MCOM 4863 Media Research Department of Mass Communication College of Liberal Arts University of Central Oklahoma Spring 2015 CRN 24542 MWF 11-11:50 a.m. COM 105 Instructor: Office/cell: E-mail:
Mike Breslin 405-974-5111 / 405-406-6933 mbreslin@uco.edu
Office: COM 207A Office Hours: MWF Noon to 1 p.m. MW 2-3 p.m. READ AND HEED!
This syllabus is subject to revisions throughout the semester with verbal notice to the class. Deadline dates are most vulnerable to revisions based on class progress. ALL syllabus revisions will be announced in class. Course description This course is the applied study of research methods used in the fields of advertising, broadcasting, journalism, and public relations to identify target audiences; gain audience feedback; diagnose problems; determine appropriate communications tools and channels; pre-test materials, messages and strategies; monitor public opinion; and evaluate program success. Prerequisite(s): Senior standing. Enrollment open to Mass Communication students only. Course objectives: • Understand the differences between primary and secondary research • Understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative research • Learn how to identify the research needs of a given client or challenge • Determine how to plan a research project to meet those needs • Execute said research plan • Gather and analyze data collected during research • Present that data in written and verbal form, in a way that is easily understandable to the audience AND relevant to their needs Textbook/packets: None. A course packet will be distributed electronically early in the semester. As noted later in this document, it is imperative that students take notes during class to supplement the information in the course packet.
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Supplies: None required, but laptops and other electronic devices are welcome and encouraged in class. Grading criteria and information Item
Description
Impact on final grade N/A
Grading scale
Letter scoring for the class is based on the following scale: 90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 6069=D, 59 and below=F.
Midterm exam
A midterm exam, consisting of multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions, will be administered. The exam will be based on materials in the course packet and on lectures, guest speakers, videos and other information disseminated in class early in the semester.
10% of final grade
Client presentation
The plan developed during the course will be presented during (or near) the final exam period. This presentation must be done in a professional and compelling manner. Complete details are in the course packet, and will be discussed in class.
10% of final grade
Class project
The bulk of the grading for this class will be based on students’ performance in the development of a comprehensive research report. The client focus for that competition will be announced early in the semester, and the specific scope of research efforts will be determined at that time.
50% overall, as noted in middle column
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Peer evaluations
Each student is expected to contribute his or her fair share to the group project in this course (see course packet for a copy of/instructions for the peer evaluation form). Those who fail to do so will be penalized in this area.
30% of final grade
Peer evaluations will be done three times during the course. • Each student will provide commentary on the contributions of each of their group mates during the scoring period. • Students will evaluate the quality and quantity of the work done. This will not be an assessment of how likeable or popular each student is. • The instructor will then combine student input with his assessment of students’ class participation for the scoring period. o If any student receives no/minimal input from their peers, the instructor will interpret that as students saying they are satisfied with that peer’s performance for the scoring period. • Each student will be assigned a score in this area between zero and 10 for each scoring period. The instructor reserves the right to disregard any peer evaluation form submitted if: • A student gives an excessive number of “10” scores, as this indicates that the evaluator did not seriously consider each student’s performance. “Excessive” is subject to the instructor’s interpretation. • The instructor has reason to believe that a student’s evaluation, contrary to instructions, is not based on the quality and quantity of the work done by others, but rather on other nonprofessional standards. Unclear names/comments on evaluation forms will not be considered.
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Failure to submit assignments/ lateness in submitting assignments/ incomplete assignments
Not submitting (NOS) assignments and missing deadlines is unacceptable in the work force. The same standard applies in this class. Each missed/late assignment can result in up to 5 points off the final grade, at the instructor’s discretion. One unique item in this regard is the syllabus receipt, located in the course packet, which is due the first Friday in class. As explained on day 1 of class, failure to hand it in will result in a 2-point penalty to a student’s final grade for every class period that passes without its submission. Note: Handing in any assignment that is incomplete (INC), or which significantly fails to follow instructions (FFI), can be treated as a failure to submit. Accordingly, a penalty of up to five points can be assessed in such cases at the discretion of the instructor.
