Research IdeaTue 2/25 Reading Reflection (Chapter 4)
Wed 4/29 No Class: Work on final papers and presentations.I recommend that you use this time to practice presentations
with each other.
Tue 5/5 Presentation Slides
WEEK 14Wed 5/6 Presentation Session
Tue 5/12 Final Paper
Note: This is a tentative syllabus and schedule, and subject to change as necessary – monitor the course ELMS page for current deadlines. In the unlikely event of a prolonged university closing, or an extended
Page 6 of 7
absence from the university, adjustments to the course schedule, deadlines, and assignments will be made based on the duration of the closing and the specific dates missed.
