EDLC 732 Critical Inquiry and Research Design, Spring 2016
Course Section:
Meeting Time and Place:
Course Credit Hours:
Sections One (1), Two (2), and Three (3)
Date(s) to be Announced, Cedar Bluff Campus
One (1) Credit per each of Three Terms
Faculty Contact Information: Michael Burger, EdD; Cedar Bluff - 126; 865.384.8801;
michael.burger@lmunet.edu
I.
Course Description: This course is designed to provide candidates with directed experience in critical
inquiry and research design and to prepare candidates for the type of research/scholarship that will be
expected of them in their professional careers. This course is offered within each of the program’s five
concentrations to assist candidates in the design, development, and production of their dissertations.
This three-credit course is taught across three terms with the curriculum aligned to one credit hour taught
during each term. The course will be taught via a seminar approach to provide a context for candidates to
obtain help from faculty and peers. It is expected that the course instructor will collaborate extensively with
the chair of each candidate’s dissertation committee. Total responsibility for quality control of the
candidate’s document will reside with the instructor, the candidate’s committee (especially the chair), and
(as required), the Lead Dissertation Chair.
II.
Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of the three sections of EDLC 732, candidates will be able to:
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III.
demonstrate critical inquiry and research in the writing of the dissertation document.
construct a quantitative, qualitative, or a mixed-method approach to the research design.
use APA writing style and college-level grammar in the writing of the dissertation.
demonstrate the ability to use Zotero and the dissertation portal style set
work with their chair between class sessions to ensure preparation for each seminar
help and learn from their peers as they design their research and develop their dissertations
complete and defend a proposal
complete Chapters I – III, and seek approval of their IRB application
progress through the process of dissertation preparation – those who complete their data collection
before the end of the delivery of the third section of the course, will receive support and guidance
for the development of Chapters IV and V, and, if appropriate, the scheduling of their dissertation
defense.
Texts/Materials for the Course:
Recommended Resources
A. Doctoral Program Dissertation Manual
B. APA Manual 6th edition
Additional Resources
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a. LMU Dissertation Portal (document collection found under “Shared Documents”
b. Instructor Handouts
c. Zotero / Word
IV.
Course Requirements, Assessment (Learning Outcomes) and Evaluation Methods:
Attendance Policy:
At the graduate level, direct interaction with the course instructor and with other candidates is integral to
each candidate’s ability to acquire, integrate, and obtain a better context for, the knowledge and skills that
the course is designed to deliver. Therefore, each candidate is expected to attend each class and to interact
with the professor and other candidates when possible and appropriate during, as well as outside of, class
hours throughout the course. However, in the event a candidate is unable to attend a regular class session
due to circumstances beyond his or her control, the professor may request a face-to-face or Web-based
meeting to ascertain the extent to which the candidate has met the course obligations and to assign
additional study should such be required. Candidates who violate the policy will be given the option to
accept a lower grade for the course or to accept an incomplete until the attendance requirements.
Learning Outcomes:
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Candidates will integrate and apply information gleaned from those online activities related to the
course.
Candidates will identify and secure a chair for his or her dissertation committee
Candidates will collaborate with each other – collaboration will center on completing peer
reviews, offering constructive feedback, and making recommendations on each other’s work.
Requirements / Assignments
Instructors may realign curriculum and assignments to be offered during each of the three sections that
comprise EDLC 732 as dependent on candidate progress and degree of interest in various topics. The
following outline provides one possible delivery plan.
A.
B.
C.
Section One
a. Candidates will work with their chairs to reframe their research questions
b. Candidates will, working with their chair, produce a draft of Chapter I of their
dissertation
c. Candidates will upload the Chapter I draft to the Dissertation Portal
Section Two
a. Candidates will produce a rough draft of Chapter II (a bit of “meat on the bones”) and a
rough draft of Chapter III
b. Candidates will upload Chapter drafts to the Dissertation Portal for the chairs of their
dissertation committees for review and comment. Drafts will also be accessible to the
course instructor via the Dissertation Portal. Information from these reviews will be a
focus of class discussions.
c. Candidates will prepare for the permissions that are required for IRB review (e.g.,
questionnaires, surveys, permissions from authorities where the candidate will do his or
her research)
Section Three
a. Candidates will complete Chapter III of their dissertation
b. Candidates will obtain IRB approval (through their chairs) to obtain either a positive or
negative review. If positive, they will proceed with their study and writing, but, if
negative, they will rework their plan to comply with the IRB’s recommendations.
c. Candidates will review their work to ensure their dissertation reflects appropriate
references and citations; formatting; table of contents; list of tables / figures; and
pagination.
