Faculty Contact Information:
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The best way to contact me is via email (richard.burchett1@us.army.mil). I check my email daily, and will reply as quickly as possible.
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Consultation:
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If you desire a face to face meeting, I am normally available immediately after class, and/or by appointment.
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Required Texts and Readings:
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Supplementary Readings:
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All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at www.ed.umuc.edu/library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills.
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Recommended Journals:
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Course Description:
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Prerequisite: None. 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.
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Course Goals:
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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.
In this course we will investigate:
1. Claims of Validity and Reliability.
2. Data Collection Techniques.
3. Data Management and Presentation Techniques.
4. Qualitative and Quantitative Methods for Evaluation.
5. The Elements of Research Design.
6. The Fundamentals of Research Execution.
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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.
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Grading Information:
A total of 1000 possible grade points can be earned in this course:
Exam #1: 250 points
Exam #2: 250 points
Exam #3: 250 points
Paper: 250 points
A = 90-100% Outstanding scholarship
B = 80-89% Good scholarship
C = 70-79% Satisfactory scholarship
F = 69-00% Failure
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. 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.
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Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society.
In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
Regular Attendance (Mandatory)
Participate in classroom discussions (Mandatory)
Write graduate-level paper (25% of final grade)
Complete three written examinations (75% of final grade)
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Description of Course Requirements:
Each exam will consist of two sections; an objective section consisting of a variety of multiple-choice questions, and a written section consisting of several essay questions. Each exam will test approximately 1/3 of the material covered in class and text. The final exam is not comprehensive. Further details regarding exam format and content (e.g., review sheets) will be discussed in class.
Students are required to write an 8 – 12 page paper written and formatted according to APA standards. This paper should take the form of a literature review examining an area of interest pertinent to the topic of qualitative research methods. The paper must cite a minimum of 8 sources besides the assigned texts. Bear in mind that you are expected to have read any articles you have cited!
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Course Schedule:
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This course will be organized into eight units or modules, with each unit corresponding to two three-hour weekly meetings. Specific details regarding course scheduling will be discussed the first night of class.
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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.
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Faculty Bio:
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By education and inclination, I am a cognitive scientist, with a doctoral degree in psychology taken from the University of California, Riverside (1994). From 1995 to 1997, I served as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the American University in Cairo (Egypt). From 1997 to 2000, I served as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the American University of Sharjah, located in the United Arab Emirates. From 2000 to 2003, I lived in the Eugene, Oregon area, and served as a Research Associate with the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology, a non-profit organization funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. During this latter period, I also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, and Oregon State University. In August of 2003 I joined UMUC, and from 2003 to 2005 served in Tokyo, Japan as an Associate Professor of Psychology. In August of 2005, I transferred to the European division of UMUC and have since served as an Associate Professor of Psychology at various military bases located in Italy and Germany.
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