A course in quantitative research workflow for students in the higher education administration program at the University of Florida
| Instructor | Benjamin Skinner, PhD |
| Office | 2705G Norman Hall |
| btskinner <at> coe.ufl.edu | |
| Phone | 352.273.4296 |
| Class Meeting Time | Tuesday (5:10p - 8:10p) |
| Class Location | NRN 1019 |
| Office Hours | TBD |
You will need access to a computer. It does not matter whether you use a MacOS, Windows, or Linux-based operating system; however, your machine needs to be up to date and in good running order. It needs to be able to connect to the internet and you need to be able to install software (i.e., have administrator privileges).
All software is freely available. You will need to download and install a few programs on your machine. See software to find links for all required downloads.
There are no required text books for the course. All necessary materials are at this website or can be downloaded from external sources.
Students may find some of the following books / online resources helpful:
Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found here. Grades are assigned in accordance with current UF grading policies, which may be found here
UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states,
We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”
The Honor Code specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor or TAs in this class.
Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the disability Resource Center. It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs, as early as possible in the semester.
Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available here. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or here. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students here.
Students are allowed to record video or audio of class lectures. However, the purposes for which these recordings may be used are strictly controlled. The only allowable purposes are (1) for per- sonal educational use, (2) in connection with a complaint to the university, or (3) as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. All other purposes are prohibited. Specifically, students may not publish recorded lectures without the written consent of the instructor.
A “class lecture” is an educational presentation intended to inform or teach enrolled students about a particular subject, including any instructor-led discussions that form part of the presentation, and delivered by any instructor hired or appointed by the University, or by a guest instructor, as part of a University of Florida course. A class lecture does not include lab sessions, student presentations, clinical presentations such as patient history, academic exercises involving solely student participa- tion, assessments (quizzes, tests, exams), field trips, private conversations between students in the class or between a student and the faculty or lecturer during a class session.
Publication without permission of the instructor is prohibited. To “publish” means to share, trans- mit, circulate, distribute, or provide access to a recording, regardless of format or medium, to an- other person (or persons), including but not limited to another student within the same class section. Additionally, a recording, or transcript of a recording, is considered published if it is posted on or uploaded to, in whole or in part, any media platform, including but not limited to social media, book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or third party note/tutoring services. A student who publishes a recording without written consent may be subject to a civil cause of action instituted by a person injured by the publication and/or discipline under UF Regulation 4.040 Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the ways we live each day. We are each trying to keep to “normal” routines all while attending to our health and the health of those we care about—sometimes nearby and sometimes from far away. I find this difficult and I imagine that you might as well.
Two things are true this term. On one hand, we are to continue working with and learning from one another. It’s what we do as scholars, yet more mundanely, taking this course also represents progress toward your degree and career goals, which haven’t necessarily paused. On the other hand, many of the structures that support your academic progress are currently lacking and, in some cases, non-existent. People are different. Some will appreciate the distraction that coursework can offer; others will find it difficult to concentrate. During this term, you may yourself alternate between being both of these people.
All of this is to say that flexible will be our watchword this semester. In the next pages, you will see the assignments that determine your grade as well as the tentative course schedule. Who knows what this semester will bring, so if you will be flexible with me, I promise to be flexible with you. This is my typical policy, but I want to make it explicit this term. If you are having difficulties, please let me know so that we can do whatever needs to be done for you to be well and successful. You need not share personal details—please simply keep me in the loop.