LMS Research Report June 24, 2013
48 asked to dedicate to the project beyond
that needed for normal care?
Focus Group or Individual Interview – approximately 75 minutes, including review of consent form
Second questionnaire – approximately 15 minutes
6.2. If applicable, how much time will a normal/control volunteer be asked to dedicate to the project?
Not applicable. No normal/control volunteers will be enrolled in the study.
6.3. Describe what is known about the risks (harms) of the proposed research.
No known risks. The participants within this project are taking part in what has already been defined as a research-informed pilot project. One of the expectations of pilot participants is that their experiences with the new LMS will help to gather best practices and improvements for the larger LMS transition at UBC.
Further, this study is asking participants for opinions and perspectives on their teaching and learning experiences with the new LMS only, and will not be covering any other matters of a personal nature.
6.4. Describe any potential benefits to the subject that could arise from his or her participation in the proposed research.
Subjects may or may not benefit from their participation in this research. The proposed research seeks to understand the impact of the transition to a new LMS on the teaching and learning environment, in particular, the experience of instructors and students. It is possible that better understandings of the support levels needed and improvements to the migration process could enhance the rollout of the new LMS to the wider campus community, a potential benefit for thousands of instructors and students. Improving the kinds of professional development programs and resources available to instructors and students is seen as a benefit of subjects' participation.
6.5. Describe any reimbursement for expenses (e.g. meals, parking,
medications) or payments/gifts-in-kind (e.g. honoraria, gifts, prizes, credits) to be offered to the subjects. Provide full details of the amounts, payment schedules, and value of gifts-in-kind.
No cash payments will be made to study participants. Focus group participants will receive a pizza lunch. This will be advertised in the recruitment messages.
6.6. Specify who will explain the consent form and invite the subject to participate. Include details of where the consent will be obtained, and under what
circumstances.
Consent will not be required for the online questionnaires. Focus group and individual interview participants will be emailed a copy of the consent form upon agreement to participate at least 48 hours in advance of the focus group or individual interview. Focus group facilitators and interviewers will review the consent form in its entirety and give participants the opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns. Participants will sign the consent forms at the start of the focus group or individual interview.
There may be some students participating in the focus groups or individual interviews who are under the age of majority (19) in British Columbia; however, according to UBC BREB, minors attending University who are 17 to 18 years of age are considered to be “emancipated adults for the purposes of low- risk research” and are thus legally able to provide their own consent. In this study, students will be informed of the potential risks and benefits to participating in the study, and will have
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several opportunities to withdraw from the study, should they choose to do so. In addition, this study does not deal with sensitive issues or personal matters.
6.6.A. If you are asking for a waiver or an alteration of the requirement for subject informed consent please justify the waiver or alteration and confirm that the study meets the criteria on the right.
Not applicable. We are not asking for a waiver for consent.
6.7. How long after receiving the consent form will the subject have to decide whether or not to participate? If this will be less than twenty-four hours, provide an explanation.
Focus group and individual interview participants will be emailed a copy of the consent form upon agreement to participate at least 48 hours in advance of the focus group or individual interview. They will have 48 hours to decide whether or not to participate. Participants can withdraw from the study at any time, including after having completed the questionnaire or having participated in a focus group or individual interview.
6.8. Will every subject be competent to give fully informed consent on his/her own behalf? Please click Select to complete the question and view further details. Will subject be competent to give fully informed consent? Details of the nature of the incompetence If not, who will consent on his/her behalf? If not, will he/she be able to give assent to participate? If Yes, explain how assent will be sought. Yes [Details]
6.9. Describe any situation in which the renewal of consent for this research might be appropriate, and how this would take place.
None anticipated.
6.10. What provisions are planned for subjects, or those consenting on a subject's behalf, to have special
assistance, if needed, during the consent process (e.g. consent forms in Braille, or in languages other than English).
We have used question formats available on the VoVici survey platform that are screen reader compliant for persons with a visual impairment or who are blind. We will liaise with Access and Diversity to organize a braille version of our focus group consent form if we have a participant who is blind or visually impaired. If we have a participant for the focus groups who is deaf or hard of hearing, we will provide ASL interpretation for them to participate.
6.11. Describe any restrictions regarding the disclosure of information to research subjects (during or at the end of the study) that the sponsor has placed on investigators, including those related to the publication of results.
None.