SCED 700: MAT Secondary/P-12 Capstone: Action Research and Professional Portfolio (3
Credit Hours)
Department of Educational Professions
Frostburg State University
Spring 2014
Instructors:
Course Policies:
1. Attendance is expected at all class sessions.
2. Participation is expected at class sessions.
3. The research project is presented at the Research Symposium to be scheduled for the last weeks of the
semester.
4. The electronic exit portfolio is presented at the Portfolio Review to be scheduled for the last week of the
semester.
5. The electronic form of the research project presentation, research paper, and exit portfolio are submitted
through TaskStream before the last day of classes for the semester.
6. Program policies on professionalism are fully applicable for this course.
7. Policies on Academic Dishonesty, Harassment, and Disruptive Student Behavior are fully applicable for this
course.
8. Students with any type of recognized and confirmed disability that would require accommodations in
assignments or assessment practices should provide written notification to the instructor by no later than the
second week of the semester. Students are responsible for providing an accommodation letter prepared by
the Office of Disability Support Services
Office Hours: Office hours vary due to required field responsibilities. Hours will be posted. Appointments
may be scheduled at other times.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Capstone. Individual action research project and paper related to the content area of certification and exit
electronic portfolio meeting standards. Course is graded A, B, C, or F. Spring semester. Blended format.
COURSE PURPOSE:
In addition to the Catalog description above, this closed section of the course is reserved for a) the
production and presentation of the research conducted as a requirement for the Master of Arts in Teaching –
Secondary/P-12 Education and b) production and presentation of the electronic Exit Portfolio. Class meetings
will be held as necessary, upon call of the instructor. In addition, it is the responsibility of each candidate to
individually consult and coordinate with the instructor regarding a) the research topic selection and approval,
data analysis, paper, and project presentation and b) development of the electronic portfolio. A research
symposium will be scheduled for the final weeks of the semester. Symposium participants are required to
attend all presentations. A formative portfolio review is scheduled for the midpoint of the semester. A final
portfolio review session is scheduled for the final week of the semester. Portfolios are reviewed by panels of
evaluators.
COURSE MATERIALS: TaskStream account required. Reading materials provided. No text required.
Reference Text: Johnson, A. (2012) A Short Guide to Action Research. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.
COURSE OUTCOMES:
SCED 700 Syllabus
2
Upon completion of this course, the successful candidate will be able to effectively demonstrate mastery
of the following Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions as defined in the FSU Conceptual Framework for the
Educational Professions unit.
SCED 700 Syllabus
3
KNOWLEDGE:
OUTCOME: Candidate will demonstrate
knowledge of
1. group dynamics and interpersonal relations
skills
2. techniques of evaluation in classroom situations
3. the levels of questioning, intellectual hierarchy,
and developmental psychology as appropriate to
intern subject content areas
ASSESSMENT
CF
a.
Research paper & presentation
CA: 1,2
a.
a.
Research paper & presentation
Design of Research
Project
5. current trends and requirements in education in
the U.S. and the state of Maryland
6. types of research, processes for action research,
data collection and analysis
a.
Research paper & presentation
CA: 1 – 7
DP: 1,2
IL:
1,3,6,7,1
1 RD:
1,2
DP: 2
a.
Research paper & presentation
SPA
IL/PB
INTASC
MTTS
SPA
IL/PB
INTASC
MTTS
SPA
IL/PB
INTASC
MTTS
SKILLS:
OUTCOME: Candidate will demonstrate
1. ability to reflect upon various issues in
education research
2. ability to implement teaching skills
ASSESSMENT
a. Research paper & presentation
3. use of a computer and computer-related
technology to meet professional needs
4. ability to conduct action research, collect and
analyze data, and make conclusions based on data
analysis
5. reflect on and communicate the knowledge,
skills, and dispositions they have developed to be
an effective new teacher candidate
a.
a.
a.
Research project and exit
portfolio
Research paper & presentation
and exit portfolio
Research project and paper
a.
Exit Portfolio
CF
RD: 1– 6
CA:7
EA: 6
DISPOSITIONS:
OUTCOME: Candidate will demonstrate
1. willingness to interact with colleagues around a
variety of topics related to education
ASSESSMENT
a. Group discussions
2. an understanding of professional ethics, school
law, and teacher certification procedures
a.
b.
CF
Group discussions
Meeting various legal
qualifications for certification
CA: 3
EA: 3
CB: 5
DP: 2,3,5
COURSE EVALUATIONS: This graded course verifies three program requirements:
1. the successful design, implementation, analysis, and multimedia presentation of the Research Project
2. the successful completion of the Research Project paper
3. the successful completion and presentation (visual and oral) of the electronic Exit Portfolio
Each of the three requirements must be successfully completed for the candidate to successfully complete the
capstone course.
