Research Methods
Course UTLS 3040
SECTION 001
Fall 2012
COE Mission:
We prepare teachers, leaders, and
counselors who
embrace equity, inquiry
and innovation.
COE Student Resource Office
Office Hours
8:00am-5:00pm M-F
Contact
education@uccs.edu
Phone: 719-255-4996
Fax:
719-255-4110
Columbine Hall
1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
http://www.uccs.edu/~coe/
Professors:
Office:
Required Textbook: Research Methods for Science by Michael
Marder (Cambridge University Press, 2011, ISBN: 978-0-521-145848).
Course Format: This course is primarily a laboratory course in
which students develop and practice skills that are fundamental to the
scientific enterprise.
Course Overview: Research Methods emphasizes the use of
mathematics to model and explain both the natural and man-made
worlds. It requires a substantial amount of writing. The written
inquiries that students produce are evaluated as examples of scientific
writing. Key instructional approaches include intensive coaching of
students by Natural Sciences faculty, master teacher(s) and teaching
assistants for the development of laboratory or field-based inquiries;
individual and independent student investigation and experimentation
on inquiries; student collaboration in groups to perform activities that
develop scientific thinking and mathematical modeling with instructor
as facilitator; student presentations with peer, instructor, master
teacher and teaching assistant feedback; interactive discussions
around topics presented through direct teach.
Relevance to Future Teachers
Why did the UTeach program create this course?
Most scientists agree that learning about science has two aspects. The first is to learn material
that has already been established: the structure of DNA, how to find forces on blocks being
pushed up a ramp, the definition of an acid, and so on. Most high school and college science
courses are mainly devoted to presenting knowledge of this sort. The second is to learn how
scientists gained this knowledge, how new discoveries gain authority and are adopted by the
scientific community, how to evaluate scientific claims when they conflict, and to how design
and carry out investigations to answer new questions. Education in this aspect of science has
traditionally been left mainly to graduate school. UTeach believes it should become part of high
school and college curricula as well, because this second aspect of science is the most important
in the long run for most citizens to know. Research Methods will simultaneously provide you
specific techniques needed to address scientific questions, and an example of how to provide this
sort of training for students through individualized instruction.
I’m a math major. Why should I take a course on scientific research?
Almost all of the mathematics currently taught in secondary schools was originally developed for
scientific applications, and the selection of mathematical topics is heavily influenced by the
significance of mathematics for other fields. In this class, you will have the opportunity to use
mathematics the way scientists do, to analyze your own data, or to create models of physical
phenomena. You will have experience with mathematics in action that you can use to motivate
students for whom pure math in and of itself is not sufficiently appealing.
I’m a science major. Why do I need another science lab course?
Most, although not all, undergraduate science laboratory courses have canned experiments that
have been thought out for you in advance, and if you follow the instructions you can reproduce
results obtained by generations of students before you. Scientists working on new experiments,
however, have to be innovative and come up with their own ideas and designs. In this course we
train you to think like a scientist. You choose your own questions and design your own
experiments to answer them. This experience is very important if you ever want to guide your
own students through independent scientific projects.
How does this course relate to other courses I will be taking?
In many of your UCCS Teach classes you will read and talk about various styles of teaching.
Most of your science classes at the University will be in one style; lecture sections, perhaps
accompanied by lab sections. Research Methods will provide you with an example of a science
class taught with an inquiry focus. You will design and carry out projects similar to those
discussed in Project-Based Instruction. Research Methods also complements Perspectives:
whereas Perspectives describes the history of how science came to be, and the fundamental ideas
that underlie it, Research Methods provides practical experience with tools scientists use today.
How can I get the most out of this course?
At the heart of Research Methods are independent inquiries that you design and carry out. You
will get the most out of the class if the projects challenge you and you actually care to know the
results. You can choose inquiry topics to fill in gaps in your knowledge, to prepare to teach
subjects you think of as challenging, or to answer questions that have always interested you. The
homeworks and classroom assignments have all been chosen carefully to provide technical
support for the most common difficulties students encounter in inquiries. However, we cannot
anticipate all problems, so make sure to remain in frequent contact with course instructors,
particularly if an inquiry is not working out as expected. Real scientific work can at times be
tedious; it takes both patience and innovation to obtain new scientific results.
