Vincent Prohaska wrote:
> What I have been told by my IRB chair is that the issue is
> one of intent. If the reason for collecting the data on the class activity
is
> publication/presentation, then it is research and requires
> IRB approval. If the reason for the activity is education and you are
collecting
> data for your own evaluation purposes (e.g., did it work, did students
> enjoy it, etc.) then it is not research that requires IRB approval.
>
> I'd love to hear other views on this too.
When the question came up, I started to write a post describing the
standard I use, which is exactly what Vinny describes above. I got about
halfway through and realized that I couldn't justify that standard, though,
with anything like the kind of rigor I like to convince myself underlies my
ethical decision making. :)
I teach a Master's level course in "Action Research" which requires
students to conduct research on problems at their worksites. Those worksites
are usually educational, often with minors in the public school system. Many
of the research projects involve tests of new educational methods, and in my
opinion, the teachers have the right to implement those methods just as they
would if they were not doing research. They also have the right to take
measures and analyze the results just as they would if they were simply
trying to find out whether or not it worked. But they have to have my
consent (as IRB rep.) and the consent of the parents (or participants
themselves, when they're adults) because the purpose of the study is also to
meet their (the teachers') course requirements.
I should note that my institution does not have a true IRB, so these
opinions are purely my own.
Paul Smith
Alverno College
Milwaukee
