CS 122T Inquiring Minds: Find Out What Other Students Think and Do
There is quite a bit of data collected on colleges and college students. Some useful research points to the characteristics of colleges and the behaviors of students that lead to the best learning. Much of this is collected at more traditional institutions using traditional research methods and statistical analysis (good methods, but limited). We’ll learn how to interpret such studies and develop our own resulting questions for inquiry on what Hampshire students think and do. Students work as a research team along with the professor. Data collection and analysis methods include qualitative interview, focus group, and observation; quantitative survey and observation among others. The final product will be a group report (everyone writes part) articulating our findings, and perhaps making recommendations to others. Evaluation is based on completing a series of short papers and assignments as well as presenting one’s ideas orally and in writing.
CS 220 Educational Research Methods
There are many opinions about how to improve teaching from kindergarten through college. Without evidence from research about the results of educational innovation, individual teachers and institutions are left with personal opinion and anecdotes to guide their curricular and instructional choices. Students in this course learn social science research methods that come from a variety of research traditions. Methods used include classroom observation, interview, survey, and assessment of learning outcomes. Students learn to search effectively for and read different kinds of primary research articles and to design and carry out a small research project in a classroom. The final project includes a paper and class presentation.
CS 122 College: Educational Research in the Five Colleges
You've entered college as have thousands of students in the Pioneer Valley. What is in store for you and others? What helps smooth the transition? What factors affect student satisfaction and engagement? What is the range of ways in which you might be taught? These are a few of the questions we address through the literature as we also get to know the 5 colleges, their campuses and services. This is an educational research course. The 5 colleges are our laboratory for learning how to ask and answer questions about educational environments and the ways they are perceived by students. Students learn how to carry out survey research, focus groups, interviews, or other techniques appropriate to their research questions. All students develop and complete research projects, presenting their results in a symposium at the end of the semester