Protecting Human Subjects in Student Inquiry Projects:
Addressing the Educational, Ethical, and Legal Obligations of Liberal Arts Institutions

As liberal arts colleges engage growing numbers of students in active, collaborative, and "high impact" learning practices, students are increasingly undertaking inquiry projects that involve human subjects. The protection of human subjects in student inquiry projects, whether in on-campus courses, service-learning experiences, off-campus programs, or other contexts, poses significant ethical, educational, institutional, inter-institutional, and legal challenges. This project is designed to help ACM institutions meet these challenges more effectively and consistently, both within and across institutions.

Project rationale
Interpreting and applying the federal regulations in relation to student projects, which may or may not constitute "research" that requires IRB review, raises a myriad of pedagogical, professional development, and policy issues.

Project goals
The purpose of this project is to develop streamlined, institutionally- and inter-institutionally-appropriate, and federally-compliant policies and procedures for ensuring that subjects in student projects are protected.

ACM Human Subjects Symposium – February 23-25, 2012, Northfield, MN
This is a working symposium in which participants will review draft policy documents, instructional materials, and recommendations for policy and professional development related to human subjects protection in student projects. This page includes the Call for Participation and additional information about the agenda and estimated travel costs.

Contacts:
Jo Beld, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the IRB, St. Olaf College; beld@stolaf.edu

Nathan Grawe, Associate Professor of Economics and Associate Dean of the College, Carleton College; ngrawe@carleton.edu

Greg Buchanan, Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the IRB, Beloit College; buchanan@beloit.edu