EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis
3 credits, Fall 2015 (215-1)
Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR
Cindy Tananis, EdD
Associate Professor
4314 Posvar Hall
412-648-7171 tananis@pitt.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
MEETING TIMES
Face-to-Face: Wednesday, September 24, 4:30p-8:30p
Wednesday, October 22, 4:30p-8:30p
Wednesday, November 12, 4:30p-8:30p
Wednesday, December 10, 4:30p-8:30p
Online: Asynchronous, August 25 – December 13
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This initial course in the research sequence introduces students to disciplined inquiry of problems of practice through a variety of perspectives, approaches, and methods of planning and conducting educational research. This course provides a foundation for further study of research topics and the enactment of educational research.
OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
EDUC 3001 is organized around the following guiding questions:
1.
How do you engage as a scholar-practitioner in education? Reading and critically analyzing examples of studies done in a variety of traditions and methods. Using evidence (analyzed, interpreted, represented, discussed) to address problems of practice? Accessing and critically considering research, synthesizing and building conceptual understanding from research, and conveying what we know in writing.
2.
What is the relationship of research with practice in education? Research paradigm/design: related to framing problems, gathering, analyzing, and representing evidence, toward various purposes and audiences.
3.
How is research defined as inquiry? The role that research plays in educational practice and policy. Epistemological and theoretical diversity in educational research, including discussion of different research paradigms or theoretical perspectives.
4.
How is educational research designed? Research design, structure of research method, including the role of prior research, the forming of a meaningful problem statement and research question.
1

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 2
5.
How is educational research conducted? Overview of multiple methodological forms or approaches available to educational scholar-practitioners and the different purposes that they serve.
6.
How is educational research evaluated? Important concepts related to the ethics and quality of educational research, such as validity, reliability, trustworthiness, generalizability, verisimilitude, and transferability.
DOCTORAL MILESTONES
No formal milestones are reached in this course. However, the assignments for this course will help you develop the position paper on a problem of practice. This paper serves as the first-step towards completing the preliminary exam.
PREREQUISITES
No specific pre-requisites are required for this course.
TEXTS
This course includes books, book chapters, and journal articles. This course requires two books, listed below. All other readings are available via Courseweb.
McEwan, E.K., & McEwan, P.J. (2003). Making sense of research: What’s good, what’s not, and how to
tell the difference. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. [ISBN 978-0-7619-7708-7] $32.86
Menter, I., Elliot, D., Hulme, M., Lewin, J., & Lowden, K. (2011). A guide to practitioner research in
education. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications. [ISBN 978-1-8492-0185-8] $44.00
The following texts are recommended but not required and are also available at the University Store:
American Psychological Association (APA). (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association, 6 th ed. Washington, DC: Author. [ISBN 978-1-4338-0561-5] $29.95 for paperback.
Spiral bound recommended: [ISBN 978-1-4338-0562-2] $36.95 [reference copies in library]
Booth, W.C., Colomb, G.G., & Williams, J.M. (2008). The craft of research, 3 rd ed. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. [ISBN 978-0-2260-6566-3] $17.00 [multi-user ebook via pittcat.pitt.edu]

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 3
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS
This class is designed in an executive format using hybrid design. What does that mean? It means that as faculty, we acknowledge that you are busy, engaged, and seasoned practitioners. To integrate focused learning opportunities in your life, you need flexibility in your schedule (with work, learning, and personal aspects of life), opportunities to explore learning resources on your own and in collaboration with your colleagues, use of your time toward the development of useful and meaningful products that you and your colleagues can use in practice, and a focus on the big issues rather than the minutia often associated with more traditional education formats.
I carry those assumptions forward in these specific and tangible ways:
1. You want to learn the most you can from your investment in this experience and will manage your resources to accomplish that personal-­­professional goal.
2. Readings are designed to inform your thinking and enrich your learning and engagement in the course activities. In a course that meets face-­­to-­­face only a few times, what we read and how we think about those concepts, individually and collectively, form the true “text” of the course. You will manage your resources and schedule to read the materials as preparation for meaningful engagement with your colleagues.
3. You are responsible to yourself and colleagues much more so that you are to me as an instructor -­ being prepared and engaged appropriately is the mark of a professional.
4. We have very limited face­to­face meeting time. The bulk of the interaction for the course will be through course wikis on particular themes and issues posed to you, and through the collective project work you will complete as individuals. You will need to manage resources to accomplish tasks.
5. I am neither your cheerleader nor your cop ­ my job is to provide learning opportunities and provocative and engaging content to allow you to design and manage your engagement -- not to either endorse mediocre work or to monitor you to “make” you work at a higher capacity. I can offer insight from my expertise and experience -­ and I can assist you in your learning process. I assume I am a learner in this community just as you are. We are each equally responsible for the quality of the experience.
6. I teach courses because I find the content and the interactions with educators exciting and educative. I assume you take courses with a similar disposition.
HYBRID TIME FORMAT
In addition to the 16 face-to-face hours of class time outlined in the schedule, you are expected to spend an additional 28 hours online in active discussion and exploration of resources including discussion, accessing provided and other resources, and completing assignments.
This does not include the time in addition to class that you are expected to spend on reading, studying, and completing assignments. For doctoral level courses, a minimum of 1.5 hours is required for every instructional hour.
To adequately manage the content requirements of this course, you should plan for the following, at minimum: 16 class hours + 28 active online hours + 66 hours class-related work = 110 minimal hours of active engagement

