Guidelines to Determine if Your Course Project Requires IRB Approval
Student projects presented solely to members of the official class roster and instructor do not require IRB approval.
Student projects presented to anyone who is not on the official class roster require IRB approval before any data may be collected. This includes, but is not limited to, poster or oral presentations to people not enrolled in the class, public websites or electronic media, and publications.
Notes on Course Projects
Students who are conducting projects for courses are bound by the ethics of their discipline, rules and guidelines determined by their department, as well as all federal, state, and local laws.
It is requested that students conducting course projects that involve research-type activities take the CITI training titled "Course Project for Students". This course is intended to be used as a class project for the purpose of providing students with an overview of research involving human subjects. This module does not meet the requirement for student participation in research. This course includes 6 required and 29 optional modules.
There is no "retroactive IRB approval" for students who complete a course project and then decide they would like to present it to persons beyond their class. Once data collection for a course project has begun, IRB approval cannot be granted.
Please contact the IRB Chair for clarification.
