Main Content
Syllabus
LHR 312: Research Methods: The purpose of this course is to enhance the students’ abilities to use a range of methodologies in evaluating and conducting research in the field of employment relations and human resource management.
Course Objectives
As a result of this course, you should be able to
- formulate a research question,
- conduct a literature review,
- propose a hypothesis,
- conduct a basic statistical analysis in hypothesis testing, and
- report results in writing using proper citation.
Course Expectations and Policies
Students are expected to complete their own work by the due date and time each week. If you cannot meet that obligation (due to an emergency situation), it is your responsibility to notify the instructor prior to the due date/time. Late submissions are subject to a 10% penalty for each day they are late. Students are expected to do their own work. While it is fine to search terms online and use the Internet for additional help, all assignments and exams must be the student's work presented in his or her own words. See the section on academic integrity for more information. Students should check email regularly in order to receive updates or changes. While this does not happen often, it is the student's responsibility to check and read email each week.
Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at Penn State University, allowing the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. In accordance with the University's Code of Conduct, you must not engage in or tolerate academic dishonesty. This includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person, submitting work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Violations of academic integrity will result in a failing grade on the exam or term paper and possibly the course.
Accommodations for Disabilities: Penn State encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation in this course or have questions about physical access, please tell me as soon as possible.
Need Additional Help? You can always see me for extra instruction or help with course materials. You are also encouraged to take advantage of other resources on campus, such as Penn State Learning for tutoring and learning skills, Tutor.com, and the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (call 863-0395 to discuss any issues of a personal nature).
Tutor.com
Tutor.com is a 24/7 tutoring service that provides students with assistance in coursework, test preparation, research, writing, and more for various subjects. The tutors are subject-matter experts, and each student will have personalized one-on-one sessions with them. Students can schedule their own tutoring appointments to engage in interactive sessions that include a whiteboard and chat feature. The service can be utilized on any device that has Internet access. Students are encouraged to use the service throughout the semester.
You can access this service by selecting Tutor.com from your course navigation menu. Here you fill out a questionnaire and begin your tutoring session.
Getting Started with Tutor.com:
- Launch Tutor.com by clicking the Tutor.com link.
- Select the topic you are studying from the drop-down menu.
- From the subject drop-down menu, select your course.
- Ask your tutor a question in the text box. If you're working with a document, such as a rough draft of a writing assignment, you can upload the file here as well.
- Once you have made these selections, click Get a Tutor, and a tutor will be assigned to you within 2 minutes.
- You will then enter a virtual classroom with your tutor. Here, the interactive whiteboard and chat feature will be available. You will be able to talk with your tutor and use the tools. File sharing will be available for you and your tutor to review a document at the same time.
- After your session, please fill out the post-session survey to offer feedback on your experience.
- For a more detailed overview of Tutor.com, please view the How It Works video or read the How It Works guide. If you have any questions or need additional help logging in, please contact studentsupport@tutor.com.
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.
Using the Library
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.
Students please note: The School of Labor and Employment Relations does not view Wikipedia as a valid source for information cited in academic work. It can be a useful tool for quickly finding general information on subjects or as a starting point for research. However, students should not cite Wikipedia as a source in papers, reports, assignments, etc.Software
One of the benefits of being a registered Penn State student is that you are eligible to receive educational discounts on many software titles. If you are interested in learning more about purchasing software through our affiliate vendor, please visit the Buying Software section of the Course Materials page.
Technical Requirements
For this course, we recommend the minimum World Campus technical requirements listed as follows:
| 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. |
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| 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. 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. |
| Hardware | Monitor: Monitor capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
| 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. |
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.
Course Schedule
Note: All due dates reflect North American eastern time (ET).
- Course Length: 16 weeks
All assignments DUE MONDAY AT 11:59 AM eastern time unless otherwise noted.
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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.
Grading
| Letter Grade | % Range |
|---|---|
| A | 93.0% to100% |
| A- | <93.0% to 90.0% |
| B+ | <90.0% to 87.0% |
| B | <87.0% to 83.0% |
| B- | <83.0% to 80.0% |
| C+ | <80.0% to 77.0% |
| C | <77.0% to 70.0% |
| D | <70.0% to 60.0% |
| F | <60.0% to 0.0% |
Exams: 400 points
Four 100-point exams will be given, covering material presented in the reading and lecture notes. All exams will be open book and open note, and they will consist of approximately 25 multiple-choice questions (worth 2 points each) and 5 short-answer questions (worth 10 points each). These exams, while open book and open note, are to be completed by you and you alone. If there is any evidence of you cooperating with another individual or using the Internet during your exam, I will have to pursue the matter through the appropriate University channels for academic dishonesty.
