Paperwork

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Doesn't that title already excite you? Unfortunately, I have to get through some boring stuff before I can run my exciting experiment and see the data. 

I have been researching past VR experiments to find out what parameters I should include in the planning process. Since this is my first time I creating an official experiment that involves human subjects, I wasn't aware of a large amount of protocol. I am aiming to design my experiment with as much validity as possible for a 17-year-old high-school student, so the two main articles I had to address were:

• Institutional Review Board (IRB)

• Consent forms

In order to carry out an official experiment with human participation, the procedure needs to be verified by an IRB: a committee "designated to approve, monitor, and review biomedical and behavioral research involving humans." Because I am using students from UAT, which doesn't have an official IRB, I had to run my experiment past the provost and other administrators. 

Additionally, I will need signed consent from every individual participating. The informed consent details any possible risks involved and ensures confidentiality. I initially used a ten-page World Health Organization consent form as a template, but I quickly realized that a) it was more catered for clinical trials involving drugs for medical treatment and b) none of these college students were going to read through the whole thing. 

The current consent form I drafted is two pages long, and is based off of a leadership development survey done by Claremont McKenna college. Take a look:

Next week I will start advertising to the students to have them sign up to participate. I will continue to keep you update about my progress. See you then!