EDMS 645: Quantitative Research Methods I Fall 2017 M/W 2:00PM – 3:15PM TBD Course Information Instructor: Dr. Tracy Sweet EDU 1230A 301-405-3623
[email protected] Office Hours: by appointment.
Teaching Assistant: Jung-Jung Lee
[email protected] Office Hours: Monday 3:30pm–4:30pm Wednesday 1pm–2pm EDU 0202
Overview EDMS 645 is the first course of a three-semester graduate level statistics sequence in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland. Statistics is a mathematical science about data: how to collect data, organize data, represent data, analyze data and interpret data. The primary goals of the course are to introduce students to experimental design, method of data collection, as well as methods for data presentation, analysis and inference. Course material will be presented to facilitate your conceptual understanding of fundamental statistical methods typically employed in educational and psychological research settings. The use of statistical software will be emphasized throughout the course. The class is applied, meaning that we will concentrate on conceptual issues important in applied research. If you have taken a statistics class in the last 5 years, you probably should be in a different course. This course is targeted for students who have not had any training in statistics.
Prerequisite Skills Math Although this is not a math course, it is a quantitative course and will involve some calculations. Some fundamental math skills are necessary to be successful in the course: solving equations, order of operations, proportions, exponents, etc. Calculator You will need a calculator for exams. Cell phones are not acceptable during exams. Internet I will post handouts, slides, and homework on the course website. I prefer to communicate via email so please make sure I have your correct email.
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EDMS 645: Quantitative Research Methods I
Fall 2017
Materials Textbook There is not a required textbook for this class but I recommend that students have access to an introductory text in statistics. Some options include: • Lomax, R. G., & Hahs-Vaughn, D. L. (2012). An Introduction to Statistical Concepts. 3rd Edition. New York, NY: Routledge. • Pagano, R. R. (2012). Understanding statistics in the behavioral sciences. Cengage Learning. Software This course will requires the use of the statistical software SPSS. We will use version 24 but if you have an older version, I don’t think you will notice a big difference. An individual site license can be purchased for $60 from the Terrapin Technology Store https://terpware.umd.edu/Windows/Title/1880. Note: For those without a computer and/or ability to obtain SPSS, the computer lab in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences has SPSS on its computers. The lab in the Benjamin Building may also have SPSS.
Goals 1. Read and represent data, both visually and numerically. 2. Apply concepts of probability to understand sampling distributions. 3. Gain an understanding of inference and in simple contexts, be able to apply the correct method for inference. 4. Design an sound experiment and recognize problems/issues in other designs. 5. Read an article and discuss an experiment, statistics and inference in your field.
Instruction Class time will be divided between ”lecture” and some form of doing (often using SPSS). Bring your laptops if possible since it will be more useful to work on SPSS in groups than watching me work on SPSS. Some students prefer to read (a textbook) before class and some prefer to read following class. Either is fine with me. I expect students to take notes, but how you take notes is your decision. During class, I may go through definitions rather quickly, but you are expected to learn this material on your own by reviewing class notes and reading a textbook.
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EDMS 645: Quantitative Research Methods I
Fall 2017
Assessment Homework There will be 6 homework assignments throughout the semester and these are meant to provide extra practice. You are encouraged to work in groups (max 4), but this is not required. Everyone should submit their own assignment, but if you worked on every single problem together as a group, please submit your assignments together (the TA will choose one at random to grade). Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late/emailed assignments may be accepted for 50% credit but must be received before grading begins. Most assignments will require SPSS, so please plan accordingly. Exams There will be 2 exams. The midterm will take place during class but the final will take place after the last day of classes, so make your travel arrangements accordingly. Class Participation Attendance is important! I encourage everyone to attend class and ask questions so that I have a sense of what concepts are challenging or need further explanation. Quizzes We will have weekly online quizzes every week (except the week of the midterm). These quizzes begin September 11, 2017. They are always due on Monday prior to class and will be posted on ELMS 5 days prior to their due date. These are not meant to be stressful and serve more as extra practice. If your quiz scores are lower than your midterm and final grades, I will exclude them when calculating your final grade.
