Welcome!

please note-- if you want to partipate in the online demo course, you must email me directly-- the survey is anonymous and I have no way of getting in touch unless you email me, or add your email address to the comment box at the end of the survey. I hope you will (-:

Please read, and if you wish to take the survey, or participate in the research project-- the online demonstration course--please follow the links WAY at the bottom of the Form. I know all of this looks a bit drastic and Academic-- but the demo course will be much more creative--and may surprise you--Let me know if you'd like to sign up!

Email me with any questions, or to register in the online course, starting May 16, 2005.

Consent Form:

Project Title:

An interactive online demonstration course, designed to inform and assist potential learners in determining if online courses are appropriate for them, and how to search for a suitable program.

Researcher:

Lisa Read, Masters Degree candidate, Royal Roads University.

Project Supervisor: Brad Eastman

brad@eastmanconsulting.ca

Project:

This research project requires the voluntary assistance of between 10 and 20 participants for the demonstration course.

Purpose:

The purpose of the study is to establish an informal and short term learning community. The interactions of the participants will shed light on several things: 1. Common concerns or misconceptions about online learning 2. The interests of a given population (in this case K- 12 teachers, or anyone interested), as regards post-graduate study 3. The possibility of forming an effective and viable learning community in a brief span of time (two weeks). 4. Whether novice online learners can be motivated and engaged by this format.

Participant commitment:

While it’s impossible to judge exactly how much time the demonstration course will require, because this is an interactive tool, it stands to reason that greater benefit will be realized with greater effort expended. However, as a rough guideline, participants should feel able to commit ten hours, over a two week time period. A great deal depends on reading and replying speed, but 30 minutes 4-5 days a week will give participants a good sense of the rigors of online study and the feeling that grows as a learning community develops. The Course will run from May 16 to May 27, 2005 inclusive. Participants will need to be able to access the course consistently during that time, via computer and Internet access.

Shared Information:

Prior to and during the course, participants will be asked to share insights and reflections on their feelings about the process. Interview questions, prior to course start-up, will include: computer experience, plans of further education, instructional methods employed or experienced, comfort and familiarity with Technology Instruction. No questions of a sensitive nature—such as: family income, medical history or marital status will be asked.

Recording of Information:

Initial interviews and any email communications will be stored in its original format on the researcher’s personal computer and back up devices, and will be converted to text to be entered in the resulting research report. Notes taken (if any) during the proposed teleconference will be transcribed by the researcher into text.

Anonymity and Confidentiality:

Participants will appear to each other within the course by given names only. All communications with other participants will occur in the course discussion forums, which are accessible only with the password provided by the researcher. Only the researcher will have access to email addresses and participant passwords. Should a participant need to withdraw from the project, they may request that their communications be destroyed.

Harms and Benefits:

Naturally, it is the researcher’s fervent wish NO harm whatever befall the participants of the study. Because the focus of the study is on members of the teaching profession, and the course is scheduled to run in a potentially busy time of year for teachers, undue pressure to participate or stress resulting from time constraints may surface. These can also be viewed as benefits, however, for the working professional who is interested in pursuing further (online) education. The realities of the course expectations in themselves inform the participants of their own suitability to the medium.

No unexpected costs should arise. Participants will be encouraged to understand the technological requirements of the course, and to employ such measures as email SPAM filters and anti-viral software. Participants with a dial-up modem connection will experience longer load times, and may have to invest more time than high-speed connection participants.

Freedom to Participate or Withdraw:

The research project is open to any individual who wants to volunteer, although the primary focus will be teachers. Participants are informed as fully as possible about the requirements and commitments of the project. Should it become apparent that a participant needs to withdraw, they will be encouraged to feel free to do so, and be given the option of having all documentation pertaining to them destroyed, or not, depending on their wishes. Because one of the goals of the project is to establish a Learning Community, the departure of members from it will impact the others, and will undoubtedly be mentioned and discussed by others in the project. It should be viewed as an unavoidable reality of online communities.

Research Findings:

The goal of this project is to inform both the researcher and the sponsor in a general sense of issues and concerns potential learners have around online study. Any findings that are reported will be attributable to participants only by their first names. No information on their geographic location, employer or associations will be revealed, but in the broadest sense (For example, a finding might be “Nine of the participants work in a k-6 public school setting). Should a participant later enroll in a Royal Roads University program, it shall be considered as a result of the learner’s own research, not any undue pressure by the researcher or sponsor. RRU programs will be considered in the course activities, for purposes of comparison and information. No incentives of any kind will be offered to enroll in any programs as a result of participation in the study.

Clarification and Questions:

The researcher will make herself available, either via email or telephone, to answer any questions or concerns a potential participant might have. There are no structures of the course that are to be kept a secret from or to surprise participants.

Authenticity of the Study:

My credentials with Royal Roads University can be established by telephoning:

Dr. Doug Hamilton, Associate Dean, Organizational Leadership and Learning, (250) 391-2600 ext 4103. Email: Doug.Hamilton@RoyalRoads.ca

Or:

Dr. E. Childs, Project Sponsor For Calliope Learning Email: echilds@ucalgary.ca

Consent:

The participant will have been presumed to give full consent to join the study, upon the completion and submission of the questionnaire and email request. Their personal email message agreeing to participate in the course will be considered their signed consent.

Anonymity:

The participants will be competent and freely give their consent to join the study. They will be informed that the structure of the course-tool is an open discussion group, accessible only via researcher-provided password. The participants’ names and email addresses will be known to the researcher only. Within the demonstration course, the participants will chose the first name they will be known by. In this regard, the participants are “known” to each other, but are anonymous to all but the researcher, unless they choose to post or exchange email addresses, full names, geographic locale or addresses. The participants are neither encouraged nor discouraged from doing this, but only their first names (or pseudonyms), or a number code, will be used in the documentation. Raw data from initial questionnaires and communications will be accessed only by the researcher and kept for the duration of the study in her personal computer and back up devices. The computer is located in her home, and is accessed, via password, only by the researcher and no others. Upon completion of the study, all raw data will be destroyed, including notes taken by the researcher, and post-course reflections and evaluations by the participants. Discussions and comments within the demonstration course will be removed from the course site and archived by the researcher for a period not to exceed 5 years.

Results:

Following the completion of the demonstration course, the researcher will commence using the results in the preparation of her Thesis Paper. The paper will ultimately be on record in the National Library of Canada.

Lisa Read

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