What Goes Around Comes Around, Teaching Edition

Tuesday November 29, 2016

•  administration •  Central Michigan University •  management education •  research methods •  teaching •  UMGC • 

This spring, I will be teaching something a bit different. I will still be teaching mathematics online for UMUC, but I will also be teaching MSA 600 – Foundations of Research Methods in Administration, as part of the Master of Science in Administration (MSA) program at Central Michigan University. This short course (six weeks) focuses on research techniques for management, with the following objectives:

  1. Determine administrative issues and topics that can be researched within the private, public and not-for profit sectors.
  2. Identify, collect, evaluate, and synthesize research and professional literature to draw and support conclusions and make recommendations.
  3. Identify, evaluate, and synthesize research data to draw and support conclusions and make recommendations.
  4. Effectively and concisely communicate research findings, conclusions and recommendations to others in written form using standard written English (grammar, spelling, sentence structure, syntax etc.) and following APA format.
  5. Effectively and concisely present research findings, conclusions and recommendations to others in oral form using appropriate visual aids and/or presentation software.
  6. Demonstrate an understanding of research methodologies by developing a practice research proposal that may or may not be applicable to the student’s MSA capstone project.

The MSA program itself draws on the technical aspects management and blends aspects of both a traditional MBA program and a traditional MPA program. This course sets up a student for success both in the program and after by giving them the framework for researching and reporting results in an administrative framework.

On a personal level, it’s interesting to be teaching this class. Over six weeks, I will visit Joint Base Andrews on three Fridays and three Saturdays on behalf of Central Michigan University, which has long partnered with the military to provide education on-base for the local community. In the 1980s, my father studied in the MSA program at Central Michigan University. He took his classes at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which was near our home in Springfield, Ohio. I do not think he completed the program, though. Still, it is kind of cool to be there now.

I will post the syllabus when it’s ready.

Image by tpsdave / Pixabay.