Classroom Protocols

Classroom protocols involve projects done by a St. Catherine student for a St. Catherine class and conform to the following criteria:

• All projects should be Exempt from full committee review as defined by Federal guidelines
• Subjects will not provide and researchers will not keep any identifiers that will link the results back to the participants.
• Projects will not involve any personal, sensitive, or incriminating topics or questions.
• Projects will not manipulate behavior of the subjects beyond the range of usual classroom activity or college life.
• Projects will not involve physically invasive contact with subjects.

Classroom protocols should be turned into the IRB as early as possible during the semester. Classroom protocols will be reviewed by the IRB Chair as they are submitted to the IRB. Any student project that is not consistent with the criteria defined above should be submitted to the IRB for standard review.

Process for Review of Class Protocols:

a. The instructor should submit one Classroom Protocol Application to the IRB.

b. The protocol should be submitted each year that the class is offered.

c. The instructor will educate the students on the IRB process and state
that they have completed the classroom protocol on the student’s behalf.

d. Projects should not be initiated until the classroom protocol is reviewed.

e. The instructor should refer to the IRB all proposals that do not meet the
conditions for Exempt review, or are in dispute.

f. If questions arise, the instructor should consult with the IRB chair or
another IRB member, or reference the OHRP IRB Guidebook at
(http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/irb/irb_guidebook.htm).

g. The instructor will be responsible for the oversight of all projects to
assure that ethical standards are followed, to deal with any ethical
violations, and to report such violations to the IRB immediately.