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Grades
As this course is offered across three terms (e.g., fall, spring, and the following fall), candidates will receive
marks as follows:
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V.
First Fall Term – “IP” indicating the course is “in progress”
Spring Term - “IP” indicating the course is “in progress”
Second Fall Term – Assignment of a letter grade that will indicate the candidate’s performance
across all three sections of the course.
Methods of Instruction: The candidate and instructor will collaborate to identify tools, applications,
activities, lectures, and /or a myriad of other resources that may be used to effectively and efficiently
facilitate learning around this area of study.
VI.
Clinical Experiences: In courses with Clinical Experiences, candidates will receive regular coaching
and feedback from mentors. The coaching process must be documented, for example, through an
Activity/Time Log or Formal Evaluations. (Not applicable to this course.)
VII.
Information Literacy/Technological Resources: [This section should include any type of
research materials or technology (i.e., Blackboard, LiveText or a bibliography) the student will need to use
for the classroom.]
Technology
Incoming students must be computer literate, able to use software for e-mail, word processing, web
browsing, and information retrieval. Students must have access to the Internet for communicating with
instructors and accessing learning resources. Computer access must be available on a personal
computer.
Turn-it-in
Portions of written materials may be required to be submitted to Turn-It-In, the computer program
designed for checking literature duplication. Submitting additional course work to Turn-It-In is at the
instructor’s discretion. Instructions will be available early in the semester on the Graduate Education
Office webpage.
LiveText
Each student will be required to establish an account with the LiveText program by the second
class session. LiveText is a web-based application offering a comprehensive suite of development,
management, and assessment tools. This suite of tools provides colleges and universities with the
capability to assess student work online using assessment instruments that have been developed and
implemented by the individual college faculty and/or departments. Specific instructions were
distributed on a separate handout at your orientation. LiveText may be purchased online at
https://c1.livetext.com or through the LMU Bookstore. LiveText Help is available on the Graduate
Office web page.
Library Resources
The Carnegie-Vincent Library provides access to many outstanding resources for students in Teacher
Education field, including tutorials, databases, and experienced reference librarians. Visit the library’s
website (library.lmunet.edu) for full details. There are many professional databases including: ERIC,
the Educational Resource Information Center, the premier database for education related journal
articles and documents containing over one million citations and links to more than 100,000
documents in full-text; ProQuest Education Journals database which contains access to 760 leading
journals of which over 600 are in full-text; ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Full Text: The
Humanities and Social Sciences Collection: A comprehensive collection of scholarly research in the
Humanities and Social Sciences, this database covers more than 1 million dissertations and theses;
Mental Measurements Yearbook which contains descriptive information & critical reviews of
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commercially-available standardized English-language educational, personality, aptitude,
neuropsychological, achievement & intelligence tests. Additionally, the library provides access to over
100 other databases and can obtain books and articles from libraries worldwide through Interlibrary
Loan.
IIX.
University Policies:
Students With Disabilities Policy: As a rule, all students must read and comply with standards of
the LMU Student Handbook and LMU catalogue. Any student seeking assistance in accordance with the
Americans Disabilities Act (1990 as amended) should contact the ADA Coordinator, Dan Graves, with
regard to required documentation and in order to make appropriate arrangements. Contact information:
dan.graves@lmunet.edu and/or 423.869.6267 (800-325-0900 ext. 6267).
Counseling: LMU counselors are available to help current students with personal, career and
academic concerns that affect academic success and quality of life. The Director of Counseling, Jason
Kishpaugh, can be contacted at jason.kishpaugh@lmunet.edu and/or 423.869.6401 (800-325-0900 ext.
6401).
Discrimination, Scholastic Dishonesty, Cheating, and Plagiarism Policies can be found in the
student handbook:
LMU’s website: http://www.lmunet.edu/campuslife/handbooks.shtml.
Course Evaluations: In addition to meeting degree requirements specified in the graduate and
undergraduate catalogs, all students are required to complete University-administered course evaluations.
Outcomes Assessment Testing: Degree requirements include participating in all outcomes
assessment testing (e.g., general education assessment, major field tests, etc.) and activities when requested.
Students may be required to complete one or more questionnaires and to take one or more standardized
tests to determine general educational achievement as a prerequisite to graduation (see appropriate catalog
for additional information).
All Associate of Science – Nursing; Associate of Science – Veterinary Health Science; and
Associate of Science – Veterinary Medical Technology students must take the General Education
Proficiency Profile examination.
LMU’s Inclement Weather Policy can be found at the following link to LMU’s website:
http://www.lmunet.edu/curstudents/weather.shtml. Students should check their LMU email during
delays/closures to receive information from individual faculty regarding potential assignments and/or other
course information.
