AG480:
Prerequisites
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
Textbook
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Upon successful completion of this course...
1. The student will be able to apply scientific research methods.
2. The student will be able to differentiate between popular press articles and peer-reviewed scientific research literature.
3. The student will be able to examine peer-reviewed scientific research literature, including writing reviews of peer-reviewed scientific research literature.
4. The student will be able to conduct research in the field of agronomy.
5. The student will be able to create a PowerPoint (or equivalent) presentation and give a seminar summarizing their research.
6. The student will be able to construct a research poster summarizing research conducted in the field of agronomy.
7. The student will be able to compose a paper for publication summarizing research conducted in the field of agronomy.
Tentative Schedule
Subject to change during the semester. Adequate notice of changes will be given.
| Week 1 | Introduction: Scientific Research |
| Week 2 | Reading & Reviewing Research Literature |
| Week 3 | Research Problem, Research Questions, and Hypotheses |
| Week 4 | Research Article Analysis I due |
| Week 5 | Measuring Variables and Sampling, Research Validity |
| Week 6 | Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics / Experimental Research vs. Quasi Experimental Research |
| Week 7 | Control Techniques in Experimental Research |
| Week 8 | Research Article Analysis II due |
| Week 9 | Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research |
| Week 10 | Research Article Redesign submit for approval - discuss your redesign |
| Week 11 | Research Article Analysis III due |
| Week 12 | Midterm Exam |
| Week 13 | Research Article Analysis IV due |
| Week 14 | Research Article Redesign due: Presentation of redesign |
| Week 15 | Research Poster due: Present |
Research Article Analysis
Students will choose a published research article related to their research interest and provide a summary and analysis of it. The summary part should be composed of the following: a) purpose of the study, b)research questions, c) conceptual framework, d) research methods, and e) results. Note that students should write their summary based on their own language and should not copy and paste sentences from the article. Simply copying and pasting sentences from the article is plagiarism. In the analysis part, students are asked to apply the principles of research design covered in this course to critique the article. This should include an analysis of how variables have been operationalized, the selection and treatment of participants, the collection and analysis of data, and threats to internal and external validity and to the reliability of the results. The analysis will serve as the foundation for assignment #4 - Research Article Redesign. Throughout this assignment, students will learn to apply the principles of sound research design to critically analyze published research literature and develop critical thinking skills.
| Criteria: | Score |
| Did you choose an appropriate article? | 15 |
| How clearly and concisely did you provide a summary of the selected article? | 15 |
| How logical are you in analyzing the selected article? | 15 |
| In terms of the analysis, to what extent did you analyze threats, bias, and control? | 15 |
| To what extent do you accurately use research terminology in this assignment? | 15 |
| Total score | 75 |
Research Poster
As part of the research class, the student(s) will create a poster summarizing their academic project and the research conducted throughout the semester. Toward the end of this semester, students will present their posters at the annual Student and Faculty Research Forum. Class sessions will serve as research conferences, with student presenters reviewing their posters and answering questions as small groups of viewers visit their poster areas.
| Criteria | Score |
| Project title | 10 |
| Background of topic selected | 40 |
| Objectives | 25 |
| Experimental Plan | 50 |
| Results | 50 |
| Conclusion | 25 |
| Total score | 200 |
Weekly Progress Reports
The researcher will meet weekly with the faculty member supervising the research participation. During these sessions, the researcher will provide evidence of work completed toward the experiment. Additionally, the researcher will outline what they plan to accomplish between the existing session and the following week. A total of 15 weekly progress reports will be completed throughout the term.
| Criteria | Score |
| Attend weekly session | 2 |
| Provided evidence of completed work | 2 |
| Outline of work to be completed | 6 |
| Total score | 10 |
Research Article Redesign
This assignment extends the analysis from part 1—Research Article Analysis — based on the article each student chose for analysis. As part of the research article analysis, students are asked to redesign the article. Namely, students will suggest an alternative method for addressing the research problem addressed in the original article. For the alternative study, students will frame research questions, and adjust any other aspect of the original study required to execute the research using the selected alternative methodology.
| Criteria | Score |
| How logically are you suggesting an alternative study? | 20 |
| How clearly are you addressing your research question(s)? | 20 |
| How well does the conceptual framework guide your alternative study? | 20 |
| How appropriately are you choosing methods to investigate the research question(s)? | 20 |
| How well did you integrate all parts (research question(s), conceptual framework, and research method) in the proposal? | 20 |
| Total score | 100 |
Midterm Exam
The midterm exam will aim to ensure that students master fundamental concepts in research design and develop the ability to apply them in practice. The exam covers the content learned over the semester. Students are asked to answer essay questions on the exam. The exam sheet will be available on WC Blackboard, so students will have enough time to think about the questions and provide concise, detailed responses to each.
| Criteria | Score |
| How accurate are your answers? | 25 |
| How clearly and concisely did you write your answers? | 25 |
| How detailed are your answers? | 25 |
| How logical are your answers? | 25 |
| Total score | 100 |
The grading scale will be as follows:
Grading Scale | A = Above 94% | A- = 93.9-90% |
B+ = 89.9-87% | B = 86.9-84% | B- = 83.9-80% |
C+ = 79.9-77% | C = 76.9-74% | C- = 73.9-70% |
D+ = 69.9-67% | D = 66.9-64% | F = Below 64% |
Breakdown
Evaluation breakdown includes:
Research Article Analysis (4) 75 pts. each (300 pts. total)
Research Poster (1) 200 pts.
Weekly progress reports (15) 10 pts. each (150 pts. total)
Research Article Redesign (1) 100 pts.
Midterm Exam (1) 100 pts.
Instructor Course Policies
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: SP25 Final Exam Schedule Graduate:
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. |
Class Attendance Policy |
Accessibility and Disability Services
Accessibility and Disability Services
Wilmington College provides accommodations and services for student with a variety of disabilities, including chronic illnesses, psychological, physical, medical, learning, and sensory disability amongst others. If you anticipate or experience barriers based on disability and feel you may need a reasonable accommodation to fulfill the essential functions of this course, you are encouraged to contact:
Spencer Izor, Associate Vice President of Compliance - Title IX/ADA Coordinator at spencer.izor@wilmington.edu or 937-481-2365 or Nathan Flack, Academic Resource Manager at 937-481-2208 to learn more about the process and procedures for requesting accommodations, or by visiting College Hall Room 306a or the Robinson Communication Center, Room 103.
Religious Accommodations
Wilmington College strives for an inclusive climate and welcomes students from all backgrounds, faiths, and experiences. If religious observance impedes your ability to participate fully in classroom activities or a principal holiday from your religious tradition occurs during the semester and conflicts with class meetings or activities, please make the professor aware of this immediately to determine if a reasonable accommodation is possible.