The information contained on this page is designed to give students a representative example of material covered in the course. Any information related to course assignments, dates, or course materials is illustrative only. For a definitive list of materials, please check the online catalog 3-4 weeks before the course start date.

EDTEC 561: Measuring the Impact of Technology on Learning

This course, which will be offered online through the Penn State World Campus, is designed to prepare teachers and other educators to use basic quantitative methods to assess the effects of a variety of technology-related innovations in their own classrooms and schools. It begins with a focus on the various types of learning outcomes and then prepares you to develop the effective tests and scoring tools required to assess them. The course then introduces basic statistical concepts and methods, reviews exemplary technology-related quantitative research, and prepares you to design quantitative research studies to be implemented in your own classroom and school.

Overview

EDTEC 561 is designed to familiarize graduate students with the set of research perspectives used in education research more generally and in learning, design, and technology (LDT) research more specifically. Topics covered include experimental perspectives, qualitative studies, and mixed-methods approaches. This is a review of educational research traditions and foundations that are used to advance knowledge about the issues impacting human learning—knowledge that can be gained through conducting research in and across educational settings (e.g., schools, workplaces, museums, after-school programs, family settings, higher education, and online immersive environments).

EDTEC 561 is appropriate for graduate students in the College of Education or related disciplines who are interested in conducting social sciences research with LDT methodological approaches or who would like to understand various ways of studying educational interventions in naturalistic settings. EDTEC 561 is not a substitute for quantitative or qualitative methodology courses.

Course Objectives

After taking this course on research traditions in LDT, you should be able to do the following things:

• Define and distinguish the multiple methodological traditions that are used in the LDT field.
• Describe, defend, and explain the traditions used in LDT research: design research, experimental perspectives, qualitative studies, user-design studies, and mixed methods.
• Assess, critique, and categorize articles and chapters found in the empirical literature.
• Synthesize and apply your understanding of LDT traditions and research methods to a topic area of interest within a written research prospectus.

Required Course Materials

Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.

This course requires that you access Penn State library materials specifically reserved for this course. You can access these materials by selecting Library Resources in your course navigation, or by accessing the Library E-Reserves Search and search for your instructor's last name.

You will be required to become familiar with the following resources during Week 1:

• Zoom,
• Gapminder,
• Twitch.tv (do not create an account or use an existing account for this class),
• Minitab, and
• Canvas discussion forums.

Library Resources

Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can

• access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
• borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
• get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
• much more. 

You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service.  The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.

Learning how to use the resources of the Penn State University Libraries will help you immensely throughout your graduate school career. It will also help you with the annotated bibliography project. Familiarize yourself with the following resources:

• LDT resources
• APA style

Technical Requirements

Technical Requirements

Operating System	Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS), supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems.  To determine if your operating system is supported, please review Canvas' computer specifications.
Browser	Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. It is highly recommended that you update to the newest version of whatever browser you are using. Please note that Canvas does not support the use of Internet Explorer. Students and instructors should choose a different browser to use.    To determine if your browser is supported, please review the list of Canvas Supported Browsers. Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites.
Additional Canvas Requirements	For a list of software, hardware, and computer settings specifically required by the Canvas LMS, please review Canvas' computer specifications.
Additional Software	All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Students will need a PDF reader, such as Adobe Reader.
Hardware	Monitor: Monitor capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution Audio: Microphone, Speakers Camera (optional, recommended): Standard webcam - many courses may require a webcam for assignments or exam proctoring software.
Mobile Device (optional)	The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements.

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Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)

During the semester you will receive information for completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.

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Course Requirements and Grading

Course Requirements

During our discussions, acknowledge your colleagues’ contributions as you put forth new ideas that expand on, enrich, or disagree with their statements.

Assignments

Please note the due dates and times listed in the schedule for each project.

Reflection and Response (R2): These assignments will be done through the Canvas discussion forums. Be sure to follow the deadlines for when to post and when to respond to help facilitate these discussions. Each reflection is given a minimum and maximum length. The goal is to be thorough yet concise with the information you are sharing with classmates. Some reflections will have a specific structure provided by the instructor, but all assignments will require attention to course content as part of the reflection. For each of these assignments, you will be randomly assigned to review and provide critique, based on the readings and content in class, to other classmates. It is important that these assignments always be done by the deadline to help facilitate this peer collaborative-learning process. When you provide critique, be sure to be constructive and use the readings as a guide to help your fellow classmates.

Mini Projects 1–5: A variety of activities are required across these assignments. Details for Assignments 1–5 are located in the modules from the weeks they are due.

Grading Policy

• Reflections and Responses in R2 assignments (8 total) represent 40% of the final grade.
• Mini Projects represent 60% of the final grade as follows:
  • Mini Project 1, 10%
  • Mini Project 2, 10%
  • Mini Project 3, 10%
  • Mini Project 4, 10%
  • Mini Project 5, 20%

The following grading scale will be used to determine your overall course grade.