Should I do my Final Inquiry project in Physics, Chemistry, or Biology?
We typically recommend that math majors do final projects in Physics, because it is easiest to
find projects with substantial mathematical content in Physics. Some science majors choose the
discipline with which they are least familiar to gain more experience with it. On the other hand,
science majors who sign up in their primary discipline can carry out projects of greater depth.
Instructors will deal flexibly with students, depending on their backgrounds and experience.
Please consult UCCSTeach instructors as part of determining which discipline is best for you.
Course Expectations:
The course grade will be based upon 13 elements. These are:
• 10 % Class and laboratory attendance, as determined by checks of active participation
and submission of in–class assignments.
• 25 % Homework assignments (10 assignments)
• 5 % Inquiry 1
• 2 % Inquiry 2 proposal
• 3 % Inquiry 2 draft. The draft need not be accepted if the proposal was not turned in
on time.
• 3 % Inquiry 2 oral presentation
• 10 % Inquiry 2 final writeup. The final writeup need not be accepted unless the first
draft was turned in on time, the presentation was delivered, and the student participated in
partner grading.
• 10 % Inquiry 3 writeup
• 2 % Inquiry 4 proposal
• 5 % Debate presentation
• 5 % Inquiry 4 draft. The draft need not be accepted if the proposal was not turned in
on time.
• 5 % Inquiry 4 oral presentation
• 15 % Inquiry 4 final writeup. The final writeup need not be accepted unless the first
draft was turned in on time, the presentation was delivered, and the student participated in
partner grading.
Some course topics will be covered only in class, and you must be present to receive credit. If
you turn assignmentsin late without approval, you will lose 10% of the value of the assignment
for each week it is late. Your final inquiries writeups will be graded according to a rubric and
checklists you can find on the course website. Inquiry drafts will be graded by checking off
whether the major sections of the report have been completed (Abstract, Introduction, Design,
Analysis, Conclusions).
Rewrite policy: Final drafts of Inquiries 1, 2, and 3 that have been turned in on time can be
rewritten for additional credit. Contact your instructor for details of the policy.
Your inquiries will be evaluated both on content and the quality of written expression. There will
be no formal examinations.
You should have a binder or folder where you keep all of your work for the course. You should
also have a notebook where you record both class notes and laboratory observations.
Research Methods will require you to use equipment provided by UCCSTeach and academic
departments. In many cases you will check materials out for use outside the classroom. You are
responsible for all items in your care and must return them in a timely fashion. Failure to do so
may result in financial bars.
Course Objectives:
Students will be able to:
• create their own experiments to answer scientific questions.
• design experiments to reduce systematic and random errors and use statistics to interpret the
results.
• use probes and computers to gather and analyze data.
• use statistics to interpret experimental results and deal with sampling errors.
• treat human subjects in an ethical fashion.
• apply safe laboratory procedures.
• find and read articles in the scientific literature.
• create mathematical models of scientific phenomena.
• apply scientific arguments in matters of social importance.
• write scientific papers.
• give oral presentations of scientific work.
Technology Competencies: It is expected that students have basic computing skills that include
using Microsoft Word to write papers, ability to attach documents to email, accessing online
research databases, and corresponding by email. Knowledge of the use of technology-supported
multimedia, such as PowerPoint and other audio/video resources, is a plus.
Communications outside of class will be by email. All students must obtain a UCCS email
address and check it regularly (daily) so as not to miss announcements. If your UCCS address is
not your primary one, have emails from it rerouted to the one you check daily.
Blackboard will be used to manage this course, which includes the syllabus, course schedule, and
assignment criteria. Students need to become familiar with document sharing, assignment dropbox, and the grade book.
Attendance, Preparation, and Participation:
Students are expected to maintain high standards of ethical and professional conduct. This
includes attending class, being adequately prepared, contributing to class discussions, submitting
high caliber work and representing your own work fairly and honestly. As an important member
of a classroom community, attendance and punctuality is mandatory. You must actively engage
in class and group work to maximize your learning in this course.
If you must miss a class, please inform the professor by phone or email prior to class. It is the
responsibility of the student to obtain course information that is missed during the absence.
Unexcused absences will result in a lower grade.
Professional Behavior:
Professional behavior is necessary for you to be a successful member of a learning community.
