ITEDU 699:Calendar for Fall 2009

ITEDU 699: Research in Technical Education

Fall 2009 Teaching and Learning Calendar

(Warning!! Calendar is subject to change.)

____________________________________

AUG

24 31

SEPT

7 14 21 28

OCT

5 12 19 26

NOV

2 9 16 23

DEC

7 14

Before Class Starts

Date
Essential Questions
To Do

Before 8/24
How do you get started with this Web-based course?

What are the goals, activities, and resources of ITEDU 699?

How does teaching and learning occur in a Web environment?

What BSU services are available to distance education students?

Resolve any technical issues of communicating in a distributed environment.

Review the ITEDU 699 Course Syllabus.

Orient yourself to a model of teaching and learning in a Web-based course.

Complete and submit the online ITEDU 699: Student Profile.

Purchase the required texts:
Creswell, J.W. (2008 or 2005). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. 3rd or 2nd Edition. Prentice Hall.

American Psychological Association. (July 2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN:1557987912

An Overview of Educational Research

Date	Essential Questions	To Do
Before 8/24	How do you get started with this Web-based course? What are the goals, activities, and resources of ITEDU 699? How does teaching and learning occur in a Web environment? What BSU services are available to distance education students?	Resolve any technical issues of communicating in a distributed environment. Review the ITEDU 699 Course Syllabus. Orient yourself to a model of teaching and learning in a Web-based course. Complete and submit the online *ITEDU 699: Student Profile. Purchase the required texts: Creswell, J.W. (2008 or 2005). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. 3rd or 2nd Edition. Prentice Hall. American Psychological Association. (July 2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association* (5th Ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN:1557987912

Date	Essential Questions	Learning Path
Wk1 8/24	What is educational research? Why is educational research important? What is the process of conducting research? What are essential differences between quantitative and qualitative research approaches?	*Read the Teaching and Learning Plan (T&L)* for Week 1. To access the T&L, select the date located in the first column of this row. If you have not already done so, complete and submit the online ITEDU 699: Student Profile. Read Chapter 1,** An Introduction to the Process of Research, and Chapter 2, Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, of Creswell (2008 or 2005). Review An Introduction to Research, a multimedia presentation with embedded audio. If audio fails to automatically play, please select the loudspeaker icon to activate the audio messages on each slide. Alternatively, the PowerPoint file (without audio) is available in the Assignments section of Blackboard. Think, share, and discuss: Make at least three postings to the appropriate forum of the Blackboard Discussion Board. By midnight August 27, introduce yourself to the class by posting a message to the Who's WHO thread. Offer a digital image of yourself as an attachment or as a hyperlink. Include the following sections in the message: Section 1: Introduce yourself to the class. Share a few details about your professional educational experience and responsibilities, as well as your interests and family. Section 2: Identify and discuss the experiences and skills you have relative to educational research. Section 3: Discuss the skills and knowledge you currently possess and will need to develop in order to plan and conduct educational research. Refer to the step of the research process where this skill or knowledge is important. *By midnight of August 29, post a message to the CLASSIFY the STUDY* thread of the Week 1 forum in the Discussion Board (4 points). Identify the research problem, the approach, and the research design that would be appropriate for one of the scenarios. Present a rationale for these propositions. Alternatively, you could post your own scenario. By midnight of August 30, reply to a fellow student's message (3 points). You might (1) relate your reply to the Creswell (2008) reading, (2) share a specific example of how research informs teacher practice, or (3) question the writer's assumptions and conclusions. Optional*: Browse to Prentice Hall's Companion Website, select Chapter 1 or 2 from the dropdown menu, and take the Self Assessment* or review the PowerPoint file.
Wk2 8/31	What are the differences between the research topic, problem, purpose, and questions? What is a research report? What are key differences between a population, a target population, and a sample? What are the common types of survey designs?	Read the T&L Plan for Week 2. In Creswell, read Chapter 3, Identifying a Research Problem and parts of Chapter 13, Survey Designs (2008, p. 387-397; 2005, p. 354-369). LA 2a: Read and analyze one of the following research studies: New paradigm or old wine? The status of Technology Education practice in the United States Perceptions of traditionally and alternatively certified career and technical education teachers. Identify and label the sections of the study that indicate each of the following elements: Research Approach (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed); Research Design (be specific); Research Topic; Research Problem; Evidence of the Problem; Purpose of the Study; Significance of the Study; Research Question or Hypotheses; Literature Review; Sampling Strategy (identify the population, target population, and sample); Data Collection (methods and instruments); Data Analysis; and Interpretation of Findings. LA 2b: Compare your analysis with the instructor's analysis. This analysis will be available in the Documents section of Blackboard by Wednesday. NO deliverable is required. LA 2c: By September 7, make at least three postings to the Discussion Board of Blackboard. In the SAMPLING thread, describe a research scenario using a survey design. Discuss specific differences between the population, target population, and sample. Within the Sanders (1999) or Ruhland and Bremer (2004) threads, offer two postings: In the TOPIC to QUESTION thread, identify the topic, research problem, purpose statement, and research questions of the study. Then, critique these elements and offer examples of an improved model. In the FREE DISCUSSION thread, offer insights and criticisms of the research report. For example you might ask a question or discuss one of these issues: Should the issue be researched? Alternative approach ... how the elements of the study might change if the author adopted an alternative approach, i.e., qualitative rather than quantitative? Alternative questions... what other research questions could be posed regarding this educational issue? Alternative design....what other methods could be used to inform this topic, issue or problem? Instruments ...what type of items were included on the survey instrument? Were these items valid and reliable measures of the variables? Replicability...did the researchers describe the methods in such a way that the study could be repeated? Coherence...do the methods, data, and findings inform the research questions? Optional: Browse to Prentice Hall's Companion Website, select Chapter 3 or 13 from the dropdown menu. Take the Self Assessment or review the PowerPoint file.

