Wayland Baptist University-Amarillo
Division of Education
Mission: Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically challenging, learning
focused and distinctively Christian environment for professional success and service to God and humankind.
COURSE TITLE
EDUC 5302-VC01 Research Methods in Education
TERM AND DATES
Summer 2013 (May 28 – August 10)
INSTRUCTOR
J. B. Boren, PhD, CCES
Wayland Baptist University-Amarillo
4530 Canyon Dr.
Amarillo, TX 79109
Office Location: Room 104
Office: (806) 352-5207
E-Mail: borenjb@wbu.edu
OFFICE HOURS
by appointment
CLASS TIMES AND
LOCATION
This is an asynchronous class which is conducted online via the WBU
Blackboard system.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION
(CATALOG)
Development of research skills appropriate for educational and instructional
environments. Development of a research prospectus.
REQUIRED
RESOURCE
MATERIALS
Required Textbooks
Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Sorensen, C. K., and Walker, D. A. (2013).
Introduction to research in education, 9th ed. USA: Cengage. ISBN 9781-133-59674-5
OPTIONAL
MATERIALS
MS Excel, calculator, optional statistical software (i.e. SPSS, SAS, Minitab,
etc.).
PREREQUISITES: Graduate standing.
Syllabus Navigation
Course Outcome
Competencies
Attendance
Requirements
Grading
Description of
Assignments
Requirements for
the Online Student
Course Outline
Make-Ups Policy
Bibliography
Calendar of
Assignments
Course Outcome Competencies:
This course is designed to provide an introduction and overview to
personal health and wellness concepts and practices for the non-traditional college student. By the end of the
course, each student will be able to 1. Students will examine approaches to research including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods.
2. Students will interpret and evaluate research to become successful readers and consumers of research.
3. Students should be able to determine and operationally define the basic aspects of the research process
including identifying research problems; reviewing literature; specifying purposes for studies; collecting,
analyzing, and interpreting data; and evaluating and reporting the results of a study.
4. Students will construct and implement short assignments to demonstrate the basic research skills.
5. Students will demonstrate proficiency using APA format.
Attendance Requirements: (Online Class)
Students are expected to participate in all required instructional activities in their courses. Online courses are no
different in this regard; however, participation must be defined in a different manner.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Student “attendance” in an online course is defined as active participation in the course as described in
the course syllabus. Instructors in online courses are responsible for providing students with clear
instructions for how they are required to participate in the course. Additionally, instructors are
responsible for incorporating specific instructional activities within their course and will, at a minimum,
have weekly mechanisms for documenting student participation. These mechanisms may include, but
are not limited to, participating in a weekly discussion board, submitting/completing assignments in
Blackboard, or communicating with the instructor.
Students aware of necessary absences must inform the professor with as much advance notice as
possible in order to make appropriate arrangements.
Any student absent 25 percent or more of the online course, i.e., non-participatory during 3 or more
weeks of an 11 week term, may receive an F for that course. Instructors may also file a Report of
Unsatisfactory Progress for students with excessive non-participation.
Any student who has not actively participated in an online class prior to the census date for any given
term is considered a "no-show" and will be administratively withdrawn from the class without record.
To be counted as actively participating, it is not sufficient to log in and view the course. The student
must be submitting work as described in the course syllabus.
Additional attendance and participation policies for each course, as defined by the instructor in the course
syllabus, are considered a part of the university’s attendance policy.
Disability Statement:
Any student, who because of a disabling condition, may require some special
arrangement in order to meet course requirements, should contact the instructor on the first day of class to
make the necessary accommodations. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is
the policy of Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or
activity in the university. The coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of students with a
disability and should be contacted concerning accommodation requests at (806) 291-3765. Documentation of a
disability must accompany any request for accommodations.
Course Requirements and Grading Criteria
Because it is so important for teachers and administrators to effectively communicate ideas to colleagues,
parents, and administrators, writing clear and error-free English is a priority at the Wayland Baptist University
School of Education. Therefore, your ability to express your knowledge of educational concepts and theories with
clear and accurate writing will be assessed through your assignments. The evaluation will be based on both
content and mechanics.
Grading Policy and Scale
Discussion Board
Chapter Questions
Project (Research Paper)
Weekly DB Participation Assignments
Homework
Final Exam
150 pts.
200 pts.
300 pts.
100 pts.
150 pts.
100 pts.
Total
1000 pts.
A
B
C
D
F
900 and above
800-899
700-799
600-699
599 and below
Description of Assignments

Discussion Board- The discussion board assignments will take the place of in-class discussion in this
course; therefore, it is essential that you participate in a timely manner in order to have the appropriate
amount of interaction with your classmates. Full points will be earned not only by completion of all
assigned work on the discussion board, but also by completing it in a timely way (i.e., when the
discussions are ‘live’.) This portion of the class will comprise 15% of your final grade.
When responding to classmates’ work, one or two sentences per question is not enough. You are
required to respond to other students in a substantive way. Saying, ‘I agree’ is NOT a substantive
comment. If you agree, say why. If you don’t agree, use reasoned arguments, not emotion, as a
rebuttal. If you use the words, ‘I feel’ in your paper or your responses, you are probably arguing from
emotion, not from reason. Saying ‘I feel’ on a discussion board is a wide-open invitation for your
instructor to jump all over your comments and start searching your personal belongings without a
warrant (in a figurative way).

