University of Massachusetts Boston

Graduate College of Education

HighEd 691

Professional Development Seminar I: Case Study Research and Application

Fall 2002

Jay R. Dee
Office: Wheatley Hall
2nd floor, 99/02 / Telephone: 617-287-7694
Fax: 617-287-7664
Email:

Seminar Time: Friday, 9:30am – 12:00pm

Seminar Location: McCormack Hall, 2nd floor, room 621

Office Hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4:00-6:00pm; and by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Higher education leaders are frequently called upon to analyze situations from a range of perspectives and apply their findings in decision-making and problem-solving processes. In these efforts, leaders often encounter ambiguous and conflicting information. Interpretations of situations and recommendations for future courses of action are seldom clear-cut.

Case studies, when interpreted appropriately, can serve as powerful tools for administrative decision making. They identify structures, processes, and behaviors associated with effective practice. What case studies do not do, however, is provide specific solutions for organizational problems. Uncritical application of case study “solutions” often results in a poor fit between the solution and the needs of the organization. In this course, we focus on the appropriate use of case studies in higher education administration.

Case studies are also important data collection and evaluation tools. Leaders come to understand programs and policies more fully through case study research. A primary goal of this seminar is to enable people to become systematic observers and analysts of higher education. In this seminar, we examine and practice case study research techniques.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COURSE AND THE GOALS OF THE PROGRAM

The Higher Education Administration Doctoral Program focuses on preparing leaders who can initiate, facilitate, and sustain organizational change. This seminar suggests that case study research is a critical component in understanding and implementing change. Case study research involves identifying critical structures, processes, and behaviors associated with effective change initiatives. Findings of case study research can suggest strategies for change that are uniquely suited to a particular organization.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Skills

Seminar participants will be able to:

  1. develop a case study research design
  2. develop research questions, interview protocols, and observation protocols
  3. listen and observe for understanding
  4. use theory to draw inferences from data
  5. write and present case study results to a scholarly audience

Knowledge

Seminar participants will be able to:

  1. identify the appropriate uses of qualitative and quantitative research
  2. apply purposeful sampling, theoretical saturation, and triangulation to case study research
  3. apply principles of validity and reliability to case study research
  4. discuss the extent to which case study findings may be generalized
  5. describe issues associated with research ethics and informed consent
  6. discuss issues associated with determining cause and effect in case studies

Understandings

Seminar participants will be able to:

  1. understand case study as an evaluation tool
  2. understand case study as a research tool for making sense of socially constructed organizational phenomena
  3. reflect on their own practice through case study research

READINGS

Textbooks

Lee, T. (1999). Using qualitative methods in organizational research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Leslie, D., & Fretwell, E. (1996). Wise moves in hard times: Creating and managing resilient colleges and universities. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Stake, R. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Electronic Course-Packet

Kvale, S. (1996). The interview situation. In S. Kvale, InterViews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing (pp. 124-143). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Huberman, A., & Miles, M. (1994). Data management and analysis methods. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 428-444). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Challenger disaster transcripts

Eckel, P. (2000). The role of shared governance in institutional hard decisions: Enabler or antagonist? Review of Higher Education, 24 (1), 15-39.

Rhoads, R. (1998). Student protest and multicultural reform: Making sense of campus unrest in the 1990s. Journal of Higher Education, 69 (6), 621-646.

Twombly, S. (1992). The process of choosing a dean. Journal of Higher Education, 63 (6), 653-683.

Web Site

Knight Higher Education Collaborative

  • Michigan State University case, August 2002
  • Tusculum College case, September 2001
  • Portland State University case, August 1997

Directions:

1.Near bottom of home page, click “view online catalog.”

