ANNOUNCEMENT

August 10, 2007

Hi everyone!

New Research Advisors Assigned District Approval Procedures IRBWise Process

New Research Advisors Assigned

As a way to better streamline the feedback process and give more individualized attention throughout the research process, we have assigned faculty advisors to each of your research projects. You received an email to your GSU account indicating your advisor. If you have not received that email (after checking your GSU email), feel free to contact me (Caitlin) and ask.

Please indicate your advisor  as "Faculty Advisor" within IRBWise (do not select Caitlin unless she is your assigned advisor).

Please feel free to contact your advisor to say hello and communicate with your advisor regularly throughout the research process. The advisors are here to answer questions and guide you through the process.

District Approval Procedures

Each school district has specific procedures for approving of research studies. Please contact your distirct office with any questions about district procedures. The only thing from the districts that Georgia State University's IRB requires are (1) a formal letter of approval from the district and (2) approval from a principal (or whomever is "in charge" a the site where you intend to carry out the study). This is so that the IRB can rest assured that the district and school know and approve of the research study you are proposing.

As you go through this process, please share your stories on the wiki or other informal venues. Any advise those of you who have gained approval can give would be valuable to those who are still in the process.

I have written a letter to district personnel to explain the research requirement for the Ed.S. degree program. Some districts have requested this. You should provide this letter with any district proposal so that they understand that your research is part of your academic program.

Here's the letter:

EdSLetterToDistricts.doc

IRBWise Process

After gaining district approval, you can sumbit your Georgia State IRB via IRBWise (this is the website that Sheila White showed). The website is:

https://irbwise.gsu.edu/

You will need to gain a log-in and password. You can do that by clicking on the link on the bottom right side under "Request and Account".

As you fill in the fields of IRBWise, please be sure to 

(1) write clearly and succinctly

(2) check for any grammatical and/or spelling errors (and double-check)

(3) include all information requested (so if it asks for the amount of time, frequency, and duration of participation--indicate all three...)

(4) SAVE often!

If you have any trouble with IRBWise, please contact Sheila White at reoslw@langate.gsu.edu

After you have completed IRBWise, please email your advisor so that she can reviewYour proposal and all of your documents. Faculty advisors have no way of knowing that you have completed IRBWise unless you email them. Once your advisor has said okay, you can submit the documentation.

Assume that the IRB will take about 3-4 weeks. If this means that you have to push back your research, then you have to. There's no getting around that....sorry.