This course focuses on the development of critical literacy of educational research. We will explore issues of subjectivity and objectivity, political implications of research, standpoint of researcher, participatory action research, bringing self into study of education, and limits and benefits of qualitative and quantitative forms of inquiry in educational research.
Hybrid courses combine face-to-face meetings with learning opportunities orchestrated through the course website. This course is 50% hybrid, maning that class meets in person only once a week, and that you have more homework to complete. Our face-to-face meetings will help you succeed in this course. Active participation in both the face-to-face and online activities is required.
Hybrid courses require more time doing assignments than courses that are completely face-to-face. To succeed, you should:
organize your time well.
schedule times to work on class material, making good use of the Open Learning Lab and the Writing and Communication Center. You may find it helpful to find a group of people with whom to work weekly—either in person or remotely at one of these centers, or working together remotely through a platform like Zoom.
be prepared to read and write a lot, especially in an online setting.
be comfortable with using the Internet, email, and various software applications.
have easy access to computers and fast-speed Internet.
be willing to discuss and interact with others online.
be self-motivated enough to finish assignments on deadline with little to no supervision.
Our face-to-face class sessions help you complete the activities in the course. You are responsible for any materials presented or announced in class sessions. If you miss class, you can catch up on materials from our class notes pages. Please pay attention to course announcements. If you have questions about mateirals you may have missed you can schedule an appointment.
This class will be conducted as a hybrid course with in-person and asynchronous learning built into it.
We will have our in-person class meetings on Thursdays from 11:05 am till 1 pm. Students will complete asynchronous activities on Tuesdays beginning week 1 of the quarter.
This is not a self-paced course; this means that there will be due dates for completing course assignments; but do know that I am here to help. We are in this together.
Given the nature of materials presented in this course, critical insights and engagement is necessary. It is imperative that students recognize and "self-interrogate" (hooks, 1989), their multiple positionalities and subjective identities in relation to class readings and discussions as democratic leadership begins with an examination of the self. The success of this course will depend on the critical perspectives that students bring to the table. Participants are expected to actively engage the readings and to treat them with your critical reflection. Defining terms and concepts, discussing, and asking questions, about them is a necessary action in this course of study.
Be proactive! You will have a few assignments due every week. All of these assignments and the due dates are listed on our course Canvas site. Make a list of due dates and figure out how you can fit this work within your other commitments. This will help you be on top of tasks and due dates.
Share from your own perspective and experiences and monitor your participation (when might you need to step up/step back).
Communication is key! If you are confused about an assignment, have trouble accessing any materials or any other just wondering questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Embrace that you may change your mind, and be open to the idea of others changing their mind.
We are a learning community and I hope to build this community with you and not for you. So if something is not working for you, if you have concerns, have constraints, are worried about something, cannot complete one of the course assignments in a timely manner, please do let me know. I will let you know if something comes up on my end too. Deal?
The course calendar on Canvas is a great way to check what's coming up and track course activities. If you have not done so yet, consider downloading the Canvas app on your phone. And set Canvas up so that you can receive course notifications when they are made available.
Bookmark this page so that you can easily access our course syllabus.
Some specific skills that I hope you will further develop after the completion of this course include:
Reveal an understanding of educational research as a field of inquiry, with terminology.
Respond to what it means to become a critical consumer of educational research.
Explore a topic of educational inequity/inequality through the lens of educational research, socio-cultural, and political implications
Develop a research question, including critical discussion of appropriate literature.
Find and evaluate peer reviewed educational research using appropriate databases.
Understand the difference between primary and secondary sources in the literature, in developing a research paper.
Required Text
Booth, W.C., Colomb, G. G., Williams, J.M., Bizup, J., & Fitzgerald, W. T. (2016). The craft of research (Fourth ed.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
This edition of the course text is available at the University Bookstore and Library as an E-book. If you purchase or rent the electronic version online be sure to get the fourth edition.
The licence for this book via UW libraries allows unlimited concurrent users. Course text link via UW (please use your uw credentails to access this book). The library also has a print copy of the text on Reserves.
Recommended:
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American psychological association: The official guide to APA style (Seventh ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Additional course supplement readings and materials will be posted on Canvas.
Half of this course is online and therefore requires a reliable fast-speed Internet connection. The Open Learning Lab and the library can provide access on-campus if you need it. You also need to make sure that you know how to access the course using Canvas. If you are not familiar with Canvas, please visit the UWB Learning Technologies student tutorial page (or just search: UWB Canvas students).
Computer and Digital Skills Needed
To succeed in this course, you will need to be comfortable:
Opening and navigating web browsers
Typing text into a text box
Creating, saving, selecting, and uploading documents
Creating, saving, selecting and uploading multimedia that have audio and visual content
Navigating Canvas modules and pages
Opening, reading, and sending email
Please bring a computer/laptop to our in person meetings as well.
BEDUC 300 connects with one of the core themes for the school of educational studies. All students in Educational Studies major and Elementary Education Option are expected to complete coursework and a field experience that showcases their critical reflection and learning related to the five theme in the undergraduate degree.
The 5 themes are:
I. Education and Equity: Investigation of historic and contemporary struggles over issues of equity in the U.S. Education system and evaluation of positions of various stakeholders and identification of strategies which have been used to move towards equity in U.S. education.
II. Theories of Learning, Culture, and Identity: Consideration of influential theories of learning, from those based in psychology and child development, to those influenced by anthropology and social justice and ways that these learning theories have been applied to teaching or assessment practices and educational policies, both historically and in current educational contexts.
III. Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Society: Understanding of how critical elements in our multicultural society contribute to students’ school experiences. Exploration of ways in which race and ethnicity intersect with other factors including class, gender, sexual orientation, language, disability, and citizenship to influence students’ school experiences and provide important insights for culturally relevant teaching. Also, examination of complex social, cultural, political and economic issues that impact the communities where students live and consider the ways in which those factors are implicated in systems of power and privilege that influence students’ educational opportunities.
IV. Research and Educational Knowledge: Focus on how we “know” what we “know” (epistemology), the political implications of such knowing, the positionality of who conducts and writes about educational research, and how educational research is used publicly in the political arena.
V. Area of Personal Significance: Identification of area of growth meaningful to you in your pursuit of life-long learning and/or professional expertise relating to educational studies. This area may be a deepening of knowledge from one of the above four program themes or another area (e.g., in the arts, technology, ethics, philosophy, psychology, sciences.)