Email: Use the "Mail" function in the main menu on Blackboard. I will not respond to emails at jacksonj@douglascollege.ca.
Email Availability: Please ask substantive questions on Blackboard. Email me for emergencies or issues that can not be adressed on the discussion board in Blackboard.
Office hours: At your convenience. Email me in Blackboard to book a meeting. My Zoom meeting room is here.
Office number: Blackboard, online.
Classroom: NWN-N6105 (3:30-6:20 pm)
Email Requirements : All emails should include: 1) Your name, student number and the number of the course you are enrolled in, 2) A salutation such as "Hello Dr Jackson....", 3) An appropriate ending to the email thanking the person for their time in considering your request. For emails about grades, consult this.
The purpose of this course is to teach students with basic knowledge of reserach design, data analysis, statistics and measurement to analyze data using two popular software packages - Excel and SPSS. Students will gain sufficient familiarity with Excel and SPSS to conduct univariate, bivariate and multivariate data analyses, estimate population parameters, fit basic linear models and conduct hypotheses tests on experimental data. Many forms of data management including data entry, auditing, imputation, coding, recoding, and transformation will also be covered. By the end of the course, students should be able to conduct an analysis of data generated in a survey or experiment and give a presentation of the results of the analysis.
In addition to covering practical issues faced in the analysis of data, the course also covers basic issues in science, the application of science to real-world problems, qualitative data analysis, hypothesis testing and psychological measurement.
In the course there will be 1 midterm exam worth 20% of the course grade and 1 final exam worth 25% of the course grade. Students will have 70 minutes ON BLACKBOARD, during class time to complete each exam. The exams will consist of multiple choice questions.
All exams are to be completed Online. ONLY MEDICAL conditions are accepted for exam accomodations. Ongoing psychological states and conditions are not medical conditions. To seek accomodations for these kinds of conditions, please see student services. Supporting medical documentation must be provided for a missed exam within 4 days of the exam. There are no exceptions or make-up assignments.
There are 5 analysis exercises/assignments for marks in the course. Pecentages for each assignment/exercise are given in the syllabus below.
Exercises require the student to do an analysis and then report their results and engage in discussion with other students on the exercises discussion forum on Blackboard. Find the discussion board in the "main menu" in our course on Blackboard.
Assignments require students to complete an analysis of data. Assignments 1-3 are not for marks but will be eligible for tests and class discussion. Assignment 4 is for marks. Use the "Assignments" item in the main menu in our course on Blackboard to hand in your assignment.
There are also two videos to watch called "The Rules" and "How The Course Works". There is a 15 question multiple choice quiz on these videos.
Introduction to the course. Description of course software/materials for the course. Introduction to the course objectives and subject matter.
Watch these videos: How The Course Works, The Rules. *NOTE: Ignore specific dates in these videos. While the dates differ by semester, the structure of the course and the rules remain the same from one semester to the next.
The "How the Course Works" and "The Rules" quiz. Complete on Blackboard before the end of week 2 of the course.
Lectures: Lecture 1
Powerpoint: Powerpoint lecture 1
Exercise: Exercise 1, Updated Exercise 1 Data Download and Restructuring Procedure Video
Exercise 1 due between Tuesday May 21st and Friday May24th . Complete on the "Exercises" discussion board on Blackboard. 7.5% of course grade.
Research methods, where do they come from, Feynman, why is science respected, pseudo-science, utter honesty, freedom of expression, the simple experiment, isolation, random assignment
Lectures: Lecture 2: Part 1, Lecture 2: Part 2
Powerpoint: Powerpoint lecture 2
Exercise: Assignment 1
Assignment 1 is a homework assignment. Be prepared to discuss in class.
Research design, quasi-experiments, in comparison to what, generalizability, meaning
Lectures: Lecture 3: Part 1, Lecture 3: Part 2
Powerpoint: Powerpoint lecture 3
Exercise: Exercise 2, Data File: Annual_data
Exercise 2 due between Tuesday June 4th and Friday June 7th. Complete on the "Exercises" discussion board on Blackboard. 7.5% of the course grade.
