TROY UNIVERSITY - TAMPA CAMPUS

COURSE SYLLABUS TAMPA
CP6691 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

TERM T2/12

Term Date: October 15, 2012 – December 16, 2012

Class Time: October 19, 20 & 21; November 16, 17 & 18

Fridays 5:45pm – 10:15pm, Saturdays 8:00am – 5:00pm, Sundays 8:00am – 5:00pm

Catalog Description: The study and evaluation of research methods commonly used in the social sciences. The courses will provide information necessary to understand and apply research processes, synthesize knowledge and writing, and plan and organize research problems for interpretation and application of research results. Application of these skills in the form of a written project using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) is required.

Instructor: Stephen A. Giunta, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC

Instructor’s Office Hours: My official office hours for Term 5/12 are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10am to 5pm and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm. To avoid any inconvenience on your part, make an appointment for a particular time on Tuesday or Thursday. If those hours are inconvenient, feel free to ask for a different arrangement.

Instructor’s Contact Information: ; 813-835-6220, off; 727-365-6155, cell.

Prerequisites: None.

Instructor’s Education

University of Minnesota – Post-Doctoral, Clinical Internship, School Counseling 5-12.

University of Florida – Ph.D. Marriage & Family Counseling.

University of West Georgia – M. A. Psychology.

University of West Georgia – B. A. Philosophy.

Instructor’s Certifications

National Certified Counselor (#50855, 4/24/1999 – 8/31/2014).

Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor & Qualified Supervisor (MH 5668, 3/11/1998 – 3/31/2013).

Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator (#06618F, 10/27/95 – 10/27/05)

Course Goals and Objectives

The Teacher Education Program is designed to provide a quality, academic program that emphasizes meaningful and practical learning experiences in preparing students to be innovative, informed, reflective decision-makers. In addition, this course provides opportunities to:

  1. Develop/improve the ability to interpret and objectively evaluate studies, research, and evidence-based best practices in the social sciences to advance the counseling profession. II.G.8.a, II.G.8.e
  2. Know the fundamentals of social science research with emphasis on the basic quantitative and qualitative research designs (descriptive, casual-comparative, correlational, and experimental). II.G.8.b
  3. Appreciate the importance of legal and ethical considerations in human subject research II.G.8.f
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the appropriate use of inferential statistics in analyzing research data. II.G.8.c
  5. Develop an awareness of program evaluation principles and concepts. II.G.8.c,II.G.8.d

Legend: CACREP 2009 Standards Section II G. 8 a-f.

Mode of Instruction: A variety of instructional strategies will be used including: lectures, discussion, videos, guest speakers, modeling, and computerized/internet instruction (LiveText and BlackBoard).

Required Texts

1. Salkind, N. (2012) Exploring Research (8th edition). Pearson- Prentice Hall. ISBN: 978-0-205-90769-4.

2. American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual of the American. Psychological Association (6th edition). APA Publishers.

3. LiveText Student Edition Membership Code Card • (2ND)09

ISBN978-0-9796635-4-3.

Students should order textbooks as soon as possible to insure receipt prior to the beginning of the term. Students should read Chapters One and Two of Salkind’s text before attending the first class.

Required Additional Reading

Topical articles as assigned

Other Materials: Students are also required to purchase LiveText for this course.

Electronic Devices

Electronic Devices, such as laptops and PDAs, are only to be used for student presentations. Exceptions will be made at the discretion of the instructor (e.g. family medical issues, learning disabilities). In turn, do not text, twit, wink, poke, IM or electronically communicate in some other manner during class time. Students that text, twit or surf detract from the energy needed to maintain a discussion, demonstrate behaviors that call into question their ability to appreciate how their behaviors impact individuals in group settings and exhibit disrespect for the students that take the course content seriously.

Additional Services

Troy University supports Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which insure that postsecondary students with disabilities have equal access to all academic programs, physical access to all buildings, facilities and events, and are not discriminated against on the basis of disability. Eligible students, with appropriate documentation, will be provided equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic skills and potential through the provision of academic adaptations and reasonable accommodations. Further information, including appropriate contact information, can be found at the following link: http://www.troy.edu/humanresources/ADAPolicy2003.htm

Absence Policy

In registering for classes at the university, students accept responsibility for attending scheduled class meetings, completing assignments on time, and contributing to class discussions and exploration of ideas. An unexcused absence will affect your grade.

