ArgosyUniversity

COURSE SYLLABUS

B7001 Business Research Writing

E7111/R7000Introduction to Advanced Academic Study & Writing

Faculty Information

Faculty Name: Dr. O. Johnson – Summer 2008 (Full Term)

Campus: Chicago/Loop

Contact Information:

Telephone Number: 708-957-9606

Office Hours: By Appointment

Short Faculty Bio:

I began my teaching in undergraduate studies at community colleges instructing students in Computer Information Systems, for the past 7 years. Over the past 2 years, my teaching experience has expanded into higher education institutions in both the private and online learning environments in Education, Healthcare Management, and Business Administration.
I have been an elementary teacher on all subject matters in K-8th grade levels for the past four years. Additionally, I have been a business owner; as well as a manager and supervisor in the corporate industry.
I earned a Doctorate of Education, with a concentration in Educational Leadership from ArgosyUniversity; I completed my dissertation on the Transition of Higher Education Faculty from Traditional Classroom to Online Learning Instruction. I attained my undergraduate degree from ChicagoStateUniversity and graduate degree from University of Chicago and GovernorsStateUniversity. I am a Certified Online Instruction, as well as hold a Type 75 Certification
My beliefs in a quality of education are structured around how well faculty members are prepared to teach, whether in a traditional classroom or in an online learning environment. As educational methods continue to evolve, particularly through the use of technology, the focus must also be on individual student learning styles. As an educator and faculty member of ArgosyUniversity, I am committed to providing students with quality learning experiences with positive educational outcomes.

Course description:

This course demystifies the doctoral level research process and provides a solid foundation for academic writing by analyzing and evaluating current research articles, literature reviews, and dissertations. Emphasis will be placed on APA style guidelines, preparation for the doctoral comprehensive examination, and university publication requirements. It also includes a self-inventory based on state and national standards and develops a self-improvement plan that is the basis for activities during internship.

Course Pre-requisites: None

Required Textbook:

Title: / Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Author: / American Psychological Association
Edition / Copyright: / 5TH 01
Publisher: / 5TH 01
ISBN: / 1557987912
Title: / Dissertations And Theses from Start to Finish: Psychology And Related Fields
Author: / John D. Cone & Sharon L. Foster
Edition / Copyright: / 2nd, 06
Publisher: / American Psychological Association (APA)
ISBN: / 1591473624
Title: / A Cross Section of Educational Research: Journal Articles for Discussion and Evaluation
Author: / by LawrenceS. Lyne (Editor)
Edition / Copyright: / 3rd, 06
Publisher: / Pyrczak Pub
ISBN: / 1884585655

Technology:PentiumIII CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.

Course length: 7.5 Weeks

Contact Hours: 45 Hours

Credit Value: 3.0

Program Outcomes:

  • Become adept at using APA style formatting.
  • Critically evaluate prior research that supports or confirms the proposed study.
  • Evaluate current literature and compile reference list.
  • Critically discuss expected results in the context of knowledge of relevant theory, policy and practice.
  • Consider possible conclusions that take into account limitations of their research.
  • Develop a perspective for a dissertation.
  • Complete a self-inventory based on state and national standards.
  • Develop a self-improvement plan that is the basis for activities during field experience.

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to understand the:

  • Field and Internship Experience
  • The Comprehensive Examination
  • The Dissertation Guide
  • Article and Electronic Dissertations Online Search
  • APA Formatting, Review
  • Prospectus v. Dissertation
  • Dissertation sections
  • Evaluating prior studies
  • Problem/Purpose/Background and need for the study
  • Theoretical Foundation of the Study
  • Research questions and hypotheses
  • Limitations and Delimitations
  • Definitions
  • Significance of the Study to the Field of Education
  • Methodology
  • Literature Review
  • Turning the Prospectus into a Proposal
  • The Defense Process
  • Revising the Proposal into a Dissertation
  • Results, Discussion, and Recommendation Sections
  • Review of Human Subject(s)
  • Final Prospectus Presentations, Critique, and Feedback

