Seminar in Advanced Research Methods

Course Details

Course Number: HSAD/PUAD 6063  Section Number: 290

Spring 2012

Location: Online

Days & Times:

Class is fully online

Office hours: Mon 10 am - 1:30pm, 5:15pm- 7 pm Tues 9:15am- 2pm. Please make an appointment during these hours.

Course Attachments

Schedule  HSAD6063Schedule-20120330-112407.docx

Textbooks

Hart (1998). Doing A Literature Review
Sage Publishers.
Publication Manual Of American Psychological Assoc
5th Edition. Publisher APA.
MSU Faculty Member
Dr. Roe Roberts   
view Profile »

Course Objectives

The objectives of this course are:

• To synthesize an appropriate research question,

• To evaluate and select the proper research design for the appropriate research problem,

• To evaluate the research work of others,

• To complete a fairly file research paper, and

• To present effectively the results of research work.

By the end of the course, you will be able to appropriately use each research technique in your own research project so as to be able to complete a final version of your paper.  All will be able to evaluate and comment on the research work of other authors.


Course Expectations

Course Organization and Requirements

The program is changing its paper requirements.  To help enact this change smoothly, all students in this course must complete a final comprehensive paper during the semester.  It is expected you will compose several drafts, and revise them until a final paper is prepared.  Once the paper is judged to be of a passing quality you may present it whether or not you plan to do your oral defense at the end of the semester.

Please understand this is a graded course and you must meet the course requirements.  

Student Objectives: To accomplish the course objectives and provide performance measures, we have created three (3) arenas:

1. Participation. Students will participate in discussions; provide input and reviews on a timely basis. The minimum requirement is to post at least once each week. Participation in the form of peer reviews and discussion of assignments must be substantive and advance the discussion (defined later in course policies section). Assignments that are graded separately (required writings) do not count towards participation.

2. Written Assignments. Several key written assignments are required. These assignments direct you toward the course objectives and therefore it is important for you to complete them in a timely manner.

3. In-Class Attendance. This course requires you to be in class on two days.  Attendance is required for all Health Administration Students, it is not required, but is recommended if possible for all Public Administration students.

Your final written paper will be graded on content and grammar as follows:

1. Content includes conceptualization of ideas; clarity and relevance of examples; logical organization of thoughts; insight and originality and is 80% of the grading criteria.

2. Grammar includes spelling, punctuation, and grammar and APA format and is worth up to 20% of the grading criteria.


Grading Standards

In this course, there are no extra credit assignments.

Three late assignments will automatically result in a grade of C for the class unless I have given you permission to turn in the assignment late.  I will only give permission to do so IF a MAJOR life situation has occurred unexpectedly (ie hospitalization, death in the immediate family etc.)

This syllabus is subject to change. All course participants will be notified of any changes.


Submission Format Policy

Papers must be written using APA 5th ed. or above.

Discussion Responses and Comments must be turned in on time.  Comments must be turned in within 5 days after the Response due date.

 All Due Dates are noted in the Class Assignment Schedule.



Note: You may not submit a paper for a grade in this class that already has been (or will be) submitted for a grade in another course, unless you obtain the explicit written permission of me and the other instructor involved in advance.

Plagiarism Policy Plagiarism is the use of someone else's thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument in your own work without appropriate documentation (a parenthetical citation at the end and a listing in "Works Cited")-whether you use that material in a quote, paraphrase, or summary. It is a theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not.

Student Honor Creed

As an MSU Student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal, or help anyone else do so."

As students at MSU, we recognize that any great society must be composed of empowered, responsible citizens. We also recognize universities play an important role in helping mold these responsible citizens. We believe students themselves play an important part in developing responsible citizenship by maintaining a community where integrity and honorable character are the norm, not the exception. Thus, We, the Students of Midwestern State University, resolve to uphold the honor of the University by affirming our commitment to complete academic honesty. We resolve not only to be honest but also to hold our peers accountable for complete honesty in all university matters. We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in examinations or quizzes, to use any unauthorized material in examinations, or to present, as one's own, work or ideas which are not entirely one's own. We recognize that any instructor has the right to expect that all student work is honest, original work. We accept and acknowledge that responsibility for lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty fundamentally rests within each individual student. We expect of ourselves academic integrity, personal professionalism, and ethical character. We appreciate steps taken by University officials to protect the honor of the University against any who would disgrace the MSU student body by violating the spirit of this creed. Written and adopted by the 2002-2003 MSU Student Senate.

Students with Disabilities The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Support Services in Room 168 of the Clark Student Center, 397-4140.

Safe Zones Statement The professor considers this classroom to be a place where you will be treated with respect as a human being - regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, political beliefs, age, or ability. Additionally, diversity of thought is appreciated and encouraged, provided you can agree to disagree. It is the professor's expectation that ALL students consider the classroom a safe environment.

Contacting your Instructor All instructors in the Department have voicemail in their offices and MWSU e-mail addresses. Make sure you add your instructor's phone number and e-mail address to both email and cell phone lists of contacts.

Other Policies

Plagiarism and Dishonesty

Your work should be your own unless specifically stated otherwise. Using someone else’s paper, copying directly from the internet, etc., are activities that are considered plagiarism. It can result in the student being dismissed and a recorded grade of “F.” Here are several websites that provide guidance to avoid plagiarism. I urge you to take the time to review them and understand what is and is not plagiarism.

http://gervaseprograms.georgetown.edu/honor/system/53377.html

http://lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/plagiarismtutorial.php(this is a tutorial which you must complete and email me the results for your first discussion assignment)

Online Questions, Comments and Discussions

Messages that contribute to the class discussion in a "substantive" way are messages that satisfy all of the following:

1. Messages related to the content of the course.

2. Messages related to a specific discussion or issue at hand. This means messages are focused.

3. Messages are clear. (Vague, obscure, and otherwise hard to understand messages do not qualify.)

4. Messages follow proper etiquette and rules for a civilized discussion.

5. Messages add something new to the content/discussion in the course. Messages limited to statements such as "I agree," "I disagree," "Good job!" "I don't understand this" do not qualify. Such messages convey information about the sender, but no information about the content of a discussion. If messages are not limited to such statements, that is, if the sender explains why he/she "agrees" or "disagrees" using relevant facts or arguments, then the sender's messages are substantive.


Writing Proficiency Requirement All students seeking a Bachelor's degree from Midwestern State University must satisfy a writing proficiency requirement once they've 1) passed English 1113 and English 1123 and 2) earned 60 hours. You may meet this requirement by passing either the Writing Proficiency Exam or English 2113. Please keep in mind that, once you've earned over 90 hours, you lose the opportunity to take the $25 exam and have no option but to enroll in the three-credit hour course. If you have any questions about the exam, visit the Writing Proficiency Office website at http://academics.mwsu.edu/wpr, or call 397-4131.