Determination Checklist
for Classroom Project Submission
Institutional Review Board
Pg 1
In many cases, projects conducted by students for educational purposes in a specific class do not need
to be submitted for review by the IRB. The checklist below is designed to help determine whether a
classroom project should be submitted.
Would the project be classified as human subjects research if it were not a classroom project?
No D
o not submit to IRB.
Yes Continue below.
Is the project being conducted as part of a Doctoral dissertation, Master’s thesis, or other graduate
s
chool project?
Yes S
ubmit to IRB.
No Continue below.
Characteristics of the Project -- Check all that apply:
The risk level is no greater than minimal (no more than would be enc
ountered in routine
activities).
The study does not involve interaction with vulnerable subjects (pregnant women, fetuses,
children under 18, prisoners, or cognitively impaired persons).
No identifying information will be collected from subjects.
The project is limited to surveys/questionnaires/interviews, observation of public behavior,
or standard educational practices related to the topic under study.
Surveys/questionnaires/interviews, if used, do not contain questions about sensitive
information (for instance, alcohol/drug use, sexual behavior/attitudes, criminal activity, or
medical history).
Subjects are recruited in a voluntary manner.
Data may be shared in a classroom presentation but will not be used for any publication or
public presentation outside the classroom.
Data are not archived or saved to be used in any way in the future.
If ALL the above characteristics are checked, the project should NOT be submitted to the IRB for
r
eview.
Clear Form
Determination Checklist
for Classroom Project Submission
Institutional Review Board
Pg 2
Faculty Responsibilities
Faculty who require students to do classroom-based research projects assume responsibility for the
conduct of those projects and assure that the guidelines outlined here are met and that research that
falls outside of these criteria is submitted to the IRB for a regular review.
It is the responsibility of faculty to determine whether an assigned project involving humans can be
classified as a course-related student project under the criteria above. Faculty should contact the IRB
chair for assistance if needed in making this determination. It is the responsibility of the faculty to
discuss general principles of ethical conduct in research with the students prior to the initiation of the
project. In addition, the faculty member must ensure that all surveys/questionnaires/interviews are
preceded by a disclosure of the following points to the respondent. If an information sheet or any
recruitment materials are used, these points must be in that document:
1. The student identifies him/herself as a Henry Ford College student who is performing the
activity to fulfill a course requirement, and the course is specifically identified.
2. The name of the supervising faculty member to contact for questions is provided.
3. The persons who have access to the individual data and/or summarized results are
specified (e.g., instructor only, company/organization/agency).
4. Respondents are informed that their participation is completely voluntary and confidential.
Care should be taken to protect the rights and welfare of the individuals who act as participants.
Standard research practices such as obtaining consent, ensuring confidentiality, responsible fieldwork,
and giving participants a contact name should be employed.