There will be WEEKLY DB assignments, per the new online attendance policy. These will occur in the
first 10 of the 11 weeks of the course, and will be worth 10 points each (10% of the total grade). Nonparticipation in these weekly assignments may result in an administrative drop from the course and may
have adverse financial aid consequences.

Chapter Questions- Sets of questions will be assigned for each chapter to reinforce your reading. Your
responses to these questions will comprise 20% of your grade in the course. Students will need to read
along in the supplied materials and web-based materials. You cannot be successful in an online class
format without reading (and re-reading) your textbook. You might have gotten away with not reading in
a face-to-face class by going to lectures. You won’t get away with that in an online course. Plus,
graduate work is always reading-intensive, as you must become familiar with the body of work that has
preceded you in your field of study. You must read.

Homework- There will be several problem-solving assignments posted; most of these will be completed
in Blackboard, though a few might be turned in by email. For specific statistical problems, Powerpoint,
Excel, or Word documents will be posted with specific instructions on how to work the problems. These
are worth 15% of the course grade.

Project (Research Paper)- Each student will prepare a skeleton of a research study which is to be turned
in at the end of the course. This is your research prospectus for your graduate degree. It will be a
model or basis for a study the student may wish to complete as part of the requirements for the degree,
or for a study done for the professional benefit of the student and/or his or her employer. This paper is
called ‘preliminary’ because it won’t be complete at the end of the term, in the sense that it will not be
ready to publish. This paper will have a complete (but abbreviated) Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, a partial
Chapter 3, and very little or no Chapters 4 and 5. This work may require the student to travel to local
libraries for research purposes. This paper is worth 30% of the course grade. Rough drafts will be
submitted via a Journal in Blackboard; the final copy will be submitted on Blackboard and emailed to the
instructor.

