PAD 689 (May 26-July 10, 2015)

SUNY Buffalo State

Public Administration Division, Department of Political Science

Research Methods for Public AdministrationCore requirement for the MPA

Instructor Dr. Laurie Buonanno Department Political ScienceOffice Phone 878-5037(voicemail) Office Address B214 Classroom Building How to reach me:

PRIVATE MATTERS

PUBLIC MATTERS

Please communicate about private matters via MyMessages. (Located on the Navigation Bar.)

For any correspondence such as due dates for quizzes, a weblink is broken – that is, anything that your classmates, too, can benefit from my reply, post to the INTERNET CAFÉ.

REQUIRED TEXTS & SOFTWARE

Texts

These texts are available online at Amazon and other internet booksellers.  They are also available from the Buffalo State bookstore. These are your required course texts for our stats/methods/project sequence: PAD 689, 699, and 690. Please do not purchase a previous edition. These have been published long enough that you should be able to find reasonably priced used copies from an internet provider.

1. John Creswell. 2013.  Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Fourth Edition. Washington, D.C.: Sage Publications

2. Cronk, Brian. C. 2012. How to Use SPSS. Seventh Edition. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing. (Chapters 1-3 for PAD 689, remaining chapters are assigned in PAD 699. I have uploaded Chapters 1-3 for those students who will not be taking 699 - e.g. MPA students from SUNY Brockport).

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Software

You are required to use two software packages in this course as well as 699 and 690.

1.  EndNote - this is a free download of the industry standard for bibliographic management. Click the Endnote folder under Lessons for instructions.

 2. SPSS – This is a statistical software package. There are several options for gaining access to SPSS.

Campus labs: You can access SPSS for free in the Butler Library computer lab or in the Econ/Political Science lab located in Classroom Building B208. (The door entrance code is 4213. Press each number individually.  Then push ENTER.  Lift up the handle.) There are seven computers, one scanner, and one printer.   If you're working during the day, the department secretary can give you paper.  But if you're using the lab in the evening, you might wish to pack some paper in your book bag.

Grad pack: If it is inconvenient for you to come to campus, you also have the option of purchasing the grad packet for the length of 6 or 12 months. Click the SPSS folder under Lessons for ordering instructions.

Training lab: I will schedule a training session to familiarize you with SPSS and EndNote. This lab session will take place in Classroom Building C104. As this is an online course, however, it is not mandatory that you attend. I will conduct a poll to determine a date when all students are able to attend.

Additional readings

Additional course readings are either posted to or linked through our Bb coursesite (mini-lectures, video, reading selections).

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is concerned with the design, execution, and interpretation of research for public and nonprofit managers.  Topics include collecting and sorting sources; research notes in electronic citation software; literature reviews;; constructing and testing hypotheses; sampling; quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods; data collection; descriptive statistics, SPSS, ethical consequences of social science research, preparing a research report.

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TABLE 1COURSE REQUIREMENTS (DUE DATES IN TABLE 2)

POINTS/%

SPSS/Stats Examination (click “Assessments” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your computer screen)

100

CITI Course (Module 4) – Buffalo State’s IRB requires that you earn a minimum grade of 80% on each CITI module. If you earn below 80% on a quiz, do not proceed. Retake the quiz until you earn 80% before moving on to the next module. When you have completed the course, print, scan, and upload your certificate of completion to the assignment located under (click “Assessments” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your computer screen)

150

EndNote Annotated Bibliography (click “Assessments” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your computer screen)

150

Literature Review & Literature Map (click “Assessments” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your computer screen)

200

Conferences There are 4 conferences valued at 50 points each. The minimum posting for each conference is one

commentary/observation (purpose statement for Module 2) and two response posts. One response post should be to your thread.

200

Final Examination (click “Assessments” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your computer screen)

200

TOTAL 1000

Use this chart to compare accumulated points with your letter grade.

A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D E≥93 900 870 83 0 800 770 730 700 670 630 ≤590

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TABLE 2: COURSE SCHEDULE & ASSIGNMENTS

LEARNING MODULES

Module Dates

Required Readings CommentaryDue Dates

Other Due Dates

Icebreaking/Introduction

Before the course begins

Read course documents located in “Introduction to PAD 689”; Creswell, Preface

None None

Module 1Types of Knowledge & the Research Process

May 26-June 6

Creswell (C) Chapter 1 – The Selection of a Research Approach; two other readings in Module 1 folder

250-word commentary due Monday, June 1

Response Posts due Thursday, June 4.

