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SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
RESEARCH PARTICIPATION POOL
POLICY GUIDELINES
Guiding Principles
Although it is understood that all research involving the use of human subjects will abide by the Tri-Council ethics policy requirements, the following statements are intended to serve as guiding principles for the Research Participation Pool (RPP) of the School of Business:
1. Participation in the Research Participation Pool should always be voluntary;
2. Participation in research should always be voluntary;
3. The process for participation should be simple and consistent;
4. Participation in research should be educational.
Allocation of Participation Mark
Commerce courses serve as opportunities to familiarize students with research conducted in the School of Business and expose them to additional business concepts beyond those covered in classes. The primary purpose of research participation is to enhance the education of the student. Each student will have the opportunity to participate in up to 2% participation grades of research for a course. Research projects will vary with respect to the participation grade that they assign, where a 0.5% study will require a maximum of half an hour, and a 1% study will require a one hour. Note that this is a bonus grade, and is to be added to students’ grade at the end of the term. Attachment A is proposed for inclusion in commerce courses syllabi.
Administration of Research Participation Pool
The chair of the School of Business is to appoint an individual to co-ordinate the RPP. Specific tasks will include: (1) determination of systems and procedures for participation sign-up; (2) where necessary, determination of systems and procedures for the booking of survey (experimental) labs and; (3) notification of instructors regarding the participation grade of their students; (4) resolving any disputes between students and instructors regarding the participation grade; and (5) where necessary, resolving any disputes between individuals using the RPP. The co-ordinator is also responsible for assessing the demands on the RPP resources, and ensuring equitable allocation of resources among researchers.
Signing Up for Sessions
Students will sign-up for participation. Instructors will announce where the sign-up sheets are and what research is available. In the near future, students will be able to sign up via a customized web interface.
Recording Information for the Participation Grade
Under the current system, participants will receive the participation grade when they submit the Graded Component (Attachment C) to the RPP coordinator. The RPP coordinator will need a drop-off box for this purpose. The RPP coordinator will send copies of the Graded Components to instructors. Then, instructors will award the participation grade to the participant. The RPP coordinator should keep all Graded Components on file for one year following participation.
Under the online sign-up system (in the near future), participants will automatically receive the participation grade at time of sign-up. This method will work well, but the success is contingent on: (1) researchers contacting the RPP coordinator to inform him/her of individuals who did not show up; and, (2) researchers ensuring that the participation grade is awarded not simply for showing up, but rather for completing a series of questions, a sample of which is attached. Note: It is crucial, from an ethics perspective, that assessment be based on the basis of demonstrated learning – not participation per se. All graded components should be kept on file for one year following participation.
Access to Participant Pool
A request for subjects (Attachment B) should be forwarded to the co-ordinator and approved prior to commencing the study, along with a copy of ethics approval and the questions that you intend to use as part of your grading form. This will permit equitable allocation of resources to studies. Note, the Study Code to be used should consist of three letters and two numbers. The letters are there to help students remember the study. Faculty members in the School of Business will be given first priority. Graduate students taking commerce courses and faculty members outside the School of Business may be permitted access to the participant pool providing: (1) sufficient resources exist; and, (2) all criteria regarding the application, such as ethics approval, are met; and, (3) they are sponsored by a faculty member in the School of Business.
Debriefing Students
Standard protocol for all studies involves providing a debriefing for students at the end of the session, or shortly thereafter. Immediately after completing the session it is asked that the students be made aware of: (1) the purpose of the research; (2) an understanding of the procedure that was used/why this procedure was used; (3) factors under consideration in the study (i.e., the independent and dependent variables; and, (4) managerial implications of the research. This information will be integral to grading the students (see Attachment C for sample grading form).
Suggested Information for Inclusion in
BUSINESS COURSES Syllabi
(Attachment A)
Bonus Research Participation Grade
One of the key factors influencing both the national and international reputation of a university is the academic research that it produces. You will be given an opportunity to participate in a number of research projects conducted by members of the School of Business.
The purpose of this is two-fold: (1) to familiarize you with a number of procedures and methods used in academic research; and, (2) to provide you with an awareness of the types of research conducted by faculty members. All research projects conducted at the University of Northern British Columbia are carefully screened by an ethics committee to ensure they meet high ethical standards. All such research is premised on informed consent. This means that the person conducting the study must provide you with sufficient information to enable you to determine whether or not you wish to participate. For example, if a person were evaluating the impact of graphic violent imagery in advertising, they would be obliged to let you know the nature of the materials prior to you viewing them.
Note that at any time during the course of a session you have the right to discontinue participation without penalty. Further, even if you initially consent to participate you may choose to stop participation at any time without any loss. Using the above example, you might consent to participate, even after being told about the graphic imagery, but after viewing one image you may feel that you no longer wish to participate.
Throughout the course of the term, a couple of studies will be made available to you and you will be given the option of signing up for these studies. The participation grade that you receive for a study will be dependent on the length of the study. Studies that are half an hour or less are worth 0.5% participation grade, while studies that are an hour long are worth 1% participation grade. During the course of the term you may participate in up to 2% participation grades worth of research. Note that you will not receive the participation mark for participation alone. For each study the participation grade will be awarded based on your answers to a series of questions about the study. Information relevant to each series of questions will be provided in a debriefing shortly after your participation (usually this will occur immediately after you have participated). In addition, this is bonus participation mark, and is to be added to your final grade at the end of the term. At the time of participation in a study, you will be asked the course number and the instructor’s name that you may want to add the participation grade. They will not be changed once you notify them.
Please note, this bonus participation grade pertains to studies conducted by faculty members of the School of Business. As such, you will not receive this bonus participation grade for studies you participate in for credit in other courses (e.g., chemistry and psychology).
Please note, the purpose of this experience is intended to be educational. You are not required to participate in any of the research projects.
Request for subjects
Business Research Participation Pool
UNBC School of Business
(Attachment B)
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Project Name (three letters, to help students remember the study, and two numbers: e.g., SAS 06)
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Researcher (principal investigator)
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Supervisor or Sponsor business faculty member)
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Assistant |
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Number of Participants Required |
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Participation Grade (participation hours, or portions of hours)
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Restrictions (e.g., males only, or right-handers)
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Location (e.g., 5-172)
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Phone Number |
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E-mail |
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Start Date |
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End Date (typically the end of term)
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I hereby certify that I have received ethics approval (or update) for this project in the current academic year. A copy of the ethics clearance is attached.
_________________________ _______________________ ____________
Signature Printed Name Date
__________________________ _______________________ ____________
Signature of Sponsor Printed Name Date
Graded Component
Project: _______________________
Researcher: ___________________
Name:_________________________
ID #: __________________________
E-mail:_________________________
Instructor: ______________________
Course:________________________
Section:________________________
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What was the purpose of this research?
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What was the procedure used in this research?
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What factors were under construction in this study?
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What are the potential managerial implications of this research?
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Research Participation Sign-Up Sheet
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Study Name |
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Grade Awarded |
1% Participation Grade (1 hour required) | |
Contact |
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Place |
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Last Name |
First Name |
E-Mail |
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