Study Information Sheet

INDIANA UNIVERSITY STUDY INFORMATION SHEET FOR

[IN LSAMP Scholars Program Evaluation and Research Study, IRB STUDY #1709058337]

You are invited to participate in a research study of the overall effectiveness of the Indiana STEM Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program (IN LSAMP). You were selected as a possible participant because you are either a Ball State University, Indiana University, or Ivy Tech Community College student in the program, or a member of the program team (faculty, mentor, staff). We ask that you read this form and ask any questions you may have before agreeing to be in the study.

The study is being conducted by Dr. Kim S. Nguyen, Co-PI and Alliance Director, IN LSAMP, and Ms. Michelle Quirke, Project Manager, IN LSAMP. The IN LSAMP is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

STUDY PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to obtain ongoing feedback on the IN LSAMP program’s effectiveness in meeting its goals of recruiting and educating STEM associate and baccalaureate degree students and preparing them for successful transitions to the STEM workforce or graduate/professional school. This research is also being conducted to generate new knowledge on applying the evidence-based, effective student service strategies and high impact practice integrated curriculum design that promotes student retention, academic achievement, persistence to graduation and job placement. Evaluation and research activities include collecting aggregate data on program participant demographics, levels of self-efficacy and other attitudes, retention, and completion rates and subsequent matriculation to employment or graduate programs in STEM. In addition, participants will have voluntary opportunities to contribute feedback on program characteristics, activities, and personnel.

PROCEDURES FOR THE STUDY

If you agree to be in the study, you will do the following things: Complete pre and post program survey instruments, participate in focus group sessions and/or interviews, complete questionnaires throughout the program duration (at the beginning of the program and at the end of each year). You will also be asked to complete questionnaire items and provide updates on your employment and or graduate school outcomes following your graduation (for up to three years) and completion of the IN LSAMP program. The questionnaires will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and will be linked to other information through identifiers (email or student I.D.). Linked information will include demographics (e.g., gender, ethnicity, age, major, etc.), college experience data (living on-campus, credit hour enrollment, program participation), and outcome data (persistence rates, grade performance, credit hour completion rates, etc.). This information is accessed via extracting data from the IU Student Information System, the IN LSAMP Scholars Application, and the IU Canvas Learning Management System (LMS). All information will be de-identified prior to being shared with researchers. You may be asked to participate in interviews with external evaluators and researchers throughout the program. Additional information will be provided at the time of the focus groups/interviews and this document does not constitute consent to participate.in focus groups or individual interviews. The focus groups and interviews will last approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

RISKS AND BENEFITS

There may be some risks of participating in this research study. It is possible that participants may feel uncomfortable answering the survey or focus group interview questions.

The possible benefits of participating in this research are improving the overall effectiveness of programs that you may participate in as part of the IN LSAMP Scholars program. Your feedback will be used to improve the overall experience for you and other students.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Efforts will be made to keep your personal information confidential. We cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality. Your personal information may be disclosed if required by law. Your identity will be held in confidence in reports in which the study may be published. Surveys will be confidential, although we will use student I.D. numbers or email addresses to match pre and post survey entries. For reporting purposes, all personal identifiers will be stripped from the data, and only the principal investigator (Dr. Kim S. Nguyen), co-investigator (Ms. Quirke), and external evaluator (Goodman Research Group, Inc.) will have access to the original questionnaire or interview data. Focus groups will not identify individual contributions, and all identifying information will be stripped from the summary reports. We will also protect all data in password protected computer files on secure IU network drives

Organizations that may inspect and/or copy your research records for quality assurance and data analysis include groups such as the study investigator and his/her research associates, the Indiana University Institutional Review Board or its designees, the study sponsor, National Science Foundation (NSF) and (as allowed by law) state or federal agencies, specifically the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), who may need to access your research records.

PAYMENT

You will not receive payment for taking part in this study.

CONTACTS FOR QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS

For questions about the study, contact the researcher Dr. Kim S. Nguyen at 317-274-1126; knguyen@iupui.edu; or Ms. Michelle Quirke at 317-278-6715; mvquirke@iu.edu

For questions about your rights as a research participant or to discuss problems, complaints or concerns about a research study, or to obtain information, or offer input, contact the IU Human Subjects Office at (317) 278-3458 [for Indianapolis] or (812) 856-4242 [for Bloomington] or (800) 696-2949.

VOLUNTARY NATURE OF STUDY

Taking part in this study is voluntary. You may choose not to take part or may leave the study at any time. Leaving the study will not result in any penalty or loss of benefits to which you are entitled. Your decision whether or not to participate in this study will not affect your current or future relations with your academic program, your status in the IN LSAMP program, or your relationship with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) or Ivy Tech Community College.

This research is intended for individual 18 years of age or older. If you are under age 18, do not complete the survey or participate in interviews.