Module 2Developing Literature Reviews

June 7-June 13

(C) Chapter 2 – Review of the Literature; Chapter 5 – The Introduction; Chapter 6 – The Purpose Statement; EndNote Tutorials in EndNote folder.

PURPOSE statement for annotated bibliography due Thursday, June 11 to Module 2 Conference (discussion board).

Response Posts to purpose statements due Saturday, June 13. Annotated Bibliography (EndNote file) due Sunday, June 28

Module 3Ethical Considerations

Self-paced, Certificate due by July 5

CITI Course (link in Module 4).

Extra credit for posting to this module’s discussion board.

CITI Certificate due by Sunday, July 5

Module 4Theory & Hypotheses

June 14-June 20

(C) Chapter 3 – The Use of Theory; Chapter 7 –Research Questions and Hypotheses

250-word commentary due to Module 4 conference by Wednesday, June 17

Response Posts due Saturday, June 20

Module 5Sampling & Methodology

June 21-June 27

(C) Chapter 8 & 9; Geertz thick description; Cops, Teachers, & Counselors - storytelling

250-word commentary due to Module 5 conference Wednesday, June 24

Response Posts due Saturday, July 19

Module 6Data Analysis (intro)

June 28-July 3 (July 4 holiday)

Cyberlecture handout. No discussion required.

SPSS/Stats Examination, Due Sunday July 5

Final Exam DUE Sunday, July 12 by 11:59 PM

Click “Assessments,” which is located on the lefthand side navigation bar. There is a discussion board available to ask questions about the final examination.

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ASSESSMENTS

SPSS Lab Assignment & Statistics Examination

In this course, students are required to complete Cronk, Chapters 1-3. (You will complete the lab assignments in the remainder of the book in your 699 class.) You will answer questions about your print out on an SPSS/statistics quiz posted to Bb. (Click “Assessments” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your computer screen.)

CITI Course, Research Involving Human Subjects

See Module 4 for instructions on the CITI module. CITI must be completed by the due date on the calendar. Print, scan, and attach your CITI completion report in an email to me through MyMessages on Bb. I will print out and place a copy in our department files. Keep an electronic and paper copy for your records as you will need to attach the CITI certificate to your IRB application, which you will be required to complete for your PAD 690 research. The CITI certificate is valid for three years.

Final Examination

The final exam takes the form of an analysis of a journal article. It is housed on Bb. It will be open at least one week before it is due. (Click “Assessments” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your computer screen.)

EndNote Library & Purpose Statement

(Click “Assessments” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your computer screen.)

You are required to learn how to conduct a literature review in this course. Before you can write a literature review you must:

1. Learn bibliographic software (EndNote is the industry standard and required for PAD 690 Master’s Project)

2. Learn how to construct a purpose statement. 3. Learn how to conduct research guided by your purpose statement.4. Construct an annotated bibliography in EndNote that is designed to help you research

your purpose statement. For the purposes of this assignment, you MUST write at least 25 words in the “Research Notes” entry in each library entry describing how this source will be helpful in writing your literature review.

Mechanics of the Annotated EndNote Library:

You are required to construct a purpose statement and collect 20 sources in your EndNote library that will help you to write a literature review on the topic.

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Purpose Statement: You will construct your purpose statement in Module 3’s conference, perfect it throughout the conference (based on responses).

EndNote library file: Your EndNote Library must contain 20 sources as follows AND must include the URL for any item you downloaded from the internet. Each entry MUST be annotated. To annotate, type approximately 25 words under “Research Notes” for each EndNote entry explaining how this source can potentially assist you in your literature review.

Reference Type Number Needed Abstract (X = required)Book 2Book Section (this is used for a chapter in an edited book)

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Conference Paper 1 XEdited Book 1Government Document 1Journal Article 5 XNewspaper Article+ 2Report* 2Any type you wish, including from above. 4TOTAL 20

NOTES:

+ Use “Newspaper Article” even if you read the article online – e.g NY Times.com. Use “Electronic article” for an article that is from a web-based magazine or new site only (e.g. Slate; BBC.com; CNN.com).

*Report written by a think tank, public interest group, industry association, etc.

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Conferences

There are four conferences (discussion boards).