Grading Scale

Percentage	Letter grade
93-100	A
90-92.9	A-
86-89.9	B+
83-85.9	B
80-82.9	B-
77-79.9	C+
70-76.9	C
60-69.9	D
0-59.9	F

Late Work

All coursework is due on the date specified in the course schedule, except in emergency situations. If your work is turned in past the deadline without the instructor's approval, your assignment will not receive credit (i.e., it will receive a zero). Late assignments will not be awarded points because they will significantly impede others from engaging fully in the class, given the interactive nature of the course. Please communicate with the instructor early and often if you are having problems.

Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies. If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.

For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.

Course Schedule

Note: All due dates reflect North American eastern time (ET).

Lesson 1: Getting Started & Worldviews and Types of Research Designs in Educational and Social Research, Part 1

Lesson 1

Readings	Textbook Creswell (2014), Chapter 1 (also available as an E-Reserve if you have not received your required textbook yet) Additional Become familiar with all of the course resources: Zoom, Gapminder, Twitch (review the site but do not create or use an account), and Minitab (on Penn State WebApps).
Assignments	Explore Canvas. Set up email forwarding or create a routine for checking messages daily. Watch the associated Gapminder video and read the tutorial. Review and become familiar with Twitch and Minitab. Participate in the Introduction Discussion Forum. Reflection and Response 1 Assignment (initial post due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and responses due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 2: Worldviews and Types of Research Designs in Educational and Social Research, Part 2

Lesson 2

Readings	Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapter 1 E-Reserves McMillan (2015), pp. 9–17
Assignments	Reflection and Response 2 (initial post due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and responses due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 3: Foundations of Social Science Research

Lesson 3

Readings	Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapter 2 (starting on page 24) and Chapter 3
Assignments	Reflection and Response 3 (initial post due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and responses due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 4: Reviewing the Literature and Theory in LDT: Introduction

Lesson 4

Readings

Textbook Creswell (2014), pp. 51–57 Barab, S., & Squire, K. (2004). Design-based research: Putting a stake in the ground. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 1–14. Sfard, A. (1998). On two metaphors for learning and the dangers of choosing just one. Educational Researcher, 27(2), 4–13. E-Reserves Hoadley, C., & Van Haneghan, J. (2011). The learning sciences: Where they came from and what it means for instructional designers. In Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (3rd ed., pp. 53–63). Pearson. Stahl, G., Koschmann, T., & Suthers, D. (2006). Computer-supported collaborative learning: An historical perspective. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 409–426). Cambridge University Press.

Assignments

Reflection and Response 4 (initial post due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and responses due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lessons 5–6: Reviewing the Literature and Theory in LDT: Applying Theory Within Your Interests

Lessons 5-6

Readings

Textbook Creswell (2014), Chapter 2 E-Reserves Review McMillan (2015), pp. 17–26 Additional Select a focus area (K–12, higher ed, libraries and museums, or learning in media ecologies) and then do the following things: Skim the following reports: NMC Horizon Report (2015 higher-ed edition), NMC Horizon Report (2015 K–12 edition), NMC Horizon Report (2015 library edition), NMC Horizon Museum Report (2016 museum edition), and/or Ito, M., Horst, H. A., Bittanti, M., boyd, d., Herr-Stephenson, B., Lange, P. G., Pascoe, C. J., & Robinson, L. (with Baumer, S., Cody, R., Mahendran, D., Martínez, K. Z., Perkel, D., Sims, C., & Tripp, L.). (2009). Living and learning with new media: Summary of findings from the Digital Youth Project. MIT Press. Choose three areas of interest and read further in those sections. Select three readings from your selected area of interest as narrowed down from the three areas in the step above from one of the last five years in Educational Technology Research and Development, Computers and Education, The British Journal of Educational Technology, The International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, The Journal of the Learning Sciences, and Cognition and Instruction.

Assignments

Mini Project 1: Choosing an Area of Focus Part 1: Record a presentation in Zoom on why you have chosen your area of interest, using your own experiences, the Bryman readings, and Creswell’s guidelines, and post the link to the Zoom recording in the discussion forum (due by Sunday of the 2nd week at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).  Part 2: Respond to the areas of interest raised by your peers (two peers, randomly assigned; due by Tuesday of the 2nd week at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).  Part 3: Submit research questions and annotated bibliographies in Canvas (due by Tuesday of the 2nd week at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 7: Ethics

Lesson 7

Readings	Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapter 6 Creswell (2014), pp. 95–101
Assignments	Reflection and Response 5 (initial post due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and responses due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 8: Quantitative Research, Part 1: Designs and Surveys

Lesson 8

Readings

Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapters 7–8 Creswell (2014), Chapter 8 Fields, D. A., Giang, M., & Kafai, Y. (2014, November). Programming in the wild: Trends in youth computational participation in the online Scratch community. In Proceedings of the Ninth Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education (pp. 2–11). ACM. Additional Take the BSRI survey. Holt, C. L., & Ellis, J. B. (1998). Assessing the current validity of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. Sex Roles, 39(11–12), 929–941. Dasgupta, S., Hale, W., Monroy-Hernández, A., & Hill, B. M. (2016, February). Remixing as a pathway to computational thinking. In Proceedings of the 19th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (pp. 1438–1449). ACM.

