We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Teaching and Learning Low Risk Subcommittee (Teaching and Learning LRSC) under the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee.
A streamlined ethics pathway for educators
The Teaching and Learning LRSC has been established to provide a streamlined ethics review pathway for educators undertaking low-risk research with a focus on teaching and learning. The subcommittee will expedite the review of ethics applications that:
- Focus on investigating the efficacy of teaching approaches
- Evaluate the quality of learning experiences of our students
- Use student data for educational research purposes
Low-risk research usually refers to work where “the only foreseeable risk is no greater than discomfort”. We expect the committee will receive teaching and learning projects that focus, for example, on students’ perceptions of their learning experience, the effectiveness of new innovations, or anonymous survey data evaluating the impact of curricular changes on student engagement and learning outcomes.
An example of a project that the T&L LRSC might review is: a digital questionnaire evaluating students’ preferences for different assessment formats, where non-sensitive data about educational experiences is collected, while maintaining complete confidentiality. The voluntary 10-minute survey would ask students to rate the effectiveness of various assessment types they’ve experienced and provide feedback on which formats best demonstrate their learning, posing no risk beyond minimal time commitment.
An example of a project that would need review by the full Human Research Ethics Committee is: a study examining correlations between students’ academic performance and their disclosed learning disabilities, which would require access to sensitive personal health information and academic records and involve vulnerable participants.
Meeting schedule
The Teaching and Learning LRSC will meet at strategic times aligned with teaching periods:
- Semester 1: Two weeks before and at the start of semester
- Semester 2: Two weeks before and at the start of semester
- Post-teaching: After the end of the semester 2 teaching period
This schedule ensures applications can be reviewed and approved in time for implementation within teaching periods. Each round of meetings will include 2 meetings and potential for out of round review to allow educators to address the subcommittee’s comments.
Expression of interest
We are currently seeking expressions of interest from staff who wish to serve on this subcommittee. Members will be appointed for an initial term of one year with options for extension.
We aim to build a pool of members who can be called upon for each meeting, keeping the structure flexible to accommodate demands for reviews. Unlike other low risk subcommittees, the Teaching and Learning LRSC will meet a few times a year aligned with teaching periods rather than on a rolling schedule.
If you are interested in contributing to this initiative, please complete the expression of interest form available on the Ethics office intranet page (look under the last tab).
Need more info or have questions?
For more information about the Teaching and Learning LRSC, please contact the chair of the subcommittee Eszter Kalman ([email protected]).
