Policies

Instructor Certification Form for Class Projects

Instructors/faculty of research courses that include human subject research projects are required to fill out the Course Instructor Certification Form in order for the instructor to make blanket determination the projects to not constitute human subjects research and subsequently take responsibility for oversight of these class projects. These projects are limited to class credit only and the results would not be for publication or public dissemination.

A completed Course Instructor Certification Form and documentation of current Human Subjects Research training must be submitted on IRBNet as a new project.

Find the form on IRBNet, in the Forms and Templates Library, or download the form here: Certification Form for Course Instructors/Faculty

IRB Noncompliance Investigation Policy

UAA's HSR Noncompliance Investigation Policy

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Regulations and Accessing Student Data

Student information that is not designated as directory information is protected under FERPA regulations. The following information is designated as directory information by UAA:

  • Names of students 
  • Dates of attendance at UAA 
  • Program/major fields of study
  • Degrees and certificates received including dates
  • Participation in officially recognized University activities
  • Academic and co-curricular awards, honors, and scholarships received and dates received
  • Weight and height of students on athletic teams
  • Students' electronic mail addresses 
  • Hometown; city and state

If you plan to collect or use non-directory student information such as student e-mails, grades, GPAs, or exam scores for your research, you must seek written approval from the students prior to collecting this information for your research. Even if you plan to publish the data in aggregate form, you must seek prior approval. If you plan to collect non-directory student information from students that are no longer enrolled in a course, you must seek prior approval from the University Registrar's Office.

If you have FERPA questions or if you are requesting non-directory student information, contact the University Registrar at 907-786-6190 or lnchadwell@alaska.edu.

Institutional Engagement

Any member of the faculty, student body, or staff who proposes to use human subjects in a research activity sponsored by the University must apply for approval from the IRB. Sponsorship includes, but is not limited to, funding, and using their University affiliation for publication or using University facilities for conducting research.

IRB Review for Students in Joint and Interdisciplinary UAA-UAF Graduate Degree Programs

Any student proposing to conduct research with human subjects to fulfill requirements in a joint or interdisciplinary UAF-UAA Master's or Ph.D. program should submit a protocol to their resident institution's IRB and submit their final IRB-approved protocol to the other campus before beginning data collection. UAA students and faculty may not conduct research activities for these projects until the UAA IRB/ORIC has given UAA's approval.

IRB Review for Faculty and Research Staff with Joint UAA-UAF Appointments:

In the case of research activity proposed by a faculty or staff member who holds a joint appointment at UAA and UAF, a proposal should be submitted to the HRPP for the university receiving the funding award, or else the researcher's resident campus. While oversight from only one HRPP may be required for research activity by a jointly-appointed faculty or staff member, the researcher is responsible for contacting the HRPPs at both campuses at the initiation of the proposal process. Both institutions may choose to exercise their right to review the study, but most likely one institution will lead and one will rely. Please see UAA's SOPs on Reliance Agreements for more information on this process.