Ethics Review for Course Based Student Research

Message from Michelle Yeo, Chair, Human Research Ethics Board (HREB)

Greetings colleagues,

First, I would like to introduce myself as the new chair of Mount Royal's Human Research Ethics Board. I look forward to working with the community in the coming year.

As many of you may remember from June, we are launching a new process to address ethical review for student research that occurs within courses. This review is only necessary if the work the students are doing involves human participants and systematically seeks out new knowledge that may be publishable or otherwise disseminated. If your students do research that remains within the confines of the course, you do not need to seek formal ethics clearance from HREB. Also exempted is research related to professional practice such as journalism or marketing (i.e. that normally does not require formal ethics clearance when conducted by a faculty member).

If your students do require ethics clearance for the work they are doing in your course, what we are asking you to do as the instructor is submit a single form for your entire class before the course begins. This is to avoid the necessity of each student project requiring individual review. This form is found on MRU's Research site (ethics page) at:  http://research.mtroyal.ca/ethics.php?. Two important points:

1. This form is due in hard copy on Friday, August 27 to Glynis McCance in Research Services (Room A322). The applications will be reviewed before classes start. There will be another deadline in late October for winter courses.

2. The application must be cleared prior to your students engaging in the research, if it is to be publically disseminated at a later date.

An additional information session about this process will be held: Tuesday, August 24, from 10 -11 a.m., Room T107. Follow the link to register below. This session will be the same as those held in June.

To Register for Workshop #3 go to: http://notesweb.mtroyal.ca/ADC/ADCWorkshops.nsf?open&login     

or contact the ADC at: mciupak@mtroyal.camailto:nfunke@mtroyal.ca or 403-440-6449

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 6494, or by email at hreb_chair@mtroyal.ca

Sincerely,

Michelle

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Michelle Yeo, PhD

Chair, Human Research Ethics Board

Tel: 403-440-6494

HREB Office

Mount Royal University
Room A322
Tel: 403-440-6069