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 4
GRADING, RUBRICS, AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
We have two types of grading for assignments in this course. First are ungraded assignments that you are required to complete as part of your participation in the course. Each of these assignments needs to be completed for you to receive your final grade for the course. Second are graded assignments that are awarded point values.
In this course we will be incorporating the SWoRD system from Panther Learning to elicit peer feedback on one writing assignment. For the assignment submitted through the SWoRD system, part of your grade will be determined by your participation in providing feedback on your peers’ papers. We are incorporating this system as a learning tool to enhance opportunities for improving scholarly writing, one of the most important features of the EdD program. Details on the SWoRD system will be provided separately. See PantherLearning.com
For each of the graded writing assignments, the instructor provides grading rubrics. The instructor will use the grading rubrics to determine point values and to facilitate communication about the strengths and weaknesses of student writing. Point values on individual assignments will determine your final grade in the course. As we will explain more in class, rubrics are intended to facilitate communication and grading rather than to direct or determine your performance.
Graded Assignments and Scale
Assignment Values:
Assignment
Points
Possible required required required required
Assign 1: APA tutorial
Assign 2: IRB certification
Assign 3: Academic integrity/plagiarism tutorial
Assign 4: Library tutorials
Assign 5: Course discussions: Blog discussions of readings (leading and responding)
Assign 6: Problem of practice topic statement (using
SWoRD)
Assign 7: Journals and articles collection
Assign 8: Annotated bibliography
Assign 9: Methods design paper
Total
20
20 required
30
30
100

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 5
Point
Total
Final Letter
Grade
97-100
94-96
90-93
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79
74-76
70-73
60-69
59 or below
B
B-
C+
C
A+
A
A-
B+
C-
D
F
General Expectations for Assignments
Assignments are to be submitted electronically via Courseweb (except as noted in the assignment descriptions and on the course schedule). Use APA style, as explained in the APA tutorial, for all citations and references. Submit work in an easily readable 11- or 12-point font, double-spaced. Attend to the word ranges specified in the assignments. Late work slows down the process of review and work on subsequent assignments. As further incentive to complete work on time, late submissions will be reduced the equivalent of one-third of a letter grade for each day late. Exceptions are granted for documented illness or emergencies only.
Assignments submitted through our Courseweb site will be filtered through SafeAssign, a software that checks for instances of plagiarism and misattribution.
School of Education Statement on Academic Integrity. The integrity of the academic process requires fair and impartial evaluation on the part of faculty and honest academic conduct on the part of students.
To this end, students are expected to conduct themselves at a high level of responsibility in the fulfillment of the course of their study. It is the corresponding responsibility of faculty to make clear to students those standards by which students will be evaluated and the resources permissible for use by students during the course of their study and evaluation. Cheating/plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity, from the
February 1974 Senate Committee on Tenure and Academic Freedom reported to the Senate Council, will be required to participate in the outlined procedural process as initiated by the instructor. Students in this course are expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity, which can be found online at: http://www.provost.pitt.edu/info/ai1.html

