College: Educational Research in the Five Colleges

You've entered college as have thousands of students in the Pioneer Valley. What is in store for you and others? What helps smooth the transition? What factors affect student satisfaction and engagement? What is the range of ways in which you might be taught? These are a few of the questions we address through the literature as we also get to know the 5 colleges, their campuses and services. This is an educational research course. The 5 colleges are our laboratory for learning how to ask and answer questions about educational environments and the ways they are perceived by students. Students learn how to carry out survey research, focus groups, interviews, or other techniques appropriate to their research questions. All students develop and complete research projects, presenting their results in a symposium at the end of the semester.