Please monitor your participation in class discussions and group work and find ways to
contribute intelligently to the discussion without silencing others. All written assignments must
be computer generated unless otherwise indicated by the professor. Professional behavior will be
expected in your future teaching/counseling career and is often the hallmark of career success.
Diversity Statement: The faculty of the College of Education is committed to preparing
students to recognize, appreciate, and support diversity in all forms – including ethnic, cultural,
religious, gender, economic, sexual orientation and ability – while striving to provide fair and
equitable treatment and consideration for all. Any student who believes that he/she has not been
treated fairly or equitably for any reason should bring it to the attention of the instructor,
Department Chair or the Dean of the College of Education.
Accommodations: The College of Education wishes to fully include persons with disabilities in
this course. In compliance with section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
UCCS is committed to ensure that “no otherwise qualified individual with a disability … shall,
solely by reason of disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
subjected to discrimination under any program or activity…” If you are a student with a
disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to
contact and register with the Disabilities Services Office, and provide them with documentation
of your disability, so they can determine what accommodations are appropriate for your
situation.
To avoid any delay in the receipt of accommodations, you should contact the Disability Services
Office as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and disability
accommodations cannot be provided until a “Faculty Accommodation Letter” from the
Disability Services office has been given to the professor by the student. Please contact
Disability Services for more information about receiving accommodations at Main Hall room
105, 719-255-3354 or dservice@uccs.edu .
Military Students: Military students who have the potential to participate in military activities
including training and deployment should consult with faculty prior to registration for any
course, but no later than the end of the first week of classes. At this time, the student should
provide the instructor with a schedule of planned absences, preferably signed by the student's
commander, in order to allow the instructor to evaluate and advise the student on the possible
impact of the absences.
In this course, the instructor will consider absences due to participation in verified military
activities to be excused absences, on par with those due to other unavoidable circumstances such
as illness. If, however, it appears that military obligations will prevent adequate attendance or
performance in the course, the instructor may advise the student to register for the course at
another time, when she/he is more likely to be successful.
Student Appeals:
Students enrolled in programs or courses in the College of Education may access the COE
Appeal/Exception Form at:
http://www.uccs.edu/Documents/coe/studentresources/AppealsForm2009.pdf. This form is to be
used for an appeal when a student is:
(1) denied admission to professional education program
(2) denied permission to student teach or complete professional internship
(3) removed from a professional education program or internship
(4) denied permission to graduate due to missing requirements
(5) requesting an exception to specific policies, procedures, or requirements
(6) requesting a grade change
This form is not to be used for requests to take classes out of sequence or to take a class without
the proper prerequisites. Such requests should be initiated with the department chair.
UCCS Student Code of Conduct:
The purpose of the Student Code of Conduct is to maintain the general welfare of the university
community. The university strives to make the campus community a place of study, work, and
residence where people are treated, and treat one another, with respect and courtesy.
http://www.uccs.edu/~oja/student-conduct/student-code-of-conduct.html
UCCS Student Rights and Responsibilities:
http://www.uccs.edu/orientation/student-rights-and-responsibilities.html
UCCS Academic Ethics Code:
http://www.uccs.edu/Documents/vcaf/200-019%20StudentAcademic%20Ethics.pdf
Date
Topic
Jan 20
Curiosity and scientific
inquiry
Balloons: Inquiry I
Preparation
Inquiry I Preparation
Jan 20
Jan 27
Jan 27
Feb 3
Feb 3
Falling objects; Experimental
design I
Sliding objects: Experimental
design II
Safety, Inquiry II
Homework 1 Grading
Discussion & Statistics
Motivation
Graphical analysis of data:
Project in
Progress
Inquiry I
Reading
Homework
Start
Chapter 1
1 (Inquiry Grading)
Inquiry II