Expectations Courtesy Lateness, disruptive behavior, cellphone use, etc is discourteous and not tolerated. Communication Keep the lines of communication open. Return emails in a timely fashion. I’ll keep you apprised of changes to the schedule or other class information by email. Engage Pay attention, ask questions, take notes, etc. Integrity Exams and homework will be representative of the content covered in lecture. You will follow the Code of Academic Integrity. If you are unfamiliar with this code, see http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/code.html. Help Help yourself first. Come to class, take notes, pay attention. Form study groups. Come to office hours with specific questions or problems. Feedback I will provide feedback to you in the form of grades or class level feedback during lecture. If you want more individual feedback, come to office hours or send me an email. In return, I expect you to give me feedback (before the course evaluation). Please give me feedback about the course, lectures, labs, TA, etc. at any time!
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EDMS 645: Quantitative Research Methods I
Fall 2017
Grades This course is not graded on a curve. Grades are calculated based on the following weights: Assignments 40% Quizzes 5% Midterm 25% Final 30% Total 100% 92.0+ 90 − 91.9 A A–
88 − 89.9 B+
Letter Grade 82 − 87.9 80 − 81.9 B B–
70 − 79.9 C
60 − 69.9 < 60 D F
Academic Accommodations If you have a documented disability, please let me know. Note that the academic achievement standards for the course will remain the same but there are various accommodations that we can discuss. For further information concerning disability accommodations, please contact Dr. Jo Ann Hutchinson at the Disability Support Service (301) 314-7682.
Make-up Examinations The University policy states: “An instructor is not under obligation to offer a substitute assignment or to give a student a make-up assessment unless the failure to perform was due to an excused absence, that is, due to illness (of the student or a dependent), religious observance (where the nature of the observance prevents the student from being present during the class period), participation in university activities at the request of university authorities, or compelling circumstances beyond the student’s control. Students claiming excused absence must apply in writing and furnish documentary support for their assertion that absence resulted from one of these causes.”
Course Evaluations As a student member of our academic community, your course evaluations are extremely important. Think of it as your responsibility as a student to provide accurate and fair evaluations. Your feedback is confidential and important for both improving the teaching and learning as well as tenure and promotion. Go to www.courseevalum.umd.edu/ to complete your evaluations. **If you complete all of your course evaluations each year, you can access the summary reports for thousands of courses at Testudo. See https://www.irpa.umd.edu/Assessment/CourseEval/ stdt_faq.shtml/ for more information.
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EDMS 645: Quantitative Research Methods I
Fall 2017
My Advice • Keep up with the material! Don’t wait until the night before to start each homework assignment. Review lecture notes throughout the week. If you miss a lecture, it is your responsibility to obtain notes from another classmate. • Work together! Find other students with similar schedules and form study groups. Do homework together once a week. Talk through problems and try to teach each other content from the previous lecture. • Ask! Ask us or someone else. Just ask. And keep asking.
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6 Nov 6, 8 Nov 13, 15
Nov 20 Nov 27, 29
Dec 4, 6 Dec 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Oct 9, 11
Week 7
Week 11
Oct 2, 4
Week 6
Oct 30, Nov 1
Sept 25, 27
Week 5
Week 10
Sept 18, 20
Week 4
Oct 23, 25
Sept 11, 13
Week 3
Week 9
Sept 6
Week 2
Oct 16, 18
Aug 28, 30
Week 1
Week 8
Date
Week
TBD
Experimental Design & Validity, Final Review
Hwk 6 Due
Experimental Design & Validity
Data Analysis Lab
Hwk 5 Due
Regression
Catch-up, Measures of Association & Regression
Hwk 4 Due
Inference About Proportions, Inference About Variances, ANOVA
Two Group Hypothesis Testing, Power and G*Power
MIDTERM on Oct 16 Two Group Hypothesis Testing
Hwk 3 Due
Type I and Type II Error, Two Group Hypothesis Testing
Hypothesis Testing About a Single Mean, SPSS Activity
Hwk 2 Due
Confidence intervals, Intro to Inference, Hypothesis Testing About a Single Mean
Hwk 1 Due
Sampling Distributions
Data analysis activity, Normal Distribution and Probability
Introduction to SPSS, Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion
Introduction to the course, Introduction to Statistics, Scales of Measurement, Data Representation
Tentative Topics
See pdf
See pdf
Ch 17
Ch 10 & 17
Ch 11
Ch 7 & 8
Ch 6 & 7
Ch 7
Ch 6
Ch 5 & 6
Ch 5
Ch 4 & 5
Ch 3 & 4
Ch 1 & 2
Lomax EDMS 645: Quantitative Research Methods I Fall 2017
