COURSE SYLLABUS BBH 310W Section 2 Fall 2008 RESEARCH METHODS MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY 1:25-2:15 367 WILLARD BUILDING INSTRUCTOR: Brian M. Saltsman Ph.D OFFICE: 315 East Health and Human Development TELEPHONE: 865-7793 EMAIL: bxs181@psu.edu OFFICE HOURS: BY APPOINTMENT Teaching Assistant: Email Office Location Office Hours Clinton Colaco cgc130@psu.edu 304 East Health and Human Development By Appointment COURSE WEBPAGE: This course uses the ANGEL course management system. This can be accessed at http://cms.psu.edu. Angel will also be used for class communications. REQUIRED TEXTS: 1. The research methods knowledge base. Third Edition. Trochim, W. M. K. (2007). Cincinnati, OH: Atomic Dog Publishing. www.atomicdog.com. This is the main textbook for the course and will contain the majority of the material covered in class and can serve as a solid methodology reference after completing this course. 2. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (5 th ed). Washington: APA. This book is not only required for this course, but will also be needed for BBH 411 and BBH 440. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to the research methods typically employed in fields related to biobehavioral health. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of basic research methods and key strategies used in biobehavioral or public health research. The course will focus on scientific inquiry based on theory and research, measurement and instrument construction, data collection, research design and survey research methods, statistical analysis, qualitative research and ethical considerations. The course will also concentrate on developing exemplary writing skills and critical analysis.
Additionally, because this is a W course, this course not only involves mastery of research methods, but also effective writing. The use of research methods is a highly respected and indispensable tool in understanding various forms of social interaction, disease risk factors, and health behavior and outcomes. Thus it is crucial that students enrolled in the health sciences understand the fundamentals of empirical research in preparing for careers in public health and the health professions. The pre-requisites for this course are BBH 101 and Stat 200 or 250 or an introductory course in statistics. If a student has not taken the pre-requisite, they MUST see the professor at the beginning of the class to determine their ability to successfully complete the course. BBH310w is a required course for the major and a grade of C or better is necessary to satisfy this requirement. This course is also a pre-requisite for BBH 411. Course objectives are as follows: 1) Develop and demonstrate scientific writing skills through writing assignments 2) Develop and apply critical thinking skills through individual and group work 3) Examine the basic concepts in biobehavioral health through reading and class discussion 4) Examine and apply the scientific and research concepts and methods related to biobehavioral health in class and writing assignments 5) Foster collaborative group interaction through class projects 6) Communicate understanding of concepts through in-class presentation STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE The course will be divided into lecture and laboratory segments. There will be two lectures usually held on Monday and Wednesday every week and a practicum to be held on Fridays. LECTURES Lectures will not refer exclusively to the textbook material. Rather they may cover similar concepts and approaches to research using examples from the broader research literature and current biobehavioral research. Beyond merely attending class, students are expected to contribute to class discussions as a result of careful preparation of course materials. Overall participation will involve individual, as well as group-based participation. It is assumed that students have read the assigned readings before class. Some exam questions will be drawn from the book that will not be discussed in lecture. Students are expected to attend each lecture and will be responsible for the material. TEACHING ASSISTANT The TA will play a crucial role in this course. Clinton will be primarily responsible for the lab sessions on Fridays and will lecture, on occasion. Clinton is well qualified to provide any assistance needed in understanding course material and in developing writing skills as well as enhancing critical thinking. Students are strongly encouraged to interact frequently (and respectfully) with Clinton as well as Dr. Saltsman.
