Q methodology is a unique, yet underutilized methodology designed specifically to scientifically study subjectivity. Q, as it is most often referred to, is an appropriate methodology whenever a researcher is interested in uncovering and describing the multiple divergent viewpoints on any topic. Such discovery of viewpoints provides insight into…

We provide tools for identification and exploration of data with very large variability having power law tails. Such data describe extreme features of processes such as fire losses, flood, drought, financial gain/loss, hurricanes, population of cities, among others. Prediction and quantification of extreme events are at the forefront of the…

Graduate students in political science come to the discipline interested in exploring important political questions, such as "What causes war?" or "What policies promote economic growth?" However, they typically do not arrive prepared to address those questions using quantitative methods. Graduate methods instructors must…

At present, small molecule drug design follows a retrospective path when considering what analogs are to be made around a current hit or lead molecule with the focus often on identifying a compound with higher intrinsic potency. What this approach overlooks is the simultaneous need to also improve the physicochemical (PC) and pharmacokinetic (PK)…

As the availability of high-throughput data-collection technologies, such as information-sensing mobile devices, remote sensing, internet log records, and wireless sensor networks has grown, science, engineering, and business have rapidly transitioned from striving to develop information from scant data to a situation in which the challenge is now…

This narrative chronicles my journey as a doctoral student in English Education as I navigated the decision as to which research methodologies I should align myself with during my doctoral studies. Gee's theory of discourses (2012) provides a framework in which to situate the identity work at play in deciding the kind of research methods one…

A graduate course, ETEC543 ("Technology and Learning I"), was revised to better serve increasing new student population, international students, in an academic program. Project-based learning, Google Docs, and instructional strategies fostering diversity and critical thinking were incorporated into the course redesign. Observations,…

The Quantum Mechanics Conceptual Survey (QMCS) is a 12-question survey of students' conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics. It is intended to be used to measure the relative effectiveness of different instructional methods in modern physics courses. In this paper, we describe the design and validation of the survey, a process that included…

Teaching larger software engineering project courses at the end of a computing curriculum is a way for students to learn some aspects of real-world jobs in industry. Such courses, often referred to as capstone courses, are effective for learning how to apply the skills they have acquired in, for example, design, test, and configuration management.…

What is it about small groups that make them so powerful? The answer is straightforward: Groups tend to solve problems better than even the brightest individuals because "many hands make light work," and "two heads are better than one." This is especially true when the groups are diverse and individuals act somewhat independently. In this month's…

Evidence conflicts as to whether students of social work hold positive attitudes toward the importance and usefulness of social work research. For this study, WebCT[TM] sites were developed to supplement a graduate course on research methods. Students were surveyed to measure the extent to which their attitudes toward research changed over the…

Describes the first author's graduate work and dissertation which fell in a crack in time, that period where her institution moved from nearly an exclusive use of quantitative approaches to an awareness and acceptance of both qualitative and quantitative strategies. Discusses implications for graduate students and faculty. (RS)

Qualitative research procedures such as interviewing and recording observations are in large measure intuitively easier to apply and understand than their quantitative counterparts, and seem more doable than complementary statistical analyses. The purpose of this paper is to provide some recommendations for planning and teaching a graduate-level…

This paper discusses the use of an interactive computer system as a major component of instruction for the graduate level introductory educational statistics course at the University of Maine at Orono. Four major computer topics are covered in the statistics course: (1) terminal and computer operation, (2) Montana State University Interactive…

Presents and analyzes statistical data to assist in evaluating general trends in engineering research and graduate study, and for comparisons among universities. Data are presented for 1978 and 1979 annual averages and annual average ratios relative to 17 criteria, including among others, full-time faculty and professional faculty researchers.…