Syllabus

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Course Information

Course: EDU 651
Section: 601 CRN 22906
Credit Hours: 3
Class: Tuesdays 4:20-6:50
Location: Van Hoesen Room B212
Course Website: http://web.cortland.edu/shis/651/

Professor Information

Dr. Shufang Shi
Office: Van Hoesen Room B0224
Office Phone: (607) 753-2468
Email: shis@cortland.edu
Website: http://web.cortland.edu/shis/

Office Hours
Tue 2:15-4:15
Thu 10:30-11:30; 2:15-4:15 and by appointment.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

An initial course in the reading, analysis and design of research in education, EDU651 is intended to provide graduate students with basic understandings of text, information, and methodology to be applied throughout the Master's program.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Mills, G. E. (2007). Action research: a guide for the teacher researcher (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. (ISBN 0-1317-2276-X).

American Psychological Association (2005). Concise rules of APA style. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (ISBN 1-59147-252-0).

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The major purpose for this course is for you as a teacher to understand the sources of knowledge about teaching and learning. Teachers should be critical readers of information and be able to analyze research conclusions about education in any context. Teachers should be convinced of the necessity of doing research and feel empowered to do so. The course will focus on the methods of achieving reliable and valid research results and will emphasize the ability of conducting an action research. Our objective will be to explore questions that are interesting to solve in the form of a research project, first as a research proposal for this course, and then as a culminating experience in the Master's program (EDU 652 or 653).

The objectives of the course in general are that the student:

Increase facility in reading and analyzing research; critically analyze sources of knowledge, demonstrated through a literature review.
Have a good understanding of a variety of research methods with the focus on qualitative research.
Understand underlying issues related to ethical considerations of conducting research.
Create projects that demonstrate accomplishment of these skills: identifying an area of interest, designing a study with details of data collecting and data analyses, and writing up a research proposal.
Assume the responsibilities of a professional educator by analyzing, critiquing, and creating new knowledge about the classroom, teaching and learning.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The teacher education program at SUNY Cortland is built upon the foundation of liberal learning and the development of teachers who have exceptional pedagogical knowledge and skills. The foundation of liberal learning informs the professional education strand in an innovative thematic approach that emphasizes personal responsibility and global understanding. For further information visit the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and has a Conceptual Framework (CF) for all of its teacher education programs. See the following website for more information on SUNY Cortland and NCATE: http://www.cortland.edu/ncate/. The learning outcomes specifically addressed in this course are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.

NCATE AND ACEI

The Association for the Education of Children International (ACEI) in working with NCATE has developed guidelines for the preparation of childhood teachers. The goals and objectives of this course have been aligned with these standards in order to prepare students to be able to demonstrate what they know and are able to do as early childhood teachers. See the following website for the ACEI standards: http://.www.udel.edu/bateman/acei/.

Note that different texts and resources for this course may be used. After meeting two, students are expected to read from the text, supplement the text with outside readings and compare readings with other students when possible, and be able to address the questions/topics listed under assignments for the day. In addition, each week students may present and discuss their progress toward a research topic for the course project the Research Proposal.

COURSE ATTENDENCE POLICY

Your presence and participation are crucial in a course that emphasizes interaction and experiential learning. Penalties are given for unexcused and/or chronic absences (see handbook, pg. 56).

LATE WORK

The course project will be submitted in a series of drafts. Submission of projects by the due dates is your professional responsibility and no late work will be accepted, unless there are mitigating circumstances explained to your course instructor prior to the fact.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The College is an academic community that values academic integrity and takes seriously its responsibility for upholding academic honesty. All members of the academic community have an obligation to uphold high intellectual and ethical standards. All projects and activities completed by the student must be ORIGINAL WORK for this course. Plagiarism, stealing (or borrowing), or passing the work or ideas of others as the work or idea of your own is considered academic dishonesty and will not be tolerated. For more information on academic integrity and academic dishonesty, please refer to the College Handbook, the College Catalog and the Code of Student Conduct and Related Policies or ask your instructor.

