ISI 5101 - description, goals, outcomes

Course Description

This course covers quantitative and qualitative research and relevant descriptive and inferential statistics for the investigation of both practical and theoretical problems in the information professions, critically assessing published research, including its data gathering and data analysis procedures.

This course outline has been adapted with permission from a similar course offered by Dr. Lisa Given, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta.

Course Goal

Upon completion of this course, students will have a thorough grounding in the principles, problems, methods and techniques of research methods in the social sciences with particular emphasis on problems and situations relevant to the library and information studies. Students will be capable of initiating their own research projects.

ALA Competencies

1. The fundamentals of quantitative and qualitative research methods
2. The central research findings and research literature of the field
3. The principles and methods used to assess the actual and potential value of new research.

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

· Describe the purposes, concepts and principles of research in library and information studies;
· Develop research questions about the theory and practice of library and information studies;
· Compare and select methods for answering research questions;
· Demonstrate an understanding of the research process;
· Evaluate research literature in library and information studies.