LIBR 285-03
LIBR 285-12
Research Methods in Library and Information Science - Action Research
Summer 2012 Greensheet

Mary M. Somerville, MLS, MA, PhD
E-mail
Office Hours: TBD

D2L Information: The course will be available on D2L.  You will be automatically enrolled into the site.  In advance of the semester start, you will receive more information about course access through MySJSU.

Course Description

This course examines distinguishing characteristics of action research initiatives that promote positive situational change.  This requires understanding action research philosophy, transformative practices, and learning potential within organizational environments; evaluating, interpreting, and synthesizing scholarly professional literature on action research; and appreciating the enrichment potential of action research for professional practice.

In particular, the curriculum design encourages students to recognize critical questions for action research initiatives in organizational contexts; involve action research beneficiaries and stakeholders in framing and furthering projects; and recognize appropriate methods for gathering data and generating insights that improve local circumstances.  

With these aims in mind, the course furthers understanding of:

• How to recognize and define a research question in the workplace with the aim of improving professional practice;
• How to use a cyclical plan-act-observe-reflect process to increase domain knowledge and generate professional insight; and
• How to create an action research study proposal that anticipates project design elements and furthers collaborative ‘informed learning’ outcomes.

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 Requirements

Assignments are completed during a week which begins on a Sunday and concludes on a Saturday. This schedule intends to accommodate students with a variety of work schedules and personal circumstances. In addition, it permits the instructor to respond daily to participants’ communications before assuming her (Monday through Friday) workweek and then, over the weekend, respond more substantively to students’ work.

This schedule assumes that all coursework will be completed by midnight (Pacific Standard Time/PST) on a Saturday due date. ‘Late work’ (submitted after midnight on Saturday PST) will result in a reduction of points earned. 20% of possible points available for each assignment will be deducted for every day that an assignment is submitted past the due date. Students will receive no points for incomplete assignments.

In addition, it is expected that students will complete the National Institute of Health’s online tutorial titled: “Protecting Human Research Participants (PHRP).” Completion of this material is required by the SJSU Institutional Review Board for all San José State University faculty and students who intend to conduct research with living human subjects. The online tutorial can typically be completed in 2 – 3 hours and is available at: phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php 

Course Calendar

• Week #1 – June 4 – June 9 – Action Research Introduction
  • Read: Ferrance, E. Themes in education: Action research http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/themes_ed/act_research.pdf
  • Read: McNiff, J. (2002). Action research for professional development: Concise advice for new action researchers. 3rd ed.
    http://edavula.co.cc/web_documents/ar_jean_mcniff_-_per_studentet_e_ma.pdf
  • Assignment:  Submit Self Introduction to Discussion Forum before midnight PST on Saturday, June 9th.
  • Note: Week #1 activities advance SLO #1.
• Week #2 – June 10 – June 16 – Action Research Examples
  • Read: Somerville, M. M. (2009). Working together: Collaborative information practices for organizational learning. Chicago: ACRL.
  • Read: Somerville, M. M., Gaetz, I., & Lee, J. (2010). Rethinking libraries in terms of learning and working collaboratively:  An interview with Mary Somerville. Collaborative Librarianship, 2(1), 38-43.
    http://collaborativelibrarianship.org/index.php/jocl/article/view/65/38
  • Read: Somerville, M. M., & Brown-Sica, M. (2011). Space planning: A participatory action research approach. The Electronic Library, 29(5):669-681.
  • Read: Brown-Sica, M. S. (2012). Library spaces for urban, diverse commuter students: A Participatory Action Research project. College & Research Libraries 73(3, May): 217-231.
  • Read: Brown-Sica, M., Sobel, K., & Rogers, E. (2010). Participatory action research in learning commons design planning. New Library World 111(7/8): 302-319.
  • Read: LIBR 285 Research Proposal Instructions, LIBR 285 Research Proposal Preparation, LIBR 285 Library Research Proposal Peer Evaluation Instructions
    Assignment: Attend (recommended) Collaborate session on Saturday, June 16th, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. PST or, within three days, view recorded session to earn full credit for this course orientation.
  • Note: Week #2 activities advance SLO #2.
• Week #3 – June 17 – June 23 – Action Research Design
  • Read: McNiff, J., & Whitehead, J. (2010). You and Your Action Research Project, 3rd ed., Part I, II, and III
  • Assignment: Submit evidence of NIH PHRP completion to dropbox
  • Assignment: Submit draft research topic to discussion forum before midnight PST on Saturday, June 23rd.
  • Note: Week #3 activities advance SLO #4.
• Week #4 – June 24 – June 30 – Action Research Cycle
  • Read: McNiff and Whitehead, Part IV, V, and VI
  • Assignment: Submit draft introduction section (including background, literature review, and study purpose) to dropbox before midnight PST on Saturday, June 30th.
  • Note: Week #4 activities advance SLO #1.
• Week #5 – July 1 – July 7 – Action Research Reflection
  • Assignment:  Submit draft research method section (including study participants, data collection, and data analysis) before midnight PST on Saturday, July 7th.
  • Note: the recommended (but not required) Creswell txt offers an excellent introduction to qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods.
  • Note: Week #5 activities advance SLO #3.
  • Remember: July 4th is a holiday.
• Week #6 – July 8 – July 14 – Action Research Proposal
  • Assignment:  Submit draft proposal (title, abstract, introduction, method, and references sections) to dropbox and to peer evaluator before midnight PST on Saturday, July 14th.  Note: revised content should reflect consideration of instructor feedback.
  • Note: Week #6 activities advance SLO #1, SLO #2, SLO #3 and SLO #4.
• Week #7 – July 15 – July 21 – Research Proposal Refinement
  • Read: LIBR 285 Library Research Proposal Peer Evaluation Instructions
  • Assignment: Read peer draft proposal and send comments to peer before midnight PST on Saturday, July 21st. Also deposit peer review in dropbox before midnight PST on Saturday, July 21st.
  • Note: Week #7 activities advance Course Learning Outcomes #1, 2, 3 and 4.
• Week #8 – July 22 – July 28 – Action Research Proposal
  • Read: Susman, G. I., & Evered, R. D. (1978). An assessment of the scientific merits of action research. Administrative Science Quarterly, 23, 582-603.
  • No assignment due.
  • Note: Week #8 activities advance SLO #3.
• Week #9 – July 29 – August 4 – Action Research Reflection
  • Assignment: Submit final proposal to dropbox before midnight PST on Saturday, August 4th.
  • Assignment: Submit peer reviewer evaluation to dropbox before midnight PST on Saturday, August 4th.
  • Note: Week #9 activities advance SLO #2, SLO #3 and SLO #4.
• Week #10 – August 5 – 10 – Action Research Essentials
  • Assignment: Submit action research essay to dropbox before midnight PST on Friday, August 10th.
  • Note: Week #10 activities advance SLO #2 and SLO #3.

Course Grading
In this course, the following point system will be used to determine the final grade which is based on a total of 100 points:

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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

LIBR 200, LIBR 202, LIBR 204. 

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Understand the difference between primary and secondary research.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental principles and processes of conducting research.
3. Articulate the research method(s) covered in the course, appropriately apply them, and understand their strengths and liabilities.
4. Understand appropriate data collection/analysis tools, and ethical concerns related to research.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

LIBR 285 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• McNiff, J., & Whitehead, J. (2010). You and Your Action Research Project. Routldege. Available through Amazon: 0415487099

• Somerville, M. M. (2009). Working together: Collaborative information practices for organizational learning. ACRL. Available through Amazon: 0838985319.

Recommended Textbooks:

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

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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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