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Behavioral Research and Accountability Methods

Andrea Howard, M.Ed. COURSE 18SPSY8012 (3 Credit Hours) ritchiaa@mail.uc.edu Fall Semester 2014 ___________________________________________________________________________________________
INSTRUCTOR

COURSE OVERVIEW In the constantly changing field of education, school psychologists must be both consumers and creators of research. For future researchers, growth in both the technical and applied realms of research is necessary to success. By the same token, the nature of single-case designs allows every practitioner to generate highquality research from applied interventions. This course offers the first opportunity to move from consuming to creating and evaluating research. By the conclusion of this course, you will be a more confident evaluator of the literature, have a growing ability to speak fluently about behavioral research and theory, and gain an understanding of which research designs are chosen to answer which research questions.

The Multiple Baseline design

PRE-REQUISITE COURSES School psychology graduate students are expected to have passed Applied Behavior Analysis I and Applied Behavioral Analysis II with a grade of B or above before taking this course. This course will build upon an understanding of applied behavior analysis, with a specific emphasis on conducting behavioral research in educational settings. Therefore, command of material from ABA I and II is necessary to student success. Students outside of the school psychology graduate program with an interest in single-case designs or behavioral research may take this course with permission from the professor. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES At the conclusion of this course, 1. Students will match research questions with appropriate single-case research designs. 2. Students will evaluate learning and performance outcomes using visual analysis of single-case designs. 3. Students will formulate research and accountability plans for school-based learning and behavior challenges. 4. Students will generate methods for measurement including adherence to intervention plans. 5. Students will evaluate the quality of both existing and emerging research designs in accordance with the standards of single-case designs from the What Works Clearinghouse.

TEXT AND READINGS

This course relies heavily on the consumption of current research in single-case designs. This text book has been chosen because of its ease of use and relevance to this course, subsequent courses, and future practice considerations. ONeill, R. E., McDonnell, J. M., Billingsley, F. F., & Jenson, W. R. (2011). Single case designs in educational and community setting. Boston: Pearson. Available from www.coursesmart.com in various e-text versions (i.e., downloadable or available on-line; see web instructions at coursesmart). Also available from the university book store.

In addition to the textbook, students are expected to read research articles, commentary on singlecase designs, and technical documentations posted by modules on BlackBoard. ATTENDANCE POLICY Consistent attendance in graduate-level courses is expected and no excused absences will be granted. Students should contact the instructor via email in the case of illness, family emergency, etc. If a class is missed, the instructor assumes that the student will obtain class notes and independently learn the material missed. In this course, there are many in-class activities that are central to learning behavioral research and accountability methods. The format of this course will rely heavily on group work, peer feedback, and instructor feedback, and therefore, participation in and out of class is necessary to student success. The instructor reserves the right to dock a students final grade based on poor participation in in-class practice activities. Self-check quizzes are offered for each module, and, while not required or graded, participation is strongly encouraged. If a student is struggling with the material or has a problem with his or her final grade, participation in these self-check quizzes may be taken into account as participation credit. ASSIGNMENTS AND QUIZZES The students enrollment in this class represents a contract with the instructor. This syllabus, the assignment descriptions and the weekly schedule contains the information for this contract. The instructors responsibility is to provide feedback in a reasonable amount of time. No late assignments are accepted other than a documented illnesses/family crises. If you do not send or post your assignment by the due date and time, you will not receive full credit. I grades turn to F grades in one year if course requirements are not fulfilled. An open source quiz for Modules 1-4 will be posted on Black Board based on the readings and power points/lecture after the conclusion of each Module. The Changing Criterion design Each Module quiz has a total value of 10 points (total of 40 course points). The quiz is individual work. After the quiz is posted you will have one week to complete the quiz. The quizzes include multiple choice, matching, or short answer questions. The final exam will include questions from all of the

Modules 1-5 (total of 35 course points). The format for quizzes and final will include mostly short answer, multiple choice, matching, and True/False questions. Grading in this course is based on Module 1-4 quizzes, practice vignettes (Modules 2, 4, and 5), and the final exam. Questions for the final exam are based on all Modules 1-5. No late assignments are accepted other than a documented illnesses/family crises. If you do not send or post your completed quizzes by the due date and time, you will not receive full credit. Grade A A! B+ B B! C+ C C! F Cumulative Points 93-100 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 73-76 70-72 Below 70 EVALUATION AND GRADING Module Self-Check Quizzes Modules 1-4 Quizzes.

