Resource for stats/SPSS refresher

You might not yet know whether you're going to tackle a research approach that would require SPSS for statistical analysis, but it might be good to get a refresher on the software early in the semester while you have a bit of breathing room. Please check out the following resource. I hear classes fill up quickly, so please consider signing up quickly if you think you might need it.

The Center for Teaching, Research and Learning on campus offers a variety of workshops on software that you might find useful, especially SPSS and Qualtrics.

https://edspace.american.edu/ctrl/softwareworkshops/

Class Schedule

I look forward to seeing all of you at our first class meeting on January 22. Below is a draft of the class schedule that will be included in your syllabus. While we might add or subtract topics as necessary, I do want you to be able to plan around our scheduled class meetings and the assignments that will be due. Please note that some of the elements of the schedule are subject to change before class begins.

Week #	Date	Topic	Assignment	Due Date/Time
0	January 12-19	Prepping for the capstone	30-minute phone conversation with instructor	January 12-19
1	January 22	·       Class discussion—capstone overview, topic brief and IRB ·       Cohort group assignments	Read and review sample capstones on class blog; Read Reflections of a Novice Academic Writer Moodley, Kimera. Educational Research for Social Change; Port Elizabeth Vol. 4, Iss. 2,  (Oct 2015): 75-88.	By 5:30 p.m. January 22
2	January 29	·       Joint meeting with Graf class (MCK 304)—presentation by former master’s students ·       Class discussion—outline and introduction	Topic brief due—email to instructor and cohort	By 11:59 p.m., January 28
3	February 5	No class ·       Cohort discussions re topic briefs ·       Work on outline and introduction
4	February 12	·       Class discussion—literature review and research methods ·       Cohort discussions re outlines	Outline due—email to instructor and cohort	By 11:59 p.m. February 10
5	February 19	No class—instructor meetings as needed ·       Work on introduction and literature review
6	February 26	·       Class discussion— presenting research findings and discussion ·       Cohort meetings re literature review and introduction	Literature review and introduction—email to instructor and cohort	Due 11:59 p.m. February 24
7	March 5	No class—instructor meetings as needed ·       Work on research
8 (Spring Break)	March 12-16	No class
9	March 19	·       Class discussion— conclusion and abstract ·       Cohort and instructor meetings research progress
10	March 26	No class—instructor meetings as needed ·       Finalize research and work on partial draft
11	April 2	No class—instructor meetings as needed ·       Work on conclusion and abstract	Partial draft due (through discussion)—email to instructor and cohort	Due 11:59 p.m. March 30
12	April 9	·       Class discussion—final format, proofreading and APA style ·       Cohort meetings on first draft
13	April 16	No class—mandatory individual meetings on first draft ·       Work on revisions
14	April 23	No class—instructor meetings as needed ·       Final draft polish
15	April 30	No class	Final Capstone Due—email instructor	By 11:59 p.m., April 30

Welcome to your capstone journey

I hope you'll find this experience to be one of the most challenging and fulfilling of your academic career.
This blog will serve as our class hub, including announcements, resources, samples and instructions. I'll update at least once per week, but more often if common questions arise or I find a resource to share.
This blog also offers you the opportunity to ask questions, request further instruction, or add your own perspective on a particular topic. We won't be meeting together every week, so this is the place for all of us to collaborate. Please feel free to share events or professional development opportunities that you think might benefit your colleagues.
Sixteen weeks might seem like plenty of time to write a research paper, but your capstone isn't just any research paper. Having taught this course several times, I know that students are most successful when they follow a prescribed schedule and reach milestones every week. This is particularly true if you will be undertaking original research for your capstone.
Though we don't have class next week, I am going to give you an assignment. I am asking that you contact me via email (bfoster@american.edu) to schedule a half-hour phone appointment to take place prior to our first class on January 22. During that meeting, we'll discuss your thoughts on a topic and proposed approach/methodology. Here are the times available to talk. Please provide me with your top 3 meeting time choices in case there is overlap.
Friday, January 12--5-7 p.m.
Tuesday, January 16--6-8 p.m.
Wednesday, January 17--6-9 p.m.
Thursday, January 18--6-9 p.m.
Friday, January 19--9-11 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.
I look forward to hearing from all of you soon and learning about your capstone goals. I will post the syllabus for the class later this week.