4
I & L 3509
Advanced Seminar in Early Intervention
Spring 2017
Instructor: Louise Kaczmarek
WWPH 5160
Office Hours: By appointment
Class Meeting Day/Times/ Location
Wednesdays, 4:30-7:10 PM
Posvar Hall 5152
Course Description: This course will acquaint students with the latest research in early education and development and will apply those findings to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities.
Credits: 3
Course Goals:
The student will demonstrate:
1. Knowledge relating to current research topics in early intervention, early childhood education, and child development with particular emphasis on young children with disabilities.
2. Skills in analyzing and critically evaluating research in the field of early intervention and child development
3. Skills in researching and writing a comprehensive literature review of a selected topic.
4. Skills in preparing and delivering an oral presentation.
5. Knowledge about ways of bridging the research-to-practice gap.
Method of Instruction:
Seminar
Course Readings:
There is no required text for this course. Readings will be assigned by the instructor and will be available through the Courseweb.
Course Requirements
Class Presentation/Discussion (30% of final grade)
Each student will take primary responsibility for presenting their literature review topic (1 hour) in which they will present information on the specific topic area (same as / related to your literature review paper). Students are expected to meet with the instructor prior to the class session to review plans for the class. Students will submit their Power Point presentation for comment by the instructor and then a revised final version of the slides. After the presentation, students will submit a written self-evaluation. All components of the assignment must be completed and submitted on time to receive full credit on the final assignment.
Review Paper (60% of final grade):
Complete a written review and synthesis of the empirical literature on a selected topic related to early intervention, early childhood development, or autism. Select a topic from the list below or choose one of interest to you. If you are in the Autism Specialization, your topic must be related to autism. The paper should be a comprehensive, integrative, and critical review of empirical research in a topic area related to an instructional practice, and should lead to greater understanding of the trends and patterns in that area of study. Reviews must focus on empirical investigations rather than previously published reviews, and topics must be approved by the instructor. A minimum of 10 and a maximum of 12 empirical studies from refereed journal articles should be used; additional references (i.e., other types of literature) beyond the empirical studies, may be used as references in introduction and discussion as appropriate. Papers are expected to be 15-20 pages in length (typed; double-spaced; excluding references and tables), and should include a table summarizing the empirical studies reviewed. All papers must be prepared according to APA style. An initial draft of the paper must be turned in prior to the final due date as noted below. The required components of the assignment are the following:
(1) Initial topic proposal (3% of final grade)
(3) Detailed outline of the paper and completed summary table (7% of final grade)
(4) Draft of first part of paper: Introduction, Methods, and summary/critique review of 4 studies (no more than 7 pages) (5% of final grade)
(5) Complete first draft of paper (Will be graded using the rubric for the complete draft, resulting in an intermediate grade leading towards the final grade. So, for example, if you got a 100 out of 150 on the complete first draft, then you are 67% of the way towards a perfect score on the final paper. If you got 140/150, then you would be much closer to the perfect score on the final paper. The intermediate grade should reflect how much more work you roughly need to put into revising to produce the final paper. The rubric and comments on the paper will tell you where the improvements need to be made.)
(6) Final paper (45% of final grade)
Class Attendance and Participation (10% of final grade):
To facilitate the scholarly examination, discussion, and understanding of the topics, it is crucial that students complete all assigned readings, maintain active participation in discussions, share their views and experiences as they relate to class topics, share understanding and interpretation of assigned readings.
