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Graduate and undergraduate research methodology courses The IRB recognizes that graduate and undergraduate research methodology courses are designed to teach students research skills through a combination of readings, lectures and research activities or projects . The purpose of such research projects is for the student to apply what is taught (i.e. use skills outside of the classroom) rather than to contribute to existing research literature in a field. Accordingly, the IRB has developed special guidelines for such class projects involving participants other than class members. Students must discuss class projects with their instructors prior to initiating the project. An instructor who wishes to make use of this abbreviated review procedure, must first review each student's topic to determine its acceptability and then submit according to the procedures described below. NOTE: Students contemplating using a class-based project as part of an undergraduate honor's thesis, master's thesis, doctoral dissertation, independent study project or submitting it for professional publication or presentation, must follow the traditional IRB review procedures before commencing the project. Choosing an Acceptable Topic Only non-sensitive information may be collected from participants. No personal identifiers (e.g., name, social security number) may be included on questionnaires. The following types of projects CANNOT be approved by instructors through this review procedure:Any project involving participants under the age of 18 Any project involving deception of participants Any project in which participants could reasonably feel physically or psychologically threatened by the investigator (including use of weapons, verbal threats, striking an intimidating pose) Any project involving collection of information about participants' own: - sexual history (including AIDS, rape, date-rape, abuse, use of contraception, pregnancy, abortions) - religious orientation and views - mental health history (including suicide ideation, depression, eating disorders, compulsive behaviors, treatment for psychiatric disorders - substance use and abuse (including alcohol and illegal drugs) - war experiences - criminal history - racial, ethnic biases or views - medical history 2) Although students may not collect personal information of a sensitive nature from participants, they may ask participants to make judgments about behaviors of anonymous others. For example, participants may be asked to read about a crime and be asked to judge the appropriateness of the sentence as a factor of characteristics of the perpetrator. 3) Regardless of the project, students may not use language that is inflammatory (including racial or sexual slurs and obscenities) Course instructors must download and submit a Class Project Research Application each semester. This application will include a descriptive title of each student project, the student investigator's name, the type and estimated number of subjects that will be enrolled and a description of how confidentiality will be maintained. Submission of this application will certify to the IRB: a) The instructor and all teaching assistants are fully aware of and agree to comply with the policies and procedures that regulate the UMBC human research subjects protection program. b) The instructor and all teaching assistants have completed the UMBC IRB Investigator Education Program and have submitted a signed completion form to the IRB. These can be submitted with the Class Project Research Application form. c) The instructor and teaching assistants have discussed the aspects of human research protection in the coursework and demonstrate this by submitting a syllabus indicating where such discussion occurs. d) The instructor and teaching assistants will provide supervision to students on all phases of their research projects to ensure that these are conducted in compliance with UMBC IRB policies and procedures. e) The students enrolled in these classes have familiarized themselves with the requirements associated with the use of human subjects in research, such as maintaining confidentiality and obtaining proper informed consent before a project begins. Thus, they too need to complete the IRB Investigator Educator Program.Click on the below to download: Class Research Project Application Instructions for developing a consent form for class projects Class Research Project ReportInstructors of these courses will be made ex-officio members of the IRB during the semesters when they are teaching research courses. Acting in this capacity, instructors will have the authority to approve proposed projects that fulfill one or another category associated with exempt research. Additionally, course instructors carry the responsibility that he or she are accountable for the design, conduct and oversight of all projects undertaken by students in these classes. Students wanting to collect data from human subjects as part of the requirements for a specific class may conduct research (surveys, opinion gathering, etc) that is not specific to the behaviors and/or experiences of the interviewees, as long as consent is obtained and information is collected anonymously. A sample consent form may be found here to assist student in the development of an appropriate consent document. End of Semester Report Procedures Course instructors are required to download and file a Class Research Project Report by the end of the semester providing the following information: a) a listing of all course instructor approved projects, indicating the appropriate exempt review category, along with information on the students [ name, title etc.] responsible for data collection associated with such projects. An abstract of each project must accompany this report. b) that details be provided about any problems occurring in connection with the administration of any of the exempt projects. c) an assurance is given that any and all signed consent forms collected as a part of these student projects are to be kept on file, in a secure location, until the end of the following semester, after which time, they are to be destroyed. Submission of this report is due within two (2) weeks of the end of the semester.Compliance with the Procedure A failure to comply with any aspect of this procedure could result in the Instructor losing the privilege of serving as an ex-officio member of the IRB the next time he or she teaches any relevant research or methodology courses. If such occurs, projects from students will need to be submitted in the traditional manner. |
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Last updated 04/28/2008 |
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