STUDENTS NEEDING SPECIAL SERVICES

SUNY Cortland is committed to upholding and maintaining all aspects of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the office of Disability Services located in B-40 Van Hoesen Hall or call (607) 753-2066 for an appointment. Any information regarding your disability will remain confidential. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodation should be made as early as possible. Any requests for accommodations will be reviewed in a timely manner to determine their appropriateness in this setting. I encourage any students who have special learning needs to make them known to me very early in the course so that I can make the appropriate academic accommodations. I desire that each student achieve to his or her highest potential and wish to assist each person in accomplishing his/her goal.

COURSE ASSESSMENT AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

The evaluation of student performance was designed to (1) promote your own growth and learning; (2) give you on-going feedback; (3) strengthen the working relationship between the instructor and the student.

Progress will be based on attendance and participation as well as assignments and projects pertaining to students’ practicum experiences and understanding of educational research. Assessment and evaluation will be based on the following: professionalism (5 points), participation and leadership (10 points), CITI Tutorial (10), course projects (15 x 3 + 20 = 65 points), final presentation (10 points). Outlined below

Professionalism 5
Participation & Leadership 10
CITI Tutorial 10
Introduction 15
Literature Review 15
Methodology 15
Final Submission 20
Final Presentation 10

Professionalism Professional Disposition (5)

Attendance, punctuality, active participation in class and professional disposition in general are considered indicators of your professionalism and dedication. Students who demonstrate professionalism by participating in class, arriving on time, and attending class meetings should expect to receive a higher course grade than those who do not. In accordance with college policy, you can miss up to one week of classes without penalty. Since this course only meets once per week, that would mean missing only one class. More than 3 extra absences will result in a grade of F for the course. Every two times arriving late or leaving early will count as one absence.
PLEASE NOTE: I realize that circumstances beyond your control may at times require that you arrive late, leave early, or miss class. Please write a note to me explaining any such circumstances in case I do not remember verbal explanations.

This course follows the Childhood/Early Childhood Department procedures for continuous positive growth toward strong teaching skills and professional dispositions as reflected in the Assessment of Candidate’s Professional Dispositions. It is the policy of the Department that positive professional dispositions are a basic requirement. In the event of problematic demonstration of professional disposition, incidents will be documented and the departmental and Teacher Education Council Fair Practice Policy and Procedures for action will be followed.

5 points: Full attendance, active participation, very positive attitudes as a learner, and a great team builder.
3 Points: No more than one absence, fairly active participation, having a positive attitude, and a fairly good team builder.
2 points: More than one absence, necessary participation, not always being positive as a learner, and not being a team builder.
0 points: More than three absences, reluctance to participate, negative attitudes in class, and lack of team spirit.

Participation and Leadership in Problem Solving and Class Discussion (10)

This is a seminar course and a very important part of this course is discussion. It is through discussion that we share ideas and knowledge. Academic discussion is a learned discourse based on factual information obtained through reading about and researching your topic. You are expected to come to class having already read the extensive amounts of assigned reading material (students are expected to study a minimum of three hours per week outside of class for each credit hour (SUNY Cortland 2005-2006 Graduate Catalogue Update, p38)). There will be in-class assignments related to your reading, as well as in-class and out-of-class group assignments such as Hot Topic Debates. In making an assessment about class participation I will consider the extent to which:

your participation demonstrates thoughtful consideration and understanding of the reading assignments;
you bringing pertinent information to the class discussions - personal experience, learning from other courses, etc. that extends challenges, or clarifies issues raised in the readings;
you plan the leading discussion with your group to work out innovative ways to lead the hot topic discussion;
you bring a positive and an enthusiastic attitude toward making the class an informative positive community rooted in what Damon (1994) has referred to as “respectful engagement.”

In a discussion seminar where difficult issues are being considered, respectful engagement is foundational to the success of the class. Respectful engagement includes, but is not limited to the following: active listening that does not involve side conversations while someone is talking or making derogatory facial gestures; attacking agreements and ideas rather than the people who propose them; participation without dominating; and generally attempting to understand new perspectives - even if you choose ultimately to disagree with them. Some persons are more comfortable talking in class than others, so my assessment is based more on the quality than the quantity of your participation. Attendance is not necessarily participation. You should be attentive to the requirements outlined, and seek to meet them to the best of your ability. Each student should be prepared to demonstrate some leadership in the class discussion.

