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Section 11A - Course Syllabus Sample Template
Part I – Course Outline
School/Department Name: School of Psychology and Counseling
Program: Graduate Division
Course Number and Title: Research Design and Evaluation CCP518
Required for all CP Students; Recommended for new students first semester
Instructor: Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
Course Dates: The course meets on five Sundays: 2/2; 2/9; 2/16; 2/23; 3/2
Attendance at all 5 sessions is required not only for licensing but also for passing the course.
Course Time: 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Course Catalog Description:
This course provides students with a foundation in research and evaluation
methodologies and strategies, program evaluation and needs assessment. Students will
gain an understanding of different types of research and research design, procedures
for data collection and analysis, analysis of both hard and soft data, and ethical and
legal considerations associated with research. Students will leave the course prepared
to conduct and be discriminating consumers of research.
Note: CCP 518 will also now cover the research, writing, presentation skills and
competencies required for an effective Exit Portfolio.
Course Outline
Purpose:
There is more than one way to learn about human behavior. This course on Research
Design and Evaluation introduces students to thinking about and conducting research
for mental health professionals. It takes students through the basic steps of a research
project, from start to finish. This course has been developed to help students get the
most from their studies. It focuses on formulating research questions, designing
research activity, data gathering and analysis, and conducting ethical research. The
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
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goals are to teach students to develop the critical-thinking skills necessary for
understanding and designing research, and to dispel preconceived fears and aversions
towards research the students may be bringing with them.
Course Content and Design:
Students will achieve these outcomes through lecture, class discussions, exercises,
group assignments and case studies.
Course Requirements: Attendance—
School of Psychology and Counseling-Attendance Policy for Three-credit courses — for
all three-credit courses, students may not miss more than four contact hours per course.
The missed hours of classroom time have to be made up. If a student misses more, and
has a doctor’s letter, the student has to attend those missed hours in-seat in another
section of the class, even if it is in the following semester. The student will receive an
“Incomplete” until those hours are completed.
Assignments:
There is a wide variety of assignments, some of which are text dependent—therefore
the text is required. Please see Section II for details on assignments and classes.
Required Readings:
Research Methods (7th Edition; 5th and 6th editions are also acceptable) by Donald
H. McBurney and Theresa L. White

Hardcover: 464 pages

Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 7 edition (June 23, 2006)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0495092088

ISBN-13: 978-0495092087

CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
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PS: In APA format:
McBurney, D.H. and White, T.L. (2006). Research methods. (7th ed.). Wadsworth
Publishers.
I found older inexpensive editions at:
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/5704445/used/Research%20Methods
Book Description
Research Methodology is not an inherently interesting topic to everyone. This book
counteracts the natural tendency to shy away from research with an understandable,
palatable, useful, interesting, and above all, readable attempt to explain research methods.
Knowing proper research methodology comes from an understanding of basic statistical
principles, research design, measurement, descriptive studies, and scientific writing. This
book addresses each subject section by section to enhance conceptual learning rather than
regurgitation of calculations. This book is suitable for anyone who needs to learn proper
research methodology in psychology, social work, teaching, or public relations.
Outcomes of the Course:
Upon completion of this course, students:
 Will be able to understand, evaluate and analyze the research methods, designs
and data of various types of research
 Will feel comfortable in applying research tools in the designing and conducting
of a research project
 Should have an understanding and appreciation for the ethics associated with
institutional research
Licensure Standards Assessed: This course is required for the licensing tracks.
Knowledge Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, students:
 Will have a basic understanding of the major concepts and tools of behavioral
and social science research
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
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Skill Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, students:
 Will be able to understand, evaluate and analyze the research methods, designs
and data of the research articles;
 Will be able to apply the research tools in designing and conducting a research
project.
