Laura D. Young · Research Methods / Public Teaching Portfolio

Module 07 · Research Design Decision Memo

10 points · Approximately 50–70 minutes

Turn your established research question into an explicit design with supported and unsupported inferences.

Portfolio reconstruction. This is an illustrative public version based on Fall 2026 assignment designs developed in previous course planning, not an exact exported LMS handout. No student data or submissions are included.

Assignment sequence

  1. Specify the four-part design

    Define units or cases, treatment/exposure, comparison, and the outcome in concrete terms.

  2. Choose a feasible design

    Name the design (randomized where feasible or a justified observational/quasi-experimental alternative) and explain why it fits the question.

  3. Trace assignment and exposure

    Say how participants or cases enter groups, how exposure is determined, and what that implies for selection or confounding.

  4. Identify threats

    Explain at least two serious threats to inference that actually apply to your design, with one practical safeguard for each.

  5. Bound the conclusion

    Write one conclusion the proposed design could plausibly support and one stronger claim it could not.

  6. Name the context

    State the population, time frame, setting, and boundaries for any proposed generalization.

How the work is assessed

A good memo shows causal and descriptive judgment, not just a list of methods terms.

Students should document outside sources and disclose any permitted AI assistance while retaining responsibility for every inference and submitted statement.