10 Points: Active, thoughtful participation, great preparations, very innovative (Getting the whole class engaged in the discussion), and a great discussion leader.
8 Points: Good participation, fairly good preparation, good innovation, and a fairly good discussion leader.
5 Points: Passive participation, barely any preparation, not much innovation, and a reluctant discussion leader.
0 Points: Almost no participation, no preparation, no innovation, and no effort toward discussions.

Course Projects : Research Proposal (65)

All students will complete a research project – a research proposal that includes the inquiry, development and writing up of an action research proposal.

The objectives of the course project assignments are:

To do a systematic and sustained search and analysis of research pertaining to a topic.
To increase facility with searching diverse sources and making judgments about suitability of materials.
To translate bibliographic entries into a coherent, personalized, focused literature review.
To demonstrate facility with conceptualizing and designing a coherent research topic
To write and present an original proposal that may be the basis for your master’s project or for professional presentation or grant application.

It is expected the topic will evolve over the first few sessions of the course. Upon successful completion of this assignment, students will submit a research proposal including a critical review of all relevant sources that were used as background for the study (minimum of 12 sources), as well as an abstract, introduction, methodology, and significance section of the study. APA Style will be followed and the format determined according to the research method applied and described in the text, on course handouts and from in-class discussions.

Introduction (15): Your research proposal in its initial stage. This will be the basis of the introduction part of your final course project (an action research proposal), including problem statement, purpose of the study, research questions, and a minimum of 8 entries of annotated references using APA format.
Literature Review (15): A coherent, comprehensive literature review of at least 12 sources (the 8 entries from your annotated bibliography in the Introduction may be included if they are still acceptable) presented in an integrative and critical fashion, and a revised reference page (only those sources referenced in the paper should be cited), plus a bibliography, maintaining APA style. This will be the basis of the Literature Review portion of your final course project.
Methodology (15): A comprehensive description of the methodology, a revised reference page and a bibliography. This will be the basis of the Methodology part of your final project.
Final Submission (20): The final draft of your Action Research Proposal should incorporate feedback to each section, AND build upon the previous versions by adding an Abstract, Significance, a complete Reference page (only those sources referenced in the paper should be cited), and a Bibliography. At this point, your proposal will customarily include the following: Title Page, Abstract (in future tense only), Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology (in future tense only), Significance, References, Bibliography, Appendix, and the entire document must adhere to APA guidelines. The final draft is NOT a simple compilation of each of the first sections, but a coherent essay developed from the three separate sections and incorporating feedback from peers and the instructor, and adhering to APA guidelines and the corresponding grading rubric.

Final Presentation (10)

Students will be expected to use posters and available technology (including PowerPoint or other presentation software) to create a presentation of the project for the class. The instructor will provide individual feedback; individual conferences are encouraged during office hours or by phone or email. Email conversations are particularly helpful for formative evaluation and frequent feedback. Final presentation guidelines and submission guidelines will be posted on the course website and handed out in class beforehand. No assignments will be accepted after the final class meetings.

Grading of each activity will be based on its corresponding rubrics. Detailed descriptions of all assignments and corresponding grading rubrics will be handed out in class and posted on the course website. Please follow the rubric and assignment explanations carefully to avoid misunderstandings.

CITI Tutorial(10)

This course requires that candidates complete a research proposal for an educational study. SUNY Cortland requires that faculty members and students who intend to conduct research projects involving the use of human participants adhere to strict policies to protect the human subjects that they will be studying and successfully complete an IRB (Institutional Review Board) Human Rights Protection packet (The CITI tutorial) early in the semester. Upon successful completion, candidates must print a completion report and submit it in class. It is important to note that this tutorial includes many modules and quizzes and will require much time to complete. Students should have high-speed Internet access to successfully view and respond to all components of the tutorial. The CITI Program can be accessed at: http://www.citiprogram.org. Please also refer to SUNY Cortland IRB website: http://www.cortland.edu/osp/hrp.htm.

Numerical grade equivalents are as follows: (A+ is reserved for work of exceptional quality reflecting original insight, creativity and excellent attendance.)

A+ (99-100) A (95-98) A- (90-94)

B+ (87-89) B (83-86) B- (80-82)

C+ (77-79) C (73-76) C- (70-72)

D+ (67-69) D (63-66) D- (60-62)

F (59 - below)