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Overview:

In their introduction to Digital Writing Research, Heidi McKee and Danielle DeVoss state that:

Digital technologies and the people who use those technologies have changed the processes, products, and contexts for writing and the teaching of writing in dramatic ways—and, at this current cultural, historical, and intellectual moment, it is imperative that our research approaches, our methodologies, and our ethical understandings for researching adequately and appropriately address these changes in communication technologies.

As researchers in Technical Communication and Rhetoric, then, we need to familiarize ourselves with these emerging sites and technologies, with appropriate research approaches, and with the ethical understanding of what we do when we interact with these communication technologies and the people who use/inhabit them.  This class will serve as an introduction to these issues.  Structured in three parts, the first part will examine digital spaces in which scholars are and might conduct research, and the questions that they might ask.  The second portion of the class will  be devoted to exploring the methods appropriate to studying online environments as well as ethical issues surrounding the gathering, analyzing, and representation of research in digital spaces.  The final third of the class is an examination of technologies  appropriate for researching and analyzing research conducted in digital spaces.

 Our class will meet in the TTU MOO at Rickly's Virtual Space every Tuesday from 6:00-7:30.

Instructor:

Dr. Rebecca Rickly can be reached at rebecca.rickly@ttu.edu, kairoshorses, or 806.742.2500 x268.  Office hours are T/TH 1-4, or by appointment in room 489.

Learning Objectives:

Objectives	Methods of Assessment
Students will develop a working knowledge of the research methodologies used in digital environments	Students will demonstrate a working knowledge through class critiques of existing studies, through their blog postings, and on their final deliverable.
Students will be able to choose an appropriate research question pertaining to digital environments and the methodology to begin to answer it.	Students’ microstudy and final deliverable will show their ability to choose research questions and methodologies to begin to answer them.
Students will understand how to remediate existing research methods to be used in online environments, while still maintaining rigor.	Students will complete readings including excellent examples, and their reflective research blogs, their proposal, and their microstudy will reinforce their understanding of how research can be (re)mediated while still including rigor.
Students will know how to critically assess studies involving technological sites, environments, or assessment for validity, quality, and soundness of methods/results	Students will demonstrate an ability to critique through class critiques of existing studies, through their blog postings, and on their final deliverable.

Required Texts:

McKee, Heidi A. and Daniel Nicole DeVoss.  Digital Writing Research:  Technologies, Methodologies, and Ethical Issues.  Hampton Press, Cresskill, NJ.  2007.

TTU's Office of Research Services Human Subjects Information and Forms

Sun, Huatong.  Expanding the Scope of Localization:  A Cultural Usability Perspective on Mobile Text Messaging Use in American and Chinese Contexts.  Dissertation, RPI, 2004.

Various online readings which I will provide in PDF format or via weblinks

Free 30 day downloads of Nvivo and Atlas.ti in LATE JUNE/EARLY JULY

the following are books that I've found very helpful in this subject: 

• Johns, Mark D. and Shing-Ling Sarina Chen and G.Jon Hall, eds.  Online Social Research:  Methods, Issues, and Ethics.  Peter Lang Publishers, 2004.

• Spinuzzi, Clay.  Tracing Genres Through Organizations:  A Sociocultural Approach to Information Design. MIT Press, 2003.

• Kuniavsky, Mike.  Observing the User Experience:  A Practitioner's Guide to User Research.  Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2003.

• Beyer, Hugh and Karen Holtzblatt.  Contextual Design:  Defining Customer-Centered Systems. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 1998.

• Greenbaum, Joan, and Morten Kyng.  Design at Work:  Cooperative Design of Computer Systems.  Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, 1991.

• Creswell, John W.  Research Design:  Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Second Edition.  Sage Publications,  2003.

• Law, John.  After Method:  Mess in Social Science Research

• Gurak, Laura, and Mary Lay, eds.  Research in Technical Communication

• Miles, Matthew B., & Huberman, A. Michael. Qualitative Data Analysis: A Sourcebook of New Methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1994.

• Sullivan, Patricia, and James E. Porter. Opening Spaces: Writing Technologies and Critical Research Practices. Greenwich, CN: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1997.

