Faculty Contact Information:
LECTURER: DR. PATRICK CHASE
LOCATION: ROTA
TIMES: Tu & Thur 18:45-21:30
PHONE: 727-2917 (University of Maryland Office)
EMAIL: vistacita@aol.com | |
Consultation:
OFFICE HOURS: Before and after class and by appointment.
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Required Texts and Readings:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, (5th ed.). Washington DC: Author
Leedy, P.D. & Ormrod, J.E. (2005). Practical research: Planning & design (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Weiss, C. (1997). Evaluation (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall. --- Chapters 7, 10, 11 are required. Additional chapters may be assigned by the classroom instructor
Citing Electronic Resources: APA Style. Retrieved July 14, 2004 from http://www.umuc.edu/library/guides/apa.html
Online Guide to Writing and Research. Retrieved July 14, 2004 from
http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/ewp_writingcenter/writinggde/welcome.shtml
Procedures for Completing the Research Project Notification and Human Subjects Protection Form. Retrieved June 16, 2004 from http://www.ed.umuc.edu/staff/faculty/detech/pedagogy/proceduresform.html
University Of Maryland University College Policy Manual Policy 130.25: Conducting Research Involving Human Subjects. Retrieved June 16, 2004 from http://www.ed.umuc.edu/staff/faculty/detech/pedagogy/policy%20manual.html | |
Supplementary Readings:
| Students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. | |
Recommended Journals:
| The Qualitative Report, a peer-reviewed, on-line journal devoted to writing and discussion of and about qualitative, critical, action, and collaborative inquiry and research.You can find it at http:www/nova.edu/ssss/QR/index.html | |
Course Description:
| Prerequisite: Undergraduate American political science or American government. This course focuses on the study and application of research methodology for organizations for use as a tool in decision-making. Emphasis is on applied research theories and designs for methodological approaches that apply non-experimental and quasi-experimental research designs as part of the research strategy. | |
Course Goals:
| As one of two research methods courses in the MPA program, this course provides graduate students with the conceptual and practical tools to develop proposals for and conduct non-experimental research projects, policy analyses, and program evaluations, as well as to evaluate and incorporate the implications of published reports into their practice as professionals. M.P.A. students are actively encouraged to use this class to develop the proposal for the professional paper required in PUAD 604. | |
Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate
an understanding of the scientific method by distinguishing between applied, basic, quantitative and qualitative research, and descriptive and inferential statistics.
- Demonstrate
an understanding of program evaluation as a research methodology.
- Analyze
professional situations for research/evaluation purposes.
- Generate
research problem statements.
- Develop
research proposals appropriate to problems statements in specific professional settings.
- Execute
literature reviews.
- Formulate
hypotheses.
- Develop
data collection and data analyses strategies.
- Establish
the internal and external validity and the reliability of measurements.
- Analyze, interpret, and apply
published research findings to professional settings.
- Present
research findings in written and graphic or oral formats.
- Define
ethical and legal constraints on research.
- Analyze
the application of information technology in research. | |
Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A = 100 - 90
B = 89 - 80
C = 79 - 70
F = 69 and below
Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center. | |
Course Requirements:
Midterm Exam.........30%
Final Exam...........30%
Term Paper...........30%
Participation........10%
The midterm will consist of all readings and lectures to date. The final exam will consist of all readings and lectures from the midterm on. The format for the exams will be essay, short answer and some objective questions. | |
Description of Course Requirements:
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Each student will be required to write an original research paper of approximately 8-12 pages in length. The paper is to be typed, double-spaced and written according to APA style. In this paper, students will have to apply qualitative research method concepts learned in this course. Grading will be based on content, appropriate references and format. The paper is due December 9. Failure to turn in your paper on time will result in a one grade reduction (10%) in the paper's value.
Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your research in an oral presentation in a professional manner.
Because of the particular importance of lecture notes and discussion, good attendance is required in order to do well academically in the class. Attendance records, therefore, will be kept and regular class attendance is mandatory. Absence for verifiable duty calls, illness or personal emergencies can be excused, but it is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor in advance, or as soon as possible after the absence. Although the absence will be excused, the student is responsible for the material covered during the absence.
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Course Schedule:
WEEK 1 Oct 26 & 28 Nature of Research, Chapters 1 & 2 in Practical Research
WEEK 2 Nov 2 & 4 The Research Report, Chapter 12 in Practical Research
WEEK 3 Nov 9 & 11 The Research Process, Chapters 3 & 4 in Practical Research
WEEK 4 Nov 16 & 18 The Research Process, Chapters 5 & 6 in Practical Research
WEEK 5 Nov 23 & 25 The Research Process, Chapters 3 & 13 in Evaluation
WEEK 6 Nov 30 & Dec 2 Qualitative Research, Chapter 7 in Practical Research
WEEK 7 Dec 7 & 9 Qualitative Research, Chapters 7, 10 & 11 in Evaluation
WEEK 8 Dec 14 & 16 Historical Research, Chapter 8 in Practical Research | |
Academic Policies:
The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi.
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
| Dr. Chase is a Collegiate Professor with the University of Maryland University College. He holds an A.A. degree from Santa Monica College, a B.A. from Loyola University, an M.A. from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. His teaching career began at the secondary level. He taught at Kubasaki High School on Okinawa and at Kaiserslautern High School in Germany. Dr. Chase has previously taught for the University of Maryland - College Park, University of Maryland University College - Asian, European and Adelphi Divisions. In addition, he has taught at Gettysburg College and Shepherd College. He has authored a number of publications, including a World War II unit history of the 894th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Dr. Chase was the recipient of an Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations Fellowship. | |