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 6
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS
Wikis and Blogs
Wikis and blogs are forms of asynchronous online discussion. They are used often in hybrid and online courses, including this one. A blog and wiki differ in their design and purpose, thiugh they are very similar. A BLOG allows each poster to add an entry (or post) and others may choose to “comment” on that particular post. As discussion continues, either new blog posts are added (in succession) or additional comments are entered in relation to a particular original post or blog entry. The design is sequential and there is no danger of editing someone else’s text entries.
I use BLOGS when the expected content responds to a single prompt or general area, for example: What do you find compelling as an educational leader in a particular reading? The resulting blog would have a number of original posts, related to specific factors, for example Factor A, Factor B, and Factor C. As people enter the blog to enter their own thoughts, they would either add an additional Factor (via a post) or they would add a comment to an existing Factor, or perhaps even comment in response to someone else’s comment. The blog serves to respond to the prompt through large concepts (posts) and additional discussion related to those concepts (comments). Blogs automatically organize responses and indicate the author of the comment or post.
WIKIS serve a somewhat different purpose. I use wikis when I have numerous prompts related to the same topic/concept/issue/reading/etc. A wiki is a collaboratively edited document. This creates the opportunity for one person to alter or destroy previous work by others, so a great deal of caution should be used when working with wikis! I post a series of prompts in the original wiki document. As students come into the wiki, they find the place to respond to the prompt. Perhaps the particular prompt you want to responds to might be halfway into the document. When you find the place you wish to enter your response, you edit the document at that point, add what you wish to say, and then save the document. The next person may choose to add a comment after your own in the place just below your comment, or to add comment anywhere else in the document they wish. As comments are entered the document grows in length. Wikis do NOT automatically indicate who has commented, so we need certain conventions to help us know who has added a comment. I use both color and last name in brackets (as you will find in the wiki directions) to record who is adding comments. The advantage to a wiki is that responses can be ordered by the participants as they choose where they wish to edit the document -- and that allows for a self-regulated logic to the document, rather than a somewhat disconnected logic of a blog.
Learn to use both BLOGS and WIKIS appropriately --- follow the directions that are available through
Courseweb as well as the INSTRUCTIONS I have posted there prior to entering anything in either the blogs or the wikis. These tools and resultant discussion are only as good and useful as you make them --
- if you and colleagues enter garbage (somewhat meaningless redundancies, for example), the resultant discussion becomes protracted and less meaningful for everyone. On the other hand, in an online environment, these tools can become very meaningful discussions of the course texts, concepts, and issues you experience as you go through the materials and assignments. Make them useful by the quality of your input. QUALITY is what is expected --- not QUANTITY. Use the space well as a working area for discussion, not a place to skim through and leave droppings.

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 7
Several assignments are due prior to the first class. Additional assignments are progressive and focus on a topic of your chosen interest. Please consult the “Assignments Crosswalk” (handed out at Orientation and available on Courseweb) and the course schedule (at the end of this syllabus) for due dates.
1.
APA tutorial (Complete online) DUE DATE: 9/20/2014, midnight
Before class begins, all students are required to complete the online tutorial at apastyle.org. Nearly all scholarship in education is presented in the standard writing style of the American Psychological
Association (APA). You will find that some journals, particularly work influenced by humanities disciplines, follow the Chicago Manual of Style. For this course, you will be expected to demonstrate facility with APA in all of your written work. Of particular importance are the citation and reference conventions of APA. You are encouraged to purchase the 6 th edition of the APA manual in spiral-bound form to use as a desktop reference throughout your doctoral studies. The APA also maintains a helpful website as a resource, including a tutorial that runs about 21 minutes. Go to http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx
to begin the tutorial.
2.
IRB certification (Bring paper copies to class) DUE DATE: 9/24/2014, in class
The University requires that all researchers complete human subjects research training before submitting any studies for review. This is accomplished through a comprehensive online instructional program. By the date indicated on the syllabus, present a copy of your certification for the University of
Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board. Begin training here: http://www.citi.pitt.edu
. For more information about the IRB and your expectations as a student researcher, see the Education section of the IRB website: http://www.irb.pitt.edu/student-research . Complete the two required modules if you haven’t already and present certificates on the date indicated on the course schedule. The modules can be difficult to reach on the website. You need to complete the modules on Social & Behavioral
Research – Basic/Refresher and Social & Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research. Allow at least 6 hours to complete the modules and quizzes. You are required to be IRB certified in order to receive a grade for the course.
Additional modules relevant to social science research are recommended but not required. If you already have IRB certification through Pitt’s CITI portal, print your certificates and bring to class. If you have Pitt IRB certification through the previous system, that certification is now obsolete. If you have
CITI certification outside the Pitt system, you are still required to complete the C ITI certification through the Pitt portal.
3.
Academic integrity/plagiarism tutorial (Bring printed certificate to class) DUE DATE:
9/24/2014, in class
All students’ work from the very beginning of the course is expected to reflect the highest standards of academic integrity.
From time to time, we all need reminders on how to cite and reference prior work with integrity. Everyone in the course is required to complete this online tutorial by the first class meeting. http://www.umuc.edu/writingcenter/plagiarism/index.cfm
4.
Library tutorial (Complete online) DUE DATE: 9/20/2014, midnight
Prior to our first class, you need to become familiar with the following library resources. As you proceed through the following information, post any lingering questions or concerns that you have about these