Unit Commitment to Diversity – The School of Education recognizes differences among groups
of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities,
language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area. The unit designs, implements, and evaluates
curriculum and provides experiences for candidates to acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and
professional dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates can
demonstrate and apply proficiencies related to diversity. Experiences provided for candidates include
working with diverse populations, including higher education and K-12 school faculty, candidates, and
students in K-12 schools.
IX.
Mission Statements:
Lincoln Memorial University Mission Statement can be found at the following link to LMU’s
website: http://www.lmunet.edu/about/mission.shtml.
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Department Mission Statement:
The School of Education is dedicated to preparing professional educators of distinction who embody the
three core ideas of Lincoln Memorial University. We accomplish our mission through instilling the core
ideals of Values, Education and Service in candidates who:
 demonstrate the disposition of the education profession – Values
 articulate and live the knowledge base and understands of moral, social, and political
dimensions which will impact individual students, schools, districts, and communities for the
enrichment of society – Values
 demonstrate the teaching skills and learning strategies acquired through rigorous academic
studies and active engagement in real life classroom experiences while involved in field and
internship placements in partner P-12 schools – Education
 promote lifelong learning through continued professional development and scholarship –
Education
 assist in meeting the educational needs of an ever-increasing global society, especially the
underserved – Service
 articulate an understanding that all students can learn as well as demonstrate the disposition to
serve and teach diverse student populations – Service
Program Mission Statement
 Research - To provide a program that attracts high quality candidates and faculty and has
achieved recognition and positioning amongst those institutions and communities that others
acknowledged as leaders in conducting basic and applied research in education.
 Teaching / Leadership - To offer our students life-changing and meaningful educational
experiences that help them develop insights and skills and nourish their passion for “doing
education well” through effective instructional practices and a well-articulated and aligned
curriculum.
 Service, Dispositions, and Values - To provide a program in which its faculty and candidates
can engage in action research projects, consulting, and field experiences targeted to serve
local education agencies, communities, businesses, not-for-profit centers, and other such
entities.
X.
Honors Contract Addendum Information (if applicable):
XI.
Course Outline/Assignment/units of Instruction or Clinic Schedule:
Instructors may realign curriculum and assignments to be offered during each of the three sections that
comprise EDLC 732 as dependent on candidate progress and degree of interest in various topics. The
following outline provides one possible delivery plan.
A. Section One
i. Overview of dissertation chapters and structure for each Chapter (I-V); direction on
information that should be included in each Chapter
ii.
Focus on protocols, errors, resources, APA-LMU standards, management
requirements (acquisition of a chair)
iii.
Overview of the Significance, Study Design, and Theoretical Framework
B. Section Two
i. Collaborative (group) Study Design on Chapter I (partner, peer group, instructor)
ii.
Chapter II and Chapter III (topical outlines); collaborative feedback on Chapter
II and Chapter III (partner, peers, instructor, chair)
iii.
Production of a draft for the candidate’s IRB submission (check for completion
and supporting documentation)
C. Section Three
i. Overview and feedback on Chapters (partner, peers, instructor, chair)
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ii.
iii.
iv.
Production of a management plan for completion of dissertations
Development of outlines for Chapters IV and V
Collaborative feedback on Chapters I – III, and, if they exist drafts of Chapters
IV and V
v.Collaborative feedback on APA / LMU standards
vi.
Participation in mock defenses
XII.
[Each instructor may insert Miscellaneous course elements here, as desired –
numbered in sequence]: [OPTIONAL SECTION(s).]
XIII.
Important Dates in the Academic Calendar Fall/Spring 2016:
SECTION]
[OPTIONAL
Last Day to Add Classes
Martin Luther King Day (no classes)
Convocation (9:30 a.m.)
Last Day to Drop Course without “WD”
Last Day to Drop Course without “F”
Spring Break/Easter Holiday (no classes)
Last Day of Classes
Final Exams
XIV.
Student Community Engagement: A cornerstone of the University’s mission is service to humanity. As
part of the University’s Student Service Initiative, students receiving any form of institutional aid
participate in at least 10 hours of service learning per semester. Students are encouraged to network with
one another in classroom settings and with instructors and advisors for searching out and creating
appropriate service learning projects related to their field of study. For more information visit:
http://www.lmunet.edu/campuslife/initiative/index.shtml or contact the Associate Dean of Students.
XV.
THE INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVISE, ALTER AND/OR AMEND THIS
SYLLABUS, AS NECESSARY. STUDENTS WILL BE NOTIFIED IN WRITING AND/OR BY
EMAIL OF ANY SUCH REVISIONS, ALTERATIONS AND/OR AMENDMENTS. [OPTIONAL
SECTION/LANGUAGE.]
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