Attitudinal Outcomes (if appropriate):
Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding and appreciation
for the ethics associated with institutional research
Grading Policy:
Grades and Grading Policy
See full policy at https://mycc.cambridgecollege.edu/ics/Resources
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
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Grading Criteria and Standards:
Task: In Class
Number
On Campus class discussions
Learning Log-4 class entries
5
4
Portfolio (Cheese book Binder): all handouts; all
assignments; Typed L Log; Grades.xls; POME.ppt;
POME Presentation—your part
Task: Field work
1
Discussion questions
Text Case Study with answers –write up
Research Reviews
CompuLit Check List: Screen shots or hard copy of:
My CC Portal; Gmail; Google Doc; Google IM;
eBrary Review; POME.ppt; Grades.xls;
In Class & Field work assignments are required.
Elective assignments (this means you can choose
any 40 points out of the 120 listed here).
Gmail IM Conference
Text Based Quizzes online
Ebrary Text Report
Research Definitions—Vocab.
Your Grade Calculator .XLS
Pre Test Scores
Post Test Scores
Class Experiment Write Up
You must choose 40 points of these elective
assignments.
1
Numbe
r
3
4
2
1
Numbe
r
2
5
1
20
1
1
1
2
Pages
Points
Each
6
5
Total
30
20
20
Page
s
.5
2
Page
s
.25
5
Points
Each
10
5
10
10
Total
30
20
20
10
TOTAL
160
Points
Each
5
10
Total
1
5
5
10
You need:
10
50
10
20
10
5
5
10
40
Note: “Points each” is an average score based on past student performance.
Your score may be more or less points based on the depth, detail and quality of
the work submitted. The Assignments and activities are subject to change given
class size and experience.
Academic Integrity:
The College believes that each person can learn, notwithstanding one’s age, life history,
current circumstances, or past academic experience. Cambridge College is a learning
community in which learners experience educational practices that honor and empower
them. The College works with students to build the education needed for academic and
career success through programs which develop and enhance skills, competencies,
attitudes, values and habits of the mind. As students are expected to meet high
academic standards throughout their education, they engage experiences of genuine
learning that make new learning possible.
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
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Violations of Academic Integrity
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is the use of another’s work, thoughts, or language without giving credit.
Cambridge College students are expected to submit original work in courses and will
not summarize, copy, or use the work of another person or source without proper
acknowledgement. Plagiarism is dishonest and a serious academic offense.
CHEATING
Cheating appears in multiple forms such as:
1. Unauthorized use of notes, texts, or other aids during an exam or in completing
course assignments.
2. Copying the work of another student.
3. Submitting the same assignment for more than one course, subject to faculty
discretion.
4. Sharing student work with a group when such sharing has not been authorized by the
professor.
Any breach of academic integrity is grounds for a grade of F/No Credit in academic
courses and/or dismissal.
See full policy at https://mycc.cambridgecollege.edu/ICS/Resources
Students with Disabilities:
Disability Support
Cambridge College is committed to providing equal access to all educational
opportunities to students with physical, psychological, or learning disabilities. It is
important to provide documentation of your disability as soon as possible as many of
the services provided are outside of the College and must be arranged far in advance.
Please contact the Office of Academic and Disability Support Services to arrange for
an intake meeting and to discuss your needs. The Office can be contacted at
disabilitysupport@cambridgecollege.edu or by phone at 617-873-0191.
Disability Declaration and Documentation — Students with disabilities at Cambridge
College are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Support (ODS) to request
appropriate services but are not required to disclose any disability. All students seeking
accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act must self-identify with
ODS and provide appropriate information. Students must disclose disability directly to
ODS in order to receive status as a student with a disability. Disclosure to faculty,
admissions counselors, or other staff members is not considered official disclosure.
Initial self-disclosure may be initiated through phone, email, or in person, but receipt of
accommodations will require an in-person meeting unless the student takes classes at
one of the College’s regional centers or unless an in-person meeting is impossible for
another legitimate reason. In cases where an in-person meeting is not
possible, only phone conversations will be acceptable. Appropriate documentation —
ODS asks students who request disability accommodations to describe their disability,
their past use of accommodations, and the disability’s likely impact on their educational
experiences. Documentation provides a valuable tool for helping Cambridge College
understand how courses, systems, and facilities may present barriers, and for planning
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
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strategies, including reasonable accommodations, that provide access. ODS uses
external documentation to augment conversations with students and to support
requests for accommodations.
