About the Tasks
This section contains descriptions of course tasks. Materials will be posted on a weekly basis. Please note that these pages populate information about course related tasks on the left hand side when they are assigned. Due dates are given with the description of each task.
Keeping Up
There are a lot of moving parts to this class. Students who gain the most out of the course generally follow these general guidelines:
- Engaging with the readings and materials;
- Putting in a good faith effort but also asking for help when needed;
- Keeping a respectful, open, and honest line of communication with me and your peers if possible.
Complementary Materials
Resources such as presentations, videos, visualizations, walkthroughs, etc. take a lot of time to construct so please take some time to go through them. Do the materials have top notch production value? No because I’m not a famous director from Hollywood with millions of dollars. However they should be ok…even good at times! Given that, I am always open to suggestions so if you have any please send them along.
Deliverables
Throughout the course, you will have weekly opportunities that are incremental and intended to expand and refine your skill set culminating in set of final products1. Most submissions are required to be submitted as a .docx while others require a .pdf format. Remember that all submissions must be in a standard APA 7th edition formatting barring the need for a running header.
Week 2: Establish a Sampling Frame
Construct a one to three paragraph case for a population (and its corresponding size) that needs to be surveyed, an estimate of the sample size, why it needs to be studied, and what type of data should be collected. Furthermore include at least one evaluation and/or research question and intended analyses.
Note: A population does not necessarily refer to people.
Week 4: Create a Draft
Create a draft of your instrument in both skeleton and digital forms. Include both direct and indirect measures for each item.
Note: If the instrument is housed elsewhere (e.g. Qualtrics), then simply provide a link and ensure that access is granted to me.
Week 6: Refine the Draft
Based on feedback, amend both the instrument and skeleton and resubmit for further assessment. Explicitly detail what changes were made using a matrix. Please reach out for additional help as needed.
Week 7: Conduct a Pilot Study
Execute at least two pilot studies. Update both the instrument and skeleton and resubmit for further assessment. Furthermore submit a two to three paragraph synopsis describing those who assessed the instrument and summarize their contributions. Then provide your approach to accepting or declining their feedback, including those that may have conflicted.
Note: You should not explicitly identify those who helped, rather describe their credentials and the characteristics that make each individual helpful as a reviewer.
Week 8 (or 9): Disseminate the Survey
Administer the instrument on a standard two-week cycle unless other arrangements have been made.
Week 12: Test for Validity and Reliability
Use the collected data to conduct an EFA and PCA to assess instrument validity and reliability. Submit a one paragraph descriptive summary of the findings and Rmarkdown PDF output.
Week 13: Write an Executive Summary
Create a one to three page summary describing the research or evaluation question(s), sampling frame, design, methodology, analysis, and findings. Include at least two data visualizations within the body.
Week 15: Give an Elevator Speech
After reviewing feedback, create a short one minute summary describing the research or evaluation question(s), sampling frame, design, methodology, analysis, and findings. Additionally provide a brief discussion of what you would do differently if given the chance.
Submission Formatting
When submitting any task, please
put your name in the upper left-hand corner
use the following format: first initial + last name + exact name of the task. For example if I were submitting the week 2 deliverable, the it should be named
aroy Establish a Sampling Frame.docxor
aroy Establish a Sampling Frame.pdf
Academic Calendar and Availibility
You can view the weeks of instruction on the WVU Office of the Provost site. Please note that I will have limited availability between Nov 9th - 12th and Nov 28th - Dec 9th.
Need Help?
While I am happy to meet face-to-face, it is just as easy to schedule a Zoom session using the calendar or by notifying me on Slack by adding @Dr. Abhik Roy to your message.
If you’ve engaged with the course content and completed the exercises and assignments throughout the course, you should do just fine with the final tasks. ↩︎