XEDU-501 Research Methods

This research methods course is designed to provide students with a broad overview of the knowledge base, traditions, and theories of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research used in conducting program evaluations across many sectors including education and the non-profit sector. The course starts with a brief review of key evaluation concepts and processes followed by three modules on each methodology. Throughout the course, students will complete interactive individual and group exercises, including one field trip, to gain experience in applying different research methodologies to program evaluations while they prepare to design their own evaluation design as part of their culminating project.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify the strategies and theoretical concepts of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research methodologies
• Compute and summarize various statistics; understand the limitations of statistics, its methods, and its application to real world problems
• Identify advantages and disadvantages of each research approach and when to apply each in evaluation design
• Analyze practical problems researchers face and identify solutions and alternatives
• Describe the ethical considerations researchers should address when conducting evaluations