June 2021

Four courses in the six-part AERA 2021 Virtual Research Learning Series (VRLS) are being offered over the next month. The first two, “Qualitative Data Analysis and Dynamic Visualizations Using Freeware” and “Why Aren't You Writing? Clearing Obstacles to Productivity,” drew well over 600 attendees and will be available on demand through AERA’s Virtual Research Learning Center (VRLC) in July.

The courses were competitively selected by the AERA Committee on Professional Development and feature high-quality instruction from leading experts, interaction, active discussion, and Q&A with participants:

• June 15, Ki L. Cole (course director; Oklahoma State University), Insu Paek (Florida State University), and Sohee Kim (Oklahoma State University) will present “Using R Software for Item Response (IRT) Model Calibrations.” This interactive training course will introduce the concepts of unidimensional IRT models and provide instruction, demonstration, and hands-on opportunities to use the free R software to estimate commonly used IRT models.
   
• June 22, Emmanuel Sikali (course director; National Center for Education Statistics), and five experts from the American Institutes for Research—Paul Bailey, Ting Zhang, Martin Hooper, Michael Lee, and Yuqi Liao—will teach “Analyzing Large-Scale Assessment Data Using R.” This course will introduce the unique design features of large-scale assessment data and provide guidance in data analysis strategies, including the selection and use of appropriate plausible values, sampling weights, and variance estimation procedures.
   
• July 7, Nianbo Dong (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Benjamin Kelcey (University of Cincinnati), and Jessaca Spybrook (Western Michigan University) will present “Designing Adequately Powered Cluster and Multisite Randomized Trials to Detect Main Effects, Moderation, and Mediation.” The purpose of this workshop is to train researchers and evaluators in how to plan efficient and effective cluster and multisite randomized studies that probe hypotheses concerning main effects, mediation, and moderation.
   
• July 8, Mary McVee (University at Buffalo, SUNY), Ryan Rish (University at Buffalo, SUNY), Angel Lin (Simon Fraser University), and Qinghua Chen (Simon Fraser University) will teach “Multimodal Analysis and Social Semiotics for Qualitative Analysis in Educational Research.” This course introduces scholars to multimodal analysis via social semiotics using diverse perspectives from multimodality and narrative, frame analysis, and nexus analysis.

To view full-course descriptions and to register, click here. All courses in the series are $55 each, and registrants have unlimited access. Designed to reach participants at different skill levels, the VRLS is intended particularly for graduate students, early-career scholars, and other researchers seeking to build new knowledge or skills. AERA aims to maximize the accessibility of the courses by providing closed captioning and American Sign Language.

Course video recordings and related materials for the entire series will be available through the AERA Virtual Research Learning Center in late July 2021. Their availability will be announced on the AERA website and in Highlights.

George L. Wimberly, AERA’s director of professional development, designed and leads this series. Questions about the courses should be directed to profdevel@aera.net.