ASSESSMENTS
Research Project
Research Paper
Electronic Portfolio
POINTS
100 points
100 points
100 points
ACCEPTABLE GRADE
“C” grade or higher
“C” grade or higher
“C” grade or higher
SCED 700 Syllabus
4
The research paper, research project presentation (multimedia format), and the portfolio (TaskStream web page)
will be
1. presented in a formal venue
2. submitted through TaskStream
3. burned on a CD and submitted to the instructor.
A copy of the research paper will be given to the mentor teacher/school with whom the candidate completed the
internship for the research project.
The portfolio must be completed no later than two weeks prior to the portfolio evaluation review, published in
TaskStream, and the URL submitted for evaluation through TaskStream. The URL will be sent to the evaluators
for the portfolio two weeks prior to the formal portfolio review so evaluators can complete an initial review of
the portfolio before the formal evaluation. A copy of the portfolio on CD must be brought to the portfolio
evaluation presentation. The date for the portfolio presentation will be announced early in the spring semester.
The research paper and project must be completed by the date set by the course instructor. The CD containing
the research paper and project presentation and all related materials must be brought to the formal project
presentation. The date for the presentation will be announced early in the spring semester.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Class
Session
1.
2.
Topics
Assignments
Research
Review of major components of research project
Review: What is action research?
Review: Process for designing action research study; problem
statement, literature review; hypothesis; etc.
Discussion of research topic areas and types of subtopics for each
area that can be the subject of the research
Assignment:
Determine 1st and 2nd
choices for main topic
area; in that area,
generate ideas for
research in your
classroom
Portfolio
Review of template for portfolio
Discussion of definition of artifact
Discussion of required artifacts and self-selected artifacts for the
portfolio
Discussion of reflections
Review of posted examples
Assignment to portfolio group for discussion and interaction
Discussion of expectations for group interaction
Assignment: Due in 1
month – 1 video,
pictures, at least one
artifact in each area of
portfolio
Group assignments for
portfolios will be
given by email.
Research
Planning for the study
Review of statistical measures to be used, analyzed, and reported
Discussion about posted examples
Illustration of Excel data shell
Assignment to research topic groups
Discussion of expectations for group interaction
Assignment:
Prepare problem
statement
Begin the literature
review – come with at
least 2 research
articles related to the
group topic area and 1
related to your specific
subtopic area.
3.
SCED 700 Syllabus
5
Assignment:
Research
Review requirements for research paper
Fully develop the
Review requirements for research presentation
problem statement and
Within groups, discuss subtopics selected by candidates and article null hypothesis and
reviews as part of the literature review
submit to instructor for
feedback (email).
After receiving
Portfolio
Date and time for group portfolio review assigned
approval, begin
planning for
implementation of the
study.
SCED 700 Syllabus
6
4.
Research
Groups meet to discuss progress with projects. Articles for
literature review are shared. Questions for instructor are collected
and emailed to instructor. Responses are sent to entire group.
5.
Portfolio
Portfolios are reviewed in small groups (peer and instructor
review)
Date set for final portfolio review by panel.
6.
Independent work on research and portfolio
7.
Independent work on research and portfolio
8.
Research
Meet as a whole group for a progress report and discussion of
specific questions.
Meet in groups for further discussion
Date set for research project presentations
9.
Independent work on research and portfolio
10.
Independent work on research and portfolio
11.
Research and portfolio
Progress report and discussion of specific questions.
12.
Research
Project presentations
13.
Independent work on portfolio
14.
Portfolio
Portfolio presentations
Assignment:
Determine dates for
administering study
and begin
implementation
Assignment:
Continue to work on
portfolio; incorporate
feedback from small
group portfolio
review.
Assignment:
Continue
implementation and
begin writing research
paper and developing
the presentation
Submission of
research presentation,
paper, and portfolio on
CD and in TaskStream
Research Presentation
The presentation should contain the following information and should be presented in the order listed below.
There should be at least one screen for each item listed. Presentation screens contain the main points that will be
discussed in more detail during the presentation and will be written in detail in the research paper.
SCED 700 Syllabus
7
Title Screen. Introduction. Problem Statement. Operational Definitions. Review of Literature. Hypothesis.
Procedures. Sample Population. Limitations. Data. Analysis of Data. Error Analysis. Conclusions. Reflections.
References
Research Paper
The paper should contain the following information and should be presented in the order listed below. The
information should be presented in detail in the paper. Data charts should be presented in the body of the paper.
Pre- and post-assessment examples, lesson plan examples, instructional activities, formative assessments, and
examples of student work should be presented in appendices.
Title Page. Introduction. Problem Statement. Operational Definitions. Review of Literature. Hypothesis.
Procedures. Sample Population. Limitations. Data. Analysis of Data. Error Analysis. Conclusions. Reflections.
References. Appendices
Electronic Portfolio
The portfolio is completed and published in TaskStream using the template provided in the program.