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 8 areas of competency in the “Course Questions” Blog on Courseweb. You will be expected to engage with them as soon as the course starts. a.
EZ-Proxy. Become familiar with the EZ-Proxy service, which connects your computer to the
University system and allows you nearly the same access to library resources that you obtain from a PC sitting in Hillman Library. http://www.library.pitt.edu/offcampus b.
PittCat. Bookmark http://pittcat.pitt.edu
as your library search interface. This original
PittCat is more appropriate for graduate students than the default interface, called PittCat+. c.
Libguides. Visit the Educational Research Libguide developed by Marnie Hampton for graduate students in the School of Education. http://pitt.libguides.com/education d.
Mendeley and EndNote. Mendeley and EndNote are the two citation management tools that are supported by the university. Library search pages are integrated with these tools to make keeping track of sources and citation. Start at the following website: http://www.library.pitt.edu/mendeley-and-endnote-citation-tools . Become familiar with these two choices. Then, select which one you would like to learn and use as part of the course. e.
ERIC. ERIC is the online Education Abstracts depository and indexing service maintained by the U.S. Department of Education. It is the leading search tool for educational research, but not the only tool you’ll need to find education documents and articles. Start here: http://www.library.pitt.edu/eric-education-abstracts and become adept at (i) conducting searches; (ii) evaluating sources; (iii) interfacing with citation management tools; (iv) locating articles and documents in the Pitt library system; and (v) locating resources through
Pitt library services such as Inter-Library loan. f.
ProQuest Dissertations. Another source for scholarship in education is the dissertations database. Do not complete a literature search without also checking the dissertation database. Keep in mind that most dissertations do not get published in any other form.
Start here to find this database: http://www.library.pitt.edu/db/p . g.
Library of Congress. Keep in mind that the Pitt libraries contain excellent resources but neither contain nor catalogue nearly all the relevant books and other documents that you will need to access. Visit and bookmark http://loc.gov
as your primary source for comprehensively locating books and other documents. Amazon.com is also a surprisingly reasonable resource as well for finding titles. Use the Pitt Interlibrary Loan service to obtain the titles you need. h.
Google Scholar. Become familiar with the features of http://scholar.google.com/ that make it a useful tool for some aspects of library searching. Especially handy are the links from documents to future work that has cited the source. Also helpful are author links so that you can discover the entire body of work of a key author in your area of interest. On a
University computer, or with EZ-Proxy currently enabled, Google Scholar interfaces directly with the Pitt library system.
5.
Course discussions: Blog discussions of readings DUE DATE: Variable, See Course Schedule
In addition to the written assignments for this course, students are expected to add substantive contributions to online discussion of concepts and issues related to the main texts. Approximately 80% of this course’s class time occurs online. We will use the Blogs tool on Courseweb to organize this

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 9 discussion (found under the tab, “Course Discussions”). I intend this space to be a place for YOUR voice and meaningful exchange with colleagues. Since I have ample time to make comments or insert thoughts during instruction, I will refrain from entering my own discussion points in the blogs, although I will regularly read them and consider your contributions for assessment purposes. Each student in the course will be assigned a blog question to “lead.” They are responsible for putting forth an interesting and provocative summary of concepts related to the issue or question. All other students are responsible for choosing at least four (4) of these “discussions” to join via your comments on the original
(or subsequent) entries.
To clarify --- each student is responsible for LEADING one discussion, and for RESPONDING to at least four others. The course texts are easily accessible and quite readable. Reviewing the discussion via the blogs will also help you to focus on the most important elements from the readings to be ready for activity in class.
See the Course Discussions area, online, for details.
6.
Problem of Practice Topic Statement (1000-1250 words, 4-5 pages, double-spaced, 11- or 12point font) DUE DATE: Draft, October 12 (11:59 pm via SWoRD), Peer review due October 15
(11:59pm via SWoRD), Final draft for instructor review due 10/19/14, midnight
This is a brief paper in which you describe a research topic you are interested in pursuing. The topic you identify in your topic statement will be used for all subsequent assignments in both courses. This should be a problem that you are familiar with, have encountered, and have thought about in your own work or experience. As you progress through this course, you will be working towards a more formal, elaborated conceptual model of this educational problem, which is situated in the existing literature in your program area. You will also receive a Problem of Practice Framework as a guide for drafting an initial model.
This paper should be clear and coherent and include all of the following: a.
Identify the background and rationale for pursuing research in this area; b.
Name the specific educational practices that need to be informed by new knowledge; c.
Briefly situate your inquiry within your own experience/interests; d.
Describe the professional expertise/knowledge that you would use to inform a systematic inquiry in this area; e.
Based on the existing literature, briefly summarize a theoretical framework and/or conceptual model relevant to understanding your problem of practice; f.
Begin to describe the forms of existing evidence on this problem using sources you’ve identified for your annotated bibliography; and g.
Name potential research questions that would be relevant to the topic, being clear on what new knowledge it would be necessary to obtain in order to address.
The paper will be graded using the rubric for written papers, presented later in the syllabus. Please keep in mind the specifics (a-g), listed above.
NOTE REGARDING SWoRD: This system assigns points differently than we do via the syllabus. As a result, your total point grade assigned by the instructor will be converted to a 20 point scale using a statistical conversion table. While your peers will provide ratings and feedback, the instructor is the only one providing a grade for the assignment.