In severe cases of inclement weather or other emergency conditions, the university will announce cancellation of classes through the local and regional media as well as through the University’s internet resources (e.g., Blackboard, e-mail, Twitter).

Incomplete Grade Policy

An incomplete grade indicates that the student has not completed all of the assigned class work or has not taken all class examinations, but is otherwise passing the course. Only the instructor can determine whether an incomplete grade is justified. It cannot be automatically assigned, but rather must be requested by the student by submitting to the instructor the Petition for and Work to Remove an Incomplete Grade form. If the Petitions are approved, a signed copy will be mailed to the student. An "I" can never be used in lieu of an "F" nor can an "I" be assigned because of excessive absences.

It is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor regarding the deadline for completing all course requirements. Any student who receives a grade of Incomplete must adhere to the work completion deadline set by the instructor, not to exceed the end of the following term. This deadline applies whether or not the student re-enrolls for the semester following the assignment of the incomplete grade(s). Failure to clear the incomplete within the specified time period will result in the assignment of a grade of F for the course.

Make-Up Work Policy

Missing any part of the schedule during the term may prevent successful completion of the course and will impact your participation grade. Late assignments are not accepted. Should you foresee difficulty of any kind (i.e., an illness, an employment change, business trip, etc.) which may prevent completion of this course; notify me as soon as possible.

Academic Misconduct

Students should refer to the Standards of Conduct section of the student handbook, for policies regarding misconduct.

In accordance with the Standards of Conduct in the Troy University Catalog, a student or organization may be disciplined, up to and including expulsion, if deemed in violation of the STANDARDS OF CONDUCT for the commission of or the attempt to commit these offenses: Dishonesty, such as cheating, plagiarism or knowingly furnishing false information to the University, faculty, or other officers or employees of the University.

The College of Education defines plagiarism as:

·  Three consecutive words that are not common professional language used from another source without quotation

·  Rephrasing another author's words without appropriate citation

·  Using another author's ideas or data without appropriate citation

·  Submitting another author's or student's writing as one's own

·  Directly quoting a source without using appropriate APA or MLA style (whichever is required by the instructor) citation to show that it is a direct quote.

·  Intentionally taking information from a source and not giving appropriate credit

Students who commit plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary actions as outlined in The Oracle for Academic Misconduct and violation of the Honor Code. The Standards of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures define university procedures in these matters. Students have the right to request consideration by the Student Services Conduct Board.

Consequences for plagiarism in CP6691 are as follows: No points for that assignment and/or no class participation credit related to that assignment. In situations where the assignment in question is critical to the successful completion of the course, the student will fail the course. In addition, when students demonstrate personal limitations that might impede future performance, or consciously violate ethical standards and/or are ineffective and/or harmful to clients, they will not receive instructor endorsement to continue in clinical courses. In any such occurrence, the instructor will recommend dismissal from the program.

Official Correspondence

All Troy students are required to access and utilize their troy.edu email account for all communications with the University. All official correspondence (including bills, statements, emails to and from instructors through Blackboard, assignments and grades from instructors, etc.) will be sent only to your troy.edu address. Your troy.edu email address is the same as your web express user ID followed by “@troy.edu”. E-mail accounts may be found through logging into your course and going to the email link found there -- learn how to add this address to your other email services that support POP accounts (i.e. Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, etc.).

Troy University Library

Troy University offers library services through a virtual library. Professional librarians offer the following services to students via telephone, e-mail, and in person: reference assistance, technical assistance with using the online resources, and any other help that students might need. The hours (Central Time) for services are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Although the office is closed on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, during these times, students may access Live Chat, an instant messaging service, for online assistance from the Troy libraries. There is a link to that service on the University College Library Services Web page, http://uclibrary.troy.edu. Contact information: Phone numbers: 800-638-7237; 850-301-2154; 850-301-2129. E-mail: .