Chapter 2
Appendix A
Due
Inquiry I
2 (Excel)
Homework 1
Inquiry II Proposal
Feb 10
Feb 10
Feb 17
Feb 17
Feb 24
Feb 24
Mar 2
Inquiry II
Statistics: Overview
sampling and averaging
Inquiry II
Statistics: Standard Deviation,
Standard Error
Inquiry II
Statistics: Distributions,
Central Limit Thm.and Z tests
Inquiry III
Mar 2
Mar 9
Statistics: t tests: and now it's
up to you. AND Inquiry II
partner grading
Inquiry III and c2
Inquiry II presentations
Mar 9
Inquiry IV planning
Mar 16
Scientific Literature:
Existence & Searching
Inquiry IV; proposal review
Modeling: Order of
magnitude
Mar 16
Mar 23
Mar 23
Mar 30
April 6
April 6
April 13
April 13
April 20
April 20
April 27
April 27
May 4
May 4
Final
Exam
(May 11)
Sample
Inquiries
3 (Human Subjects)
Homework 2
Chapter 3
4 (Statistics)
Homework 3
5 (Inquiry grading)
Inquiry II draft
Homework 4
Inquiry
III
Homework 5
6 ( c2 )
Chapter 5
Homework 6
Inquiry II Final
Inquiry
IV
Chapter 4
7 (Literature Search)
Inq IV Proposal 1
8 (Estimation)
Inquiry III
Inq IV Proposal 2
Homework 7
9 (M&Ms)
Homework 8
11 (Position paper)
Homework 9
10 (Inquiry Grading)
Inquiry IV draft
Homework 10
Inquiry IV
SPRING BREAK
Modeling: M&Ms [M&Ms,
plates] and Temperature
Probe
Inquiry IV
Numerical Modeling: using
Excel to solve the heat
equation and nonlinear
pendulum
Inquiry IV
Modeling Wrap-up,
Presentation Preparation
Inquiry IV
Presentations – HW 11
Inquiry IV
Inquiry IV – final touches
and presentation preparation
Inquiry discussions with
partners
Presentations – Inquiry IV
Presentati
ons
Presentation
articles
Homework 11
Inquiry IV final
Research Methods Learning Goals (colors correspond to syllabus items)
• Pose scientific questions and design experiments to answer scientific questions.
• Design experiments to reduce systematic and random errors.
• Use statistics to interpret experimental results.
• Use probes and computers to gather and analyze data.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Treat human subjects in an ethical fashion.
Apply safe laboratory procedures.
Create mathematical models of scientific phenomena.
Find and read articles in the scientific literature.
Apply scientific arguments in matters of social importance.
Write scientific papers.
Review scientific papers.
Give oral presentations of scientific work.
Assignments (graded activities):
Assignments, UTLS 3040 Science Research Methods,
Spring 2012
Inquiry 1: Home Discovery
Description: Home Inquiry (Assignment 1.1 of Chapter 1)
• Put your name in the header of each document so that it appears on each page, and
number pages.
• Due: January 27
Background. For this assignment, you need to perform a bit of scientific inquiry away from an
academic setting. Write a paper (you can think of it as a lab write-up) that describes what you
learned. It is up to you to decide what you will investigate, as well as the format for the write-up.
The results do not have to be terribly long. One to two typed pages should do.
Selecting a topic: Here is the hard part. BE CURIOUS!! You do not need anything more than
what can readily be accomplished around the house, dorm, or outdoors. Let your curiosity take
hold. However, do not carry out any project involving human subjects or vertebrate
animals unless you verify with your instructor that there are no safety concerns with your idea.
Length: 1–2 typed pages
Yes, you are being asked to do an assignment before you have learned anything in this course.
This effort will give you an opportunity to find out just how much you already know, or don’t
know, about science in action. If you take a look at the course outline, you will be learning about
Experimental Design, Statistics, Modeling, and Presentation as the semester goes along. For
now, though, please don’t do anything other than what you already know how to do. You can use
this assignment for comparison with assignments you produce after you learn more.
Comments: We are modeling the assessment technique of designing authentic pre- and postassessments and comparing student work samples before and after a unit or course. While not all
students perform well on standardized tests or other forms of traditional assessments, authentic
assessments based on measurable change in student work provide an alternative and powerful
measure of what students really know and can do after instruction.
Grading: This inquiry will be evaluated according to the Inquiry 1 Grading Checklist. This
checklist has fewer items on it than the checklists that will be used as the course progresses. By
the end you will be responsible for many elements of scientific research, but for the moment you
will mainly be held accountable for a good-faith effort to investigate something, turn in the paper
on time, and write the results up clearly. In most cases, including a graph is valuable to explain
the results clearly.