  1. Near top of next page, click “please register or log in now.”
  2. For first time use, create a user ID and password. Then log in.
  3. For subsequent use, enter your user ID and password. Then log in.
  4. Download the appropriate PDF document.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

  1. Reflective Journal (25% of course grade)

Seminar participants will complete six journal entries related to Leslie and Fretwell’s (1996) Wise Moves in Hard Times. I ask that you read this book on two levels. First, read to understand Leslie and Fretwell’s arguments and conclusions. Try to make connections between this book and previous readings, especially the Balderston (1995) and Tierney (1998) books from HighEd 610. Second, read to understand how the authors designed and implemented their case study. Pay attention to their research design (chapter one) and to how they draw conclusions from their data. The journal topics will ask you to reflect on Leslie and Fretwell’s research design and findings.

Each journal entry should be no more than 3 double-spaced pages. Grading and assessment criteria include:

  • Application of concepts – concepts from book are utilized in the responses, concepts are described sufficiently, and concepts are applied appropriately to the discussion
  • Strength of support for responses – sufficient evidence is used to support responses, and evidence is related to the discussion
  • Logic and coherence – journal responses would be understood by a general higher education audience, components are linked by effective transitions (i.e., text is not choppy), and mechanical errors are limited
  1. Data Interpretation Exercise (25% of course grade)

Seminar participants will use theory and related literature to analyze and interpret data from three Knight Higher Education Collaborative case studies – Michigan State University, Portland State University, and Tusculum College. Each case study addresses issues of strategic planning and change. When analyzing the case studies, seminar participants will look for (1) connections to arguments made in previous readings in HighEd 610, and (2) connections to conceptual frameworks such as accountability/autonomy. Each seminar participant will write a paper, which reflects his/her analysis and interpretation. Grading and assessment criteria include:

  • introduction clearly and concisely presents the problem
  • the significance of problem is articulated
  • a unique, integrative argument is presented (not just a reiteration of the case study findings)
  • sufficient and appropriate evidence is used to support arguments
  • content would be understood by a general higher education audience
  • components are linked by effective transitions
  • few errors in grammar, word usage, and punctuation
  • APA format
  1. Team Research Paper (40% of course grade)

Seminar participants will form research teams and collect case data. Team members will write a report that includes:

Introduction (10% of paper grade)

  • description of the problem
  • why the problem is significant to higher education organizations
  • purpose of study

Context (10% of paper grade)

  • case history
  • description of setting

Theoretical and Empirical Review (20% of paper grade)

  • describe the major theoretical concepts that guide the study
  • review major themes from at least three related articles or book chapters

Methodology (20% of paper grade)

  • description of the methods used to conduct the study
  • discuss why these methods are appropriate given the purpose and topic of your study
  • identify research questions
  • attach interview protocol as an appendix to the paper
  • identify evidence in support of validity and reliability

Data Description (20% of paper grade)

  • identify major themes related to each research question
  • discuss conclusions related to each research question

Interpretation (10% of paper grade)

  • what are the implications of your study for future research
  • what are the implications of your study for the practice of higher education leadership

Mechanics (10% of paper grade)

  • grammar, spelling, word usage
  • logical organization, style
  1. Team Research Presentation (10% of course grade)

Each team will organize a seminar presentation based on its case study investigation. The team should utilize presentation software. (UMass Boston is able to accommodate PowerPoint on a PC platform.)

IMPORTANT DUE DATES

October 4 / First deposit of three journal entries.
October 11 / Research teams submit research questions to instructor.
October 18 / Research teams submit interview protocol and observation grid.
November 8 / Second (and final) deposit of three journal entries.
December 6 / Data interpretation exercise is due.
December 13 / Team research presentations.
December 16 / Team research report is due.

SCHEDULE

Session 1 – September 6

Uses of Case Study Research

Discussion:

  • case study as research; case study as evaluation
  • intrinsic and instrumental cases
  • case study as a theory-to-practice tool
  • research and theory: their definition and use

Activity:

  • Research – Formation of research teams

Readings:

  • Stake; Introduction, Chapter 10, Chapter 1

Session 2 – September 13

The Case as a Unit of Analysis

Discussion:

  • generalization: what can be learned from a case?
  • criteria for selecting cases
  • sampling: random and purposeful
  • theoretical saturation: how many cases/subjects are necessary?

