Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2020 - EDUC 864 G001

Research Designs in Education (5)

Class Number: 1136

Delivery Method: Distance Education

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 11 – Aug 10, 2020: Tue, 4:30–9:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Designing and interpreting research about education. Introduction to survey techniques, correlational designs, classic experimental and evaluation designs for investigating causal relations, case study methods, interpretive approaches to research. Students with credit for EDUC 814 may not take this course for further credit. Equivalent Courses: EDUC814

COURSE DETAILS:

Summer 2020: Remote Teaching via Canvas and videoconference with Blue Jeans, 4:30 – 6pm on Tuesdays. 

Virtual Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:00 – 4:00 and/or by appointment 

This course introduces students to leading approaches, methods and issues in educational research. Students will develop understandings of research that allow them to:
a) critically interpret educational research drawn from diverse methods and stances;
b) make critical assessments about the role and implementation of research in (their) education settings and,
c) design their own research plans.
At the centre of this course is the idea that research is a practice of power, with implications for how educational problems and solutions are framed, how differences are produced (such as gender/sexuality, race/ethnicity, class and ability) (Sensoy, 2019) and how knowledge is created and distributed.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • Understand and articulate the place of theory and philosophy in research design, data generation and analysis.
  • Develop a philosophical-ethical stance toward research;
  • Understand and articulate the possibilities and limitations of different methods in education research designs;
  • Articulate a personal topic of interest and situate a research question or issue about it within an existing field of study;
  • Identify, interpret, and analyze the existing research literature on this issue/ topic;
  • Write a literature review (appropriate to a masters level) outlining the existing known research on this issue/topic;
  • Cultivate academic writing skills Understand and articulate some of the challenges of educational research for equity and ethics.

The course assignments are designed to build one upon the other as smaller milestones, with opportunties to revise and redraft toward the development of a literature review that is the basis for a research project. In other words, this is one assignment broken into a series of steps, adding sections/pages as you go, to support your work flow at a time of unpredictability. Due dates TBA.

Grading

  • Philosophical stance to research and a topic of interest (3 pages) 20%
  • Identify, interpret and analyse studies related to your topic (4 pages) 20%
  • Literature Review Draft (10 pages) 30%
  • Literature Review Final (15 pages) 30%

NOTES:

Please famiarize yourself with the conventions of the Americal Psychological Association style guide.

https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/cite-write/citation-style-guides/apa

  This course has been transferred from F2F instruction to a mode of Crisis Remote Teaching in the context of the Covid pandemic. This means that we will all do our best to create a rich and interactive experience that meets the course learning goals, but that this will not approximate a fully designed online course which usually takes months to develop. To that end, I have tried to design the course to be as flexible as possible in terms of time and assignment flow, while creating community affirming structures. We will hold a synchronous meeting once a week, attendance is encouraged but not mandatory. I will create mini pre-recorded presentations that will be made available on Canvas, in response to your questions and learning needs and to guide us through important concepts. The course will make use of SFU Library Catalogue for weekly readings and Canvas for resource sharing, discussion activities and updates. I will hold virtual office hours 2 hours a week. In the event that we need to make adjustments to weekly readings and plans, these will be posted on Canvas, discussed in our video conferencing and in the course announcements, so you will need to Canvas regularly and turn on Canvas notifications. .

REQUIREMENTS:

Prerequisite: Graduate Student in any Faculty.
Students not enrolled in Equity Studies in Education require permission from the instructor.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Course readings and resources will be made available in Canvas.    

You can expect 2 readings a week, engagement with course resources, some online discussion and peer review activities, in addition to reading to develop your research topic. Please plan for 6-8 hours a week of course work.

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:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/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

TEACHING AT SFU IN SUMMER 2020

Please note that all teaching at SFU in summer term 2020 will be conducted through remote methods. Enrollment in this course acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.