Assignment Table

Module / Topics / Readings / Assignments
1/2 / Comprehensive Examination and the University Dissertation Guide / Module 1 Reading
Complete the following reading early in the Module:
  • Read the online lectures for Module One.
  • From the textbook: Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (2006). Dissertations and theses from start to finish psychology and related fields (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Chapter 1: What are theses and dissertations and why write a book about them?
  • From the textbook: Lyne, L. S. (2006). A cross section of educational research journal articles for discussion and evaluation (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Pyrczak, read:
  • Article 4, Bullying and Victimization: Prevalence and Relationship to Gender, Grade Level, Ethnicity, Self Esteem and Depression
  • Article 7, Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders and Teacher-ReportedSchool Functioning of Normal Children
  • Article 29, The "Stay Alive From Education" (SAFE) Program: Description and Preliminary Pilot Testing
/ Discussion Questions
  1. A classmate asks you to critique the first draft of a literature review she has written for a class assignment. While reading the draft, you realize that she has, for the most part, simply summarized one study after another—each summarized in its own paragraph. Based on the information in this lecture and the readings you completed, what advice would you give her? Justify your answer.
  2. Do you have any specific future goals and/or activities that might influence your selection of a topic? If so, describe them.
  3. Suppose the topic you are considering is "career counseling." At the time of writing this, 2,038 journal articles were retrieved via a basic ERIC keyword search. Name a demographic variable that could be used to delimit the topic and, hence, retrieve a more manageable number of references.
Assignment: Research Connections Assignment
Complete the Research Connections assignment under the topic “Article and Electronic Dissertations Online Search”. Develop your online research skills and compare various search engines. Try searching for information on dissertations written in the field of distance learning, 1990-onwards. You need to evaluate the search engines on various criteria like accuracy of displayed results, the number of relevant results, ranking of results, topicality of results, and usefulness of the advanced search parameters. Bring to class for discussion.
3/4 / APA Publication Manual
Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Analyzing
Citations, Footnotes, and References
Prospectus vs. Dissertation
/ Module 2 Reading
Complete the following reading early in the Module:
  • Read the online lectures for Module 2.
  • From the textbook: Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (2006). Dissertations and theses from start to finish psychology and related fields (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Chapter 2: Starting out : assessing your preparation for the task ahead
  • Chapter 5: Formulating and communicating your plans: an overview of the proposal
  • From the textbook: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Quality of Content, Characteristics of Articles, and Parts of a Manuscript in Chapter 1: Content and Organization of a Manuscript
  • Chapter 5: Manuscript Preparation and Sample Papers to be Submitted for Publication
/ Discussion Questions
  1. You are writing a paper and are faced with an ethical dilemma about citing a source for an idea (such as not being able to recall the source but wanting to use the idea anyway)? How will you resolve this situation? Justify your response.
  2. Identify at least five facts, concepts, or ideas you believe are "common knowledge" whose sources do not need to be cited. Provide reasons for your selections. Discuss them with your classmates to see if they agree with you.
  3. The authors of a certain literature review wrote the statement: "Providing for defense and security is a singular and defining purpose of national government." The context in which this sentence appears makes it clear hat the authors are referring to the national government of the United States. However, the authors do not cite a reference for the sentence. Do you believe they should have cited a reference, or do you think the sentence makes a statement that is common knowledge? Justify your response.
  4. This week, you learned that a literature review synthesizes the literature on a topic. In your own words, how would you define a "synthesis"? What features, in your opinion, constitute a good synthesis?
By mid-week, consider a topic on which you might write a literature review. At this point, can you think of any criteria that you might use for the inclusion (and/or exclusion) of literature? Explain. Write a 2 page paper and post to the Dropbox.
5/6 / Evaluating Prior Studies
Problems
Purpose
Background and Need for the Study
/ Module 3 Reading
Complete the following reading early in the Module:
  • Read the online lectures for Module 3.
  • From the textbook: Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (2006). Dissertations and theses from start to finish psychology and related fields (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Chapter 4: Finding topics and faculty collaborators
  • From the textbook: Lyne, L. S. (2006). A cross section of educational research journal articles for discussion and evaluation (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Pyrczak, read:
  • Article 34, Teachers Beliefs About Instructional Choice: A Phenomenological Study
  • Article 6, A Comparison of How Textbooks Teach Mathematical Problem Solving in Japan and the United States
  • Article 10, The Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction on First-Grade Students' Vocabulary Development
/ Discussion Questions
  1. One of your colleagues, states that the study on psychoanalysis "proves" hypnosis works in cases of Multiple Personality Disorder. After this module's lecture on evaluating studies, are you still inclined to take this statement at face value or would you be cautious about believing such a statement? Support your response with examples.
  2. Debate: If a difference is statistically significant, is it necessarily large? If not, what does the fact that a difference is statistically significant tell you?
  3. In your opinion, should writers of literature reviews state their own conclusions drawn from literature, or should they describe the literature in a cohesive essay but "let the facts speak for themselves" instead of stating their own conclusions? Discuss the pros and cons of both views. Support your response with appropriate scenarios.

7/8 / Relevant Theory, Policy, and Practice. / Module 4 Reading
Complete the following reading early in the Module:
  • Read the online lectures for Module 4.
  • From the textbook: Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (2006). Dissertations and theses from start to finish psychology and related fields (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Chapter 6: Reviewing the literature
  • From the textbook: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Parts of a Manuscript (read half only) in Chapter 1: Content and Organization of a Manuscript
  • Reference Citations in Text from Chapter 3: APA Editorial Style
/ Discussion Questions
  1. Is it necessary to choose between a dichotomy of "highly qualitative approach" versus "highly quantitative approach" when writing a literature review? Debate.
  2. What, in your opinion, is one of the most common flaws in writing literature reviews? Debate.