Homework 1: Inquiry Grading
Description: Assignment 1.2 of Chapter 1. The paper you are to evaluate is called “Seilman
Inquiry” and is available for download at the course Blackboard site. In addition to your written
comments, assign points either using the full course rubric, or else with the Inquiry 4 Grading
Checklist, also available at the course website. Note that points on the rubric and checklist do not
add to 100. In categories where there are errors, you subtract points from the maximum score of
90, and adding a bonus if appropriate.
Due: February 3
Inquiry 2: Independent Laboratory Investigation
Description: Laboratory Inquiry (Assignment 2.1 of Chapter 2)
Due Dates:
• Feb. 3, initial proposal due. For guidelines on how to write the proposal, see Section 2 in
Chapter 5.
• Feb 24, first draft. Bring two copies of the draft, one for instructors, and one for your
inquiry grading partner.
• Any extensions desired for this draft must be negotiated with your inquiry grading
partner.
• Mar 9, in-class oral presentations
• Mar 9, final draft
Guidelines:
• Put your name in the header of each document so that it appears on each page, and
number pages.
Purpose: Create a quantitative data set in a controlled laboratory setting and subject it to
statistical analysis.
Background: This assignment takes place in a formal laboratory setting. Your instructors will
tell you what scientific equipment you have available to select from. The questions you can ask
will be constrained by the equipment. However, your ability to collect quantitative data should
improve because you will be able to work with instruments not typically available at home. You
may not be as inventive as you can be when pursuing questions that make you curious at home,
but you should be able to perform more precise work.
You should perform an investigation chosen from the first and third types listed in Chapter 1;
investigate a hypothesis, as in Section 1.3.1, or measure a function as in Section 1.3.3. Plan to
use statistics in evaluating your results, and take your data with the idea in mind that you will
subject them to statistics later on.
Safety: If your assignment involves chemicals, you must demonstrate familiarity with chemical
safety through successful completion of a chemistry laboratory course or completion of a
chemical safety exam.
Length: 3 – 5 typed pages. It is generally not a problem to exceed this length.
Report: Please include the following sections:
1. Title.
2. Abstract. This paragraph should explain the purpose of your inquiry, and then summarize
the main results. It should be written in present or past tense. Write this section after you
have completed all the work. Imagine that you are trying to prepare a single paragraph
that will be published by itself in a newspaper to explain to huge numbers of people what
you have found.
3 Introduction. This section should explain the motivation for your inquiry, and should
incorporate background information including theories and models. An introduction
explains the “hook” to the reader—in other words, what is the significance of this inquiry
and why did you decide to spend time investigating it? It also provides enough essential
background information to ground the reader about current research in the field.
4 Experimental design. Imagine in writing this section of your report that you are preparing
a lab manual. Your goal is to enable other people to reproduce your experiment.
Therefore, you will need to include a description of all the materials you used, and
diagrams that explain how the apparatus was constructed. It is perfectly appropriate for
you to explain wrong steps that you took, so as to warn others away from repeating your
mistakes.
5 Analysis, including an appropriate statistical treatment of the data and explanation of
whether your findings are statistically significant.
6 Conclusions. State in this section what you found in your experiment and what you have
learned. You should set yourself the goal of being honest. On the one hand, you should
not minimize the effort you have put into the experiment, and you should not dismiss or
underestimate your own results. On the other hand, you should not claim to have found
things that your results do not support. You are free to write about how you might do the
experiment otherwise if you could do it again, and to make suggestions for yourself or
others to pursue in the future.
7 Data. You should include enough raw data to enable evaluators to check your results.
You can either include the data in the body of the report, or else in an appendix. In some
cases, you may choose to provide the instructor with electronic copies of your data.
Comments on Project: For this assignment, you may use equipment in SENG B 302A, which is
similar to the kind of technology and equipment you will have access to in a well–supplied
science or mathematics department in secondary schools. After a first laboratory session in
which you explore equipment, you should turn in a brief description of the experiment you
intend to perform. This proposal will give us the chance to provide some
preliminary advice on the direction you are taking.
Comments on Report:
Introduction. From the perspective of UTeach master teachers who have guided several
hundred students through science fair projects, it is the introduction that illustrates how well or
how poorly a student is prepared to conduct an experiment. Again, as you learn to write
introductions that provide context for your own inquiries, you will develop skills in assessing
your own students’ abilities to provide a rationale for their work.
