A. PEDU6405 Multi-dimensional & Multi-causal analysis in Ed Research – web course

B. General Information

(i) For students who have registered the courses, please log in through the univeristy blackboard system using your CUHK USER ID, read the updated information, and change the email address contact if necessary (the default is the CU-email address).

(ii) For students who have registered, but cannot log in, please send your Student ID number + name + course (PEDU6405) to me at kthau@cuhk.edu.hk
Theoretically, the blackboard system is linked to the official registration (with some time delay). So, if you have successfully registered for the course, you should be able to get access through the blackboard system.

C. Further information

(i) PEDU6405 is a web-based course (video, annotated powerpoints) with all lectures being posted on the web, the benefits are: (i) you attend the “lectures” at your own convenient time, (ii) you revise and watch the course as many times as you like (which is important for such an advanced course), and (iii) you don’t have to travel to cuhk.

(ii) Self-checked tests and assignments have been posted;

(iii) There will be a mandatory quiz (open-book) at the end of the course (sample questions available).

(iv) All “lectures” will be posted in Term 1 (around Oct) so that you can actually start “attending” the course early.

(v) You can purchase the Chinese textbook on structural equation modeling at Rm 208, Ed Psych Dept office.

(vi) Interested students should formally register at the faculty office;

(vii) you should register either in the first or second term course registration time (send your Student ID, name, course title PEDU6405 to me after registration); in between the registration periods, you can still send the above information to me and complete the necessary university registration with the faculty office when registration is re-opened.

(viii) Updated information will be posted in the Blackboard system for registered students.

(ix) Please note this is an extremely difficult/advanced course, you should have background in: (i) using SPSS, (ii) regression, and (iii) factor analysis (exploratory factor analysis). This course is not suitable for students who just want to learn more topics in research methodology. Students taking this course general have maths/stat/physics (or science/engineering) as their undergraduate major, have heard of LISREL/SEM/AMOS, are taking our PhD (or EdD) programs, and have been advised by their supervisors to take this course. Other students without any background and knowledge will definitely fail (you can understand less than 5% of the content). If you want to get more information, try to borrow a book on Structural Equation Modeling (e.g., by B. Byrne) from the library (or buy the Chinese textbook) before you formally register. The web course materials (i.e., annotated ppts) have been posted in this web site for the general public (but without exercise, tests, etc.). You can browse through the materials to have a feel. The first few lessons are easy and you should make the decision (whether to take the course) after going through Lesson 4 (CFA).

(x) This course is also offered under the Coursera platform, but they have fixed course offering time/schedule. For CUHK registered students, you will be able to get access to the full range of additional information under the university blackboard system.