(Not Graded) 30 points

Online, open source. Posted on Bb after the completion of each module. You will have 2 days to complete each quiz.

Reading research: Research Designs Paper

15 points

7-10 pages. Individually researched and written. More detailed information to come later in the semester.

Module 2 (5 pts.), 4 (15 pts.), and 5 (5 pts.) out-of-class practice assignments

1-2 page vignettes to be posted to Bb.

25 points

In-class module practice assignments

(Not Graded)

In-class practice activities will not be graded. However, 5 points will be deducted if group activities are missed without excuse or make-up work.

Final exam
Final exam will cover content from all modules.

30 points = 100 Total Points

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY The University Rules, including the Student Code of Conduct, and other documented policies of the department, college and university related to academic integrity will be enforced. Any violation of these regulations, including acts of plagiarism or cheating will be dealt with on an individual basis according to the severity of the misconduct. Academic dishonesty in any form (cheating, plagiarism) is a serious offense and cannot be tolerated in any academic community. You may view the University of Cincinnati Code of Conduct information online at the following site: http://www.uc.edu/conduct/Code_of_Conduct.html. Plagiarism is defined as: 1. Submitting anothers published or unpublished work in whole, in part or in paraphrase, as ones own without fully and properly crediting the author with footnotes, quotation marks, citations, or bibliographic references. 2. Submitting as ones own original work, material obtained from an individual, agency, or the internet without reference to the person, agency or webpage as the source of the material. 3. Submitting as ones own original work material that has been produced through unacknowledged

The Accountability (A-B) design

collaboration with others without release in writing from collaborators (University of Cincinnati,
Code of Conduct, http://www.uc.edu/conduct/Code_of_Conduct.html)

Plagiarism will not be tolerated and, according the Student Code of Conduct, may result in the following consequences: Formal report of academic misconduct. (UC student disciplinary records are maintained for 6 years with access limited to those with an educational need to know and those who receive permission from the student law school admissions, government employers, etc.) Reduced or failing grade on the exercise. Reduced or failing grade for the course Recommendation to the College Hearing Panel/Dean/Provost for probation, suspension, dismissal ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY If you have a disability (e.g., visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical impairment, communication disorder, and/or specific learning disability) which may influence your performance in this course, you must meet with the Disability Services Office (DSO) to arrange for reasonable accommodations to ensure an equitable opportunity to meet all the requirements of this course. If you require accommodations due to disability, please contact DSO at 513-556-6823, Campus Location: 210 University Pavilion. You will be provided an Accommodation Form indicating your accommodation needs for the quarter. Please present this Form to your instructor as soon as possible to ensure your accommodation needs are discussed, agreed upon, and provided. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS POLICY Laptops, tablets, etc. are acceptable for use in-class for both taking notes and supplementing inclass activities with online resources. Please limit use of technology to educational tools that are explicitly used for this course. Engagement in class activities and discussions is expected, and use of technology outside of the scope of this course during class time will not be tolerated. The BlackBoard site (http://blackboard.uc.edu) is a central component of this course and will be used for self-check quizzes, module quizzes, and out of class assignments and activities. The course will be updated weekly and students are expected to log on to BlackBoard at least once per week to make sure no assignments are missed. Should you encounter an issue with BlackBoard, you may contact the UC Help Desk at http://www.uc.edu/ucit/helpdesk.html or (513) 556-HELP (4357). PASS/FAIL OPTION For school psychology graduate students, this course may not be taken as a pass/fail course in order to fulfill the course sequence requirements for graduation. Students outside of the school psychology graduate program may contact the professor on a case-by-case basis to determine if the pass/fail requirement will satisfy their learning goals for this course.
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COURSE CALENDAR
Week Topic Learning Outcomes In-class activities (discussion, writing, problemsolving, peer instruction)
Discussion, in class practice: problem-solving groups with practicum cases Peer feedback on assignment, discussion of ethics, in-class practice: application of ethics to cases Discussion, inclass practice: problem-solving groups with case scenarios Discussion, continued in-class practice: problemsolving groups Discussion, presentation of inclass practice using case scenarios Discussion, continued presentation of inclass practice scenarios with peer feedback Discussion, teaming and reciprocal teaching for key SCD basics Presentation of graphs from SCD paper (AB, ABAB, MBL); discussion of research questions related to each

