Blueprint Page (meta data)


 * Title: Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology
 * Level: 2nd year Bachelor Degree Level
 * Discipline(s): Psychology and other social sciences
 * Notional learning hours: 100 hours
 * Credits: 3 credits in Canadian system
 * Credential(s): Bachelor of General Studies (could also count towards a Bachelor of Arts degree)
 * Hashtag: OERuPSYC 2111

High level overview of the course and pedagogical approach:

Intended target audience: Multiple users, including students from all over the world who may take course for credit or for learning/interest only but not credit. Some will be students majoring in psychology, others may be studying another social science. Some may take it en route to completing an OERu or other Bachelor of General Studies or Bachelor of Arts degree.

Prerequisites: Students are encouraged to complete one or more introductory psychology course(s) before taking this course.

Course description: Students are introduced to the procedures and designs used in psychological research and the critical evaluation of research. Topics include the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to research, including non-experimental, experimental, and quasi-experimental designs; research ethics; measurement; validity of methods; control of extraneous influences; and the drawing of valid conclusions from empirical evidence. This is a required course for students majoring in psychology.

Overall learning outcomes:
 * L01 Describe the scientific approach to learning about behaviour
 * L02 Apply the ethical principles that govern research in psychology
 * L03 Conduct a literature search using peer-reviewed sources
 * L04 Design a research proposal
 * L05 Discuss the key concepts in research design including operational definitions, variables, reliability, validity and sampling procedures
 * L06 Explain the strengths and limitations of research designs used in psychology, including experimental and non-experimental designs
 * L07 Identify potential flaws in research design
 * L08 Collect and analyze data based on an instructor-approved research proposal
 * L09 Construct and analyze graphical representations of data
 * L10 Describe basic descriptive statistics including measures of central tendency and variability
 * L11 Explain the purpose and appropriateness of inferential statistics such as t-tests and anova
 * L12 Draw valid conclusions from empirical evidence with an awareness of the limits of various research methods

Overview of the delivery model: Independent, web-based course, but may be adapted and modified to different modalities.

Summary of the assessment model: Four assignments (60%) which build on each other to lead to the creation of a research report and a final exam (40%) (or one comprehensive challenge exam for 100%)

Procedures for students who will be studying for formal academic credit:

TRU can work through its PLAR dep't for credentialling purposes and offer an invigilated challenge exam to students in Canada. It can also work with an OERu institution like Excelsior College for students within and outside Canada. When TRU aquires the services of an online proctoring company in the future, it will be able to verify student identity before exam is done and may not need external help for administration and invigilation of exams.

OER wrap-around design: Built around open textbook and other OER, using any of TRU OL's PSYC 2111 course that might be useful for this revised open course.

Summary of the interaction strategies;
 * Student-content interactions: Learning activities are presented in each unit to be completed independently or with others
 * Student-student interactions: Students will be able to interact via a number of MOOC-like technologies which will be harvested using an aggregated timeline for the interactions:
 * Microblog activities and posts
 * Discussion forum posts
 * Personal blog posts and comments
 * Ask OERu, a community-based question-and-answer forum


 * Student-support interactions:
 * Students will be encouraged to use a peer-support question-and-answer forum for addressing support questions.
 * Self-study help tutorials will be provided for the main technologies used in the course.