Date

Essential Questions

Learning Path

Wk1

8/24

What is educational research?

Why is educational research important?

What is the process of conducting research?

What are essential differences between quantitative and qualitative research approaches?

Read the Teaching and Learning Plan (T&L) for Week 1. To access the T&L, select the date located in the first column of this row.

If you have not already done so, complete and submit the online ITEDU 699: Student Profile.

Read Chapter 1, An Introduction to the Process of Research, and Chapter 2, Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, of Creswell (2008 or 2005).

Review An Introduction to Research, a multimedia presentation with embedded audio. If audio fails to automatically play, please select the loudspeaker icon to activate the audio messages on each slide. Alternatively, the PowerPoint file (without audio) is available in the Assignments section of Blackboard.

Think, share, and discuss: Make at least three postings to the appropriate forum of the Blackboard Discussion Board.

By midnight August 27, introduce yourself to the class by posting a message to the Who's WHO thread. Offer a digital image of yourself as an attachment or as a hyperlink. Include the following sections in the message:
1. Section 1: Introduce yourself to the class. Share a few details about your professional educational experience and responsibilities, as well as your interests and family.
2. Section 2: Identify and discuss the experiences and skills you have relative to educational research.
3. Section 3: Discuss the skills and knowledge you currently possess and will need to develop in order to plan and conduct educational research. Refer to the step of the research process where this skill or knowledge is important.
By midnight of August 29, post a message to the CLASSIFY the STUDY thread of the Week 1 forum in the Discussion Board (4 points). Identify the research problem, the approach, and the research design that would be appropriate for one of the scenarios. Present a rationale for these propositions. Alternatively, you could post your own scenario.
By midnight of August 30, reply to a fellow student's message (3 points). You might (1) relate your reply to the Creswell (2008) reading, (2) share a specific example of how research informs teacher practice, or (3) question the writer's assumptions and conclusions.

Optional: Browse to Prentice Hall's Companion Website, select Chapter 1 or 2 from the dropdown menu, and take the Self Assessment or review the PowerPoint file.

Wk2

8/31

What are the differences between the research topic, problem, purpose, and questions?

What is a research report?

What are key differences between a population, a target population, and a sample?

What are the common types of survey designs?

