Research Design and Methods

Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course

Common Course ID:  IST 624
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait

Abstract: This affordable learning resource is being utilized in a MIST Program (Instructional Design) course for graduate students by Dr. Sarah Evanick at California State University Monterey Bay. The affordable resources chosen for this course provide literature on educational research and design practices. The main motivation to adopt an affordable resource was to reduce student cost and to use up to date and appropriate materials. The resources are accessed in the course. 

Course Title and Number  IST 624
Brief Description of course highlights: 

Survey, analyze and apply qualitative and quantitative research methods; study the difference between them. Learn to read, analyze and critic research papers; select appropriate techniques to design research in an educational and training context. Level: Graduate (Elective).  Typically Offered: Periodically offered

Units: 4     IST 624
 
Student population: IST 624 is offered to MIST graduate (School of Computing and Design) in the Spring semester. There are no prerequisites. MIST students take this course to learn how to conduct research and incorporate their knowledge in assignments and the development of their capstone project.

Learning or student outcomes:  List student learning outcomes for the course.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research
2. Synthesize relevant literature to support research questions or hypotheses
3. Apply synthesized understanding of literature; demonstrated in a literature review
4. Evaluate and demonstrate appropriate statistics and methodological approaches
5. Apply understanding of viable questionnaire construction
6. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the course content in writing a complete research proposal that encompasses all aspects of an APA formatted research proposal.

Syllabus from the course: IST 624 Syllabus
Sample assignment and Resources

OER/Low Cost Adoption Process

Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option. My motivation in choosing a variety of resources was reducing costs for students and providing the most appropriate and informative resources for each learning objective in the course.

How did you find and select the open textbook for this course? I researched resources for each learning objective per module. It was trial and error to see what would best suit the needs of students and learning objectives.

Sharing Best Practices: My best practice is to research resources online, contact my campus library for guidance. I also contact text book publishers to inquire about free/accessible resources that may be available. 

Describe any key challenges you experienced, how they were resolved  and lessons learned. I did not face many challenges with this course, I was able to locate ample resources on research and deign practices easily. The challenge I encountered was not preparing in an advance amount of time, it is best to plan months ahead to ensure the most appropriate resources are available. 

These are just a few examples of resources for Module Five.  Each module has approximately the same amount of resources and materials.   

Brief Description:  I chose all of the resources based on the content and alignment with the course learning objectives. Each resource provides specific information and or guidance on how to reach the learning objective. 

Student access:  Students can access all of the materials through the Canvas Course

Supplemental resources: Instructor created content, websites, videos, articles, interactive quizzes. In addition, There are slide presentations, Interactive quizzes, Videos, Articles

Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook.  $200

License: The resources are openly licensed.  Students can access all of the materials through the Canvas Course 

Instructor Name: Sarah Evanick, PhD. 
I am an Instructional Design professor at California State University, Monterey Bay.  

Please provide a link to your university page.
https://csumb.edu/scd/sarah-evanick/

Please describe the courses you teach.
IST 511 Writing Workshop: Graduate Academic Writing Workshop that focuses on APA 7th edition formatting, annotated bibliographies, literature review, and overall improvement of writing skills.

IST520 Learning Theories: Graduate students learn about learning, design theories and apply their knowledge in assignments that guide them in the development of pedagogical practices and their culminating capstone project.

IST 524 Instructional Technologies: This is a foundation course in Instructional Science and Technology (MIST) program. It provides an intro to the field and profession of Instructional Technology (IT). Specifically, it provides beginners a sense of history, current issues, future trends, and an overview of how the components of the field work together.

IST 624 Research and Design Methods: This course introduces quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods research methodologies and fundamental statistics in the context of instructional technologies and education. The course simultaneously provides an in-depth review of quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods research methodologies while giving directive in writing a complete research proposal based on a student’s capstone idea or one of their choosing. The course provides opportunity for engagement, collaboration and critical thought in peer and instructor discussions based on research and writing readings and assignments.

CST 274 History of Communication Technologies and Politics in America: Examines the history of communications technologies and how they have shaped and been shaped by politics throughout American history. This fascinating story begins in pre-revolutionary America, when newspapers helped unite the colonies as a nation, and moves through the telegraph, telephone, motion pictures, radio, broadcasting, network and cable television, personal computers, the Internet, mobile phones, and social media. The course concludes by leveraging our understanding of communications history to address some of the constitutive choices we now face as a nation, such as the antitrust cases recently filed against Google and Facebook, censorship and free speech, and modifying or revoking Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that has protected Internet companies from legal liability

Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching.   My philosophy is to design an engaging  course that allows students to practically apply what they are learning in real time.  I am interested in how people learn based on their backgrounds, culture, native language and experiences. I am also interested in using AI to its best potential as an educator and for students.