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Information Sheet for Participants

(The eBat Interface: A university lab developing basic science, collaborative research, distance learning, and educational access)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Sarah N. Gatson, Dept. of Sociology,
Texas A&M University, M.S. 4351, College Station, TX 77843-4351
(979) 845-7267 gatson@neo.tamu.edu

I am participating in the eBat educational and research experience project, and I have been asked to participate in the research study assessing the project. I was selected to be a participant because of my potential interest in learning, teaching and/or researching basic science, animal models of physical systems, and/or desire for a career in scientific research. The purpose of this study is to find out how people become interested in science, develop scientific working groups, networks, and communities, and disseminate data and ideas.

As I have agreed to participate in the work of the lab, I also agree to join in online discussion with other participants about the research projects of the lab of Dr. Christopher M. Quick, log my thoughts and experiences with the eBat interface and research on the batwing, and fill out outcome surveys and questionnaires upon my finishing with particular phases of the project (e.g. ending a semester, a summer session, or graduation; finishing a module in a science class). I understand that the online communications will be moderated and monitored by the eBat research team. The lab and this study of it are ongoing, but the length of my own participation in them will be at my own discretion and determined by my contribution to the lab itself.

The benefits of participation are educational and professional – I will be an official participant in an extremely rare research setting. If I am enrolled in 335, 485, or 685, I will receive course credit upon completing regular course requirements. If I am also a research assistant of Dr. Quick’s, I will be paid at the rates of _____ (graduate), _____ (undergraduate), _____ (senior lab technician), ______ (junior lab technician). If I am an REU or RET participant, I will be paid a stipend for my participation in the lab. If I am a student participant from an elementary, secondary, or home school, I will receive course credit at the discretion of my own teacher. If I am an informal or non-student participant, I receive no monetary compensation or formal educational credit, with the exception of Batwing Facilitator Certification (online or offline) if I choose to complete the requirements for such certification. I potentially have the benefit of being a formal collaborator in the lab’s research.

This study is anonymous in the sense that I will be able to choose my own online name for use in referring to my comments in research publications, and my anonymity in answering surveys and questionnaires will be preserved by number-coding the replies. Because many of the participants will actually be research collaborators, I understand that I may negotiate the level of anonymity I personally require with the Investigators. I may choose my own online name, and it may be different from my real name.

This research has been reviewed by the Institutional Review Board-Human Subjects in Research, Texas A&M University. For research-related problems or questions regarding subjects’ rights, I can contact the Institutional Review Board through Ms. Melissa McIlhaney, IRB Program Coordinator, at (979) 458-4067 (mcilhaney@tamu.edu)