Read the T&L Plan for Week 2.
In Creswell, read Chapter 3, Identifying a Research Problem and parts of Chapter 13, Survey Designs (2008, p. 387-397; 2005, p. 354-369).
LA 2a: Read and analyze one of the following research studies:
New paradigm or old wine? The status of Technology Education practice in the United States

Perceptions of traditionally and alternatively certified career and technical education teachers.

Identify and label the sections of the study that indicate each of the following elements:
1. Research Approach (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed);
2. Research Design (be specific);
3. Research Topic;
4. Research Problem;
5. Evidence of the Problem;
6. Purpose of the Study;
7. Significance of the Study;
8. Research Question or Hypotheses;
9. Literature Review;
10. Sampling Strategy (identify the population, target population, and sample);
11. Data Collection (methods and instruments);
12. Data Analysis; and
13. Interpretation of Findings.
LA 2b: Compare your analysis with the instructor's analysis. This analysis will be available in the Documents section of Blackboard by Wednesday. NO deliverable is required.
LA 2c: By September 7, make at least three postings to the Discussion Board of Blackboard.
1. In the SAMPLING thread, describe a research scenario using a survey design. Discuss specific differences between the population, target population, and sample.
2. Within the Sanders (1999) or Ruhland and Bremer (2004) threads, offer two postings:
  1. In the TOPIC to QUESTION thread, identify the topic, research problem, purpose statement, and research questions of the study. Then, critique these elements and offer examples of an improved model.
  2. In the FREE DISCUSSION thread, offer insights and criticisms of the research report. For example you might ask a question or discuss one of these issues:
- Should the issue be researched?
- Alternative approach ... how the elements of the study might change if the author adopted an alternative approach, i.e., qualitative rather than quantitative?
- Alternative questions... what other research questions could be posed regarding this educational issue?
- Alternative design....what other methods could be used to inform this topic, issue or problem?
- Instruments ...what type of items were included on the survey instrument? Were these items valid and reliable measures of the variables?
- Replicability...did the researchers describe the methods in such a way that the study could be repeated?
- Coherence...do the methods, data, and findings inform the research questions?
Optional: Browse to Prentice Hall's Companion Website, select Chapter 3 or 13 from the dropdown menu. Take the Self Assessment or review the PowerPoint file.