Enrichment Presentation Activities: 150 points
Fifteen mini-presentations (PowerPoint with audio narration) will be presented in the course during the semester. Accompanying each of these presentations will be a brief exercise worth 10 points. These exercises will consist of open-ended responses and will not be timed. They are an opportunity for you to check on your understanding of the concepts before you take the exams.
Research Paper: 500 points
You will apply what you have learned to a research proposal of your own design as a capstone assignment for the course. You will develop familiarity with an existing field of research (e.g., distracted driving), apply that research to a new problem in the field of labor and employment relations, form hypotheses, and practice expressing the concepts and limitations of your design in written form. This paper will take the form of a research proposal, and as such, you will be writing this as if you were asking a supervisor or executive for funding and time to perform a study that you feel is important to the company's functionality.
We will go through this process in steps. First, you'll familiarize yourself with the library's resources in the Library Assignment (50 points). Second, you'll write the Topic Paper to ensure that you have a good topic for your subsequent papers. This Topic Paper (worth 50 points) will be a 1- to 2-page statement of your research problem and hypothesis, including motivation for the study and why it would matter. The second paper (introduction section and literature review) will be a paper to prove that you know how to read and understand research papers (100 points). The third paper assignment will be a paper proposing your methods and expected results of your study (100 points). The fourth paper will be analysis of your expected results (100 points). Your final paper should be a compilation of your second, third, and fourth papers, from the introduction to your concluding statement. It should encompass 10–15 pages, be properly cited and formatted, and should encompass any and all feedback you were given in the previous papers (100 points).
Note: Less than half of the possible points in this course are earned by taking exams. I am much more interested in the finished product that you can create than in the facts you can regurgitate and recognize in an exam period. Doing exceptional research requires more than knowledge—it requires dedication, attention to detail, and WORK. This isn't to say that the more hours you put into research the better it is, but there is a general tendency for longer hours to lead to better work. A quick and slipshod job is simply not going to get you good research. This may end up being one of the toughest courses you take, but you will end up with a finished product that you can give to employers and graduate admissions committees as a writing sample. Good luck.
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.
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 .
University Policies
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities, including World Campus. The Disabilities and Accommodations section of the Chaiken Center for Student Success website provides World Campus students with information regarding how to request accommodations, documentation guidelines and eligibility, and appeals and complaints. For additional information, please visit the University's Student Disability Resources website.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability services 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.
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.
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.
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.
- Students are responsible for online course content, taking notes, obtaining other materials provided by the instructor, taking tests (if applicable), and completing assignments as scheduled by the instructor. As a general rule, students should plan on logging into the course at least three times per week and spending at least three hours per course credit per week on the course, e.g., if the course is three credits, the student should plan on spending at least 9-12 hours per week on the course, just as they would in a residence course.
- Students are responsible for keeping track of changes in the course syllabus made by the instructor throughout the semester.
- Students are responsible for monitoring their grades.
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Students must contact their instructor (and teammates when working on any collaborative learning assignments) as soon as possible if they anticipate missing long periods of online time due to events such as chronic illnesses, death in the family, business travel, or other appropriate events. The instructor will determine the minimal log on time and participation required in order to meet course responsibilities. In the event of other unforeseen conflicts, the instructor and student will arrive at a solution together.
- Requests for taking exams or submitting assignments after the due dates require documentation of events such as illness, family emergency, or a business-sanctioned activity.
- Conflicts with dates on which examinations or assignments are scheduled must be discussed with the instructor or TA prior to the date of the examination or assignment.
- Students are responsible for following appropriate netiquette (network etiquette) when communicating with their instructor and classmates. For reference, see the Academic Success Kit.
- Behaviors that disrupt other students’ learning are not acceptable and will be addressed by the instructor.
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For severe and chronic problems with student disruptive behavior, the following will be applied for resolution:
- Senate Committee on Student Life policy on managing classroom disruptions: Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
- Penn State Values.
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.
Accommodations for Disabilities: Penn State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation in this course or have questions about physical access, please tell me as soon as possible.
Need Additional Help? You can always see me for extra instruction or help with course materials. You are also encouraged to take advantage of other resources on campus, such as Penn State Learning for tutoring and learning skills (call 814-865-1841), Tutor.com, and the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (call 814-863-0395 to discuss any issues of a personal nature).
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.