Attendance and punctuality
Students can incur four unexcused absences during the semester without penalty. After four unexcused absences, additional unexcused absences will cause the student’s grade to decrease as follows: • Fifth absence – final grade reduced by one letter grade • Sixth absence – final grade reduced by two letter grades • Seventh absence – final grade reduced by three letter grades • Eighth absence – final grade reduced by four letter grades (student receives F) The quality of work you submit during the course is absolutely no excuse for poor attendance and punctuality.
Up to 5 points off the final grade for each instance, at the instructor’s discretion, except as noted in the middle column As noted in middle column
Latenesses Class starts promptly at the top of the assigned hour. Being a “little late” for class is no different than being “late.” Also, any student more than 10 minutes late for class will be marked as absent for the day. • Up to 10 minutes late = Student is marked as late • 10 minutes or more late = Student is marked as absent • Leaving class more than 10 minute before class ends = Student is marked as absent Every three (3) unexcused latenesses will be treated as one (1) unexcused absence. Please note that penalties for excessive absence et al cannot be “cancelled out” by extra credit points.
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Accuracy and appeals Students are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their attendance record. For example, any student showing up late to class should check with the instructor that day to ensure that they are not mistakenly marked absent. Appeals of lateness will only be considered on the day they occur. Also, appeals of any absences as being inaccurate must be made within two weeks of the date in question. For example, challenges regarding the accuracy of a marked absence on Sept. 9 (e.g.) will not be considered after Sept. 23. In other words, students need to track their attendance throughout the term. Excused absences As noted above, attendance and punctuality are taken seriously. Of course, if a student has a legitimate reason for an excused absence – serious illness, out-of-town family emergency, death in the family, jury duty, interview for an internship or post-graduate job, participation in/travel for a university-sponsored activity, etc. – and can provide valid documentation of said emergency to the satisfaction of the instructor, they should consult with the instructor ASAP about the possibility of such an absence being excused. The decision of the instructor in such matters is final. Cars breaking down, weddings, honeymoons, getting stuck at work, vacations, alarm clocks not going off, etc. are NOT grounds for excused absences. The four “free” unexcused absences are provided to allow for such contingencies. If a student is called to active military duty as part of a national emergency, accommodations can be made for them. In such a case, they should consult with the instructor immediately. Documentation for any excused absence during the semester must be submitted by the last day of regular classes. Extra credit
Spelling errors in course materials: Students who are the first to point out an error (typos, missing words, grammatical mistakes, etc.) in course materials prepared by the instructor (syllabi, course packets, quizzes, etc.) will receive 1 point for each error they point out. Again, only the first student to point out an error receives a point for that error.
As noted in middle column
Misc.
The instructor has the discretion to “bump up” a final grade up by one letter if a student’s final numerical score is within 2-3 points of the next higher letter grade; and the instructor determines that the increase is warranted by the student’s overall effort during the semester.
As noted in middle column
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General requirements and notes • • •
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Students are responsible for everything that is discussed in class. Accordingly, note taking is strongly encouraged and recording lectures is allowed. STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEARNING WHAT THEY MISS DURING ANY ABSENCE, regardless of whether the absence is excused or not. All assignments are due in writing, double spaced, at the beginning of the assigned class period unless otherwise noted by the instructor. o Assignments cannot be submitted by email without prior approval by the instructor. Email submissions will not be accepted without prior approval. Documents submitted that are three or more pages in length must have page numbers. Documents of two or more pages must be stapled. In one’s professional career, sloppy presentations, misspelled words and late work will be unacceptable. The same applies in this class. o Students are strongly encouraged to bookmark Dictionary.com on their computers, and download the free Dictionary.com app for their mobile devices. In the event that a word has more than one spelling, the first spelling of the word on Dictionary.com will be considered the correct one. All email communications from the instructor will be sent to students’ @uco.edu email (not their D2L email). Accordingly, students need to check their UCO email daily. “I didn’t see the email” is not an acceptable excuse for failing to meet class requirements. Students who desire to protect their online privacy may use a pseudonym for their required LinkedIn profiles and supporting email addresses. In such cases, students should coordinate this with the instructor during the first week of class. The instructor will be happy to go over grades and attendance/punctuality records with any student at any time during the semester. HOWEVER, the student is responsible for asking the instructor to do so. Any grading complaints or concerns should be immediately addressed with the instructor. UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism prevention service. Students, by taking this course, agree that all required assignments may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted assignments will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com restricted access reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such assignments. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to terms and conditions of use posted on the Turnitin.com website. Turnitin.com is just one of the various plagiarism prevention tools and methods that may be utilized by the instructor during the semester. The UCO Student Handbook describes the process for contesting allegations of plagiarism.