Assignments

Reflection and Response 6 (initial post due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and responses due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)). Mini Project 2: Survey Part 1: Complete your survey design (due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)). Part 2: Fill out 10 surveys for your classmates (due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 9: Quantitative Research, Part 2: Dissecting a Study and Quantitative Data Analysis

Lesson 9

Readings	Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapter 15 E-Reserves Huff (1954), Chapter 1 and Chapter 8 Additional Introduction to Using Minitab
Assignments	Reflection and Response 7 (initial post due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and responses due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)). Mini Project 2, Part 3: Conduct a quantitative analysis of your data set in Minitab (due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 10: Qualitative Research, Part 1: Overview of Qualitative Research and Field Notes

Lesson 10

Readings	Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapter 17 and Chapter 19 Creswell (2014), pp. 189–194, "Observational Checklist"
Assignments	Mini Project 3: Part 1 (group work): in a Zoom discussion, select the qualitative research question and a stream to watch (due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)). Part 2 (individual work): Record your Twitch.tv observations (due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 11: Qualitative Research, Part 2: Qualitative Interviews and Documents as Sources of Data

Lesson 11

Readings	Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapter 13 and Chapter 20 Creswell (2014), pp. 189–194, "Interview Protocol"
Assignments	Mini Project 3, Part 3 (group work): Contribute to the Zoom discussion (due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)). Mini Project 4: Part 0: Interview Protocol (due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)). Part 1: Indicate availability for a synchronous Zoom meeting (due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 12: Qualitative Research, Part 3: Qualitative Data Analysis

Lesson 12

Readings	Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapter 24
Assignments	Mini Project 4: Part 2: Complete your interview and critique in Zoom (due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)). Part 3: Complete your reflection paper (due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Lesson 13: Mixed Methods

Lesson 13

Readings	Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapter 26 and Chapter 27 Creswell (2014), Chapter 10
Assignments	Reflection and Response 8 (initial post due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and responses due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (ET)). Complete SEEQ (Student Educational Experience Questionnaire)

Lessons 14–15: Wrap-Up and Applying Within Your Interests

Lesson 14

Readings	Textbook Bryman (2012), Chapter 29 Creswell (2014), Chapters 5, 6, and 7
Assignments	Mini Project 5 (due by Friday of the Lesson 15 week at 11:59 p.m. (ET)).

Note: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please go to the Graduation Information on the My Penn State Online Student Portal.

Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.

Academic Integrity

According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity , an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.

Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity ). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic outcomes, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes which may include ineligibility for Dean’s List, pass/fail elections, and grade forgiveness. Students may also face consequences from their home/major program and/or The Schreyer Honors College.

How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and others, as well as a civil community.

In cases where academic integrity is questioned, the Policy on Academic Integrity indicates that procedure requires an instructor to inform the student of the allegation. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If that committee recommends an administrative sanction (Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, Expulsion), the claim will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.

All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us by going to the Contacts & Help page .

Accommodating Disabilities

Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has resources for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources (SDR) website provides contacts for disability services at every Penn State campus. For further information, please visit the SDR website.

In order to apply for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability resources office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the documentation guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability resources office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.

Additional Policies

For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.

Attendance Policy

This course requires your weekly contributions, as your reflections affect your classmates’ ability to complete their work. If you cannot complete assignments or reflections, you must inform the instructor as soon as possible and in advance. It is your responsibility to catch up on any missed material and to do any make-up work required by the instructor (if applicable).

Military Students

Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or dependents with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.

Protecting Privacy

In order to protect your privacy, course access is limited to those individuals who have direct responsibility for the quality of your educational experience. In addition to the instructor, a teaching assistant or college administrator may be provided access in order to ensure optimal faculty availability and access. World Campus technical staff may also be given access in order to resolve technical support issues.

If you have a crisis or safety concern, mental health services are available to you as a Penn State student. Crisis and emergency contacts are available, no matter where you are located:

• Anywhere in the United States: Call the Penn State Crisis Line at 1-877-229-6400 or text LIONS to 741741. You can also contact your local crisis services or hospital for emergencies.
• Outside the United States: Please contact emergency services in your current location. You can also use the International Crisis and Emergency Services listings.
• At University Park: Assistance is available at Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) locations on campus.
• At a Penn State branch campus: You can search for counseling information at your campus.

Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage.

Student Responsibilities

File Backups: You are responsible for maintaining your digital files for this class. Extensions will not be given for the loss of digital files. You must back up all your class files to your own external hard drive, USB drive, and/or cloud storage device. While you can use Office 364 (O365) One Drive at Penn State for class files, O365 One Drive (like all other cloud services) is not to be used for identifiable human-subjects data or other restricted-access files.