Univariate and bivariate data analysis
Lectures: Lecture 4, Data Quality
Powerpoint: Powerpoint lecture 4
Assignment - Analysis of change over time in social, economic and climate factors: Assignment 2, Data File: Annual_data
Assignment 2 is a homework assignment. Be prepared to discuss in class.
Hypothesis testing and estimation.
Lectures: Lecture 5: Part 1, Lecture 5: Part 2, Confidence intervals in spss, Sampling Methods
Powerpoint: Powerpoint lecture 5
Assignment - Error rate by effect size and sample size: Assignment 3
Exercise 3 due between Tuesday June 18th and Friday June 21st. Complete on the "Exercises" discussion board on Blackboard. 7.5% of the course grade.
Assignment 3 is a homework assignment. Be prepared to discuss in class.
Basic concepts in distance, simple regression and multiple regression.
Lectures: Lecture 6, Reflections on Models and Model Error
Powerpoint: Powerpoint lecture 6
Exercise: Exercise 3, Spss Gini Data, Excel Gini Data
First Exam - 40 multiple choice. To be written online Wednesday June 26th between 3:30 pm and 5:20 pm. Online lectures 1-5. In person lectures, and assignments 1, 2 and 3. There is 60 minutes to write and there is no backtracking.
Distance again and Principal components analysis.
Lectures: Lecture 7
Powerpoint: Powerpoint lecture 7, Lecture 7 videos
Exercise: Exercise 4
Exercise 4 due between Tuesday July 9th and Friday July 12th. Complete on the "Exercises" discussion board on Blackboard. 7.5% of the course grade.
Basic concepts in measurement.
Lectures: Lecture 8: part 1, Lecture 8: part 2, Measurement in SPSS
Powerpoint: Lecture 8
Exercise/Assignment: None
Hypothesis testing in SPSS for within and betwen subjects cases with 1 IV and 1 DV (One-Way ANOVA). Planned comparisons (the only kind there should be). SPSS for within and between subjects two-way ANOVA.
Lectures: Lecture 9
Powerpoint: N/A
Exercise/Assignment: None
Second/Final Exam - 40 multiple choice. To be written on Wednesday July 24th between 3:30 pm and 5:20 pm.
Lectures: How To Analyze a Data File: Part 1, How To Analyze a Data File: Part 2, How to Analyze a Data File: Part 3, How to Analyze a Data File: Part 4
Assignment 4 due Wednesday, August 7th. Hand in on the "Assignments" menu item in the main menu on Blackboard. 25% of the course grade.
The following links are to additional videos that may be refferenced throughout the semester. They are not testable, but they are all valuable, interesting and provide significant insight in to science, the scientific process and the application of science to the real-world.
Cheating , which includes plagiarism, occurs where a student or group of students uses or attempts to use unauthorized aids, assistance, materials or methods. Cheating is a serious educational offense.
Plagiarism occurs where the student represents the work of another person as his or her own. Douglas College condemns all forms of cheating.
The college will discipline students found to be cheating. Discipline may include:
1. a grade of zero may be awarded for the affected assignment, test, paper, analysis, etc.;
2. a failing grade may be assigned in the affected course;
3. referral to the College President for the assignment of discipline, which may include suspension from the college.
All tests are to be completed ONLINE. ONLY MEDICAL extensions given prior to the assessment are accepted for quizzes, exercises and assignments. Supporting medical documentation must be provided for a missed quiz within 4 days of the test. Ongoing psychological states and conditions are not medical. To seek accomodations for these conditions consult student services. Threre are NO MAKEUP ASSIGNMENTS IN THE COURSE.
For students with accommodations at accessibility services, follow the guidance of your representative at student services. There is no need to contact me in advance about any assignment extension or missed tests, I am not permitted to inquire about or know the details I would need to know in order to make a rational, justified decision about test or assignment accommodations. I am also not permitted by College policy to make a unilateral decision about accommodations.