REQUIRED NUMBER OF POSTS PER MODULE: THREE (1 commentary and 2 responses)

You are responsible for posting ONE commentary/observation (about ½ page TimesRoman 12 or 250 words) which is a RESPONSE to one of the discussion questions posted to the conference (discussion board). If we need to assign more than one student to a conference question, the student who responds second should post his/her commentary as a RESPONSE to the first post. Otherwise we will have TWO threads on the same subject! Now, it’s important to recognize that the second person writing on the same question will have to take the time to read and think about the first person’s commentary and write his/her commentary accordingly. So the student who posts first has an easier task.

You should cite the assigned textbook readings (and relevant cyberlectures). You may also draw from outside readings (addition). Always cite your sources. (See discussion rubric, below.)   NOTE that for Module 2 your commentary is your PURPOSE STATEMENT.

TWO response posts are required in each module.  Discussion grading rubric applies to response posts (MUST be substantive and sourced).

One Response post must be made to a student who has responded to your commentary. One response posts added to a thread other than your own.

LATE POSTS: I do not grade commentaries and responses posted after the due date. No credit.

Commentary content & process (further elaborated)-

Your commentary must contain these components:

a. Must directly relate to the question posted.b. Compose commentary in Word or other word processing program.c. Write 250-300 words, properly proofread: be sure to enable Word’s grammar (green line)

and spelling (red line). Do not ignore the red and green lines—fix the problem before posting.

d. Cut and paste (CtrlC-CtrlV) into the discussion board.e. Post Title: should state the question number and keyword (s)

Response Requirements

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A minimum of two response posts are required in each module.  Discussion grading rubric applies to response posts (MUST be substantive and sourced—although source need only be a current periodical from the web).

a) One response must be to posts made to your thread. b) The other response must be made to a different discussion thread.

Conferencing Roles: Students and Professor

Student’s Role in Conferencing

Conferences are primarily in the hands of the students.

Always cite sources and include URLs when obtaining material from the WWW or Butler’s electronic sources.

Augment the information posted to the discussion with NEW and substantiated information. I want the web discussion to occur naturally rather than to be overly managed by me, the instructor. Get on the discussion board. See what people have written. Post as early as possible, but no later than the dates listed on the course calendar. This gives your classmates a chance to respond to your posts. Granted, this is more difficult in a summer session – but at a minimum, adhere to the course calendar (above).

Professor’s Role in Conferencing

I read all posts. Sometimes I will send you private feedback (via Bb messaging). I also engage you on the conference board. I expect you to answer within 48 hours when I post a response to your commentary or policy critique on the discussion forum.  (You are required to log on and visit current modules five days per each week.)

NOTE WELL:

I reject commentaries that are posted after the due date—that means if it comes in at midnight the next day, it’s late and I will click “reject.” NO CREDIT—NO EXCEPTIONS. 

Conference Grading

(See Rubric—see “Start Here” folder – Discussion Board Rubric.)

I assign points to each of your four conferences. The grade is based on two factors: post quality (which could partially seem like word count inasmuch as use of significant detail would be a part of that but really has more to do with complexity of the content) and workload (this can only be gauged as the course progresses and entails my assessment of how much each student is putting into the discussion vis-à-vis each other: how much you post in comparison to other students, how carefully you read other students' posts, how well you respond to the topics in the course texts,

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on-line materials, and other posts). A high quality commentary/observation contains information from the course readings and applies a concept from the text or course in a meaningful way and facilitates understanding of the course material or topic.   (See discussion rubric, below.)

Conferencing Checklist

Descriptive Subject Line. Commentary/Observation Posts require descriptive titles in the subject line. A good title tells something of the nature of your commentary.  I will not grade posts that do not have a descriptive subject line. (See rubric, below.)

Body of your commentary/observation, tell us if you are making reference to:-Any item you read on the web (outside of the course lectures)—insert the URL and check to be sure the link is functioning properly. 

-Any item you read in the cyberlectures

-Material from required readings (as a courtesy to your readers, please cite page numbers when relevant)

Response Posts. Your response posts will be in response to classmates’ posts made to your commentary and responses to your classmates’ commentaries. Print out the discussion rubric and refer to it often throughout this course.

Mechanics

How to Post to a Conference

A "thread" is started each time you start a commentary. Each response (reply) to the original post is indented once - a response (reply) to a response (reply) is indented a second time - etc. This system of indents helps all of us to determine which responses go together. A threaded discussion is the web equivalent of a classroom discussion.

In Bb, click “Create Thread.” When finished composing your commentary, hit “Submit.”

