Brad Wuetherick, GMCTEKrista Trinder, College of Medicine

Data Collection◦ Reminder about key issues discussed in previously

Data Analysis◦ Explore data analysis tools, and key issues to

remember when analyzing SOTL data Dissemination

◦ Explore where and what to disseminate, and what to look out for

Poster Tips◦ Discuss what makes a good poster (and not so

good poster)

Prior to data collection◦ Decide on your instruments and pilot test◦ Try to use previously validated instruments when

possible.◦ When creating your own tools, have them

reviewed by judges for clarity, content, etc.

How many participants do you need?◦ Sample size depends on the type of research and

intended analyses.◦ Quantitative methods should have a sample size

of at least 30. ◦ Some analyses require sample sizes >100.◦ Qualitative methods often need fewer

participants.

G*Power can help you estimate how large your sample needs to be to find a statistically significant result.◦ Need to know your statistical test◦ Effect size (d = .2 is small, .5 = medium, .8 =

large)◦ Probability of error (0.05)◦ Power (.80)◦ Allocation ratio (whether groups are equal)

◦ http://www.psycho.uni-duesseldorf.de/abteilungen/aap/gpower3/

Online vs. Paper/pencil Online Pros

◦ Ability to reach more participants◦ Can be completed at participants’ convenience◦ Greater sense of anonymity◦ Less paper!◦ Saves time – can upload results into Excel/SPSS◦ Reduces data entry errors

Online Cons◦ Lower response rate◦ Perceived privacy issues

U of S Survey Tool The U of S offers a free survey tool that is

very flexible and customizable – this survey works very well for small groups on campus (using an NSID login/password)

http://www.usask.ca/its/services/websurvey_tool/create.php

Survey Monkey◦ Free basic version

Up to 10 questions per survey 100 responses per survey More limited options

◦ Professional version Many survey options Unlimited questions per survey Unlimited responses per survey $225/year – monthly rates of $25 available

Hiring/Training a Research Assistant (undergrad or grad) Some key issues:

◦ Hiring a student from your discipline Pros: vested interest in the discipline, know the culture

of the discipline, often known to the researcher Cons: may be new to this type of research, need

training/support on methods/analysis◦ Hiring a student from education/social sciences

Pros: often know the research methods being used which can speed up project, can be a resource to researchers new to this area

Cons: usually less connected to specific disciplines, usually new to the researchers (which may make them harder to find)

Quantitative Programs◦ SPSS (PASW)◦ Excel◦ SAS◦ R

Qualitative Programs◦ NVivo◦ ATLAS ti

ITS offers training sessions in several data analysis programs

SPSS◦ January 18 & 20◦ January 18 & 25

Nvivo◦ By demand

Excel◦ By demand

Data screening Check that data set is accurate and

complete◦ RAs should code data as soon as possible◦ Check for errors in coding

Have 2nd RA code some data independently to identify discrepancies.

◦ Make sure missing data is actually missing Go to raw data

◦ Run frequency counts for all variables to identify out of range responses

Missing data and outliers

◦ There are several options for dealing with missing data or with outliers.

◦ Options can be rather technical

◦ Please contact us or a statistician if you have any questions about your data.

Good to know your analyses before collecting data

See handout

Don’t fall into the following traps◦ Quantitative – data mining◦ Qualitative – finding what you want to find while

ignoring other data

There are three main ways to disseminate:◦ Publications◦ Conferences◦ Public Talks (or College/Department Committees,

institutional symposia, GMCTE presentations, etc.) Publications:

◦ Discipline-specific Education journals◦ General Higher Education◦ General Education (often themed – ie. technology,

international, etc.)◦ Monographs/Edited Volumes

Conferences:◦ Discipline-specific conferences◦ Higher Education Teaching and Learning

Conferences Practice-oriented SOTL-oriented Research-oriented

Key things to remember:◦ What type of audience? What type of session

(concurrent session, roundtable, workshop, poster)? What are the conferences expectations (interactive, conference proceedings, etc.)?

Can use PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator, or Adobe InDesign

ITS offers training sessions:◦ PowerPoint – January 27◦ Illustrator – by demand◦ InDesign – February 16

Attract attention◦ Draw people to your poster◦ Should be able to review in less than 10 minutes

Simple and uncluttered◦ Don’t use too much text; at least a 24 pt serif font◦ Summarize key points◦ You can explain the rest

Light background and dark font

Use charts and images where appropriate

General sections to include (may vary slightly by conference)◦ Title◦ Introduction◦ Materials and methods◦ Results◦ Conclusions◦ Literature cited◦ Acknowledgments

See: http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm

Thank you!