Research Purpose
We are sampling the Columbia and Barnard undergraduate communities to learn
more about students scientific knowledge and their feelings about learning and
applying science.
Statement of the Research
You are invited to participate in a research study.
The purpose of this consent form is to provide you with the information that you need to decide whether to participate in this research study and to inform you, as completely as possible, of the nature, purpose and risks involved in the study.
The following sections of the consent form cover:
(1) the nature of the questions you will be
asked;
(2) the risks of participation, if any;
(3) the benefits of participation, if any;
(4) voluntary participation and early
withdrawal;
(5) confidentiality of the information you give
us;
(6) whom to contact if you want more
information.
When you click on "Go to Questionnaire" at the bottom of the form, you thereby affirm that you are satisfied with the information that precedes, and you consent to continue with the study. Do not proceed in this way until you are fully satisfied. Contact the Principal Investigator (see below) if you have questions about the study that you want answered before participating. Of course, you may print out this consent form for your records, if you wish.
Information on Research
This study is intended to inform faculty members at Columbia and Barnard College
in more detail about how first-year students view science. It includes an assessment
of background knowledge in science, plus some items probing a variety of attitudes,
some of which are obviously directly related to science, others which might
or might not be related to science.
Risks
There are no known risks to your health or general well-being associated with
participation in this study.
Benefits
By participating, you may help the faculty at Columbia and Barnard develop a
better general-education science curriculum. This benefit will be mainly for
future students, rather than your own class however.
Voluntary Participation & Early Withdrawal
Your participation in the study is voluntary. You may decide not to participate
in the study. If you decide to participate, you are free to withdraw from the
study at any time.
Your refusal to participate, or your early withdrawal, will not affect any benefits to which you are otherwise entitled from Columbia University.
Additional Information
Confidentiality
The data obtained in this web survey will be kept strictly confidential. Results
of the survey will be reported only in aggregate, across all participants; individuals
will not be identified in any way in the reports. Your data will be coded under
a random identifier that cannot be linked to you personally. We will use your
name and address only to send you the promised monetary reward for participation;
after that, it will be kept in our payment records, but will not be linked to
your responses to the survey.
Because the results of this survey may be of interest to faculty in developing science curriculum, it is likely that we will obtain information about student test scores and course enrollments from the appropriate Deans, and this information will therefore be linked with the responses you make to this survey. However, the linked data base will not contain your uni or any other identifying information; you will be anonymous to anyone analyzing the results.
Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns about the study, you may contact the Principal Investigator or the emergency contact person listed on this consent form.
If you have any questions about your rights as a subject, you may contact:
Morningside Institutional Review Board 2910 Broadway at West 114th
Street
Telephone: (212) 854-1324
OR
Dr. David H. Krantz (Principal Investigator)
419A Schermerhorn
Telephone: 212-854-4534
Email: dhk@columbia.edu
An Institutional Review Board is a committee organized to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects involved in research.
If you agree with all the statements above, please click the link below to begin the questionnaire.