Blog List:

• Alisha Brown
• Debra Burleson
• Julie Davis
• Kristi Dunks
• David Edgell
• Sheila Hoover
• Cheri Mullins
• Darla-Jean Weatherford

Assignments:

If reading selections are not available in your texts, they're in PDF through the schedule. Readings are due the day they are listed Day   topic (1)6/3 Look over the Journal of Online Behavior Look over the CMC Journal Look over Kairos Look over C&C Online Look over this List of Online Journals Start thinking about a site you'd like to examine, or a question you'd like to answer.  Blog your ideas for your project before the next class. Look at Research Methods Overview   Digital Research. Today we will examine the syllabus, the books, and answer any questions you may have. The course centers on Digital Research methods, ethics, sites, and technologies.  Look at the Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies Look at OEDb Look at The Qualitative Report Look at Online Gaming and Online Gaming Look at the WIDE Center at MSU Look at the E-Lab at Vanderbilt Look at the CODE at Rice (2)6/10   Read Lurking Article Read Blogs as Virtual Communities Read Gendered Identities at Play Read the Forward and Introduction and from DWR Blog:  What are the questions you think are most interesting in the digital age?  What are the most interesting online environments?  WHY? Sites and Questions for Digital Research. We'll be spend some time examining some digital sites. IRB Q & A.  Homepage for the Office of Research Services. Click on "Human Subjects" on the navigation bar on the left, and then "TTU Human Subjects." All the forms on that page are necessary to accompany the discussion. Federal Guidelines guiding the IRB process. (3)6/17 Read Part I and Part IV in DWR Blog: Think of the communities you are part of.  How comfortable would you be if someone studied them?  Why? Moving from Community to Design. What might a metaphor be for studying digital sites?  Locke Carter gave a talk about "Frontier Epistemology".....Can you come up with a better metaphor? Discuss reading Proposals Due (4)6/24   Read Part II and Part III in DWR Read Interview with the Authors Read Ethics in Studying Online Communities and Contesting Ethics and Internet Research Ethics Blog:  What are the biggest problems associated with studying online environments? Ethics and Modality. What are some of the ethical considerations when we study online environments?  What are the best ways to study online environments?   Discuss readings   (5)7/1 Read Part V in DWR Read Chapters 1 and 2 in Sun's Dissertation Blog: Given that some electronic environments won't be seen as "professional", how do we justify studying them? Looking at the Big Picture.  We've talked about problems associated with studying online environments.  What are some of the "bigger picture" problems with media-rich studies?  How is our discipline affected?  Our institutions?  Our communities?  Ourselves? Discuss Readings (6)7/8   Read the Methodology Chapter in Sun's Dissertation Blog: TBA Looking Closely at (a) Methodology. Today we'll look closely at the methodology employed to study mobile technologies in one (award-winning) dissertation. Discuss readings Annotated Bibliographies/ Short Papers DUE (7)7/15 Read Chapters 5-8 in Sun's Dissertation Blog: What's good/bad about case studies when technology is concerned? Case Study.  How can case studies help us understand technology?  What are some of the shortcomings with this method? Discuss readings If you haven't already, download trial copies of Nvivo and Atlas.ti (8)7/22   Read and explore you copies of the Content Analysis software Blog: Reflect on your experiences.   Explore CA Software.  We learn by doing, so PLAY with your downloads! Discuss Play Possible Guests:  Barbara D'Angelo and Derek Ross   (9)7/29 Be Ready To Talk/Project! Blog:  So What? What Have we Here? Everyone should be prepared to give a short report on your project. Report on Project Possible Guests TBA   (10)8/5   Reflect Blog:  Implications   Winding Down.  Think about the implications of what you've done and what you've learned locally AND globally. Discuss Implications of Course Final Deliverable DUE

Required University Statements of Policy

Special Circumstances. Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible so that the necessary accommodations can be made.

Human Dignity. This class, as the university itself, "is committed to equitable, civilized, and concerned treatment for all individuals without regard for age, race, gender, creed, disability, or national origin." At all times you should keep in mind the three tenets to which the university subscribes:

(1) Each person has worth and dignity,

(2) Bigotry cannot be tolerated, and

(3) Students are responsible for their own lives.

Academic Integrity

This course (and, indeed, all the graduate courses in the technical communication program) assumes and expects complete honesty and the highest standard of integrity.  Any attempt to present as your own any work not honestly performed will be regarded by the faculty and administration as a most serious offense.