Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2018 - EDUC 863 G001

Quantitative Methods in Educational Research (3)

Class Number: 4668

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 7 – Aug 3, 2018: Tue, 4:30–7:20 p.m.
    Surrey

  • Prerequisites:

    EDUC 810 or 864.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Focus on critical analysis of quantitative research in education. Research studies examined will be based on exploratory and confirmatory data analysis, including group comparisons and correlations. Students will use calculators and computers for data analysis and display.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course is designed to be a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to fundamental concepts in statistics. It provides a solid foundation for students planning to pursue more advanced courses in statistics. The course assumes very little background knowledge in statistics and introduces new concepts with fun and relatively easy to understand examples. The course introduces students to the basic concepts, logic, and methods of statistical reasoning and provides introductory-level practical skills to select, use, and interpret appropriate descriptive and inferential methods. In addition, the course helps students gain an appreciation for the diverse applications of statistics and its relevance to their lives and fields of study. The course does not assume any prior knowledge in statistics and its only prerequisite is basic algebra. Learning statistics requires PRACTICE! Therefore, I will provide you many opportunities to practice statistics. The assignments, and project will help you to learn better, and review and summarize your learning.

Classes will be run in a workshop format, with students working actively in teams on problems to solve. Mini-lectures, videos and short demonstrations will be presented by the instructor throughout the course.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

At the end of this course, students are expected to:

  1. explain the basic language and tools of statistics commonly used in educational research
  2. organize the data, analyze the data using an appropriate statistical method
  3. report and interpret data analysis results in a scholarly manner

Grading

  • Statistical assignments 60%
  • Final project 40%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Salkind, N.J. (2017). Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics (6th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:SAGE
ISBN: 978-1-5063-3383-0

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS