The purpose of the Nebraska Evaluation and Research (NEAR) Center is to promote sound statistical, measurement, and research methodology. The NEAR Center serves as a hands-on training program for graduate students in the Quantitative, Qualitative, & Psychometric Methods (QQPM) program.
The NEAR Center provides services to:
University system-affiliated faculty and graduate students
Research groups and individuals
Business, industry, and government organizations when considered appropriate for education and/or training of students.
Project collaboration is completed by graduate students under the supervision of the Director of the Center, Dr. James A. Bovaird, alongside supervising faculty and staff members affiliated with the QQPM program.
Services & Research Expertise
The NEAR Center provides guidance for quantitative projects regarding:
- Setting up data files
- Instrument development
- Sampling procedures
- Sample size
- Choice of analysis procedures
The NEAR Center also provides guidance for qualitative and mixed methods projects regarding:
- Selection of the qualitative or mixed methods design that best fits your research questions
- Development of sampling plans and data collection protocols
- Preparation of data files for analysis by hand or with software
- Development of data analysis and integration procedures
The NEAR Center performs the following functions for quantitative datasets:
- Statistical analysis
- Generate relevant output
- Interpretation of the analysis
Services NOT provided:
- Statistics, measurement, or qualitative research instruction
- Proofreading manuscripts
- Data entry or transcriptions of qualitative data (we can recommend people who do this type of work)
- Research question formulation
- Assistance with coursework is NOT provided.
Staff and Contact Info
The NEAR Center is located in 209 Teachers College Hall
Research Coordinator:
Jay Jeffries
Amelia Miramonti
Research Collaborators:
Jack Riley
Elia Harper
Whitney Thomas
Canyon Skare
Fees
- College of Education and Human Sciences students and faculty - NO CHARGE
- Students and Faculty within the University of Nebraska system: 1st hour free or any part thereof, $25 for each additional hour
- Clients not affiliated with the University of Nebraska system: 1st hour free, $50 for each additional hour
Appointments
How do I make an appointment?
The NEAR Center will not be open for consultations during the following times:
- The first or last week of semester (i.e. syllabus and finals weeks)
- University closures and student holidays
Clients are limited to 1 consultant hour per week.
- This includes uploading data, running and debugging software syntax, collaborative meetings, etc.
- Clients may be provided more than 1 hour per week at the collaborator's discretion
No limits are placed on the number of research projects per client
What should you do prior to your appointment?
- Email the desired collaborator ahead of time to establish communication
- Complete the intake form before your first meeting. The link to the intake form is found in the Bookings site (under the Book Appointment button) or can be found here