Experimental design. For a teacher, the ability to provide a clear and accurate description of an
experiment is very important, both so that you can guide your own students, and also so that you
can describe innovative projects you have developed to other teachers.
Analysis: Students in this class sometimes view statistical analysis as cumbersome and
irrelevant, The UTeach Master Teachers have found that most high school students struggle
mightily with this aspect of inquiry reports. Many high school students can master the technical
skill of putting data into a calculator or spreadsheet and punching buttons to spew out their stats
but few to none are capable of explaining what these mysterious values tell them about their
data. This fatal flaw has caused more than one aspiring science fair student to not make the final
cut for the next level of competition. Your experience with the discussion of your own data
through statistical analysis will provide you with the requisite skills to guide your students
through similar explanations, allowing them to draw conclusions that are supported by their
work. Master Teachers become truly masterful when they can demonstrate that their innovations
in teaching are impacting student achievement in their classroom significantly. As you
experiment with innovation in your classroom, you will want to gather data and apply
appropriate statistical techniques to determine if your innovations are working. A cogent
discussion of statistical techniques employed to analyze your data will convince colleagues to
follow your example, administrators to support your efforts and provide resources that you need.
In addition, the more prestigious education research publications require statistical analysis
of data. Well–documented studies that are statistically validated will also enhance your
applications for grants and allow you to get even more funds for your classroom.
Grading: This inquiry will be evaluated according to the Inquiry II Grading Checklist. You will
be paired with another student in the class, and the two of you will read and assess each other’s
assignments. The instructors will grade your first draft by checking that you made a good faith
effort to complete each of the major sections of the report, and by checked that you turned the
assignment in on time. The peer grade of your draft will not enter directly into your grade, but it
will play a role in the grade of your final writeup. Your final draft will be evaluated attentively.
Instructors will pay particular attention to whether corrections suggested concerning the first
draft have been implemented in the final writeup. These suggestions can come from peer and
instructor evaluation of the first draft, or from comments during the oral presentation.
Note that your final inquiry writeup need not be accepted if you have not submitted a draft on
time, or have not delivered a presentation, or have not graded your partner’s inquiry.
Homework 2: Excel
Description: Assignments A.1, A.2, and A.3 of Appendix A
Due: Feb. 10
Turning it in: Put the three exercises in one file. Name the file using the following format:
HW2_your_name.xls, e.g. HW2_Sed_Keller.xls. Put Exercise 1 in the first tab (Sheet 1),
Exercise 2 in the second tab (Sheet 2), and Exercise three in the third tab (Sheet 3). Please check
that your file is no more than 200kB in size, and email it
to the instructor.
Homework 3: Human Subjects Training
Description: Assignment 2.3 in Chapter 2.
Due: February 17
Homework 4: Statistics
Description: Assignments 3.2, 3.3,3.4, and 3.5 in Chapter 3.
Due: February 24
Inquiry 3: Surveying and Testing
Description: Surveying and Testing (Assignment 3.1 of Chapter 3.)
Due: March 23
Guidelines:
• Put your name in the header of each document so that it appears on each page, and
number pages.
• Turn in your permission forms and survey sheets
Purpose: Conduct and carry out a survey of opinion, knowledge, or learning and employ
statistics to analyze the results.
Background: In this inquiry, you should build upon your knowledge of statistics as you apply it
to one of the most important and controversial areas of research, the investigation of people’s
opinions and knowledge.
Teamwork: You may choose a partner for this assignment. Together with your partner, you
should settle on some question that involves other peoples’ opinions or knowledge. Design a
survey or assessment instrument that provides you information to answer your question. If you
work in a team, it is highly recommended that your partner should be someone in the same
laboratory section. Teams larger than 2 are discouraged, as it becomes easier for one or two in
the team to do almost all the work
Factors: Although you have very broad freedom in what sorts of questions you address, you
should include at least one potentially significant factor in your survey or test. For example, you
might see whether men and women respond to something similarly or differently. You might
look for variations based upon age, or on which instructor students have had.
