Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change. Instructors will notify students of any changes and students will be responsible for abiding by them. Even if you print this syllabus, please check the online version often.

Description

EA/IST 594: Research Topics (1-18 credits) - Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small group basis.

Offerings include two capstone courses (594A for 2 credits, followed by 594B for 1 credit) and provide students an opportunity to apply classroom learning to a real world situation.

In 594A (2 credits), students are trained to identify a specific problem within a general topic area, frame a research question, conduct a literature review, and develop a research plan to collect and analyze data.

In 594B (1 credit), students continue by implementing the research plan, actually collecting and analyzing a small amount of data, and presenting results in a formal research paper.

Early stage assignments provide context for subsequent activities.  In combination with instructor feedback, students will provide (and receive) peer reviews to develop acceptable research.  Face-to-face (through videoconferencing, for example) and phone conversations may be scheduled during the semester to discuss and improve process understanding.

Prerequisites

• EA/IST 594A

Objectives

Upon completion of this course (594B), students will be able to:

• Conduct original data collection and analysis
• Develop recommendations to address the problem in a research paper suitable for management in the student’s organization

Instructor

• TBD

Materials

• Dahlberg, L., & McCaig, C. (2010). Practical Research and Evaluation: A Start-to-Finish Guide for Practitioners (1st ed.). SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1847870049
  • An online version of this text is available at no cost as a Penn State Library E-Book and can be accessed through Library Resources in the course navigation. Some E-Books will only be available online, while others will be available to download in full or in part. You may choose to use the E-Book as an alternative to purchasing a physical copy of the text. For questions or issues, you can contact the University Libraries Reserve Help.
• Machi, L. A., & McEvoy, B. T. (2016). The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. ISBN 978-1506336244

Assignments & Grading

This course is writing-intensive and all of your deliverables should be submitted in APA format. Course assignment details can be found under Modules, or linked to from the Course Schedule (below). Details include expectations, format, file labeling, and helpful hints. 

Course Grading Breakdown

The following are minimum cutoffs for each grade:

• 93.00% = A
• 90.00% = A-
• 87.00% = B+
• 83.00% = B
• 80.00% = B-
• 77.00% = C+
• 70.00% = C
• 60.00% = D
• less than 60.00% = F

Course Policies and Expectations

• In general, use of human subjects for your class project exclusively to receive a grade in a course does not require Institutional Review Board (IRB) review, approval, or determination.  If you are unsure whether your planned activities require IRB review, or are planning to “generalize” (i.e., publish) your results outside the course, please contact the Penn State Office for Research Protections for a determination.
• This is the capstone course, and there is an expectation that students will leverage prior course content to explore their information-centric problem. New material to be introduced in this course includes qualitative, quantitative and mixed research designs; data collection methods; and research paper preparation. Students are expected to keep up with the schedule and communicate with the instructor on a frequent basis through a variety of means; not, just when any issues or problems arise.
• ALL assignments are due as specified in the schedule below.  NO late submissions without prior agreement. If an extension is needed, begin communication by emailing your Teacher through the course Inbox.
• There are no formal class meeting times, or discussion sessions requiring attendance.
• Students will work independently to design and conduct their project.  For some assignments, students will provide peer feedback as part of their learning process. 
• Logging into Canvas - Students are expected to login regularly to check for course updates, announcements, emails, discussions, etc.
• Emailing through Canvas - Students are expected to use Canvas for all course email communication.
• Attending virtual meetings - Students are expected to use specified virtual meeting tool(s) for collaboration, meetings, presentations, etc., as needed.