Process of Research

Date	Essential Questions	Assignments
Wk3 9/7	What is the purpose of a literature review? What resources are useful for identifying and conducting literature reviews? What issues or topics are commonly examined within your discipline? How do you appropriately reference the literature? How do you credit the source of text and ideas according to APA guidelines?	*Read the T&L Plan* for Week 3. Reference** Chapter 4 of Creswell (2005), Reviewing the Literature, and Chapter 4 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 5th ed., 2001). Learn how to search three digital databases by completing the Search Tutorial located within the Documents section of Blackboard. This tutorial asks your to review the audio and video demonstration for EBSCO Publishing, including Basic Search Tutorial and the Advanced Search Guide. LA 3a: Conduct a literature search on ONE educational topic, e.g, THINKING (design, problem-solving, trouble shooting, critical thinking, or creativity) or INSTRUCTION (effectiveness, teaching methods, clarity, strategies) or OTHER (you decide). Effectively use at least three databases to conduct your search, including: BSU's EBSCO Host to search ERIC VA Tech's Digital Libraries and Archives UMI ProQuest Digital Dissertations Document your search on the downloadable Survey Form (available in the Documents section of Blackboard). Include the following details in your record: Reference the study according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001) as needed to properly reference research articles. Chapter 4, pages 215-281, are especially relevant. Identify the research questions. Categorize the research study as a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods study. Evaluate your survey form according to Criteria for Assessing the Literature Survey. LA 3b: Rename your Survey Form so that it conforms to the ITEDU 699 standard: (the first 5 characters of your user name)_(name of assignment). For example, arose_survey.xls would be my file name for this assignment. LA 3c: By September ??, attach your completed file to a message in your group's Week 3 forum of the Discussion Board. Share any discoveries, hints, or trials you may have encountered while using online databases to identify relevant literature.
Wk4 9/14	What are the parts of an abstract? How do purpose statements, research questions, and hypotheses differ? What are the types and functions of variables?	Read the Week 4 T&L Plan. Read Chapter 5 of Creswell (2008 or 2005), Specifying a purpose and research questions or hypotheses. Review Professor Jon'a Meyer's Variables in Social Science Research. This 16-minute streaming slide show introduces independent, dependent, intervening and moderating variables. The Real Media Player will be needed to play the audio and slide show. The player is available at http://www.real.com/ LA 4a: By midnight September ??, take the online quiz for Chapter 1-5. You may take the quiz twice. The quiz will be accessible through the Assignments section of Blackboard on September 17. LA4b: In the Variables thread of the Discussion Board, identify the variables in purpose statements, research questions, and hypotheses. Discuss the concepts you encounter during Week 4. For example, you might contrast null and directional hypotheses OR offer examples of different types of variables. LA 5a: By September ??, compose an original two-page abstract of one experimental or quasi-experimental study, such as: Engineering: Delivering core engineering concepts to secondary level students. Thinking: A comparison of interpersonal goal structures and their effect on group problem-solving performance and student attitudes toward their learning environment. Instruction: The effect of thinking aloud pair problem solving (TAPPS) on the troubleshooting ability of aviation technician students. Learning: Effects of multiple-choice and matching tests on delayed retention learning in postsecondary metals technology. The research report must be available online or provided to the instructor. The abstract should: Provide an APA-style reference as the first item on the abstract. See pages 240-241 of the Publication Manual of the APA (2001). Include the following headings: research problem; hypotheses or research questions (quote the researcher, cite position of quote); context and sample; data collection; data analysis, and results of the study. Be provided as a Word document (.doc, not .docx) or rtf (rich text) file to enable ease of file transfer. Include a label (in parentheses) for each variable identified in the study, especially the independent and dependent variables. LA 5b: Name your file according to the course protocol: (your user name)_(abstract1). For example, arose_abstract1.doc would be my file name for this assignment. By midnight September ??, upload your completed abstract to the appropriate Discussion Board of Blackboard.
Wk 5 9/21	What are important steps in the process of collecting quantitative data? What are the researcher's responsibilities in regards to protecting the rights and welfare of human participants? What sampling approaches are taken in quantitative studies? What are the relative advantages of these approaches?	Read the Week 5 T&L Plan. Read Chapter 6 of Creswell, Collecting quantitative data. Focus most of your attention on pages 144-153 (2005) or pages 150-166 (2008). Optional. Read page 9-13 of Pyrczak (2003) or browse to Prentice Hall's Companion Website, select Chapter 6 from the dropdown menu, and take the Self Assessment or review the PowerPoint file.You may do this by copying and pasting the text into an email message or by taking a screen grab of the certificate, saving it as an image, and attaching the image to an email. LA 5a: By September ??, compose and post an original two-page abstract of a research study which employed an experimental or quasi-experimental research design. The Week 4 T& L Plan explains this assignment in more detail. Before uploading your abstract, evaluate it according to the Criteria for Assessing the Quantitative Abstract. LA5b: By September ??, discuss the study you abstracted in the Blackboard Discussion Board. For instance, you might... Identify and discuss the unit of analysis. Critique the methods used for sampling, data gathering, or protecting the rights of human subjects. Question the logic of the methods or findings. Propose techniques to enhance the generalizability of the findings. Ask for clarification about a data analysis method. *LA 6: By October ?, take the National Institutes of Health (NIH) tutorial, entitled Protecting Human Research Participants,* located at http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php**. Submit (email) a copy of your certificate to the instructor.
