Only students admitted into the doctoral program may take this course.
Overview
EDDE 802 (the second course in the doctoral program), will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to successfully carry out doctoral research. This course is intended to provide you with an overview of educational research methods with special emphasis on the new and emerging methods of educational research and the unique aspects of distance education research.
The EDDE 802 course includes online conferencing, group and independent study. Assessment is based on contribution to course web sites, presentations and the assignments.
The course content provides an overview of educational research, its philosophical groundings and the different components and methods in educational research including methods of data collection and analysis. We will elaborate on the methods and processes in educational research as applicable in distance education.
This Moodle delivered course will be enhanced with emails, telephone, the Athabasca Landing, Adobe Connect, and other internet based technologies (e.g. Skype) in order to deliver the course and provide support to students.
Outline
EDDE 802 is presented in five units over thirteen weeks. In these units we discuss the range of issues in planning distance education research. Each unit is designed to answer important questions students usually have about the research process, in a manner that relates these questions to the course content.
Unit 1: The context of educational research;
Unit 2: Ethics and Planning educational research;
Unit 3: Research Methods
Unit 4: Strategies for Data Collection; and
Unit 5: Strategies for data analysis.
Objectives
The overarching goal of this course is to provide knowledge and skills related to research inquiry through a focus on quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research, strategies of inquiry used in published qualitative and quantitative research and active application. The course is geared toward broadening an advanced understanding of research approaches in ways that can be explored through diverse models of research design and methodology. Special emphasis is given to the emerging and mixed method approaches to educational research and exposure to various computer mediated tools (e.g., synchronous and asynchronous tools for communication, repository and databases, tools and technologies for data collection and analysis, etc.) available for research in distance education.
Evaluation
Activity
Weight
Assignment 1: Research Ethics
10%
Assignment 2: Research Article Critiques
20%
Assignment 3: Collaborative Group Project - Article Review
20%
Assignment 4: Preliminary Research Proposal
40%
Assignment 5: Reflection on Knowledge Building Experiences
10%
Total
100%
Materials
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods ineducation, 7th edition. New York: RoutledgeFalmer. (Print)
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.