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 10
7.
Collect two journals and two articles (have paper or electronic copies available for class; bring detailed notes to class) DUE DATE: 11/11/2014, bring to class on 11/12/14
For a class exercise (date specific on the Course Schedule), identify two journals relevant to your program, specialization, and/or research interest and review it. It may also form the basis for the next assignments. Follow these steps: a.
RESEARCH JOURNAL. Select a recent issue (in the last five years) of a commonly used and highly valued research journal in your field (program/specialization) that include(s) at least two empirical research studies (studies for which quantitative or qualitative data is the fundamental source of data). This exercise will be more beneficial to you if you are able to obtain a journal relevant to your field. General educational research journals may also be relevant, such as the premier journals Harvard Educational Review, Teachers College Record, and American Educational Research Journal. b.
PRACTITIONER JOURNAL. Select a recent issue (in the last five years) of a commonly used and highly valued practitioner journal in your field (program/specialization) that include(s) at least two articles that report quantitative or qualitative data on a problem of practice.
This exercise will be more beneficial to you if you are able to obtain a journal relevant to your field. General educator journals may also be relevant, such as the widely-read journals
Phi Delta Kappan and Theory Into Practice.
For both journals, make notes about the following: i.
Find information about the quality of these journals, their mission, sponsorship, readership, frequency of publication, and (if possible) acceptance rate. Start with the masthead, then try the publisher’s website, the Social Sciences Citation Index, and
Scholar.Google.com. ii.
On the basis of your reading of each article and published information about the journal, prepare notes on your impressions of the journal; the kinds of research it includes; the variety of epistemologies, theoretical perspectives, methodologies and methods presented; and any other issues that reading the journal raises for you. c.
ARTICLES. From each journal, select one article. The article from the research journal should be an empirical research study (not a literature review, essay, or conceptual article).
The article from the practitioner journal should be on a specific problem of practice for which data of some sort (quantitative or qualitative) were collected and reported.
For both articles, make notes about the following: i.
The purpose of the study; ii.
The conceptual problem and practical problem(s) named or implied; iii.
The design of the study (specific approaches to data collection) and the procedures used by the researchers to analyze the data; iv.
The major conclusions/insights reached and the evidence on which conclusions are based (be specific); v.
The connections the researchers make between their conclusions and theory/literature; vi.
The conceptual framework (assumptions/conceptualization) on which the study is built; vii.
The paradigm or theoretical perspective in which the methodological approach is located, including evidence of epistemology, stated or implied;

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 11 viii.
Your assessment of the validity of the study and conclusions – strengths and weaknesses as you see them; ix.
The audience for the article – who will read it, who should read it, and how difference audiences might ready the study differently.
8.
Annotated bibliography (At least eight annotations: at least five of those must be annotations of empirical research articles or book chapters; each annotation should be at least 200 words).
DUE DATE:11/11/2014, midnight
Writing annotations is an underappreciated part of the research process and a difficult art to master.
Further complicating the process is that if you seek advice on how to write an annotation, you will get varied and conflicting advice. Mostly that is because annotations serve many different purposes for different audiences, including librarians, book sellers, and other researchers. The annotations you’ll write have a precise audience – yourself, and more precisely your future self. Write your annotation so that when you need to refer to a source in a few years (whether it’s an article, book, book chapter, monograph, etc.) the annotation contains all the information you need to (a) mention the source competently and accurately, (b) cite its results to warrant a claim; and/or (c) determine quickly if you need to return to the article for more specific information. Relevant to your topic, select and carefully read at least five empirical research sources, either articles from scholarly journals or chapters from edited books. Required course readings cannot be included in this assignment.
To write effective annotations, follow these steps: a.
Write in complete sentences. b.
Use active voice, precise nouns and verbs, and no vague evaluative language.
Counterexample: This is an excellent study with lots of good information. c.
Define any key terms that are unfamiliar or that are used in unfamiliar ways. d.
Name the theoretical perspective and conceptual framework. Avoid summarizing the author’s literature review. Example: Harris draws from Mary Douglas’ (1982) grid-and- group typology to classify each school’s cultural context in one of four categories:
bureaucratic, corporate, individualist, or collectivist. This would be an appropriate sentence in an annotation for this article: Harris, E.L. (1995). Toward a grid and group interpretation of school culture. Journal of School Leadership, 5(6), 617-646. e.
Identify by name the overall methodology of the study. f.
Describe each of the research methods used in the study. g.
Identify the sample and the population. h.
Clearly summarize the results of the study. i.
Identify the specified and unspecified implications of the study. j.
Name the specified and unspecified limitations of the methodology used in the study. k.
As relevant, mention how the author relates the study to prior research on the topic. l.
Capture any additional information that makes the article helpful to your project.
The paper will be graded using the rubric for written papers, presented later in the syllabus. Please keep in mind the specifics (a-k) listed above.
9.
Methods Design Paper (2000-2500 words, 7-9 pages, double-spaced, 11- or 12-point font)
DUE DATE: 12/14/2014, midnight
This assignment allows you to consider benefits and tradeoffs of various methodological approaches by creating and contrasting three mini-research designs for your research topic.
Describe three separate ways you could investigate your topic. As different methods produce different

