Before applying for CACC approval of your survey project, you will need to ensure that your project satisfies the criteria established for gaining access to institutional data and/or contact information.

Does your survey project require contact information (names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses) or institutional data (demographic or other characteristics) for any of these UMBC constituencies?:

If yes, then you must request CACC approval before beginning your survey project. You also should familiarize yourself with federal and state regulations regarding the confidentiality of student records and human subject policies. Visit the following web site for FERPA and other human research policy information: http://www.umbc.edu/irb/regsres.html

Note: "Survey project" includes these data gathering techniques: paper surveys/questionnaires, web surveys, focus groups, and telephone surveys/interviews.

Approval of your survey project will be contingent on how well it satisfies the following set of standards:

1. Importance: The overall importance of the survey. Does it provide useful information for academic planning purposes? Does it provide useful feedback to those providing services to students, alumni, staff, or faculty? Does it provide the campus with useful information on the experience of these survey groups? Is the survey of national importance? Are other peer institutions conducting the survey and will peer data be available?
   
   
2. Dissemination and Use of Information Collected: Who will have access to the information collected and how will they use it? Will it be presented to the
   President, Provost, Vice-Presidents, Deans, Directors, and/or other line managers who might be better informed in making decisions related to the survey group(s)?
   
   
3. Content and Design of Survey: Is the survey well designed? Is the content appropriate? Does it follow sound survey methods and practices? Is it of appropriate length? Are the questions easily understood and interpreted?
   
   
4. Population and Sampling Methodology: What is the target population? Is there a sampling strategy? What is the sampling methodology and is it sound? What strategies will be used to ensure adequate response rates? How will confidentiality of responses be ensured?
   
   
5. Timing: If your project schedule conflicts with another approved survey project, you may be required to adjust your schedule accordingly. You may want to consult the UMBC Campus Survey Activity chart before submitting your application.

CACC will make every effort to review each project within two business days. Outcomes of the review may include:

1. Approval as a CACC survey project, contingent on IRB approval. Survey requestor should go through IRB process. (See information in next section.) CACC will require the IRB protocol # in order to approve survey project and then help requestor to gain access to institutional data and/or contact information needed. (CACC will need to review any changes in the project as a result of the IRB process.)
   
   
2. Approval as a CACC survey project and exempt from IRB process. CACC will work with the requestor to facilitate access to institutional data and/or contact information needed.
   
   
3. Not a CACC survey project (does not require use of institutional data and/or contact information)
   
   
4. Approval (as in 1. or 2.), but with changes in schedule, design, methodology, etc.
   
   
5. Denied

UMBC IRB APPROVAL

If your project is a research activity as defined by the UMBC Institutional Review Board (IRB), then it will have to be approved by the IRB before receiving final approval from the CACC. The length of time for the IRB process depends on the type of review needed. Allow one week for exempt review and two weeks for expedited review. Specific requirements need to be followed for full board review - see the UMBC IRB Web site (http://www.umbc.edu/irb) for details and further information.

For the UMBC IRB, "research is the systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. Systematic investigation refers to an organized, scientific way of collecting information, using a series of questions or observations." Generalizable knowledge refers to information generated through research activities that is communicated through customary publication vehicles [e.g., books, journals] or presented at professional meetings.

Thus, for the purposes of the CACC and the IRB, research can be seen as any systematic investigation making use of human subjects that attempts to contribute to disciplinary [e.g., arts and sciences, public health, engineering, the humanities, and the social sciences] knowledge or knowledge generated by contracted service to benefit a company for purposes of product development, and where such knowledge or information may or may not be published or presented at professional meetings. For further clarification of these points, visit the UMBC IRB Web site at http://www.umbc.edu/irb.

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