Ethics in Evaluation Research & IRB

Ethical Considerations in Research 1. Voluntary Participation 2. Informed Consent 3. Risk of Harm 4. Confidentiality 5. Anonymity

What is IRB? Institutional Review Board compliance with research ethics; government regulated for any research done Typically we think of medical studies People have the right to be informed when in an experiment The same is true in social behavioral studies People must be informed of what they are participating in and why IRB is not needed for formative evaluation

IRB: Step 1 for Research 1. Determine what you plan to study ◦ E.g. 5th graders’ attitudes about computing before your robot program and after your robot program  FYI: this is quasi-experimental, repeated measures design 2. Contact your IRB office: take the Human Subjects ethics test, fill out the IRB application 3. Begin your study AFTER obtaining IRB approval TIP- view a sample IRB application on the EA Google site :)

IRB: Step 1 for ALL Research What makes IRB complex: Obtaining consent from your participants minors require parental consent Tracking collected data accurately, consistently, over time document what you do- you will forget! Jump in and get started We’ll refine your research project throughout the semester as we discuss research design, and can amend IRB as needed