Wk 6 9/28	What is an operational definition? What criteria are used to select a measurement instrument? What are the different types of data often collected in quantitative research?	Read Week 6 T&L Plan located at http://arose.iweb.bsu.edu/BSUCourses/ITEDU_699/LP/LP_6[instruments].htm. Read Chapter 6, Collecting quantitative data, Creswell (2008 or 2005). Optional: Read Pyrczak's discussion of scales of measurement. LA 6a: By October ?, take the National Institutes of Health (NIH) tutorial entitled: Protecting Human Research Participants located at http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php. Submit (email) a copy of your certificate to the instructor. You may do this by copying and pasting the text into an email message or by taking a screen grab of the certificate, saving it as an image, and attaching the image to an email. LA6b: By October ?, conduct a literature search and identify three (3) instruments or methods used to measure a SINGLE thinking process, e.g., problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, brainstorming, creativity, troubleshooting, inquiry, or design. Instruments may be identified by searching relevant databases, such as the ETS Test Collection Database, called TestLink or ERIC. One key to successfully using ERIC is to limit your search by Publication Type: Tests/Evaluation Instruments or by using an appropriate DESCRIPTOR, such as Test, in your search phrase. LA6c: By October ?, make at least two meaningful posts to the Week 6 Discussion Board. These messages should: Post 1: Using an APA (2001) reference, identify and briefly describe three instruments or methods for measuring thinking skills. (See LA6b above.) Post 2: Either discuss: (1) scales of measurement; (2) strategies for establishing the validity and reliability of an instrument; or (3) protecting human research participants.
Wk 7 10/5	How are quantitative data prepared and organized? How are data explored and descriptively analyzed?	Read the Week 7 T&L Plan. Review the streaming multimedia presentation. Read the first half of Chapter 7, Analyzing and Interpreting Quantitative Data, Creswell (2008, p. 182-195; 2005, p. 174-185). Perform a descriptive statistical analysis using Microsoft Excel. If Excel is new to you, view BSU's TechClip on Excel at http://www.bsu.edu/techclips/ . I recommend beginning with the Microsoft Excel 2003 Introduction or Simple Formulas and Cell References. Download the Descriptive Statistics Tutorial from the Documents section of Blackboard. Complete the tutorial. If you encounter difficulties, post a message to the Discussion Board or email the instructor. (This activity is NOT scored, so please do not submit your file for evaluation.) By October ??, post at least two messages to the Discussion Board. You might discuss the process of sorting and cleaning data, the meaning of different measures of variability, or procedures for calculating standard deviations. Optionally you might: Read Pyrczak (2003) to enhance your understanding of scales of measurement (p. 15-17), distributions (p. 27-31) measures of central tendency (p. 33-39), variability (p. 41-42), and standard deviation (p. 45-47). Review the PowerPoint file for Chapter 7 located in the Documents section of Blackboard. Read about normal distributions http://cnx.org/content/m10868/latest/ Read about measures of central tendency at http://cnx.org/content/m11061/latest/ Read about measures of variability at http://cnx.org/content/m10947/latest
Wk 8 10/12	How are quantitative data analyzed in order to answer research questions and draw conclusions? What criteria are used to select an appropriate statistical test for hypothesis testing? How do you interpret inferential statistics?	Read the T&LPlan for Week 8. View Against All Odds, a 26-minute video that explains significance testing. It is available at http://coba.clarion.edu:8080/ramgen/econ222/SigTests.rm (This RealMedia presentation requires the Real Media Player available for download at http://www.real.com/) Read the second half of Chapter 7 (Creswell, 2008, p. 195-211; 2005, p. 186-201), Analyzing and Interpreting Quantitative Data. Perform and interpret an inferential statistical analysis (t-Test) using Microsoft Excel. (If you have a statistical application, e.g., SPSS & SAS, please ignore the steps that relate only to Excel.) The data set and instructions are available within the Documents section of Blackboard. By October ?, post at least three messages to the Discussion Board. POST 1: With the Interpreting thread, discuss how these inferential concepts apply to the research report you examined for the Abstract 1 assignment or to Haynie III (2003) or Shumway, Saunders, Stewardson, and Reeve (2001). Identify one null hypothesis, the statistical test, probability value and significance level. POST 2: Within the EXAMPLES, propose an inferential test to test the question/hypothesis in one of these threads. Justify your response by discussing the relevant characteristics of the test, e.g., # of DVs and IVs, scale of measurement, normality. POST 3: Reply to another post. You might question a conclusion, suggest an alternative explanation, or point someone to additional information.
Wk 9 10/19	What have you learned about educational research?	EXAM: Complete and submit a mid-term exam. The following steps explain this process in greater detail. Download the the Word document located in the Week 9 Assignments section of Blackboard. Save the file using the file naming convention for ITEDU 699, i.e., username_exam.doc Use your text and other media resources to help you complete the 52 items on the exam. Remember, academic honesty is highly valued at BSU. Do NOT consult with another individual when completing the items on this exam. If you find any exam item to be vague or ambiguous, raise this issue in the Blackboard Discussion Board. By midnight on Sunday, October ??, SEND (do not ADD) your completed exam to the instructor via Blackboard's Drop Box.

