LIBR 285-05
Research Methods in Library and Information Science
Spring 2010 Greensheet

Course goes from January 26th to May 17th, 2010.
Spring Break (including Cesar Chavez day) is the week of March 29-April 2nd.

Dr. Johanna Tunon
E-mail -- Use the ANGEL email for the course (not personal)
Other contact information: Home phone 954 792-6814 (Please do not call afer 10 pm EST) 
Office location: Fort Lauderdale, FL (EST)
Office Hours: By appointment by phone since I live in Florida

ANGEL Information: The course will be in Angel. I will emal the access enrollment code for your class site. Tutorials for using ANGEL are provided above.

Course Description

Research methods covering fundamental principles, processes, values and roles of research for professional application in information organizations. Students will become critical consumers of research products and learn the basic skills of planning, designing, executing and reporting research as well as evaluating and applying published research findings. Emphasis will concentrate on developing, planning, and producing a quality research proposal.

Course Prerequisites: LIBR200, LIBR202, LIBR204, and demonstrated writing proficiency required.

285 Waiver Option:
If a student has taken and passed a graduate level-research methods course AND completed a thesis or dissertation as part of a previous graduate degree (as documented by an official transcript), the student can petition the SLIS Graduate Advisor to waive the LIBR 285 requirement. A waiver, if granted, does not reduce the total units required for the MLIS degree. See Waiver option

Course Objectives

Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:

• Develop an understanding of the basic characteristics of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research and the differences among these approaches.
• Conduct a search of the research literature on a topic of interest relating to reference services or information literacy and understand the nature of different source materials.
• Write a systematic and critical literature review of a research article.
• Understand the role of literature and theory when conducting research.
• Understand the different types of research methods and appropriately apply them.
• Identify and apply ethical concerns connected to research with human subjects and vulnerable populations.
• Gain exposure to appropriate data compiling tools and procedures used in qualitative and quantitative research.
• Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental principles and processes of conducting research.
• Develop, plan, and produce a basic research proposal using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods.
   

LIBR 285 supports the following MLIS Core Competency:

• Understand the nature of research, research methods and research findings; retrieve, evaluate and synthesize scholarly and professional literature for informed decision-making by specific client groups;

Top of Page

Course Requirements

Students' work will be evaluated according to the following specific criteria:
Identify a research problem, write a purpose statement, develop appropriate research questions and/or hypotheses, conduct critical literature review and analysis, address any ethical considerations in conducting research, understand the procedures in collecting data, and produce a substantial final written product containing a formalized research proposal using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods.

Assignments % of Final Grade:

• Participation in Part 1 of discussion 20% 
  • Topics posted in Weeks 1-9, 11
  • P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9, P11
• Peer Feedback in Part 2 of discussion 10%
  
  • Feedback posted three days after participations for
  • Part 1 of Weeks 1-9, 11
  • F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F11)
• NIH’s Protecting Human Subject (Research Participants Course) 5%
• Article Critique 15%
• Elluminate Presentation during Weeks 14 and 15 10%
• Proposal (10-12 pages -- Due May 12) 40%
   
• 0.5% extra credit upon completion of the SOTES course evaluation.

Course Calendar 

** Adjustments may be made subject to change with fair notice.

Class Assignments

• Participation (Part 1) 2% x 10 = 20%
  In Weeks 1 - 9 and Week 11, each week's participation topic is posted in that week's discussion board in the Lessons folder.  Because someone will be providing peer feedback on your posting in three days, it is importnat for students to get their responses posted in a timely manner.
  
  Grading Criteria:
  • Demonstrated grasp of principles addressed in the textbook.
  • Well-written and clearly articulated
  • Grammatically correct and used APA formatting when appropriate.
  • Postings were posted in a timely manner.
     
• Participation (Part 2) 1% x 10 = 10%
  Use the student postings in Part 1 of the discussion will be posted by the end  Weeks 1-9 and Week 11 and provide peer feedback. See the table in Lessons > Research Resources for LIBR 285 > Table assignment students for each week's peer review feedback.
  
  Grading Criteria:
  
  • Feedback demonstrated a firm grasp of principles addressed in the textbook.
  • Feedback was well-written and clearly articulated in a postive manner.
  • Grammatically correct and used APA formatting when appropriate.
     
• NIH’s Protecting Human Subject (Research Participants Course) 5% Successful completion of the NIH  Complete San Jose State University’s Institutional Review Board required certification on working with human subjects: see the National Cancer Institute’s online tutorial: http://www.sjsu.edu/gradstudies/Research/irb.html)  Submit the completion certificat in the dropbox provided in Week 5. This is a pass/no pass activity.
   