Activity:

  • Research – Selection of cases

Readings:

  • Leslie & Fretwell; preface, chapters 1, 2, and 3

Session 3 – September 20

Case study as social science research

Discussion:

  • Ontology, epistemology, and methodology: differences between quantitative and qualitative research
  • Appropriate uses for quantitative and qualitative research
  • Is qualitative research biased? – issues of objectivity and subjectivity

Activity:

  • Scenario – Develop an assessment plan that uses qualitative and quantitative data

Readings:

  • Lee, chapter 1
  • Leslie & Fretwell, chapters 4, 5, and 6

Session 4 – September 27

Case study as qualitative research

Discussion:

  • qualitative research designs: ethnography, grounded theory, case study, phenomenological study
  • qualitative research methods: observation (naturalistic and participant), interviews, focus groups, document analysis

Activity:

  • Scenario – Which qualitative methods would be useful in academic program evaluation?

Readings:

  • Lee, chapters 2 and 3
  • Leslie & Fretwell, chapters 7 and 8

Session 5 – October 4

Research design

Discussion:

  • study purpose and problem statement
  • theoretical approach
  • research questions

Activity:

Research – Research teams formulate “grand tour” question(s) and sub-questions

Readings:

  • Stake, chapter 2 and 3
  • Leslie & Fretwell, chapters 9, 10, and 11

Session 6 – October 11

Data collection

Discussion:

  • interview protocols
  • observation grids
  • transcription
  • ethics and informed consent

Activity:

Research – Research teams formulate interview protocols and observation grids

Readings:

  • Stake, chapter 4
  • Course-packet – Kvale, chapter 7

October 18 – two sessions of History of Higher Education

Session 7 – October 25

Data Analysis

Discussion:

  • meaning condensation, meaning categorization
  • deductive approaches to categorizing data: open coding, axial coding, selective coding
  • inductive approaches to categorizing data

Activity:

  • Exercise – use open, axial, and selective coding on transcripts of interviews with college administrators

Readings:

  • Lee, chapters 4 and 5
  • Coursepacket – Huberman & Miles, “Data management and analysis methods”

Session 8 – October 25

Data Interpretation

Discussion:

  • drawing inferences from data
  • using theory to interpret case study data
  • causation; cause-effect in case studies

Activity:

  • Exercise – use theory to draw inference from higher education case data

Readings:

  • Stake, chapter 5

Session 9 – November 1

Validity, reliability; triangulation

Discussion:

  • validity: internal, criterion, content, construct, pragmatic
  • reliability: respondent, interview, transcription, inter-coder, interpretive
  • triangulation: building validity and reliability into a research design

Activity:

Exercise – inter-coder reliability: coding the Challenger disaster transcripts

Readings:

  • Stake, chapter 7
  • Lee, chapter 7
  • Course-packet – Challenger disaster transcripts

Session 10 – November 8

The Case Report

Discussion:

  • consideration of audience
  • organizing the report format
  • guidelines for effective report writing

Activity:

Exercise – analysis of various case study reporting formats

Readings:

  • Stake, chapters 8 and 9
  • Lee, chapter 8
  • Course-packet: READ ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THREE
  • Rhodes, “Student protest and multicultural reform”
  • Twombly, “The process of choosing a dean”
  • Eckel, “The role of shared governance in institutional hard decisions”

Session 11 – November 15

“Research Lab”

Activity:

Research – Research teams meet

Readings:

  • Knight Collaborative case – Tusculum College
  • Knight Collaborative case – Portland State University
  • Knight Collaborative case – Michigan State University

November 22 – no class; research day

November 29 – no class; holiday

Session 12 – December 6

“Research Lab”

Activity:

Research – Research teams meet

Session 13 – December 13

“Research Lab”

Activity:

Research Presentations

If you have a disability and feel you will need accommodation in order to complete course requirements, please contact the Ross Center for Disability Services (McCormack Hall, 1st floor, room 401) at 617-287-7430.

This syllabus is subject to change.

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