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Central 6 At the University of Central Oklahoma, we are guided by the mission of helping students learn by providing transformative experiences so that they may become productive, creative, ethical and engaged citizens and leaders contributing to the intellectual, cultural, economic and social advancement of the communities they serve. Transformative learning is a holistic process that places students at the center of their own active and reflective learning experiences. This course experience will support the following aspects of the Central 6: • Discipline knowledge. • Leadership – The class will be periodically divided into teams as they work on their projects; and each group will select a team leader. Further, a key aspect of learning to be a leader is learning to be an effective follower. Every student will have the chance to do one or the other. • Problem solving (research, scholarly and creative activities). Research is a key element of the projects that will be undertaken in this course. The complete Central Six can be found at http://www.uco.edu/central/tl/central6/index.asp.
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Schedule As noted earlier, the following class schedule, like the entire syllabus, is subject to change. Week no. 1
Week of…
Material covered/relevant deadlines and dates
Jan. 12
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Required reading(s) for week
Introductions Class administrative issues o Syllabus review & receipt o Key elements of grade o LinkedIn o Reviewing the course packet Research basics o Why do research? o Demographics and psychographics o Audience segmentation o Secondary research
• LinkedIn postings for the week • Course packet section 1 (“LinkedIn instructions”)
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Jan. 19
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Monday, Jan. 19 – MLK day; classes cancelled Research basics (cont.) o Correlation vs. causation o Secondary research (cont.) § Secondary resources via the library
• LinkedIn postings for the week • Course packet section 3 (“Research 101”)
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Jan. 26
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Research basics (cont.) o Developing research questions and answers o Primary research § Qualitative research
• LinkedIn postings for the week
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Feb. 2
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Research basics (cont.) o Primary research (cont.) § Quantitative research • Using Qualtrics
• LinkedIn postings for the week
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Feb. 9
Research basics (cont.) o Writing up research results Friday, Feb. 13 – Midterm exam
• LinkedIn postings for the week • Course packet section 2 (“Writing guidelines”)
• LinkedIn postings for the week • Course packet sections 3 (“Research report guidelines”), 6b (“Research proposal template”)
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Introduction of client Group assignments o Roles for phases 1 and 2 § Phase 1: All secondary § Phase 2: Split four ways o Contact lists Production schedule o Research project – Phase 1 (secondary) § Identify secondary needs o Research project – Phase 2 (primary) § Identify likely primary needs o Research project – Phase 3 (analysis, writing and graphics) PROOFING! Research project – Phase 1 (secondary)
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Feb. 16
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Feb. 23
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Research project – Phase 1 (secondary) (cont.)
• LinkedIn postings for the week
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March 2
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Research project – Phase 1 (secondary) (cont.) Research project – Phase 2 (primary) Friday, March 6 – First draft of report due
• LinkedIn postings for the week
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March 9
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Research project – Phase 1 (secondary) (cont.) Research project – Phase 2 (primary) (cont.) Friday, March 13 – Peer evaluations, no. 1 of 3, due
• LinkedIn postings for the week
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March 16
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Class cancelled, spring break
• LinkedIn postings for the week
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March 23
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Monday, March 23 – Second draft of report due Research project – Phase 2 (primary) (cont.)
• LinkedIn postings for the week
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March 30
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Research project – Phase 2 (primary) (cont.) Wednesday, April 1 – CLA Symposium; classes cancelled
• LinkedIn postings for the week
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April 6
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Research project – Phase 3 (analysis, writing and graphics) Wednesday and Friday, April 8-10 – AAF National Student Advertising Competition in Dallas; classes cancelled o Class work will continue independently per previous class instructions Friday, April 6 – Peer evaluations, no. 2 of 3, due
• LinkedIn postings for the week
Research project – Phase 3 (analysis, writing and graphics) (cont.) Selection of presentation teams Friday, April 17 – Third (near final with graphics) draft of report due
• LinkedIn postings for the week • Course packet section 4 (“Presentation guidelines”)
Research project – Phase 3 (analysis, writing and graphics) (cont.) Presentation preparations and rehearsals
• N/A
Monday, April 27 – Fourth and final draft of report due in Dropbox Presentation preparations and rehearsals (cont.)