9/10 / Literature Review
Methodology / Module 5 Reading
Complete the following reading early in the Module:
  • Read the online lecture for Module 5.
  • From the textbook: Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (2006). Dissertations and theses from start to finish psychology and related fields (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Chapter 7: Research methodology and ethics
  • Chapter 8: Measurement
  • Chapter 9: Selecting the appropriate statistics
  • From the textbook: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Parts of a Manuscript (Complete reading) in Chapter 1: Content and Organization of a Manuscript
  • Chapter 4: Reference List
/ Discussion Questions
  1. For which of the following should you include the date that you consulted the reference?
  2. Material posted on the Web.
  3. Material published in a journal.
  4. Material published in a book.
Justify your response.
  1. You are reading the literature review of a research report, when you come across the following material.
    "The beneficial effects of social rapport have been conclusively established over decades of scientific research. The availability of social support significantly enhances people's general well being and happiness as well as their ability to withstand a variety of major stressors such as serious illness (Coyne & Smith, 1994). On the other hand, people who lack social support appear to be at risk for developing a range of physical and mental health problems. For instance, those who do not have satisfying."
    In your opinion, does the first sentence provide a strong beginning for the review? Does the second sentence emphasize authorship or content?
  2. The Methodology section needs to include details about the location, participants, the selection process, the instruments or apparatus used to collect new data, the procedures followed, and the data analysis tools used. Do you feel that all of this information is necessary—is some redundant? Is there any other information you think should be included? Illustrate your responses with examples

11/12 / The Dissertation Review of Reference Lists / Module 6 Reading
Complete the following reading early in the Module:
  • Read the online lecture for Module 6.
  • From the textbook: Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (2006). Dissertations and theses from start to finish psychology and related fields (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Chapter 9: Selecting the appropriate statistics
/ Discussion Question
  1. In the following reference, what element is missing in italics?
    Doe, J. Y. (2004). An experimental study of the feasibility of modifying the school lunch program. New Journal of Educational Studies and Research, 63, 555-578.
Study the APA 5th edition style guide. How would you rewrite the same reference if it were an article published in a journal?
  1. The following reference to a journal article contains information that is not needed to identify the article. What information is not needed?
    Smith, J.Y. (2004). A new experiment on the feasibility of further modifying the school lunch program. Extensive Lunch Programs Journal, 33, Issue 52, 67-74.
    Explain. Support your response with a citation to the APA 5th edition style guide.
Assignment: Application
Submit to the M6 Assignment 2 Dropbox.
Towards the end of the week, select a dissertation from Electronic Dissertations and submit a one-page summary and critique of this dissertation. The summary is written like an abstract, which according to APA is less than 150 words, and should include the need for the study, the purpose of the study, the theoretical framework, the method and participants, results, and recommendations for future research. The critique should include a discussion of any issues you believe may have an impact on the validity or reliability of the results of this study, any recommendations for future research that you believe should be added, and any other reactions you have to this study.
13 / Understanding the Analysis/Findings / Module 7 Reading
Complete the following reading early in the Module:
  • Read the online lectures for Module 7.
  • From the textbook: Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (2006). Dissertations and theses from start to finish psychology and related fields (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, read:
  • Chapter 11: Presenting the results
  • Chapter 12: Discussing the results
/ Discussion Questions
  1. Your colleague, Martin, is reading a research report, which begins with the researchers stating that "many young adolescents continue to attend school even though they have mentally dropped out." In your opinion, is this an important point to make in the introduction to this particular study? If so, would you find it useful to have more information on this issue?
  2. Study Article 17, #9 in the Lawrence textbook. In your opinion, has the program been described in sufficient detail? Explain. Also, the researchers state that the participants were "economically disadvantaged." Is this important to know? Justify your response.
  3. You are reading a report that states that the control group consisted of "similar individuals." Debate: Would it be helpful to know how the researchers determined their similarity?
Assignment: Application
Submit to the M7 Assignment 2 Dropbox.
1. Assume you are conducting a study on the topic mentioned in Article 17 of the Lawrence textbook. Describe the research methodology you would follow. Compare this with the research methodology that is described in the text. Outline your findings. Submit a one-page paper as a Word document using 12 pt font and double-spacing.
14/15 / RECAP
Assignment 2: Final Project Submission
Your final Project should be submitted in Microsoft Word 2000 or higher and should include all the relevant sections (see Grading Criteria). You should use APA 5th edition style, with double-spaced text in 12pt font. You also need to include a PowerPoint presentation that is concise and effectively communicates the information in the dissertation prospectus. / Details of Final Project are available In Module 8 – Course Project

Grading Criteria

Attendance/Discussion/Participation / 30%
Weekly Assignments / 30%
Final paper / 20%
Presentation / 20%
100%

Grading ScaleGrading requirements

A / 100 – 93
A- / 92 – 90
B+ / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B- / 82 – 80
C+ / 79 – 78
C / 77 - 73
C- / 72 – 70
D+ / 69 – 68
D / 67 – 63
D- / 62 – 60
F / 59 and below

Library

All resources in ArgosyUniversity’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.

Library Resources: ArgosyUniversity’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at