Ethical Treatment of Human Subjects: Before beginning your survey, you will need to
provide instructors with evidence that you have completed NIH training on ethical treatment of
human subjects. You must conduct this survey in accord with the guidelines that govern research
on human subjects in an academic setting. In particular, you must obtain signed consent from
every participant, and you must conduct the survey in such a way that the responses of all
participants are anonymous, but any participant who chooses to withdraw from the study after it
is completed can do so. Procedures and forms to assist in this process are on page 46.
Length: The report should be 2 – 4 typed pages.
Report Requirements: Although you may design your surveys or tests in teams, please type up
individual reports. The interpretation and discussion of the data should be yours, although the
data may be shared. Please include the following sections
1. Title
2. Abstract. This paragraph should explain the purpose of your inquiry, and then summarize
the main results. It should be written in present or past tense.
3. Introduction, including background information.
4. Survey. A copy of the survey or test you developed, with a discussion of why you settled
on its final form.
5. Analysis. Statistical discussion of results, especially discussion of whether factors you
investigated were statistically significant.
6. Conclusions.
7. Survey sheets. You must turn in the permission forms and response sheets from which
you compiled your survey so that the instructors can verify that you properly followed
procedures concerning ethical treatment of human subjects.
Schedule: Use the first lab period to construct your survey, and the second one to deliver it, or to
analyze the results
Comments: Although your questions may seem as though they could never hurt anyone, and the
procedures for protecting human subjects may seem like too much work, they are required, for
example, in secondary science fair projects involving human subjects, so you may as well learn
them now.
As you enter your classroom and begin to explore teaching, you will want to experiment with
innovative lessons and instructional techniques. The development and implementation of these
innovations should be carried out in a professional manner so that lessons learned from your
classroom experiments can be presented at teaching conferences or published in educational
journals. Your school district as well as the journals in which you may wish to publish will
require that you obtain appropriate permissions from students (and their parents) who participate
in your classroom experiment. The lessons learned in this inquiry will provide you with the
requisite knowledge and skills to carry out such classroom research projects.
Grading: This inquiry will be evaluated according to the Inquiry 3 grading checklist. Please note
that you must acknowledge your team members, if any, and explain their contributions to the
project. You must turn in your survey sheets to avoid penalties for the first item on the checklist.
Homework 5: Peer Grading
Description: Assignment 2.2 of Chapter 2.
Due: March 2
Comments: Your instructor will assign you an inquiry grading partner, and you will be
responsible for evaluating the first draft of their second inquiry. The goal is for you to obtain
some practice grading papers on open-ended topics. This is not an easy task, but every most
teachers must learn to do it, and it is the basic skill underlying the peer-review process for
scientific publication. The more constructive advice you offer the person you are evaluating, the
better their final paper will have a chance to be.
Homework 6: χ2 Test
Description: Assignments 3.6 and 3.7 of Chapter 3.
Due: March 9
Presentation 1: Inquiry 2
Description: You will give an oral presentation of your work on Inquiry 2 to the class.
Due: March 9
Preparation: You should prepare roughly 2-4 PowerPoint slides, describing the title and
motivation for the work, and describing the main results. See Chapter 5, Section 5.
Length: The presentation should last 2-3 minutes.
Homework 7: Literature Search
Description: Assignment 5.2 of Chapter 5.
Choose a challenging or open scientific question, either from the list in the assigned problem or
from the list in Assignment 5.3. First, search using Google and describe the best information you
find. Next, search using professional databases made available through your library and describe
the best information you find. You must turn in a brief description of the sorts of information you
found in your Google and database searches, and a minimum of two complete references to
recent articles from the peer-reviewed literature. For each article, locate the full text
electronically, print out the first page and hand it in.
Due: March 23
Homework 8: Order of Magnitude Estimates
Description: Assignment 4.3 of Chapter 4.
Due: April 6
Homework 9: M&M Decay
Description: Assignment 4.5 of Chapter 4.
Due: April 13
Homework 10: Peer Grading
Description: Assignment 2.2 of Chapter 2.
Due: April 20
Comments: Your instructor will assign you an inquiry grading partner, and you will be
responsible for evaluating the first draft of their final inquiry. They will evaluate yours. Please
highlight or indicate in bold specific changes that should be made to improve the final draft.
Your partner’s final grade will depend upon taking seriously your suggestions. More specifically,
for entries in the Grading Checklist where you make valid and reasonable suggestions for
change, if your partner does not make these changes in the final draft, he or she will get no
credit.
