Instructor: Kirk Hallahan, Ph.D. Telephone: 970/491-3963. FAX: 970/491-2908. Cellular (en route Mondays): 970/217-1500. e-mail: hallahan@lamar.colostate.edu. Hours: Mondays 4-5 p.m. and immediately after class at the Denver Center. Other times by appointment via phone or in Fort Collins.
Objectives: JT500 will introduce students to selected aspects of research used in communication management. The course will be organized into four parts:
The course will be taught from the perspective of a communication manager who purchases and/or supervises research. The focus will be on when formal research is required, alternative methods for studying problems, oversight of research, and analysis and reporting of research findings.
Daily Routine: We will meet for the full three hours every day and will take a 15-minute break around 6:15 p.m. Class sessions will include a combination of lectures and class discussions. Be sure to bring the assigned readings to class every week.
Course Policies: See Frequently Asked Questions on the Communication Management program web site for general policies and procedures related to attendance, course assignments, class cancellations, grading and written assignments.
Other Information:: No prior knowledge of statistics is assumed; statistical concepts discussed in the book will be reviewed, as necessary. Worry not.
Additional handouts will be distributed in class. Each week, the instructor will provide a Study Guide that focuses on key topics in each reading. Students should use the Study Guides when reviewing for the end-of-class exam.
Projects: Students will complete two projects: 1) a review and discussion of research as it is conducted/might be conducted at their organization, and 2) the design of a study on a problem of their choice (study can use any methodology). There will be no group projects outside class, although we might have some in-class problem-solving exercises.
Exam: Students will complete an exam on Monday, May 1. Students will be posed a situation and asked some specific questions about recommendations they might make to a client about research procedures and techniques.
Grading
| Week | Date | Text Chapter Readings |
Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| . | . | . | Part I: Overview and Key Concepts |
| 1 | 2/6 | 1, 3-To p. 54 | Nature of Research Basic concepts, applications, measurement |
| 2 | 2/14 | 2, 4 Appendix 5 |
Process of Research Steps in research process, ethics, research reports |
| 3 | 2/21 | 14, 15 | Researching Mass Media Applications of research in print and broadcast media, useful media measurement concepts. |
| . | . | . | Part II: Formative Resarch |
| 4 | 2/28 | 6, 7 | Formative Research Using secondary sources, key informant interviews, qualitative and ethnographic methods, content analysis. |
| . | 3/6 | . | Spring Break-No Class |
| 5 | 3/13 | 8, 3 from p. 54, 5 |
Surveys Opinions, types of surveys, scaling and measurement, sampling. |
| 6 | 3/20 | 11, Appendix 4 | More on Surveys Questionnaires, descriptive and correlative statistics. |
| . | . | . | Part III: Progressive Research |
| 7 | 3/27 | 16 | Progressive Research Complete surveys. Message testing, other techniques. |
| 8 | 4/3 | 10, 12 | Experiments Value of experiments, procedures, random assignment, controls, protocols, hypothesis testing. |
| 9 | 4/10 | 18 | Internet Research Comparative statistics. Other forms of progressive research, including usability testing. |
| . | . | . | Part IV: Summative Research |
| 10 | 4/17 | 9 | Summative Research Measuring knowledge, attitudes, intent. Observation and unobtrusive measurements. Uses of secondary reports. Longitudinal studies. |
| 11 | 4/24 | 13 | Campaign Research Advanced statistical concepts |
| 12 | 5/1 | None | Conclusion Remaining topics of interest. Exam |
Students interested in aspects of investigating media effects are encouraged to read Chapter 17 (not assigned).