• Article Critique (15%)
  For this assignment, each student will be asked to review the article listed below, and then write a 2-4-page paper (double spaced, 12 pt font). See the video on formatting class assignments. The paper should  have a brief introduction or overview and then discuss the methods, analysis, and findings. The following are the elements you must identify and succinctly describe from the Roselle article:
  • Research question or problem—1 point.
  • Research design or approach followed—1 point.
  • Kind of sample and participant recruitment procedures—1 point.
  • Methods of data analysis—2 point.
  • Procedures for establishing trustworthiness of study—2 point.
  • Relevant ethical issues—1 point.
  • Research findings—1 point.
  • Your comments and reaction to the published study, including identified weaknesses in the study —4 points.
  • APA formatting -- 2 points.
     
  Use this article for your critique:
  • Roselle, A. (2009). Preparing the underprepared: Current academic library practices in developmental education. College and Research Libraries, 70(2), 142-156.
     
• Elluminate Presentation in Weeks 14 and 15 (10%)
  The presentation designed to give students the opportunity to explain the research project that they have been working on before submitting it for a final grade. Students can deliver their presentations using Elluminate for a short (7-10 minute) overview of their research problem. purpose statement, research questions, and methods to answer those questions. Because the sessions also provide the rest of the class with the opportunity to hear about other projects, it may provide one last opportunity to see any problems with your own research plan. The presentation can be done using a PowerPoint presentation in Elluminate, or people can also opt to make a recording of their presentation and post it for the rest of the class if they choose. . I have requested student assistants to help with any questions about using Elluminate or loading PowerPoint files. The sign-up wiki page is located in the Lessons > Research Resources for LIBR 285 folder. The presentations will be during Weeks 14 and 15. I do not expect you to be present for all the live presentations, but those of you who cannot attend should take the time to listen to the archived sessions as time permits. If needed, we can add one more Elluminate session in Week 16. 
  
  Grading Criteria:
  
  
  • Presentation is well organized and covered the major steps in the research process as time permits.
  • The presentation provides a clear statement of the problem, purpose, and research questions.
  • The research process is described clearly and succinctly, and the topic is clearly defined and relevant.  -- 1 point
  • The research problem, purpose statement, and research questions are clearly identified and described. 3 points
  • The participants, instruments, and design are clearly identified and described. -- 3 points
  • The presenter talked clearly and provided a useful PowerPoint presentation that helped clarify the research project being discussed.  -- 3 points
     
• Proposal (40%)
  Write a 10--12 page paper (double spaced using 12pt font). See this video for APA formatting of the proposal and  check this page for information about APA formatting of various types of resources. The Creswell textbook walks you through the process. Your proposal should include a title page, Chapters 1, 2, and 3, and reference list. NOTE: The TOC and references are not included in the page count for your 10-12 pages.
  
  Grading Criteria:
  Your article critique will be graded in the following way on the accuracy, coherence, and logic of your descriptions of the required elements:
  
  • Chapter 1 includes introduction, research problem, purpose statement, research questions, and definition of key terms. -- 10 points
  • Chapter 2 includes primary resources including key research studies and theoretical framework.  -- 10 points
  • Chapter 3 includes the participants, instruments, and procedures/design. -- 10 points
  • Ethical considerations -- 4 points
  • Reference list (APA formatting) -- 2 points
  • Correct layout for the proposal (TOC, Chapters 1-3, reference list), grammar, and APA formatting -- 2 points

Course Grading
All work is due by the date listed. If you are unable to complete the work by the assigned date, you need to email me to make alternative arrangements. No work will be accepted after the last day of class unless arrangements have been made in writing and approved for an incomplete. I provide feedback for mini activities, reading summaries by email so if you do not receive an email, let me know! Feedback for major projects will be posted in the gradebook when grades are posted.

Check the grading criteria with class assignments before submitting assignments to be sure that you are addressing all of the elements that should be included in the assignments.

Textbooks and Readings

You may also wish to have a copy of of the APA publication manual, but I will provide some resources for APA formatting.

Video on APA formatting for class assignments

• American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Required Textbook:

• Creswell, J. W. (2008). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods (3rd ed.). SAGE. Available through Amazon: 1412965578.

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

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;
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — 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 the following semester. 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.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

• "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
  • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
  • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
• "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

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