All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.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.

All students will need:

- a handheld calculator with the capability to do exponentiation and roots;
- access to a personal computer with MS-Excel installed (either your home computer, your work computer with permission from your supervisor, or use the hardware and software at a UMUC computer lab). The use of a computer is a course requirement and necessary for working with larger data files assigned as homework and supplied on CD-ROM with the text book.

Optional:
- manuals for Texas Instruments calculators can be found at:
http://education.ti.com/us/global/guides.html
- a reference work or tutorial on MS-Excel. There are lots of free online tutorials available. One link you could try: http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/excel/

1. Research methods as used in management settings.
2. Quantitative research approaches.
3. The of previous research and related literature.
4. The process of hypothesis formulation and testing.
5. Descriptive and inferential statistics.
6. Data requirements for statistical procedures.
7. Ethical considerations and constraints.
8. The role of information technology in quantitative research and statistical analysis.

1. Determine when quantitative approaches are necessary and appropriate
2. Interpret quantitative research
3. Apply various inferential statistical tests
4. Develop sampling and data collection techniques
5. Utilize descriptive statistics to report findings
6. Define ethical and legal constraints on research
7. Present research findings in written and graphic or oral formats
8. Analyze the application of information technology in research

Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. That is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 12-week graduate distance education courses require at least 12 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.

Participation and homework: The student is expected to participate regularly in discussions and complete homework and class assignments on time. A participation score will be assessed based on a student’s active contribution to class discussions. A student must be prepared to discuss and work with readings during the session in which they are assigned.

Timely homework completion is mandatory; every assignment provides a foundation for the next. Falling behind is very often a cause for academic failure or early withdrawal. That said, emergencies, illnesses and temporary duty assignments constitute excused absences and a reason for lateness in submitting assignments. The student is responsible for material covered and assignments missed during an absence. It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate make up work.

The case problems are based on larger data sets available to the student on the CD-ROM supplied with the textbook. MS-Excel computer software is required to access the data on the CD. In each assignment, the case problem requires problem solving with statistical calculations and some analysis. The analysis is often as simple as answering three questions associated with the case problem. Even so, it is expected that the successful student will respond in complete sentences, organizing their responses, citing sources where necessary, and using correct standard English. Data, calculations, and tabular results will be presented as computer-generated output. Case analyses required for this class must follow the academic style prescribed by the 5th edition of the APA manual.

Exams: This course requires multiple exams designed to insure that students are acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary for a passing grade.

The instructor reserves the right to modify the class schedule based on needs of the students and class progress in consonance with course objectives. MS-Excel Computer software will be used for homework assignments and case problem submissions, while handheld calculators are a basic tool for all assignments.