Grading:
Final grades will be calculated on the basis of the following percentages of the total number of points earned:
A = 94-100% / B- = 81-83%A- = 91-93% / C+ = 78-80%
B+ = 88-90% / C = 74-77%
B = 84-87% / C- = 71-73%
Draft Course Schedule
(For weekly reading Assignments, see Course Web)
Week / Date / Topic / In-class Activity Requirements / Assignment Due Dates1 / 1/4 / Overview/ Introductions
Overview of topics and issues in EI/ Autism
2 / 1/11 / Evidence-based practices
Overview of Library Databases
Introduce Lit Rev Proposal / Search library databases on the proposed topic / Explore this website:
http://pitt.libguides.com/education
1/18 / No Class / Paper Topic Proposal (submit)
3 / 1/25 / Types of Research Validity
Research Methodologies (Introduction)
Introduce Table of Studies / Enter studies in Table & identify research methodology / At least 8 studies identified for the literature review;
4 / 2/1 / Research Methodologies: SCD - Critiquing / Evaluating Research / Critique 2-3 SCD studies from your sample / Enter 8 identified studies in Table;
5 / 2/8 / Research Methodologies: Group - Critiquing / Evaluating Research / Critique 2-3 group design studies from your sample / Complete 2-3 SCD critiques
6 / 2/15 / Types of literature reviews;
Preparing and writing a literature review; / Discussion of published literature reviews (see Course Web for articles) / Bring working table of studies to class with all identified studies entered
7 / 2/22 / Preparing and delivering a presentation / All 10-12 studies for review identified; Completed Table of Studies; Detailed Paper Outline; (submit)
8 / 3/1 / Student individual meetings with instructor for feedback on partial draft, outlines / summary tables, & presentation slides / Draft presentation slides and selected class reading (submit)
3/8 / SPRING BREAK
9 / 3/15 / Partial Draft: Intro, Methods, Written summary and detailed critique of 6 articles that you will use in the Literature Review; Final Draft of Slides (submit)
10 / 3/22 / Individual meeting with instructor on Partial draft and final slides
3/28-4/18 / Presentations will be arranged with the Tuesday practicum seminar / Presentations Tuesday seminar class between March 28 – April 18 (7:30-9:00 PM); Submit final slides
11 / 3/29 / No class
12 / 4/5 / No class / Draft of complete paper (submit to Turnitin.com, then couseweb)
13 / 4/12 / Individual meeting with instructor as needed
14 / 4/19 / No class / Final literature review due (submit)
15 / 4/26 / Individual meeting with instructor as needed
Note: The syllabus, course schedule and readings are subject to minor adjustments, as determined by the instructor. Please check Courseweb on a regular basis.
General Considerations
· Disability Policy
o If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890/(412) 383-7355 (TTY), as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
· Academic Integrity
o Academic integrity is essential to the success of all students in higher education. Please complete the Academic Integrity Guidelines “Test” on BlackBoard. To plagiarize is “to steal and pass off as one’s own the ideas or words of another (Webster, 1967, p. 646), or to not acknowledge the author of an idea. If plagiarism or falsification of data are evident, you will receive a FAIL in the class and will be referred to the University Disciplinary Committee for possible further disciplinary action.
· Attendance
o You are expected you to attend and participate in all sessions. If you are unable to attend class due to illness or other significant personal circumstances, email your instructor prior to the start of class. You are responsible for all content covered in missed sessions. Please contact a classmate for notes and announcements. Excessive absences will result in a grade reduction.
· Technology
o Please do not use phones (including talking and texting), portable media players, tablet computers, electronic readers, laptops, or any other personal technology during class. The only time you may use your laptop is during the discussion of the readings, if you choose not to print them, or for other in-class activities requiring an internet connection. If you have a special situation that needs to be considered, please let your instructor know within the first week of the course.
· Communication
o Please communicate openly with your instructor regarding your understanding of course material, assignments, and course format. If you need assistance or wish to discuss any aspect of the course please do not hesitate to ask. You may schedule a meeting with your instructor any time during the semester. Communicate with your instructor about special circumstances as soon as possible and always prior to the related class session and/or assignment due date
· Assignment submissions
o All assignments must be submitted on the due date. Assignments will be submitted on-line via BlackBoard. Final submissions of the literature review will also be made via BlackBoard and will include evaluation by the SafeAssign system. All components of the assignments must be completed and submitted on time to receive full credit. Failure to submit an ungraded assignment will result in up to a 20 pt reduction against the total number of points for the course. Unexcused late assignments submitted after due date will receive a reduced grade (5 pt reduction for every day late). Please discuss any medical or other special circumstances with the instructor in advance.
· APA Style
o All written assignments must be prepared in accordance with the guidelines stated in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition (2009). All final products must be typed and double-spaced. Use Times New Roman and font-size 12.