ICLS 2000 will featured three special workshops on research methodology. Our goal in offering these workshops was to foster capacity building among the growing community of "early career" researchers in our field, both junior faculty and senior graduate students.

Workshop 1: Log File Analysis

Instructors:
Mark Guzdial, Georgia Institute of Technology
Carl Berger, University of Michigan

Carl and Mark will lead a half day workshop focusing on how to analyze data from files of actions taken by users of software. Often these actions are sequential and have time as well as content information. Using information gathered and entered by the researcher or automatically entered as part of the software, graphs and tables can be generated that can be analyzed for patterns of use or model testing. Carl and Mark have presented this workshop at AERA and will include in addition to that workshop the analysis of Internet web data. Several sets of data will be presented and tools will be available for use. The workshop is intended for early career researchers. (limit, 10 participants)

Workshop 2: Analyzing Qualitative Data

Instructors:
Hilda Borko, University of Colorado
Phyllis Blumenfeld, University of Michigan

As senior researchers experienced with case study and other qualitative analysis techniques of observation and interview data, Professors Borko and Blumenfeld will lead a half-day pre-conference workshop that includes sample instruments and protocols. Examples will be drawn from studies focusing on both student and teacher learning. Participants are encouraged to bring samples of their own work. The workshop is intended for early career researchers. (limit, 10 participants)

Workshop 3: Design Experiments

Instructors:

Paul Cobb, Vanderbilt University
Marcia Linn, University of California, Berkeley
Ron Marx, University of Michigan

Design Experiments appear to be one of the most popular, but least understood research methodology approaches within the Learning Sciences. Marcia and Ron, who have had extensive experience conducting design research in both single classrooms and larger settings of schools and districts, will lead a half day conference workshop on design experiments. Drawing on their own work and others, Linn and Marx will provide guiding principles for research proposals, sample protocols, and "warning signs," things to look for which indicate weak design experiments research methods. The workshop is open to all conference participants. (limit, 50 participants)