Final Exam- The final exam is a comprehensive exam covering the entire term. BONUS: If you turn in all
chapter questions, complete all the homework assignments on time, and meet each deadline for your
chapter drafts, you may waive (skip) the final exam. If you choose this option, your final grade will be
determined by dividing your total accumulated points by 900 instead of by 1000.
Specific Requirements for the Online Student
Compatible Computer and Access to Blackboard- You CANNOT take this course unless you can do the
followingo Have regular access to a computer
o Be able to log in to Blackboard, navigate, and find and complete your assignments
o Be able to rectify any software issues related to using Blackboard
o Be able to communicate with the instructor via email
o Know how to check to see if assignments have posted to Blackboard
If you cannot do ALL of the above, for the duration of the course, you must do one of the followingBorrow a friend’s computer, Find a public computer, or drop the course
**Computer incompatability, inability to understand how to use Blackboard, or
software issues are NOT excuses for non-completion of assignments!! **
Course Outline/Calendar of Assignments
Available Date
Due Date
Assignment
Points
May 28
May 31
Chapter 1, 2 Questions
10, 10
May 27
Jun 1
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 1)
10
May 30
Jun 7
Chapter 3 Questions
10
Jun 2
Jun 8
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 2)
10
May 28
Jun 13
Draft of Project Ch 1 Due
35
May 30
Jun 14
Chapter 4, 5 Questions
Jun 9
Jun 15
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 3)
May 29
Jun 20
Homework 1, 2, 3
Jun 4
Jun 21
Chapter 6 Questions
10
Jun 16
Jun 22
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 4)
10
Jun 4
Jun 28
Chapter 7 Questions
10
Jun 5
Jun 27
Homework 4, 5
Jun 23
Jun 29
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 5)
10
May 28
Jul 3
Draft of Project Ch 2 Due
35
Jun 11
Jul 5
Chapter 8, 9 Questions
10, 10
Jun 18
Jul 5
Chapter 10, 11 Questions
10, 10
Jun 31
Jul 6
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 6)
Jun 19
Jul 11
Homework 6, 7
Jun 25
Jul 12
Chapter 12, 13, 14 Questions
Jul 7
Jul 13
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 7)
10
Jun 19
Jul 15
Homework 8
20
May 28
Jul 18
Draft of Project Ch 3 Due
30
Jul 2
Jul 19
Chapter 15, 16, Questions
10, 10
Jul 14
Jul 20
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 8)
10
Jul 9
Jul 26
Chapter 18 Questions
10
Jul 10
Jul 25
Homework 9, 10, 11
Jul 21
Jul 27
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 9)
10
May 28
Aug 1
Final draft of Project due
200
Jul 16
Aug 2
Chapter 20, 21 Questions
15, 15
Jul 28
Aug 3
Weekly DB Participation (Wk 10)
10
Aug 5
Aug 9
Final Exam
100
10, 10
10
5, 5, 10
20, 20
10
20, 20
10, 10, 10
10, 10, 10
Email Account: As part of the basic requirements of this class, it is expected that every student will use their
WBU email account. Important- You must set up your WBU email account and log into it on a regular basis.
Otherwise, your emails to me from Blackboard will bounce when I try to return them to you, and you won’t get a
response. Email will be used by the instructor to disseminate information to students in such areas as general
information, quizzes, and assignments. I prefer the email contact to phone contact, especially if you are notifying
me of an absence. Whenever you contact the instructor by email, please put the assignment title (if applicable)
and section number in the subject line of the email. If your email address does not contain your name, please
add your name to the subject line as well. I can’t help you if I don’t know who you are or what class you are in.
Plagiarism Policy: Intellectual integrity and truthfulness are fundamental to scholarship. Plagiarism is a form of
cheating. Plagiarism occurs when a student fails to give proper credit when information is either quoted or
paraphrased or when a student takes credit for another person’s work. It may be either intentional or
unintentional; both are serious issues (but intentional plagiarism will incur more severe consequences).
Plagiarism will always result in an “F” on the assignment, and may result in an “F” in the course or expulsion from
the class or the university.
Other Information:
University students are expected to conduct themselves according to the highest standards of academic honesty.
Academic misconduct for which a student is subject to penalty includes all forms of cheating, forgery, or
plagiarism. The penalties for academic misconduct are severe and will be enforced. For specific information on
the policies and penalties relating to academic misconduct, see the WBU catalog or the student handbook.
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to cancel, change, modify, rearrange or otherwise divert from this
document, to make changes as I deem appropriate, or to change, without notice, any of the information or
requirements if I deem such change to be appropriate, in the best interest of the class as a whole, or when
necessary due to unforseen circumstances. This syllabus is not a contract, but a set of guidelines by which the
class will operate. No extra credit will be assigned or made available for this course.
Make-ups Policy- Since this course is asynchronous (not minute-by-minute live contact), and the units are open
for significant amounts of time, there will be NO make-ups allowed. If your work schedule has you away from
the internet for more than two weeks, contact me beforehand and we’ll work something out. This isn’t simple
hard-headedness on my part; once an assignment times out (closes) on Blackboard, it cannot be re-opened for a
single student. It is all or nothing. So please don’t miss assignments, and if you do, please don’t ask for makeups.
Bibliography
Cresswell, J. (2005). Educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative
research, 2nd ed. Pearson: Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Freund, R. J., & Wilson, W. J. (1993). Statistical methods. Boston: Academic Press, Inc.
Gay, L.R., et al. (2006). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and applications. Columbus, OH: Merrill
Prentice Hall.
Holcomb, Z. C. (2007). Interpreting basic statistics, 5th ed. Pyrczak Publishing: Glendale, CA.
Kirk, R. E. (1994). Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences, 3rd ed. Pacific Grove, CA:
Brooks/Cole.
Moreland, J. P. (1989). Christianity and the nature of science: a philosophical investigation. Baker Book House:
Grand Rapids, MI.
Neter, J., Wasserman, W., & Kutner, M. H. (1990). Applied linear statistical models, 3rd ed. Homewood, IL: Irwin
Press.
Ott, L. (1992). An introduction to statistical methods and data analysis, 4th ed. Boston: PWS-Kent Publishing
Company.
Patten, M. L. (2007). Understanding research methods, 6th ed. Pyrczak Publishing: Glendale, CA.
Poythress, V. (2006). Redeeming science: a God-centered approach. Crossway: Wheaton, IL.
Pyrczak, F. (1995). Making sense of statistics: A conceptual overview. Los Angeles: Pyrczak Publishing.
Rezende, L. (2007). Chronology of science. Checkmark Books: New York, NY.
Sanders, D. H. & Smidt. (1999). Statistics: A first course, 6th ed. St. Louis: McGraw-Hill Inc.
Spatz, C. (2008). Basic statistics: Tales of distributions, 9th ed. Thomson/Wadsworth.