Outside of class activities (reading, problem sets, lecture viewing)

Reading, functional relationships and RQ assignment Reading, online quiz (Module 1)

Due next week

Upcoming major assignment

Module 1: Key Concepts of the S-P Model Module 1: Integrating Ethics into the S-P model

(1) Causal & functional relationships, (2) research questions (1) research questions, (2) ethics of behavioral research and accountability (1) research questions, (2) measurement and sampling methods (1) measurement and sampling, (2) technical adequacy (1) measurement and sampling, (2) technical adequacy (1) measurement and sampling, (2) technical adequacy (1) the basics of single-case designs (1) types and function of baseline, (2) AB designs, (3) ABAB designs, (4) MBL designs

Finished assignment

Module 1 Quiz (1 week), singlecase designs paper (6 weeks) Single-case designs paper (5 weeks)

Module 1 quiz, readings

Module 2: Measurement of Target Variables Module 2: Measurement: Sampling Approaches Module 2: Measurement: Technical Adequacy Module 2: Measurement Practices

Reading, Review of behavior codes from practicum cases Review lectures

Reading

Reading, outof-class practice scenario Online quiz (Module 2)

Reading, Finished assignment Module 2 quiz

Module 2 Quiz (3 weeks), single-case designs paper (4 weeks) Module 2 Quiz (2 weeks), single-case designs paper (3 weeks) Module 2 Quiz (1 week), singlecase designs paper (2 weeks) Single-case designs paper (1 week)

Module 3: Basics of Single-Case Designs Module 4: Baseline, AB, ABAB, MBL

Complete selfcheck quiz for Module 3 (no class credit) Reading

Single-Case Designs paper Reading Module 4 Quiz (4 weeks)

Module 4: Changing Criterion, ATD, combined designs Module 4: Simultaneous treatment, parametric, component analysis Module 4: Design Practices

(1) changing criterion, (2) multiple treatment, (3) combined designs (1) simultaneous treatment, (2) parametric designs, (3) component analysis, (4) multiple schedule (1) design practices in reallife settings

Presentation of graphs from SCD paper (CC, MT, combined designs); discussion Presentation of graphs from SCD paper (as applicable), discussion

Reading

10

Reading

Reading, complete module 4 self-check quiz (no course credit) Reading

Module 4 Quiz (3 weeks)

Module 4 Quiz (2 weeks)

11

12

Module 4: Single-case design Practices

(1) design practices in reallife settings (cont.)

13

Module 5: Special topics in single-case designs Module 5: Accountability methods ES, PND, Conclusions and Course Review

14

(1) maintenance and generalization, (2) ethics of single-case designs (1) dual statistical criteria, (2) effect size, (3) PND (1) review of all material, (2) realworld application

In-class practice (applying research designs, research questions, and measurement systems) In-class practice (continued), presentation of outcomes, peer feedback, instructor feedback In-class practice of maintenance and generalization, Discussion on ethics of SCD In-class practice, discussion

Continued work on inclass practice as needed Reading Reading, Module 4 quiz

Module 4 Quiz (1 week)

Final exam (3 weeks)

Reading

Reading

Final exam (2 weeks)

Self-check quiz for module 5 (no course credit)

Review for exam

Final exam (1 week)

15

Team challenge

Online final exam all readings and all Module content