Special Procedures for the Review of Classroom Projects

For purposes of working with human participants, Loyola College defines research as a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.

In some cases classroom projects are assigned by faculty members that involve the use of human participants. These projects are assigned for pedagogical purposes only, are not intended to contribute to generalizable knowledge, and are not intended to result in publication or be disseminated.

These projects are not subject to review, if and only if:

1. The research does not include topics of a sensitive or personal nature;
2. The participants in the study will be limited to other Loyola students who volunteer to participate;
3. No minors or other vulnerable populations are involved in the research; and
4. The project will not involve dissemination of any kind (such as public presentation, publication, posting of findings on a webpage, etc.)

Faculty members who assign classroom projects are responsible for ensuring that classroom-based projects are conducted in accordance with the Policies and Procedures for Research Involving Human Participants and are encouraged to acquaint students with the responsible conduct of research and human participants education materials available on various federal government websites.

When review is not required, faculty members also may choose to have students submit Applications for Research Involving Human Subjects in order to educate students about the process of completing and submitting an application to the Institutional Review Board.