Types of documentation supportive of requests include medical records, psychoeducational testing, school records, and letters or affidavits from mental health
professionals. If students do not have copies of this type of information, they are
welcome to meet with ODS to discuss other ways to demonstrate a connection between
the condition and academic barriers anticipated or currently being faced.
See Disability Declaration and Documentation Policy for Students at
https://mycc.cambridgecollege.edu/ics/resources.
Confidentiality — The Office of Disability Support Services (ODS) is committed to
ensuring that all information and communication pertaining to a student’s disability is
maintained as confidential as required or permitted by law. See Policy on Confidentiality
of Disability Documentation and Status at https://mycc.cambridgecollege.edu/ics/
resources.
Accommodations — Students with appropriately documented disabilities may be
eligible for accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Under this law, students are eligible for accommodations which are deemed reasonable
by the College.
At the initial intake meeting, appropriate accommodations will be discussed. Students
must meet with or contact the coordinator of academic and disability support services
every term to set up letters sent to faculty. Accommodations do not automatically
transfer from term to term and may be course specific. It is the responsibility of the
student to initiate the accommodation process from term to term. All students are
expected to fulfill essential course requirements in order to receive a passing grade,
with or without reasonable accommodations. Accommodations cannot be granted
retroactively. For more information, please visit
http://www.cambridgecollege.edu/students/disabilities.cfm.
Disability grievances — See Disability Grievance Policy and Procedure at
https://mycc.cambridgecollege.edu/ics/resources.
Online Library Services:
What are the Cambridge College library resources?
Cambridge College Online Library (CCOL)
All registered students, current faculty and staff can use the Cambridge College
Online Library, a full-featured online library. It is easily accessed from any
internet-enabled computer through the Cambridge College MyCC portal.
Information and instructional handouts are available at
http://www.cambridgecollege.edu/library.
Cambridge College Online Library services include:
Ask a Librarian provides 24/7 live reference librarian service for individual
research assistance using online chat.
Databases provide hundreds of thousands of full-text scholarly articles
and documents appropriate for academic research in the fields of education,
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
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counseling, psychology, management, health, and other academic areas. Our
collection includes EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier, Omnifile Full Text
Select, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Education Research Complete, MEDLINE with
Full-text, EBSCOHost Business Source Premier and much more. Citation only
results link conveniently to the WorldCat database for location of local libraries
which have print versions. Cambridge College is not responsible for the content
of these sites or of any sites to which they may link.
Ebrary Electronic Books collection provides more than 80,000 recent,
academic full-text books in all subject areas.
To see our complete current holdings, go to
http://www.cambridgecollege.edu/library/instructions.cfm and click “All About
Cambridge College Library Services and Resources.”
Research by Subject Area Help links tell what is in Cambridge College
Online Library and elsewhere online for each program of study at
Cambridge College. See http://www.cambridgecollege.edu/library/
ccol_research.cfm.
Writing and Reading Help, Research Skills Help, and EFL Help
provide additional resources starting at
http://www.cambridgecollege.edu/library/index.cfm.
Technical Support is available.
==================================================
Faculty Contact Information:
Instructor: Richard E. Turner, PhD
Email: richard.turner@go.cambridgecollege.edu
Office: Cambridge College-Springfield Regional Center
Office Phone: 800-829-4723, ext. 6618 (FREE) or 413-747-0204
E-mail Note-Please use only the email address above to avoid delays in response.
Office Hours: By appointment only.