Research Proposalsss

Date
Essential Questions
Assignments

Wk 10

10/26

What are the required elements of the research proposal?

What does the research and theoretical literature report about your selected research issue?

Read the T&L Plan for Week 10.

Read Chapter 10 of Creswell, Reporting and evaluating research, as needed to understand the format and elements of a research proposal.

Conduct a literature review relevant to the research issue you selected on the mid-term exam. Create a personal database of primary sources relevant to this issue. Include an APA-style reference for each entry into your database, as well as relevant notes about the research questions and findings.

By midnight November ?, post a message to the Proposals thread of the Discussion Board which includes the following details:

Subject Line: Identifies the educational issue you will examine for your research proposal.

Message: In one or two paragraphs, informally discuss the discoveries you have made in regards to the educational issue during your literature search. In the remaining section, offer at least five primary sources (research reports) of information relevant to your educational issue. Offer these sources as references which conform to APA (2001).

Wk 11

11/2

What are the distinguishing characteristics of different types of experiments and quasi-experiments?

What are potential threats to internal and external validity?

Read the Week 11 T&L Plan located at http://arose.iweb.bsu.edu/BSUCourses/ITEDU_699/LP/LP_11[experimental].htm

Read Chapter 11 of Creswell (2008-2005), Experimental Designs.

Optional: Review the PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 11 located in the T&L Plan section of Blackboard.

Optional: Review An Introduction to Experimental Design, a multimedia presentation.

By midnight November 8, post an original response in the Discussion Board to one of the following questions:
What are potential threats to the validity of quasi-experimental designs?
What strategies do experimental researchers use to control threats to validity? Can you identify an example?
What is the nature of factorial designs? Can you summarize an example?
What is the nature of a within-group design? Can you summarize an example?

By midnight of November 8, identify the research question(s) and experimental methods you will select for your proposal. Post a message to the Discussion Board which includes the following headings and elements:
Research Question: Pose one to three research questions which serve as the focus of your research proposal. Each question should identify the IV, DV, subjects, and research site.

Experimental Design: Identify and describe the type of experimental design (e.g., pre- and posttest, factorial, repeated measures) you propose to inform the research questions.

By midnight November 29, share a draft of your research proposal.

By midnight of December 13, post your final research proposal to the Discussion Board of Blackboard.

Wk 12

11/9

What are the primary goals of the three required sections of a research proposal?

What guidelines might be helpful when preparing the introduction, the literature review, and the methodology section to a research proposal?

What is the function of limitations and assumptions in a research proposal?

Read the Week 12 T&L Plan.

Review Chapter 10 of Creswell (2008 or 2005).

Prepare an outline of your research proposal. Include headings for each section (Introduction, Literature Review, and Methods) and subsections (see sections above). Although it is expected that your narrative will still be incomplete, provide bullet lists or narratives for the main point you plan to cover in each subsection.

By midnight of November ??, identify the research question(s) and experimental methods you will select for your proposal. Post a message to the Discussion Board which includes the following headings and elements:
Research Question: Pose one to three research questions which serve as the focus of your research proposal. Each question should identify the IV, DV, subjects, and research site.

Experimental Design: Identify and describe the type of experimental design (e.g., pre- and posttest, factorial, repeated measures) you propose to inform the research questions.

No later than midnight November ??, share an outline of your research proposal by posting a Word document (.doc, not .docx) to the Blackboard Discussion Board.

By midnight November 29, share a draft of your research proposal.

By midnight of December 13, post your research proposal to the Discussion Board of Blackboard.

Wk 13

11/16

What are similarities and differences between causal-comparative and experimental designs?

What are similarities and differences between evaluation studies and experimental designs?

What strategies do researchers use to enhance the "significance" of a study?

What sampling strategies enhance external validity?

Read the Week 13 T&L Plan.

