Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Quantitative Communication Research (Online)

COMM 6030-B80

Course: COMM 6030-B80
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: COMM
CRN: 11666

Course Description

Students will use relevant statistics to summarize data and explain certain human behaviors. Focus is on matching appropriate statistical tests to a given situation and providing relevant interpretations rather than on calculating the numbers. Using the IBM SPSS statistics program, students will apply their knowledge to modern-day research and practical problems related to communication professions. (Fall) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): MA in Professional Communication majors only

Required Texts

You do not have required textbooks for this class. The class content can be found on Canvas.
Software Requirements: IBM® SPSS® Statistics software. The students from South Utah University can get free access to the software that this class is using for doing the class assignments.

Learning Outcomes

Student who successfully complete this course will:
  • Learn basic descriptive and inferential statistical terms and concepts.
  • Develop strategies to appropriately analyze frequency data.
  • Demonstrate appropriate use of descriptive and inferential concepts with SPSS.
  • Use appropriate statistical methods for categorical and ordinal data.
  • Learn basic statistical applications for social science research projects.
  • Learn how to identify types of statistical methods and strategies, select data collection and analysis approaches for different research interests.
  • Analyze and interpret interaction effects.

Course Requirements

Since we only use our class members to help each other doing the survey and/or experiments, please DO NOT send out your questionnaire and/or experiment stimulus outside of our class.
1. Research Paper/Practical Project:
You will write an academic-standard/industrial standard research paper on a specific topic and analyze it with what you have learned from this class and previous studies. Topics and requirements will be discussed further during class. These assignments will give you the ideas about how to conduct a quantitative research project. 
The Research Paper/Practical Project includes the following assignments:
  • Introduction Section (6% of final grade)
  • Literature Review (10% of final grade)
  • Method (10% of final grade)
  • Coding Instruction/Questionnaire Design (10% of final grade)
  • Data Collection (0% of final grade)
  • Findings/Results (15% of final grade)
  • Discussion and Limitation (20% of final grade)
2. SPSS Assignments: There will be several SPSS exercises for checking your learning outcomes in terms of using IBM SPSS software to conduct different types of statistical analyses. 20% of final grade, 4% of final grade for each SPSS Assignment.
3. Online Discussions: We will have multiple online discussions on Canvas in different weeks for the class members sharing the research ideas, research progress to each other.  9% of final grade, 3% of final grade for each online discussion.

Course Outline

Week 1 (02/23/2026-03/01/2026): 1. Access the SPSS Installers Information 2. Class Overview 3. Getting started on SPSS 4. Descriptive statistics 5. Ethical issues in social research
Week 2 (03/02/2026-03/08/2026): 1. The logic of sampling 2. Visual binning 3. Reliability test 4. How to write Literature Review
Week 3 (03/09/2026-03/15/2026): Spring Break
Week 4 (03/16/2026-03/22/2026): 1. Content Analysis 2. Crosstabs Test 3. How to write Method 4. Additional Instructions for SPSS Assignment 4
Week 5 (03/23/2026-03/29/2026): 1. Crosstabs Test 2. Types of variables and scale constructions 3. Questionnaire design 4. Please start coding for content analysis 5. Please start collecting data for experiment and survey
Week 6 (03/30/2026-04/05/2026): 1. Analyze survey data in Qualtrics and export survey data to SPSS 2. ANOVA part1 3. ANOVA part2 4. Please work on your coding for content analysis 5. Please work on your data collection for experiment and survey
Week 7 (04/06/2026-04/12/2026): 1. How to write Findings/Results 2. MANOVA test
Week 8 (04/13/2026-04/19/2026): 1. How to write Discussion and Limitation 2. Working on the research paper revision(s)

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

For each assignment, please submit it before deadline as your first submission. You will get an initial grade and detailed feedback based on your first submission. By using my feedback, you always can modify your assignment and re-submit it until the last day of the semester (04/19/2026).Your latest version of this assignment will be graded by the end of this semester (04/19/2026) as the final grade for this assignment.

Attendance Policy

For our class, attendance is measured by your class participation on Canvas. If you are ill or instructed to isolate or quarantine, the evidence of your illness or other status may be required. Please vigilantly monitor your health. If you wake up felling sick, please notify me by email (lijiezhou@suu.edu). I will figure out a way to help you for understanding our class content on a case-by-case basis.

Department A.I. Guideline

AI cannot substitute for foundational learning. Students must acquire disciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills in order to evaluate AI outputs appropriately. In cases where assignment instructions allow for AI use, students must certify that they have reviewed, verified, and edited all AI outputs, which may include AI prompts used. Students should treat AI as a partner in thought and creation, not as a shortcut or a substitute for human expertise, ethics, and judgment. Students should not input sensitive, personal, confidential, copyrighted or proprietary information into public AI tools (such as ChatGPT) as it is illegal and violates expectations of privacy and academic/creative work.

AI is allowed for certain assignments (see assignment instructions for details). Presenting AI-generated work as entirely one's own in a course that does not permit such use, or using AI in ways explicitly prohibited in assignment instructions, constitutes a violation of SUU Policy 6.33: Academic Misconduct and opens the violator up to a series of potential sanctions.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.