INFO 285-15
Applied Research Methods - Literature Review Research Methods
Summer 2022 Syllabus (June 1st - August 5th)
Dr. Kristen Radsliff Rebmann
E-mail
Office Hours: By appointment.
| Syllabus Links Textbooks (purchase of ebook is okay) CLOs Competencies Prerequisites |
Resources Canvas Login and Tutorials iSchool eBookstore |
Canvas and Workshop (Zoom) Session Information: Courses will be available beginning June 1st, at 6 am PT unless you are taking an intensive or a one-unit or two-unit class that starts on a different day. In that case, the class will open on the first day that the class meets.
You will be enrolled in the Canvas site automatically. This is an online-only class using Canvas and course materials in multiple modalities. The course begins via Canvas on June 1st. Workshop (synchronous) sessions in Zoom will begin the first week of classes. I will send more information about the first session as we approach this date.
Workshop, synchronous (ZOOM) Sessions: The first workshop on Wednesday, June 1st is mandatory to view (to view, not to attend live) with a related quiz embedded in the Week 2 discussion forum activity. The live session will take place on Wednesday, June 1st from 12 pm to 1:30 pm Pacific (I aim for 1 hour but might go a little over). The recording of the workshop will be posted sometime later that day. See the Canvas Weekly Welcome page(s) for details on times and access to URLs. Synchronous sessions will be recorded.
***Student attendance at live synchronous workshops is not mandatory. Recordings will be available, however, and it is expected that you will view them. This is a group-intensive class where collaboration and participation in joint discussion activities is mandatory.***
Textbook: 7 Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review by Onwuegbuzie and Frels. See textbook section below. Puchasing the e-book version is totally fine.
Course Description
Course prepares students to write comprehensive literature reviews leveraging the research of library & information science and cognate fields. Focus is placed on designing an effective project, collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing information, forming compelling arguments, and disseminating findings. Provides students with a foundation in epistemologies, theoretical frameworks, and the landscape of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods in Library & Information Science. INFO 285 - Literature Review Research Methods is a course that prepares students to write comprehensive literature reviews that leverage the research of library & information science and cognate fields.
Waiver of INFO 285: If a student has taken and passed a graduate level-research methods course within the last 5 years (as documented by an official transcript), the student can petition the Coordinator of Admissions and Academic Advising to waive the INFO 285 requirement. Please send an electronic copy of the transcript (scanned as a pdf file) to the Coordinator of Admissions and Academic Advising. A waiver, if granted, does not reduce the total units required for the MLIS degree. It simply means that you are not required to take INFO 285 as one of your MLIS classes.
Course Requirements
Assignments
Students will complete the assignments shown below. All assignments address Competency L. Other competencies may be addressed depending on the topic student groups choose for their Research Manuscript. More specific information regarding all assignments will be made available on the course website.
Course Calendar
|
ASSIGNMENT |
DUE DATES |
WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|
|
Discussion Forum Postings. Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. |
Saturdays: 6/4, 6/11, 6/18, 6/25, 7/2, 7/9 |
30% |
|
6/8 |
5% |
|
|
Quiz over quantitative and qualitative research methods. Week 4. |
6/22 |
10% |
|
(GROUP ASSIGNMENT) Draft #1: Research Manuscript. Week. 8. |
7/18 |
15% |
|
(GROUP ASSIGNMENT) Final Draft: Research Manuscript. Week. 10. |
8/1 |
20% |
|
Reflection Manuscript for Competency L. Final day of instruction. |
8/5 |
20% |
|
TOTAL |
******** |
100% |
Canvas and Synchronous Participation
Attendance at the synchronous sessions is not mandatory - recordings will be available. Part of participation in this course includes listening well to others and engaging with opposing viewpoints. You are expected to be respectful and thoughtful in responding to each other and in responding to the course materials.
Help! How do I …?
I will create a discussion forum in Canvas for general questions regarding due dates, the structure of assignments, and clarification of concepts. Please post your general questions here so that all students may benefit. Feel free to contact me via email at kristen.rebmann@sjsu.edu. Please do not email me via the Canvas mail system. Placing the words: INFO 285 in the subject field will guarantee that your email will get to my high priority folder so that I can get back to you promptly (usually within 24 to 48 hours). Sometimes you might see me in ZoomIM or GoogleChat - feel free to talk with me this way as well.
Timelines
Course Calendar
A course calendar will be available from the modules section of the course site (in Canvas) at the start of the semester.
SJSU 2021-2022 Academic Calendar for Fall, Spring, and Summer
https://www.sjsu.edu/classes/calendar/
https://www.sjsu.edu/summer/calendar/index.html?
Assignment Due Dates
Submit assignments by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on the due date. Due dates will not be changed under any circumstances. Please communicate with me if you are in a documented personal health or family crisis that might impact your work. Check the course site daily for announcements and discussion posts.
Course Workload Expectations
Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.
Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.
Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.
Course Prerequisites
INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand the difference between primary and secondary research.
- Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental principles and processes of conducting research.
- Articulate the research method(s) covered in the course, appropriately apply them, and understand their strengths and liabilities.
- Understand appropriate data collection/analysis tools, and ethical concerns related to research.
Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)
INFO 285 supports the following core competencies:
- L Demonstrate understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the ability to design a research project, and the ability to evaluate and synthesize research literature.
Textbooks
Required Textbooks:
- Onwuegbuzie, A., & Frels, R. (2016). Seven steps to a comprehensive literature review: A multimodal and cultural approach. SAGE. Available through Amazon: 1446248925
Grading Scale
The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:
| 97 to 100 | A |
| 94 to 96 | A minus |
| 91 to 93 | B plus |
| 88 to 90 | B |
| 85 to 87 | B minus |
| 82 to 84 | C plus |
| 79 to 81 | C |
| 76 to 78 | C minus |
| 73 to 75 | D plus |
| 70 to 72 | D |
| 67 to 69 | D minus |
| Below 67 | F |
In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:
- C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
- B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation. You must repeat the class if you wish to stay in the program. If - on the second attempt - you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified. - A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.
Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).
University Policies
Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.
In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.
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