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 12 types of information, your research questions will likely differ across each approach. Your designs may involve qualitative or quantitative methods and should include enough detail to be understood. That is, if you are using questionnaires you do not have to list or write every item; however, you should list scales or constructs, and perhaps provide an example item for each. Similarly if you will employ semistructured interviews you do not have to list every question but you should provide the topics that will be covered.
We recommend keeping each research design relatively simple in order to compare across approaches.
For example, the best way to address your question may be a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study with multiple design elements; however, for this assignment you may break apart manageable components of this design (e.g., quasi-experimental, pre-post questionnaire design for one method, focus group interviews for another).
The paper should include two parts. In Part 1, choose three approaches. For each approach include: a.
Your research question b.
The method(s) you will use to address this approach. c.
Details about these methods: scales, topics, purpose, rationale, etc. d.
Your target sample (who? How many? What type of person? What do you expect your response rate will be and why?) e.
Advantages and disadvantages of this approach
In Part 2, compare and contrast your three approaches. How do the approaches compare? What are the tradeoffs in choosing one over another? State which approach you would ultimately choose and why.
The paper will be graded using the rubric for written papers, presented later in the syllabus. Please keep in mind these specifics will be evaluated:
Category
(1) Introduction
(2) Method 1
(2) Method 2
Description

Paper has ½ to 1½ page introduction

Intro describes topic of study

Intro provides some rationale for studying topic

Specific research question included

Method adequately described

Enough details about method provided (scales, sample items, topics, sample interview questions, etc.)

Target sample adequately described

Advantages and disadvantages of approach provided
See above; also methods should be sufficiently different from each other.
(2) Method 3 See above
(3) Compare and Contrast

Author compares all three approaches

Author provides commonalities

Writing
Author provide differences

Author state which s/he would ultimately choose and why

Follows format (2000-2750 words, 7-10 pages double spaced)

Clear, concise, active voice

Good grammar

Few errors (spelling, punctuation)

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 13
INSTRUCTOR POLICIES THAT APPLY IN THIS COURSE
Communication:
Sending emails:

Pose questions of general interest and information via the “Course Questions” Blog on
Courseweb. Answers will be posted there. General questions sent via email will be reposted and answered there also.

Contact instructor by email only with questions of specific interest that cannot be shared with the whole class.

When emailing, please use your pitt.edu email address. You can email directly from the course web site or from your username@pitt.edu email. Please be careful about this; Pitt has an aggressive spam filtering system, and many students emailing from gmail accounts, etc., find their emails do not reach faculty.

Tell us who you are and help us figure out what you need: In the subject line, indicate the course number. Be descriptive. To avoid confusion, please remember to sign your email with your first and last name.
Telephone calls or office appointments: You may need to have a conversation about something in the course. Office hours can be arranged either via telephone meetings or on an as needed basis. Just email your available time/days. I will be glad to schedule a conference between 9 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday, at a mutually convenient time.
Incomplete Grades:
For this course, an I-Grade will be granted only if the student has actively attended to the course requirements but needs extended time to complete the required work to meet minimum expectations.
If an Incomplete grade becomes necessary, you will be required to propose a plan of action outlining how you will complete the work within no more than one term from the end of the course (and preferably a shorter period of time).
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION POLICIES THAT APPLY TO THIS COURSE
Attendance Policy:
Attendance is required at all scheduled classes. As a doctoral student, you are expected to be present, to be on time, to be prepared for every class, and to remain for the duration of the class. In the event of an emergency (emergency is defined as a crisis, tragedy, and/or disaster), please contact your instructor by email to notify them that you will not be present in class. When you return to class, please provide the instructor with documentation concerning your emergency.
There are no make up days or additions in the EdD program. Unexcused absences will require that you drop out of the current cohort to join the next year’s cohort at the point in the program that you had the unexcused absence.
Grievance Procedures:
The purpose of grievance procedures is to ensure the rights and responsibilities of faculty and students in their relationships with each other. When a student believes that a faculty member has not met his or her obligations (as an instructor or in another capacity) as described in the Academic Integrity
Guidelines, the student should follow the procedure described in the Guidelines by (1) first trying to

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 14 resolve the matter with the faculty member directly; (2) then, if needed, attempting to resolve the matter through conversations with the chair/associate chair of the department; (3) if needed, next talking to the associate dean of the school; and (4) if needed, filing a written statement of charges with the school-­­level academic integrity officer. [Dr. Jere Gallagher is the Associate Dean and Integrity
Officer.]
Academic Integrity:
Please see the policy on academic integrity as explained earlier in the syllabus.
Disability Services:
If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, you need to notify both the instructor and Disability Resources and Services no later than the second week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call (412) 648-7890
(Voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The Disability Resources and Services office is located in 140
William Pitt Union on the Oakland campus.
Statement on Classroom Recording:
To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own private use.