• LinkedIn postings for the week
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April 13
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April 20
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April 27
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May 4
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Final exam week “Final exam” session is from 11 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. Monday, May 4 o Exam session to be held in normal class setting unless otherwise announced. o Presentation of research findings o Presentation (PPT or other) due in Dropbox before this session o Peer evaluations, no. 3 of 3, due
• N/A
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Department of Mass Communication Policies – Spring 2015 College of Liberal Arts University of Central Oklahoma Departmental Phone: (405) 974-5303 Website: http://www.uco.edu/la/masscomm/ UCentral Student Media has an app! Go to iTunes to download it for free! Follow the department Twitter account @UCO_MCOM “Like” the UCO - Department of Mass Communication Facebook Page! MCOM Majors Email: The department, the college, and the university utilize the UCO email addressed assigned to each UCO student. Official information will be emailed through the UCO system. Students have the option of forwarding their UCO email to a personal email account if preferred. For information, go to http://www.uco.edu/technology/student/email/index.asp. If students do not check their UCO email, they risk missing vital information. If you do not use your UCO email account, please forward your UCO email to an email account you check frequently. Student Advisement MCOM has two Student Success Advisors for MCOM majors. Each student is responsible for seeking advisement information each semester in order to graduate in a timely manner. • Ms. Heather Peck o Office: COM 103 A o Phone: 974-5108 o Email: hpeck3@uco.edu • Mr. Gary Parsons o Office: COM 103 o Phone: 974-5108 o Email: gparsons2@uco.edu UCentral Student Media: http://www.uco.edu/la/masscomm/ucentral/index.asp UCentral is the student media network at the University of Central Oklahoma, featuring traditional media (television, radio, newspaper) and new media (web, netcasts, social networking) created by students majoring in professional media. UCentral is located within the Mass Communication Department on the campus of UCO. Spring Events • Monday, January 12: First Day of Spring Classes! • Monday, January 19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – UCO Classes Dismissed • Friday, March 13: Oklahoma Research Day, NSU, Tahlequah campus • Monday-Sunday, March 16-22: Spring Break • Thursday-Friday, March 26-27: UCO Transformative Learning Conference (downtown OKC) • Wednesday, April 1: College of Liberal Arts Symposium (All classes pre-empted between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm.) • Saturday, April 25: MCOM Student Recognition Awards Ceremony (5:30pm-8:00pm) • Monday-Friday, May 4-8: Finals Week • Saturday, May 9: Graduation (Probable date for MCOM/CLA Graduation Ceremony) Expectation of Work Full-time college students are expected to spend approximately 40 hours each week in class attendance and study outside of class. According to Regents’ policy, for each hour in class a student is expected to spend two (2) to three (3) hours studying for the class (OSRHE II-2-34). For each three-credit hour course, the Regents expect students to study/prepare 6-9 hours per week. UCO Student Code of Conduct Students are responsible for all information in the Student Code of Conduct 2014-2015. This can be accessed on the Student Affairs Publications website at http://www.uco.edu/student-affairs/conduct/index.asp. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM:
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The UCO Student Code of Conduct describes Academic Dishonesty and outlines the steps for disciplinary action in the Guidelines for Alleged Academic Dishonesty. This information can be found in Section III, C, 3 & 4. Academic dishonesty: Includes but is not limited to the “giving” and “taking” of improper assistance in examinations and assignments; not adhering to correct procedures for identification of sources in reports and essays and all creative endeavors; intentional misrepresentation; cheating; plagiarism; and unauthorized possession of examinations. The UCO Student Code of Conduct provides further details. Additionally, any work submitted as an assignment for one class may not be submitted for credit in another class, without prior permission of the professor. Any work so submitted will receive an automatic "0." Plagiarism: When a student submits any assignment for a course (written, oral, videotape, audiotape, photograph or Web Site), the student will submit entirely original work or will properly cite all sources utilized in the preparation of the assignment. Without proper citation, the student is guilty of plagiarism, which is not tolerated at UCO. As a student, you are responsible for understanding what constitutes plagiarism. You should talk to your professor to ensure that you can recognize and avoid all types of plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs in two primary ways: 1. Word-for-word copying, without acknowledgement, of the language or creative work of another person. Having another person complete all or part of your assignment is plagiarism and is clearly forbidden. But, in addition, the student should include NO written, video, audio, or photographic material from an existing source, no matter how brief, without acknowledging the source. When using the written words of an existing source in your assignment, either place the borrowed words in quotation marks or set the quotation aside as a block quotation. Additionally, you must include the citation for the material in your assignment. This applies to even the briefest of phrases if they are truly distinctive. 