COURSE RESEARCH PAPER

• Description of the research paper.
• Seed ideas for the course paper.
• PowerPoint Presentations on Writing an APA Research Paper
• Sample APA Research Paper
• For more information.

Description of the Research Paper

• format of paper: The paper will consist of a title page, five pages in the body, and a reference section.

• organization of paper: The paper should be divided into sections, using the APA heading level 3 format. Sections should be as follows:
  • Introduction: In this section, introduce the topic of the paper, and describe the general outline to be used in the paper (i.e., list the topics that will be covered).
  • (2 or 3 various headings): As you conduct research, you will find that articles can be grouped into different categories. In each section, summarize literature you have researched in the topic area. Be careful not to introduce unfounded opinions. Any ideas you list should be based on research, and should cite the source using APA guidelines (Broskoske, 2002).
  • Discussion: In the discussion section, discuss the information you have researched. In this section, feel free to introduce your own ideas, thoughts, insights, and opinions.
  • Conclusion: Briefly summarize the entire paper. Review the purpose of the paper, and its main points. Draw a conclusion. You may want to suggest areas/ideas for future research.

• publication standards: The paper will be written according to APA Guidelines.

• topic: The topic of the paper will deal with technology as applied in education. You could research any topic covered in class, or any other technology (see seed ideas below). Ideally, choose a topic that we covered (or will cover) in class that you would like to explore more in-depth, OR choose a technology that you would like to know more about, especially how the technology is employed or might be employed to support or address the problems/needs of the teaching/learning enterprise. If you plan well, you might use the paper to serve as background research for your hands-on course project.

• research: You are expected to utilize a minimum of five (5) sources to write this paper. Remember that this is a research paper, and is expected to report on research that you will collect. The sources should be professionally-respected material. This means that when possible you should gather material from online or print journals or books, or reputable Web sites. Web sites with unknown authors are not respected by the research community.

• further assistance:
  • You are encouraged to run ideas past Dr. Steve as needed.
  • You may choose to use Dr. Steve's APA template as the shell for your APA-style course paper.
  • You may want to review Dr. Steve's Method/Hints for Preparing a Research Paper.
  • For access to these resources and for more information, visit Dr. Steve's Help with APA page.

• Submit an outline of the paper. E-mail the topic, proposed outline, and the names of 5 articles to Dr. Steve. Read more about the outline assignment (in module 3) on the module, assignment, and assessment page

  Note: Students must submit a proposed topic, outline, and 5 sources in advance of submitting the paper (the assignment date will be announced in class). If you fail to submit this information in a timely fashion to show progress on researching and writing the paper, the instructor reserves the right to either 1) lower the paper grade, or 2) refuse to accept the paper, due to the possibilities of online plagiarism.

• due date: For due date information on the outline assignment and the course paper, check the module, assignment, and assessment page. If you run into some special circumstances or problems, let Dr. Steve know in advance. Late submissions will be subject to downward point adjustment.

• Hot topic in technology or in the use of technology in education.
  Report on a current hot topic and what it means for education. You may want to review our discussion on hot topics in module 1.

• Application of a particular technology in education to support teaching/learning.
  Report on how certain technologies are being used innovatively in education, or how the use of particular technologies are impacting teaching/learning. You may want to speculate as to how the technology might further be used in the future to support teaching/learning.

• Further investigation or latest developments on a particular technology.
  Research an unfamiliar or newer technology that interests you. Report on what it is and how it is being used or how it might be used to support teaching/learning.

• Research background information for your course project.
  As part of this course, you will complete a hands-on project utilizing technology. You may want to research more about this technology as the topic of your paper, and gain insights as to how you might implement it in creation of a course project.

You are encouraged to "run" ideas past Dr. Steve for guidance as needed.

1. APApaper1.pptx: Introduction to the course paper AND choosing a topic.
2. APApaper2.pptx: Developing an outline for the course research paper.
3. APApaper3.pptx: How to write the paper OR how the paper will write itself.
4. APApaper4.pptx: Finalizing the APA-formatted research paper.

• APA Sample Paper.doc (23 Kb)
  (Sample paper from TED Student. Thanks, A.K.!)

Module 1.

Topics.

TED 121

Dr. Steve