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 15
DATE
Before first class meeting
TOPIC

APA

IRB
 Academic integrity
 Library searches
 Reading and blogging
EDUC 3001 Schedule – Fall 215-1
MCEWAN &
MCEWAN
MENTER
ET AL.
Read:
Chapters 1,
2
Read:
Chapters
1, 2, 3, 6
OTHERS
Read:
Mertens, Chapter 1
Rivera (action research dissertation exemplar)
Review: Rounds
Materials for 9/24
September 24
CLASS
Between classes


Recap of APA, IRB, Academic integrity, library searches
Practitioner Research
Research Rounds:

Paradigms & Epistemologies

Research Design: Problems, Questions, & Sampling
 Literature Review & Annotations
 Action Research and Design Based Research
 Observational Methods
Read:
Chapters 3,
4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Read:
Chapter
8, 9, 10
ASSIGNMENTS
All due 9/20/14. Midnight
 APA tutorial
 IRB certification
 Academic integrity/plagiarism tutorial
 Library tutorials
 Blog discussions of readings
Read:
Paredes (evaluation
 Blog discussions of readings
 Topic statement due research October 12 (11:59 pm via dissertation exemplar 
SWoRD)
Peer review due October 15
Review: Rounds
Materials for 10/22
(11:59pm via SWoRD)
 Final draft for instructor review due 10/19/14, midnight
October 22
CLASS
Between classes
 Evaluating Research Studies
 Research to Practice
Research Rounds:
 Correlational Research
 Experiments & Quasi-Experiments

Interviews & Focus Groups

Evaluation Research
Read:
Chapters
4, 5, 7
Read:
Philadelphia (case study dissertation exemplar)

Review: Rounds
Materials for 11/12

Collect two journals and four articles (have paper or electronic copies available for class; bring detailed notes to class) DUE DATE:
11/11/2014, bring to class on 11/12/14
Annotated bibliography (At least eight annotations: at least five of those must be annotations of empirical research articles or book chapters; each annotation should be at least 200 words). DUE
DATE:11/11/2014, midnight

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 16
DATE TOPIC
November 12
CLASS
Between classes
 Overview, Journal/articles
Research Rounds:
 Survey Research
 Case Studies
 Qualitative Analysis & Reporting

Quantitative Analysis & Reporting

Secondary Data Bases
 Ethics
MCEWAN &
MCEWAN
MENTER
ET AL.
Read:
Chapters
11, 12, 13
OTHERS ASSIGNMENTS
DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION:
 Methods Design Paper
(2000-2500 words, 7-9 pages, double-spaced, 11- or
12-point font) DUE DATE:
12/14/2014, midnight
December 10
CLASS
After Class, until
12/14/14

Discussion of Methods Paper
 Finalize Rounds

FINAL PAPER VIA CW
Methods Design Paper
(2000-2500 words, 7-9 pages, double-spaced, 11- or
12-point font) DUE DATE:
12/14/2014, midnight

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis 17
Online Participation (20 points)
This rubric is used for Assignment 5
Item
Unacceptable
(0-1 pts)
Satisfactory – Well
Executed (2-3 pts)
Conversation with Others
Does not engage in any meaningful conversation.
Engagement with Ideas
Involvement
Appropriate
Sources
Consistency
No real engagement with the major ideas under discussion.
Drops in relatively little or never
Only shares opinion or agrees/disagrees with others
Highly inconsistent in communication
Interacts appropriately with others in conversation.
Adequate comment on major related issues through reasonable use of discussion.
Appropriately checks in on discussions and participates
Offers opinions that are sometimes presented with evidence, from practice and literature
Consistent in a few conversations in a meaningful way
Excellent
(4 pts)
Leads conversations when appropriate and follows others appropriately in the ebb and flow of conversation
Fully addresses all relevant key issues through discussion that leads others to engage more fully and deeply in the discussion
Consistently involved in the key conversations and discussions
Regularly offers evidencebased positions from experience and appropriate literature
Regularly consistent with participation across numerous conversations in a meaningful way