Homework 11: Open Questions Paper
Description: Assignment of 5.5 of Chapter 5.
Due: April 27
Comments: Write a 2-3 page paper on an open or challenging question is science or
mathematics. You may adopt a question from the list provided, or with instructor approval
choose another question of your own. You must make use of a minimum of 4 articles from the
peer-reviewed literature. The paper must cite the articles and provide clear evidence that you
have read the articles and make use of them in formulating your arguments.
Presentation 2: Open Questions Presentation
Description: You will give an oral presentation on the topic you have researched for Homework
11.
Due: April 27
Length: You will have 5 minutes for your presentation, plus a few minutes for questions. You
are encouraged to make use of graphs or pictures to explain your arguments, and may use the
computer/projector.
Grading: You will be graded according to the Presentation Checklist. Note that you must make
clear use of arguments from peer-reviewed scientific articles for full credit.
Inquiry 4: Final Inquiry
Description: Final Project (Assignment 1 of Chapter 5.)
Due Dates:
• March 16, first proposal. For guidelines on how to write the proposal, see Section 2 in
Chapter 5.
• March 23, second proposal
• April 20, first draft. Bring two copies of the draft, one for instructors, and one for your
inquiry grading partner. Any extensions desired for this draft must be negotiated with
your inquiry grading partner.
• May 4, final draft
• May 11 (Final Exam Day), oral presentation of project
Guidelines:
• Please type your report
• Put your name in the header of each document so that it appears on each page, and
number pages.
Purpose: Carry out final project, incorporating skills gained during class.
Background: You have carried out a number of inquiries of different types during the semester.
Your goal is now to combine the skills gained in these different inquiries into a final project.
These projects begin with curiosity, proceed with experimental design and taking of data,
continue with statistical analysis and modeling, and the ability to access the scientific
literature. You now should combine what you have been learning in a final project.
Length: 7 – 10 typed pages. It is generally not a problem to exceed this length.
Report: Please include the following sections
1. Title.
2. Abstract.
3. Introduction.
4. Experimental design.
5. Analysis, including an appropriate statistical treatment of the data.
6. Conclusions.
7. References. You should make use of the peer–reviewed literature as appropriate.
8. Data either in the body of the report, or as an appendix
Comments:
It is best if you design a project that can be carried out in the Osborne Center so that instructors
can check your progress each week. If your project is carried out in another space, it is
particularly important that you check in with the instructors every week during lab.
Grading: This inquiry will be evaluated according to the Inquiry 4 grading checklist. The
instructors will grade the first draft by checking that you have made a good faith effort to
complete the major sections of the report. The peer grade of your draft will not enter directly into
your grade, but it will play a role in the grade of your final writeup. Your final draft will be
evaluated attentively. Instructors will pay particular attention to whether corrections suggested
by your grading partner on the first draft have been implemented in the final writeup. Your final
grade will depend upon taking seriously your partner’s suggestions. More specifically, for entries
in the Grading Checklist where your partner has made valid and reasonable suggestions for
change, if you do not make these changes in the final draft, you will get no credit. Note that your
final inquiry writeup need not be accepted if you have not submitted a draft on time, or have not
delivered a presentation, or have not graded your partner’s inquiry.
Presentation 3: Inquiry 4
Description: You will give an oral presentation of your work on Inquiry 4 to the class.
Preparation: You should prepare roughly 10-20 PowerPoint slides, describing the motivation,
background, design, results, analysis, and conclusions.
Length: The presentation should last 8-10 minutes, depending upon the size of the class.
Due: May 11 - Final Exam period
Grading: You will be graded according to the Oral Presentation Checklist
Standards Covered:
Colorado Teacher Quality Standards
Quality Standard I: Element a-f
Quality Standard II: Element a, c-f
Quality Standard III: Element b, c, e, g-h
Quality Standard IV: Element a-c
Quality Standard V: Element d
Quality Standard VI: Element a
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards:
3.1, 3.2, 4.1–4.3, 5,1–5.3, 6.1, 9.1–9.3, 10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.5, 13.1–13.3, 14.1–14.7, 15.1–
15.3
National Science Teacher Association Standards:
1D, 1E, 3B, 5D, 9A, 9C, 9D