LAB SESSIONS Fridays will be lab day. Most of the labs will take place within the class while a few may be outside of class. The labs are intended to provide students with an opportunity to learn research in a non-didactic fashion. Each lab will focus on practice exercises intended to clarify and augment the material presented in the textbook and lectures. Labs will also focus on preparation of writing assignments, term paper and the group assignment. Lab attendance is mandatory and attendance will be taken. EXAMS There will be 3 exams (September 15 th, October 17 th, December 3 rd ). The format will be multiple choice and short answer. The exams will be worth 40 points each and will total 120 points. There will be no make-up exams without a Universityapproved excuse. If you have a conflict you need to contact your TA or the professor as early as possible. The make-up exam will be an essay exam comprised of the same material as the multiple choice/short answer exams. WRITING Because this is a W course, emphasis will be placed on developing and demonstrating scientific writing skills. Writing skills will be assessed in three ways: 1. LAB-BASED WRITING ASSIGNMENTS. There are 5 lab-based writing assignments worth 20 points each. Assignments are due by the beginning of the class they are due (September 12 th, October 3 rd, October 17 th, November 7 th, November 21 st ). Assignments will be typed using a word processing program, double-spaced, and in concordance with APA style. Handwritten Lab-based assignments will not be accepted. If you do not hand in an assignment on time (e.g. by the beginning of class that it is due), you will be penalized 10% for that assignment. An additional 10% will be deducted for each subsequent day the assignment is late, including weekends. Assignments will not be accepted if they are more than 3 days late (e.g. 72 hours after the end of the class that it is due, including weekends). These writing assignments will form the content of your final paper. Detailed feedback will be given for each writing assignment to allow for revision for the final paper. All deliberation will be made to hand out the lab writing assignments at least one (1) class period before their respective lab sections to allow students time to read and come to lab with questions. The assignments will be graded using a structured and clear rubric to assure fairness across all sections. 2. RESEARCH CRITIQUE PAPER (100 points). The paper will be due NO LATER THAN the NOON on Monday, December 15 th. Like the Lab-based assignments, the final paper will be typed, double-spaced, and in concordance with APA style. This paper is meant to be a complete research paper critique of two previously collected and examined research articles with specific attention to all of the sections discussed during the semester (Abstract, Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion, References, Tables, Figures) as well as an overall critique
introduction and conclusion. There will be no extensions given. Papers will not be accepted after 12:00pm (NOON) on Monday, December 15 th. Any papers received after that time will result in a 0 for the final paper grade. 3. ADDITIONAL CLASS ACTIVITES (80 points). During the course of the semester there will be various activities which will be done to gauge your understanding and synthesis of the information and concepts being. These activities will account for 80 total points during the course of the semester. These points will be distributed as follows: 10 points for a proper APA style title page, 15 points for an abstract analysis, 25 points for a Critique word table, 30 points for randomly assigned in-class responses. Angel-Based Activities During the semester there will be 3 Angel Quizzes announced in class. Each quiz will be 5 multiple choice questions and will be worth 15 points each (Total of 45 pts). These quizzes are meant to help focus your attention on important course material and augment class. GRADING A straight grading scale will be used when determining final grades. There will be no curving of grades. There will be no fractions of points given (it will all be whole numbers). The semester grade will be based upon a cumulative point total composed of points earned on the exams, the paper, writing assignments, and extra credit (if applicable). The points you earn during the semester are what you earn there will be no additional points given, no exceptions!!! ATTENDANCE Missing class is strongly negatively correlated with final course grade. Attendance will be taken randomly during the course of the semester in the larger class (M,W) and during all lab sessions and will account for 45 points (30 from lab, 15 from in-class) in your final grade. Students are expected to be present and will be held responsible for all course material. Extreme or habitual tardiness as well as unexcused absences are considered detrimental to your progress in this course. PARTICIPATION During class Dr. Saltsman will regularly select students at random to answer questions about the readings, the topic being covered, or to make sure you are paying attention. Your participation grade (10 points of your final grade) is based upon your answers to these questions. If you are not present and your name is selected you will not be able to get the points for that question. Credit (at the instructor s discretion) will be given for both correct as well as incorrect responses. EXTRA CREDIT
Extra credit will be based upon random assignments distributed in class. If you are not in class to receive the assignment you are not eligible to receive the extra credit. Any extra credit accrued during the semester will be added to your final grade. Final Course Grade: Assignment Points Total Points for Exams 120 Total Points for Final Paper 100 Total Points for In-Class 80 Assignments Total Points for Angel 45 Quizzes Total Points for writing 100 assignments Attendance/Participation 55 TOTAL POINTS 500 Grade Point Equivalents: Total Points Percentage Grade >=465 >=93% A 450-464 90 - <93% A- 430-449 86 - <90% B+ 415-429 83 - <86% B 400-414 80 - <83% B- 380-399 76 - <80% C+ 350-379 70 - <76% C 300-349 60 - <70% D <=299 <60% F Note: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the timing of assignments and the assignment of grades. Any changes will be conveyed in writing, as per university policy. E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS All students must keep an active PSU e-mail account as announcements, feedback on assignments, class lectures, and other materials will be sent directly to students via the PSU e-mail system. Hotmail and other e-mail systems should not be used for this course. STATEMENT ON DISABILITY: The Pennsylvania State University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs or activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the office of Disability Services at (814) 863-1807 in advance of your participation or visit. If you have a diagnosed learning disability and require alternative assessment, please notify the instructor or the TA s as early as possible.
STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Academic dishonesty is a broad topic, and violations of academic integrity will not be tolerated in this course. The examples given below are not intended to be an exhaustive list, but are provided to give an idea of behaviors that will not be tolerated. The following statements describe Penn State Policies for what constitutes academic dishonesty and for dealing with it when it occurs. It is your responsibility to know what constitutes a violation of academic integrity. If you have any question about what constitutes academic dishonesty, it is your responsibility to discuss the issue with the course instructor, your academic advisor, or another University official. Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception, and is an educational objective of this institution. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: signing an attendance sheet using somebody else s name, allowing somebody to sign an attendance sheet in your name, cheating on exams, plagiarizing, handing in papers that were downloaded from the web, fabricating of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person, submitting work previously (or concurrently) used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. The usual punishment for academic dishonesty is an "F" for the course. Unusually serious violations of academic integrity may result in expulsion from the University or a lesser penalty if the alleged infraction is of a more minor nature. Please see http://www.psu.edu/dept/oue/aappm/g-9.html for more information. STATEMENT ON OUTSIDE OBLIGATIONS: If an assignment deadline or exam date conflicts with a University sanctioned event (athletic event, choir trip, etc.) students should obtain a letter or the class absence form from the sponsoring unit/department delineating the semester's anticipated excused absences. This must be presented to the respective instructor at least one week in advance of the university-approved activity in order to provide adequate time to prepare alternative opportunities. The assignment will be due before the date listed on the syllabus. If such scheduled trips are considered by the instructor to be hurting the student's scholastic performance, the instructor will present such evidence for necessary action to the chair of BBH and to the Dean of the college in which the student is enrolled or to the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division. With respect to religious holidays, Academic Administrative Policy on Religious Holidays (R-4) states that while the University makes every effort to avoid conflicts with religious holidays, when conflicts are unavoidable, the policy is to try and make special arrangements for the student affected. The Faculty Handbook says that "Faculty members are encouraged to entertain requests for exemptions from class attendance for purposes of religious observances." Please see http://www.events.psu.edu/cgibin/cal/webevent.cgi?cmd=listyear&ncmd=startup&cal=cal42 for more information.
BBH 310w Tentative Schedule Day Topic Reading pages (BOOK SECTION) Week 1 Intro and Foundations 8/25 Intro to course/foundations 8/27 Foundations of Biobehavioral Research pp. 5-13 (Section 1-1) 8/29 Practicum Intro to Publication Styles Week 2 Ethics 9/1 NO CLASS Labor Day 9/3 Foundations/ Sampling--Background pp. 33-40 (Section 2-1,2-2,2-3) 9/5 Practicum Abstract Lab/APA Style Week 3 Sampling and Abstracts 9/8 Sampling Random Sampling pp. 42-47 (Section 2-4) 9/10 Sampling Non-Random Sampling pp. 48-51 (Section 2-5) 9/12 Research Ethics --- ABSTRACTS DUE pp. 13-24 (Section 1-2, 1-3) Week 4 9/15 Exam 1 9/17 Measurement Theory pp. 55-78 (Section 3-1) 9/19 Practicum Introduction Lab/APA Style Week 5 Measurement 9/22 Validity pp. 157-67 (Section 7-1) 9/24 Reliability pp. 80-95 (Section 3-2) 9/26 Practicum Week 6 Research Statistics 9/29 Statistics-- Descriptive pp. 264-74 (Section 12-3) 10/1 Statistics-- Correlation pp. 268-73 (Section 12-3) 10/3 Practicum Methods Lab/APA Style---INTRODUCTION DUE Week 7 Research Statistics 10/6 Statistics- T-Test pp. 300-06 (Section 14-3) 10/8 Statistics Review pp. 293-99 (Section 14-1,14-2) 10/10 Practicum Stats Lab (SPSS) Week 8 Survey Research 10/13 Survey Research--Scales pp. 129-38 (Section 5-2) 10/15 Survey Research--Scales pp. 129-38 (Section 5-2) 10/17 Practicum Exam 2 METHODS DUE Week 9 Spring Break 10/20 Experimental Design-- 2 group pp. 192-98 (Section 9-3) 10/22 Experimental Design-- Factorial pp. 192-98 (Section 9-3) 10/24 Practicum-- Results Lab/APA Style
Day Topic Reading pages (BOOK SECTION) Week 10 10/27 Experimental Design-- Hybrid/Quasi Experimental pp. 203-15 (Section 9-6, 10-1) 10/29 Quasi-Experimental Design pp. 215-28 (Section 10-2, 10-3) 10/31 Practicum Experimental Design Lab Week 11 11/3 Research Design pp. 185-91 (Section 9-1) 11/5 Research Design pp. 185-91 (Section 9-1) 11/7 Practicum Discussion Lab/APA Style RESULTS DUE Week 12 11/10 Behavioral Research 11/12 Qualitative Research pp. 141-50 (Section 6-1) 11/14 Practicum Week 13 11/17 Data Analysis pp. 251-64 (Section 12-1, 12-2) 11/19 Data Analysis pp. 293-307 (Section 14-1 14-3) 11/21 Practicum DISCUSSION DUE Week 14 THANKSGIVING 11/24 NO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK 11/26 NO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK 11/28 NO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK Week 15 12/1 Review 12/3 Exam 3 12/5 Evaluations and Consultation Week 16 12/8 Consultation 12/10 Consultation 12/12 Consultation Finals Week 12/15 FINAL CRITIQUES DUE 12/17 12/19