2. The unacknowledged paraphrasing of an author’s ideas. The student should no more take credit for another person’s thoughts than for another person’s words. Any distinctive, original idea taken from another writer should be credited to its author. If you are not sure whether or not an author’s idea is distinctive, you should assume that it is: no fault attaches to over-acknowledgement, but under-acknowledgement is plagiarism. Most style manuals (e.g., Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association) provide information concerning how to paraphrase and cite the ideas and writings of existing sources. Students may be dismissed from the university for plagiarism. University guidelines provide a range of disciplinary action dependent upon the severity of the offense including but not limited to: requiring a substitute assignment, awarding a reduced grade, awarding a failing grade for the assignment, awarding a failing grade for the course, or expelling the student from the university. Acknowledging that instances of plagiarism may range from minor to severe, the Department of Mass Communication allows the course professor to determine the severity and the disciplinary action for the first instance of plagiarism committed by a student in the professor’s course. However, if that student commits plagiarism a second time in the course, departmental policy requires that the student receive both a failing grade (“F”) for the course and a referral to the UCO Student Conduct Officer. Students should make sure they understand professor expectations for sources and content to be cited. Turnitin.com Plagiarism Syllabus Statement: UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism prevention service. Students agree that by taking this course, all required assignments may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted assignments will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com restricted access reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such assignments. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com website. Turnitin.com is just one of various plagiarism prevention tools and methods which may be utilized by your faculty instructor during the terms of the semesters. In the UCO Student Handbook, there is a process for contesting any plagiarism allegations against you. University Policies ADA Statement Regarding Special Accommodations: The University of Central Oklahoma complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations must contact Sharla Weathers, B.S., C.S.R. in Disability Support Services [sweathers2@uco.edu] in room 309 of the Nigh University Center, (405) 974-2549. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor as soon as possible after DSS has verified the need for accommodations to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Transformative Learning: http://www.uco.edu/central/tl/ “At the University of Central Oklahoma, we help students learn by providing transformative experiences so that they may become productive, creative, ethical and engaged citizens and leaders contributing to the intellectual, cultural, economic and social advancement of the communities they serve. Transformative learning is a holistic process that places students at the center of their own active and reflective learning experiences. All students at UCO will have transformative learning experiences in five core areas: leadership; research, creative and scholarly activities; service learning and civic engagement; global and cultural competencies; and health and wellness.”
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Class Attendance: (Taken from the Faculty Handbook) The university expects students to regularly attend classes in which they are enrolled. Faculty members are expected to establish specific attendance policies governing their classes. Attendance policies must appear in the course syllabi. Faculty members may require appropriate documentation to verify absences. Students are responsible for work missed due to absences. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate a request to make up class work or examinations missed. Individual policies must allow for a reasonable but not unlimited, number of excused absences, for legitimate reasons. Excused absences approved by faculty members should be consistently applied to all students. An excused absence means that an instructor may not penalize the student and must provide a reasonable and timely accommodation or opportunity to make up exams or other course requirements that have an impact on course grade. Excused students should be allowed the same opportunities as students who were present in class. Faculty members are obligated to honor the following circumstances as excused absences: a. travel considered part of the instructional program of the university and requiring absence from class (e.g. field trips, research presentations, etc.); b. invited participation in activities directly and officially sponsored by and in the interest of the university (e.g. athletic teams, debate teams, dance company, etc.); in cases of student athletes, refer to UCO Compliance Policy Manual for Athletics or contact the Faculty Athletic Representative; c. jury duty; d. military obligation (See Appendix K in Faculty Handbook.) e. serious illness, medical condition, pregnant and parenting students’ rights (as outlined in Title IX), accident, or injury; and f. death or serious illness in immediate family Additional policies for this course are included in the Spring 2015 UCO Student Information Sheet and Syllabus Attachment that can be accessed at http://www.uco.edu/academic-affairs/files/aa-forms/StudentInfoSheet.pdf
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