EVALUATION CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES

Grading Process

1. Attendance & Participation (including Blackboard’s Discussion Board assignments) – 22.5 points

2. LiveText Assignment One: Research Proposal – 60 points

3. LiveText Assignment Two: IRB Training Module – 10 points

4. LiveText Assignment Three: Program Evaluation Research-Quiz – 7.5 points

5. LiveText Instructor’s Standards Summary – required to receive a grade in the course

TOTAL POINTS - 100

(Instructor’s task) CP 6691 LiveText Instructor’s Standards Summary Form (CACREP 2009 Standards – CACREP Section II G 1 a-j) – 0 points

A = 90-100 pts.

B = 80-89 pts.

C = 70-79 pts.

D = 60-69 pts.

F = below 60 pts.

Course Assignments

Students should be aware that assignments are not accepted after the due date. Written assignments must be APA formatted before they will be accepted. Your assignments are structured as follows:

1. Attendance and Class Participation will constitute 22.5 percent of the student’s grade. Unless specifically outlined to the contrary in Troy University Catalog, no missed class time or late Blackboard assignments will be excused. It should be noted that, for the purpose of facilitating a class discussion/participation, the assigned readings are to be completed before the class begins. Being unprepared to discuss the readings constitutes poor class participation. Failing to respond to Blackboard postings constitutes poor class participation.

2. The primary assignment in this course, LiveText Assignment One, is the Research Proposal, worth 60 percent of the grade. The proposal addresses CACREP 2009 Standards Section II.G. 8. a, b, c, & e and is similar to the first few chapters of a doctoral dissertation.

The proposal, a WORD document submitted to the instructor via LiveText, must consist of an introduction, a review of the literature, and a methodology section. The introduction and literature review sections must have a total of not less than 10 recent, original, quality, and professional references to support the research endeavor and develop the logic justifying the need for the research. Of the 10 references, at least 8 must be articles reporting original research. The methods section will contain a detailed procedure for conducting the proposed research project. Please keep in mind that the student is not going to be required to do the project but simply to propose it in a comprehensive written document. The final research proposal must be typed, double spaced, and prepared in accordance with APA publication guidelines. Students will discuss their finished product on the last day of class.

This assignment will be due in three parts (A – the Literature Review chapter, B – the Introduction chapter and C – the Methodology chapter). Each part will have a separate due date:

·  The Literature Review will be the first part due. It must be posted on Blackboard for review and comments by fellow students. The Literature Review will be the source from which you will write the second part of the assignment (B – the Introduction chapter).

·  Part B, the Introduction chapter, will also be posted on Blackboard for fellow students to review and offer comments.

·  The final part of the assignment, Part C, is the Methodology chapter. It too must be posted on Blackboard for review and comments by fellow students.

Only after all three chapters have been graded will the final product (all three CORRECTED chapters) be merged together as one document by the student and uploaded in LiveText.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL LIVETEXT RUBRIC

Topic
Standard
Assignment/Assessment / 1
0-59%
No Understanding / 2
60-69%
Below
Average / 3
70-79%
Average / 4
80-89%
Mastery / 5
90-100%
Exceptional
Designing Research
Research Proposal:
APA Style
II.G.8.e; / Does not follow APA style and is poorly written.
Missing or incorrect title page, 13+ citation errors, 8+ heading errors, 10+ reference format errors / Many APA errors and is below average in writing.
Title page, 7-12 citation errors, 5-7 heading errors, 6-9 reference format errors / Has some APA errors and is acceptably written.
Correct title page, 4-6 citation errors, 3-4 heading errors, 3-5 reference format errors / Has few APA errors and is well written.
Correct title page, 2-3 citation errors, 1-2 heading errors, 1-2 reference format errors / Uses APA style and is well written.
Correct title page, citations, headings, grammar, and reference format
no or unacceptable statement of the problem
No statement of the problem or a statement of the problem that is unclear and contains no source substantiation. / inconsistent or poorly worded statement of the problem
Statement of the problem is not clearly defined and is not well-sourced. / defined statement of the problem
Statement of the problem is clearly defined but is not well-sourced. / clearly defined statement of the problem