Do I need consent to access student data for research or scholarship?
You need 2 types of consent.:
- One is your IRB Informed Consent (research participant understanding) and the other is a FERPA consent or release (use of student data for a purpose other than their education).
- Data collected from your students requires consent to release the student data for research purposes to conform with FERPA requirements. This consent is a separate consent requirement from the IRB consent to participate but can be included in the same Informed Consent document to reduce the number of consents you need to acquire and maintain. The FERPA statement in the consent document should identify what student data you want to use and under what conditions you will use it.
E.g., I would like to use your test scores, journal entries and lab reports and other assignments in my analysis. I will de-identify all assignments and classroom data prior to research use. You will not be identified in any report, presentation or publication.
For more information on using student data for research, please read the Faculty Use of Student Data in Research policy and the Faculty Use of Student Data in Research Policy Procedures.
Last updated: 11/30/2023