CLASSROOM COURTESY: In order to maintain an effective learning environment and show respect to
your colleagues, please restrict your use of classroom interruptions to those that are absolutely
necessary. The use of electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, laptops, etc.) unrelated to the learning
experience is discouraged. Side conversations or other distracting activities should be avoided. If
you have any special requirements or critical needs in the learning environment that we should know
about, please inform your instructor
========================================================================= =====
Resources:
http://quizlet.com/2257117/research-methods-ap-psychology-flash-cards/
E-Book:
Research Methods E-Book
http://books.google.com/books?id=AUDoylSe_EC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false
Wadsworth’s Free Online Methods Workshops:
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
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www.thomsonedu.com/psychology/workshops -quizzes and workshops
http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0072494468/student_view0/chapter8/multiple_choice_quiz_ii.html
APA Information: http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2012/03/citing-an-edition-of-a-bookin-apa-style.html
Example:
So where does the edition information go? Here’s an example:
Smith, P. (2012). Cut to the chase: Online video editing and the
Wadsworth constant (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: E & K
Publishing.
Recommended Reading:
American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American
psychological association (6th Ed.) Washington DC: APA.
Creswell, J.W (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods
approaches (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publishing.
Issac, S.I. and Michael, S (1990). Handbook in research and evaluation (2nd ed.). San
Diego: EdITS.
Sommer, R. and Sommer, B. (2002). Behavioral research: Tools and Techniques. (5th
ed.). NY: Oxford University Press.
Section 11B - Course Syllabus CCP 518
Part II – Class Agenda
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
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CLASS AGENDA
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation—Classes; Chapters and Topics. Spring 2014
Class
Number
& Date
1. Feb. 2
Chapter & Topic
Key Words
Activity
Handouts
Case
1. Psychology &
Science
Pre Test;
Pre Test;
Syllabus;
Case: Mike
p.26.
1.
2. Research
Questions (RQs)
Empirical; science;
discoverability; law;
theory; Ha; Ho; A>B;
paradigm;
URL; Proposal; RQs
The Exit
Portfolio
2. Feb. 9
3. Ethics
APA; IRB; CITI;
p. 35-evaluate
research;
evidence.
tutorial My CC
OL libe; Ex 2.4
APA
references
exercise:
formatting,
How To
2.
4. Writing in
Psychology
Argument; thesis;
clarity; brevity; bias;
Primary and
secondary sources
(evidence and
hearsay). APA
Checklist.
3. Feb.
16
5. Variables
3.
6. Graphs
4. Feb.
23
7. Validity
4.
8. Control
Variables:
Independent;
dependent;
confounding;
reliability; validity;
test/re-test.
Figure; table; graph;
Freq. dist.; normal
curve; scattergram;
outliers (Gladwell);
Stem & Leaf display;
Histogram.
Threats to Validity:
maturation;
experimental effect;
Good Subject
Tendency.
Control; X group;
control group; random
assignment; nuisance
value; replication.
P 71, Case in
Point: IRB
Review
(groups as IRB
boards-fill out
form). Ex 3.1
Plagiarism tute;
p. 82 Parts of a
paper; p. 106,
APA Check list.
Tommac
Algebra case
Create a Chart
(file) in Excel.
Ex. 6.1 p. 166.
CBT Algebra
class case:
confounding
variables.
Stem and
Leaf display
p. 173 Review
in light of CBT
case; ex. 7.5.
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
Dear Abby
Case.
[p. 207]
A vs. B
Survey.
Mini case:
SRC
downtown
survey and
random
assignment.
11
Class
Number
& Date
Chapter & Topic
Key Words:
Activity
5. March
2
9. Qualitative
Research
p. 232 do
smoking survey
1st then see
text.
5.
10. Surveys
Examples of
Qualitative Research:
Observation;
correlational; survey;
physical trace;
participant observer;
recording methods;
content analysis
(NVivo); protocol;
pilot study.
Survey Types: Open
and closed; mutually
exclusive; exhaustive;
sample of
convenience; VAS
(p.241); Likert (p.
242); F2F; response
rates;
Post Test (B4
break)
CCP 518 Research Design and Evaluation Course Syllabus
Richard E. Turner, Ph.D.
Handouts
Case
“Dewey
Defeats
Truman”
Empty Nest
Case (p. 237).
Interview
Video?
Presentations?
EOT
Evaluation