Descriptive Subject Line

See discussion rubric, in Start Here folder, for requirements for crafting the subject line. These requirements hold for both commentary/policy critique and response. 

Responding to the main item

To compose your response (reply) to a post you are reading, click on the post to which you wish to reply. Hit the "Reply" button (should be blue). (When you hover your mouse on reply, you will see several options—reply, edit (which only works for posts you contributed—you can’t edit others’ posts), quote, and delete (again, only works for your own posts).

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Netiquette

As discussion is of a public nature, please observe proper "netiquette"—courteous and appropriate forms of communication and interaction over the Internet (in online discussions). This means no personal attacks, obscene language, or intolerant expression. All viewpoints should be respected.

_______________________________________________________________________Policy on Due Dates for Assessments

All assignments are due as noted on the course calendar. No late submissions will be accepted.

Attendance Policy

Log on AT A MINIMUM five times/week. The most successful online students log on at least once per day in summer classes.

Suggested Routine:1. Check Announcements2. Check MyMessages (Bb mail)3. Check Internet Café4. Proceed to the module in which you are currently working.

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Academic Misconduct

All students are expected to display honesty and integrity in completing course requirements and college academic regulations. Academic misconduct refers to plagiarism or cheating on examinations or assignments, and is inconsistent with the aims and goals of Buffalo State. Specifically, students may neither use the work of another individual without proper acknowledgment nor perform work for another individual. Other examples of inappropriate academic conduct include prior acquisition or possession of an examination or submission of false data. As a result of a sustained allegation of academic misconduct, a low or failing grade for part or all of the coursework may be given to the student, at the discretion of the instructor. No penalty for an alleged instance of academic misconduct may be imposed unless the student has been apprised of the allegation, the penalty, and the procedures of due process that are available. Source: http://www.buffalostate.edu/studentaffairs/x522.xml

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Students with Disabilities

Any student who requires accommodations to complete the requirements and expectations of this course because of a disability is invited to make his or her needs known to the instructor and to

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the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities, 120 South Wing, 878-4500.   Source:  www.buffalostate.edu/offices/disabilityservices/fac-syllabus.htm

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Students with Military Obligations

Buffalo State College policies regarding students who are called to military duty are modeled on New York State employment law concerning employees who have military obligations.  The college makes every effort to respond to the needs of such students, including tuition refunds, grading of incomplete grades, etc.  See "Procedures for Students Called to Active Military Duty," which is available in the Registrar's Office, Moot Hall 210.Source:  Academic and Student Affairs Office.   2006.  Handbook for Faculty and Librarians, Buffalo:  Buffalo State College, State University of New York.

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Discussion Board Rubric[1]: The quality of every discussion post is evaluated according to this rubric. 

Points[2] Interpretation Grading criteria

4 Excellent (A)

The comment is accurate, original, relevant, teaches us something new, and is well written. Four point comments add substantial teaching presence to the course, and stimulate additional thought about the issue under discussion. Documentation for factual information is provided. Factual information should be drawn from required readings—textbook, mini-lectures (posted to the web), and/or outside readings. The post doe not repeat what another student has already posted. When this is not the first post to the board, it should be clear that the author has read other posts to the discussion board.

3 Above Average (B)The comment lacks at least one of the above qualities, but is above average in quality. A three point comment makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the issue being discussed.

2 Average (C) The comment lacks two or three of the required qualities. Comments which are based upon personal opinion or personal experience often fall within this category.

1 Minimal (D) The comment presents little or no new information. However, one point comments may provide important social presence and contribute to a collegial atmosphere.

0 Unacceptable (F) The comment adds no value to the discussion.

No penalty Excellent Subject Line The subject field is a complete sentence and conveys the main point of the comment. The reader clearly understands the main point of the comment before reading it.

1 point penalty Descriptive Subject Line The subject field provides key word(s) only. The reader knows the general area that the comment deals with.

2 point penalty Subject Line is not acceptable

The subject field provides little or no information about the comment

[1] Source: This rubric is based on SUNY Faculty Resources. SLN 101, Module 3, “Facilitating Effective Online Interaction: Discussion Rubrics and Grading Scales.”    [2] Points—points are doubled for commentary. The maximum points a student can receive on a response post is 4 points, while the student can receive up to 8 points on a commentary. Hence, 8=100% for commentary; 4 = 100% for response. Each module has a total conferencing point value of 16 points.

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