Learn more about evaluation research by reading Introduction to Evaluation (Trochim, 2005).

Review the Week 12 T&L Plan and Chapter 6, Collecting quantitative data, and Chapter 11, Experimental Designs, of Creswell (2008 or 2005). Apply these guidelines to the development of a research proposal which employs experimental or quasi-experimental methods.

No later than midnight November ??, share an outline of your research proposal by posting a Word document (.doc, not .docx) to the Blackboard Discussion Board. (10 points)

Post at least two messages to the Discussion Board as specified below:

By midnight of November ??, in the Significance thread, critique the post immediately before or after yours. In other words, authors of post 1 and 2 should critique each others work, authors of post 3 and 4 should critique each others work, and so on. Please offer suggestions for improvement.

By midnight of November ??, critique the post immediately before yours. Offer suggestions for improvement.

By midnight November 29, share a draft of your research proposal.

By midnight of December 13, post your research proposal to the Discussion Board of Blackboard.

11/26 Happy Thanksgiving!

Refer to the Teaching and Learning Plan for Week 13.

Wk 14

11/30

PROPOSAL REVIEW LA 13b: By midnight, November 26, read the draft posted immediately after yours and offer SUBSTANTIVE feedback to the writer. The last person to post should offer feedback to the first posting. Your goal here is to help each other refine their purpose statement, research questions, and definitions of terms.

Wk 15

12/7

Final Edits to the PROPOSAL
What adjustments can improve the quality of your research proposal?

What criteria should be used to evaluate research proposals and reports?

Read the T&L Plan for Week 15.

Evaluate your proposal according to the criteria presented by Creswell (2008, p. 272-292; 2005, p. 268-276) and Rose (see Assessment Criteria for Research Proposal).

Revise your experimental proposal based upon feedback the instructor.

By midnight of December 13, post your research proposal to the Discussion Board of Blackboard.

Wk 16

12/14

REFLECTION
What have you learned about the logic, approaches, methods, and outcomes of educational research?
To bring ITEDU 699 to a close, you should:

Read the Teaching and Learning Plan for Week 16.

By December 18, upload your Self Reflection and Assessment document to the Blackboard Dropbox. In this document, reflect upon the course goals, course activities, and your own learning process. Assess your learning process according to the criteria outlined within the document.

By December 19, post a farewell message to the Discussion Board.

