Hello George,
I think your program is terrific. Unfortunately, not all institutions allow student research on human Ss to slip into that exempt category (normal classroom activities). And, federal policy is not as clear as it could/should be on the matter. That is, IF certain kinds of research are exempt, then why do they have to be put through IRB scrutiny? It appears to be an oxymoron. However, many (most) institutions hold that an IRB must CONFIRM that the research is exempt in order to be identified as such.
Tricia Keith-Spiegel
"George D. Goedel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
--- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]This is a problem I have heard about from several other psychology departments. A few have even stopped assigning research projects (or have eliminated actual data collection in favor of giving students bogus data to analyze). I think this is unfortunate because collecting data and analyzing it to see what one has "discovered" is an important experience for students, especially those who are considering continuing with their psychology training. (I recall that this exciting experience was a major factor in my decision to go into experimental psychology.)Alas, even a exempt review takes time. And it is often the excessive time delays for exempt review that causes grumbles. But a FULL IRB review? This is overkill to the detriment of the training of psychology students (as well as imposing a totally unnecessary burden on the IRB members). Who came up with this silly notion? It clearly exceeds the demands of federal policy.Patricia Keith-SpiegelPatricia,We have operated here at NKU regarding this issue in a manner which is much more flexible and, I believe, makes a whole lot more sense. If students are assigned a research project as part of a course requirement and it is primarily for pedagogical reasons (to teach students how to do sound, ethical, behavioral research) then it would fall under the principle of "academic freedom" and would not be subject to IRB review. The instructor is primarily responsible for classroom assignments and the screening of any and all research protocols of his/her students and the determination of ethical considerations (which should also be a major component of any research methods course). This understanding is extended to all disciplines (i.e. psychology, sociology, social work, education, etc.). Of course, the research sponsor or mentor (faculty member) is always responsible for the ethics of any research project under his/her supervision, whether approved by an IRB or not, and legally liable for any transgressions that may occur in connection with such research. This would also hold for chemistry professors that may assign lab experiments as part of their course that might prove dangerous and result in injury. However, it is also understood that our IRB is open and willing to review any student research protocol that an instructor may wish to be reviewed should he/she feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar with specific ethical issues ( e.g.. confidentiality and privacy issues, treatment of protected classes, informed consent of parents & participant ascent of minors, etc.). I have also made myself available to consult with any instructor regarding ethical guidelines (APA as well as IRB). However, if a research project by a student, under the supervision of a member of the faculty, is primarily to contribute to the literature in an area, with the intent of presenting data at a conference or publication, it must be IRB reviewed. This would include undergraduate independent study or supervised research projects as well as Masters' theses. In addition, all federally funded research projects would undergo IRB review regardless of intent.I should also note that I established our IRB here at NKU back in the early 1980's and have served as our IRB chair ever since. IRB guidelines (for those folks not familiar with such) can be found at http://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/irb/irb_guidebook.htmGeorge-----
George D. Goedel
Professor & Chairperson
Department of Psychology
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Hts., KY 41099-2000
(859) 572-5574
fax (859) 572-6085
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