Class Schedule

Home Course Description Course Materials Assignments Class Schedule

 

 

There are 14 class sessions. The table below displays the course schedule by Session Number and Date, Topics, Readings and Assignments.

Here is a list of important dates and no-class dates:

1/21: First meeting of class
1/28: Presentation by Jon Kimball on conducting research at Simmons (11:30-12:00pm)
2/4: Tour of GSLIS Usability Lab (11:15-12:00pm)
2/11: Short visit from Amy Deschenes, Simmons library technology specialist, on extra credit usability testing for library site (11:15-11:30); Visit from Linda Watkins on  LIS403-04 workshops (11:30-12:00pm)
3/10: No Class: Spring Break
3/24: Normal class session ends at 11:00am: The remaining class time for questionnaire pretest (assignment 3)
4/21:  Extra Credit Assignment Presentation. Evaluation proposal project presentation day I
4/28:  Written evaluation research proposal due. Evaluation proposal project presentation day II, class ends
 

-- Click the buttons below to go to each month of the semester--

         January    February   March   April

 

Date

Topics/Activities

Readings

Assignments
 

1/21
 

Session 1: Course Overview and Introduction to Evaluation of Information Services

 

 Distributed: Group Presentation Project
1/28
Session 2: Domain and Purpose of Evaluation;  Research Ethics
Talk by Jon Kimball, Director of Office of Sponsored Programs at Simmons, on conducting research at Simmons 
 Distributed: Assignment 1
2/4
Session 3: Planning Evaluation; Evaluation Models and Framework

Tour to GSLIS Usability Lab

  • Mattews, Chapter 2

  • Beck & Manual, Chapter 2

  • Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 12-13

  • GSLIS Usability Lab

 Distributed: Term Project; Extra Credit Project
2/11
Session 4: Evaluation Measures; Evaluating Research Papers

Amy Deschenes, Simmons library technology specialist, on extra credit usability testing for library site

Linda Watkins visits class to describe evaluation research literature search workshops

  • Matthews, Chapter 3

  • Beck & Manual, Chapter 10

  • Evaluating Research Guidelines excerpted from Pyrczak, F. (2005). Evaluating Research in Academic Journals (Available on the course E-Learning site)

Due: Assignment 1

Distributed: Assignment 2

 
2/18
Session 5: Survey Research and Sampling

Group Presentation: Library Users and Nonusers

 

  • Hernon & McClure, Chapter 6

  • Matthews, Chapter 7

 
  
2/25
Session 6: Evaluation Designs and Quantitative Tools

Group Presentation: Evaluation of the Physical Collection

  • Matthews, Chapter 5  (skip p. 62-73),  Chapter 8

  • Beck & Manual, Chapters 6-7

 Team Formation for the Term Project
3/3
Session 7: Questionnaire Development and Interview Protocols

Group Presentation: Evaluation of Electronic Resources

  • Matthews, P. 62-73; 51-52; Chapters 9

  • Beck & Manual, Chapter 4

  • Miller, T. I. (1994). "Designing and Conducting Surveys," in Wholey, et al. (eds). pp. 271-292 (Available on the E-Learning site)

  • Frary, R. A brief guide to questionnaire development. (Avaiable on the E-learning site)

  

Due:Assignment 2

Distributed: Assignment 3  

  

3/10

No Class: Spring Break
3/17

 

Session 8: Qualitative Evaluation Methods; The Role of the Evaluator

Group Presentation: Evaluation of Reference Services

 

  • Matthews, Chapter 4 (skip p. 50-52), Chapter 10

  • Beck & Manual, Chapter  3

  • Sonnichsen, R. C., (1994). "Evaluators as Change Agent," in Wholey, et al., (eds.), pp. 534-548. (Available on the E-Learning site)

  • Creswell, (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design. Chapter 4: Five Qualitative Approaches to Inquiry. (Avaiable on the E-Learning site)

  
3/24
Session 9: Observational Research; Usability Testing

Group Presentation:  Evaluation of Technical Services

  

  • Matthews, Chapter 4 (p. 50-51), Chapters 11

  • Beck & Manual, Chapter 5

  • Oh, S., & Wildemuth. (2009). Think-aloud protocols. In B. Wildemuth (ed.) Applications of social research methods to questions in information and library science. (Available on the e-learning site)

  • Rubin, Chapter 1. Overview of Usability Testing (Available on the e-learning site)

 

 Questionnaire Pilot Testing Time

3/31

  

Session 10:Historical Research Methods; Action Research

Group Presentation: Evaluation of Online Systems

 

  • Matthews, Chapter 13

  • Beck & Manual, Chapter 8

 

 

Due: Assignment 3

 

 

 

4/7
 

Session 11: Data Analysis and Descriptive Statistics

 

Group Presentation: Evaluation of Bibliographic/Library Instruction and Information Literacy

 

  

  • Matthews, Chapter 6 (p.79-91), Chapter 14

  • Beck & Manual, Chapter 9

  • Leedy & Ormord, Chapter 11 (p.245-267). (Available on the E-Learning Site)

  • Samuel, J. (2003). Getting started with SPSS for Windows. Indiana University (Available on the E-Learning Site)

Class session takes place in GSLIS TechLab

 
4/14
Session 12: Inferential Statistics; Writing and Presenting Research

Group Presentation: Evaluation of Customer Services

 

  • Beck & Manual, Chapter 11

  • Matthews, Chapter 6 (p. 92-94), Chapter 15; Scan Part IV, Evaluation of Library

  • Leedy & Ormord, Chapter 11 (p.267-281). (Available on the E-Learning Site)

  • Hendricks, M. (1994). "Making a Splash: Reporting Evaluation Results Effectively," in Wholey, et al. (eds)., pp. 549-575. (Available on the E-Learning site)

 Class session takes place in GSLIS TechLab

 
4/21
 

Session 13: Extra Credit Usability Project Presentation

Evaluation Research Proposal Presentation Day I  
      
 
4/28
 

Session 14: Evaluation Proposal Presentation Day II   
        
  Due: Written Research Proposal

 

 
Rong Tang 2012.
Site created by Rong Tang January 2012.