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis
RUBRIC FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 6, 8, and 9
Used for TOPIC STATEMENT – converted to 20 point scale, ANNOTAED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND METHODS PAPER, converted to a 30 point scale
POINTS:
INADEQUATE
0-1
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
2-3
SATISFACTORY
4-5
WELL EXECUTED
6
EXCELLENT
7
CONTENT: paper focuses on conceptual thoroughness, clarity, and cohesiveness, and draws from appropriate sources
Does not understand basic concepts, processes, or conventions in the material
Does not address the required material
Includes exploration of some concepts, but not in a cohesive or clear way
Addresses required material in a mechanical or forced manner
Includes exploration of interesting issues and connections in a cohesive way
Addresses required material in a logical and meaningful manner
Includes a discussion of the concepts that is selective, synthetic, analytical, and thematic
Addresses required materials and may include additional sources to augment ideas.
Displays a deep understanding of the literature by including all core concepts across sources, provides a clear discussion and brings ideas together in a cohesive and meaningful manner.
Incorporates all required materials and additional references as appropriate
COMPREHENSION and
ANALYSIS: paper presents cogent summary, analysis and critique, and offers synthesis across concepts
Lacks careful thought
Has a weak, inconsistent, selfcontradictory, unconvincing, or invalid argument
Has wrong, inappropriate, incoherent, or confused analysis
Has unsupported or exaggerated interpretation
Displays a narrow understanding of the field 
 by presenting minor analysis and little or no synthesis
Few if any connections among concepts are explored
Has an unsophisticated understanding of the subject matter with obvious analysis and synthesis across concepts
Does not explore possibilities and misses connections
Sustains an argument, but the argument is not imaginative, complex, or convincing
Shows understanding and mastery of the subject matter through analysis and synthesis across concepts and connections
Has a strong, comprehensive, and coherent argument
Analysis is comprehensive, complete, sophisticated, and convincing
Connects components in a seamless way
Argument is focused, logical, rigorous, and sustained
18

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis
POINTS:
ORGANIZATION: paper is appropriately organized with an internal logic and structure to present concepts in a compelling and flowing narrative
WRITING ELEMENTS: paper adheres to acceptable style elements, uses proper use of standard
English, maintains professional tone, and presents ideas clearly
INADEQUATE
0-1
Lacks evidence of technical competence with core structural components in place
(intro, subheadings and sections, discussion, and conclusion).
References are used inappropriately
Paper is poorly written
(repeated spelling and/or grammatical errors) 
 with poor overall presentation
The writer’s decisions about focus, organization, style and tone, and content interfere with communication
Lack of competence with proper style and format appropriate to the assignment
Plagiarizes or deliberately misreads or misuses sources
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
2-3
Demonstrates technical competence with core structural components in place
(intro, subheadings and sections, discussion, and conclusion).
References are used appropriately (in text citations and bibliography), though citations and use of direct quotes seems clumsy and mechanical
Writing is pedestrian and plodding
Is not interesting, exciting, or surprising
Displays little creativity, imagination, or insight
Models the style and format appropriate to the assignment
SATISFACTORY
4-5
Demonstrates technical competence with core structural components in place
(intro, subheadings and sections, discussion, and conclusion) in a way that enhances the reading experience.
References are used appropriately (in text citations and bibliography) with well-integrated use of citations. May include an over-reliance on direct quotes.
The writing is essentially error-free in terms of mechanics
The writer’s decisions about focus, organization, style and tone, and content have been executed to produce a solid written paper
Models the style and format appropriate to the assignment
WELL EXECUTED
6
The paper is well written and organized with strong use of core structural components in place, making reading flow well with no hesitation.
References are used appropriately and well, with only occasional use of direct quotes
EXCELLENT
7
The paper is artfully composed and well organized making reading easy and enjoyable.
References are well integrated and substantively add to the conceptual and narrative flow of the paper.
Writing flows smoothly from one idea to another
The writer has taken pains to assist the reader in following the logic of the ideas expressed
Models the style and format appropriate to the assignment
Cogently expresses the insights gained from the literature
The writer’s decisions about focus, organization, style and tone, and content making reading a pleasurable and engaging experience.
Models the style and format appropriate to the assignment
The paper could serve as a model of how to fulfill the assignment
19

EDUC 3001: Fundamentals of Research, C. Tananis
POINTS:
SPECIFIC
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
INADEQUATE
0-1
The product does not include major elements of the assignment as noted in the syllabus
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
2-3
The product includes few to some elements of the assignment as noted in the syllabus, but not fully, and/or the elements are underdeveloped
SATISFACTORY
4-5
The product includes all elements of the assignment as noted in the syllabus with some development, though more detail and extension of thinking is only acceptable
WELL EXECUTED
6
The product includes all elements of the assignment as noted in the syllabus with solid development, including detail and extension of thinking
EXCELLENT
7
The product includes all elements of the assignment as noted in the syllabus with strong development, including important detail and extension and synthesis of thinking
20