Date	Essential Questions	Assignments
Wk 10 10/26	What are the required elements of the research proposal? What does the research and theoretical literature report about your selected research issue?	Read the T&L Plan for Week 10. Read Chapter 10 of Creswell, Reporting and evaluating research, as needed to understand the format and elements of a research proposal. Conduct a literature review relevant to the research issue you selected on the mid-term exam. Create a personal database of primary sources relevant to this issue. Include an APA-style reference for each entry into your database, as well as relevant notes about the research questions and findings. By midnight November ?, post a message to the Proposals thread of the Discussion Board which includes the following details: Subject Line: Identifies the educational issue you will examine for your research proposal. Message: In one or two paragraphs, informally discuss the discoveries you have made in regards to the educational issue during your literature search. In the remaining section, offer at least five primary sources (research reports) of information relevant to your educational issue. Offer these sources as references which conform to APA (2001).
Wk 11 11/2	What are the distinguishing characteristics of different types of experiments and quasi-experiments? What are potential threats to internal and external validity?	Read the Week 11 T&L Plan located at http://arose.iweb.bsu.edu/BSUCourses/ITEDU_699/LP/LP_11[experimental].htm Read Chapter 11 of Creswell (2008-2005), Experimental Designs. Optional: Review the PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 11 located in the T&L Plan section of Blackboard. Optional: Review An Introduction to Experimental Design, a multimedia presentation. By midnight November 8, post an original response in the Discussion Board to one of the following questions: What are potential threats to the validity of quasi-experimental designs? What strategies do experimental researchers use to control threats to validity? Can you identify an example? What is the nature of factorial designs? Can you summarize an example? What is the nature of a within-group design? Can you summarize an example? By midnight of November 8, identify the research question(s) and experimental methods you will select for your proposal. Post a message to the Discussion Board which includes the following headings and elements: Research Question: Pose one to three research questions which serve as the focus of your research proposal. Each question should identify the IV, DV, subjects, and research site. Experimental Design: Identify and describe the type of experimental design (e.g., pre- and posttest, factorial, repeated measures) you propose to inform the research questions. By midnight November 29, share a draft of your research proposal. By midnight of December 13, post your final research proposal to the Discussion Board of Blackboard.
Wk 12 11/9	What are the primary goals of the three required sections of a research proposal? What guidelines might be helpful when preparing the introduction, the literature review, and the methodology section to a research proposal? What is the function of limitations and assumptions in a research proposal?	Read the Week 12 T&L Plan. Review Chapter 10 of Creswell (2008 or 2005). Prepare an outline of your research proposal. Include headings for each section (Introduction, Literature Review, and Methods) and subsections (see sections above). Although it is expected that your narrative will still be incomplete, provide bullet lists or narratives for the main point you plan to cover in each subsection. By midnight of November ??, identify the research question(s) and experimental methods you will select for your proposal. Post a message to the Discussion Board which includes the following headings and elements: Research Question: Pose one to three research questions which serve as the focus of your research proposal. Each question should identify the IV, DV, subjects, and research site. Experimental Design: Identify and describe the type of experimental design (e.g., pre- and posttest, factorial, repeated measures) you propose to inform the research questions. No later than midnight November ??, share an outline of your research proposal by posting a Word document (.doc, not .docx) to the Blackboard Discussion Board. By midnight November 29, share a draft of your research proposal. By midnight of December 13, post your research proposal to the Discussion Board of Blackboard.
Wk 13 11/16	What are similarities and differences between causal-comparative and experimental designs? What are similarities and differences between evaluation studies and experimental designs? What strategies do researchers use to enhance the "significance" of a study? What sampling strategies enhance external validity?	Read the Week 13 T&L Plan. Learn more about evaluation research by reading Introduction to Evaluation (Trochim, 2005). Review the Week 12 T&L Plan and Chapter 6, Collecting quantitative data, and Chapter 11, Experimental Designs, of Creswell (2008 or 2005). Apply these guidelines to the development of a research proposal which employs experimental or quasi-experimental methods. No later than midnight November ??, share an outline of your research proposal by posting a Word document (.doc, not .docx) to the Blackboard Discussion Board. (10 points) Post at least two messages to the Discussion Board as specified below: By midnight of November ??, in the Significance thread, critique the post immediately before or after yours. In other words, authors of post 1 and 2 should critique each others work, authors of post 3 and 4 should critique each others work, and so on. Please offer suggestions for improvement. By midnight of November ??, critique the post immediately before yours. Offer suggestions for improvement. By midnight November 29, share a draft of your research proposal. By midnight of December 13, post your research proposal to the Discussion Board of Blackboard.
11/26	Happy Thanksgiving!	Refer to the Teaching and Learning Plan for Week 13.
Wk 14 11/30	PROPOSAL REVIEW	LA 13b: By midnight, November 26, read the draft posted immediately after yours and offer SUBSTANTIVE feedback to the writer. The last person to post should offer feedback to the first posting. Your goal here is to help each other refine their purpose statement, research questions, and definitions of terms.
Wk 15 12/7	Final Edits to the PROPOSAL What adjustments can improve the quality of your research proposal? What criteria should be used to evaluate research proposals and reports?	Read the T&L Plan for Week 15. Evaluate your proposal according to the criteria presented by Creswell (2008, p. 272-292; 2005, p. 268-276) and Rose (see Assessment Criteria for Research Proposal). Revise your experimental proposal based upon feedback the instructor. By midnight of December 13, post your research proposal to the Discussion Board of Blackboard.
Wk 16 12/14	REFLECTION What have you learned about the logic, approaches, methods, and outcomes of educational research?	To bring ITEDU 699 to a close, you should: Read the Teaching and Learning Plan for Week 16. By December 18, upload your Self Reflection and Assessment document to the Blackboard Dropbox. In this document, reflect upon the course goals, course activities, and your own learning process. Assess your learning process according to the criteria outlined within the document. By December 19, post a farewell message to the Discussion Board.