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Impact of the Virtual Workplace - Consent form_2021 spring

Consent for Research Participation

Summary Statement:

For faculty in the academic workplace, the current COVID 19 pandemic has necessitated moving almost all work interactions to the virtual sphere and added demands outside of work. The fast pace of these changes has led to considerable chaos and stress, and there is informal evidence that the changes have differentially affected faculty from underrepresented groups. This research investigates how subtle biases and microaggressions manifest in the new virtual work environment. 

If you agree to participate in this research, you will be asked to complete a baseline survey, followed by a daily questionnaire for 15 consecutive days. As a token of our appreciation for the time and effort, the first 300 participants will receive an Amazon gift card up to $50. 

The information you provide will remain absolutely confidential. Any identifying information provided would be de-identified during data processing.

Funding source: 

NSF 

Researcher[s]:

Michelle Haynes-Baratz, Associate Prof. of Psychology; 
Meg Bond, Professor of Psychology; 
Joseph E. Gonzales, Assistant Prof. of Psychology; 
Yun Ling Li, Postdoc research associate; 
Brita Dean, Project manager. 

We’re inviting you to participate in a research study. Participation is completely voluntary. If you agree to participate, you can always change your mind and withdraw. There are no negative consequences, whatever you decide.

What is the purpose of this study?

The purpose of this research is to explore how faculty have been impacted by the transition to a virtual workspace in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.  We are particularly interested in the degree to which faculty of varying social identities may be differentially experiencing subtle bias.  
 
What will I do and how long will it take?

If you decide to participate in this research, you will be asked to provide your institutional email address to verify your eligibility to participate in this study. 

Once you submit your institutional email address, you will be:
  1. Sent a link to a baseline questionnaire. On the first page of the bassline, you can decide if you would like to use a non-institutional email to receive the daily reminders and any other study materials.
  2. The baseline survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and will consist of demographic questions, facets related to your job satisfaction, your general wellbeing, etc. 
  3. The day following your completion of the baseline, you will receive an email link (to the email address of your choosing) with the first daily questionnaire at the time you specified as most convenient during baseline. 
  4. The daily questionnaire will take 2-4 minutes to complete and will ask you whether you experienced a slight at work, how it made you feel and what you may have done about it. We ask that you please complete these questions about your day’s event before going to bed that evening.
  5. Everyday thereafter for 14 additional days (including weekends), you will receive an email at the same time (specified by you) with a NEW link for that day’s reporting. Once again, we ask that you please complete these questions about your day’s events before going to bed that evening. 

Note: you will be easily able to complete these daily surveys on any electronic device of your choosing, including a laptop, cellphone, table, etc. However, we strongly recommending using a desktop or a laptop to complete the baseline questionnaire. 

Risks
  • There is a risk that your online data could be intercepted: This is a risk you experience any time you provide information online. We’re using a secure system to collect this data, but we can’t completely eliminate this risk.
  • Breach of confidentiality: There is a chance your data could be seen by someone who shouldn’t have access to it. We’re minimizing this risk in the following ways: 
    • All identifying information is removed and replaced with a study ID during the data processing stage. 
    • We’ll store all electronic data on a password-protected, encrypted computer. 
    • We’ll keep your identifying information separate from your research data. Only one research personnel who collects the data will be able to link it to you. We’ll destroy this link after we finish collecting and analyzing the data.
  • With any type of research participation, there is the risk for stress or disclosure. It is always possible that you may feel discomfort when asked to reflect on the experiences of feeling slighted or devalued at work. 

Possible benefits:

There are no direct benefits to you however answering these questions about the academic work environment may enhance your awareness of your experience of your work setting. Information gathered from this study will be used to inform improvements within the academic work environment.

Estimated number of participants: 

Approximately 300 faculty members from U.S. universities/colleges. 

Costs: 

None.

Compensation:

As a token of our appreciation for your time and effort, if you are one of the first 300 participants, you will be eligible to receive an Amazon gift card in the amount of up to $ 50. 

Specifically, you will receive:
  • $10.00 for completing the baseline survey. 
  • An additional $2.00 for every completed daily survey for the first 14 days.
  • $5.00 for the completion of the last day (day 15) survey
  • You will receive an additional bonus of $7.00 if you complete at least 90% of the daily surveys (12 days and more).

Confidentiality and Data Security:

We’ll collect the following identifying information for the research: 

Your institutional/academic email address. This information is necessary so that we can verify your eligibility to participate in this study. On the first page of the bassline, you can decide if you would like to use a non-institutional email to receive the daily reminders and any other study materials. If you provide an alternative email, your institutional email will be deleted within 24 hours.

Where will data be stored and how long will it be kept?

Data will be stored on the server for the online survey software (SurveyGizmo). Downloaded data will be stored on the researchers’ encrypted, password protected computers, on the UML server. 

Who can see my data?
  • We (the researchers) will have access to de-identified data.  This is so we can analyze the data and conduct the study. Your identifying information will be kept separate from your research data. Only one research personnel who collects the data will be able to link it to you.
  • The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UML, the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), or other federal agencies may review all the study data. This is to ensure we’re following laws and ethical guidelines.
  • We may share our findings in publications or presentations. If we do, the results will be aggregate (grouped) data, with no individual results If we quote you, we’ll use pseudonyms (fake names).

Contact information:

For questions about the research, complaints, or problems: Contact Michelle Haynes-Baratz, PhD at (978) 934-3925, or email Michelle_HaynesBaratz@uml.edu

For questions about your rights as a research participant, complaints, or problems: 

Contact the UMass Lowell IRB (Institutional Review Board) at 978-934-4134 or at IRB@uml.edu

 
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