Ed Neuro > ESPRMC Pool

ESPRMC Research Pool

The Department of Educational Studies requires that all BER/BEP students satisfy a research requirement by participating in educational research studies as research subjects during the semester. The purpose of this requirement is to help students learn about different methods used by researchers and to help advance our knowledge of various educational and psychological processes. Students who are uncomfortable participating in research have the option of completing an assignment (determined by the instructor) to satisfy the research requirement.

About participating in research. For Students, Faculty, & Researchers.

Participation in research studies may involve taking an online survey or doing a computer-based task in a research lab on campus.

Participants receive 1 to 3 credits for each study. The nature of the study and how many credits are given after completion is indicated on the website for each experiment. Students are required to complete 4 credits of research studies over the course of the semester. Students are given 1 bonus credit if they do not have any UNEXCUSED no-shows. In this case, they would only need to complete 3 credits to achieve the 4-credit research requirement.

A professional research participant pool system is used to manage the ESPRMC participant pool. You can click on the link below to visit the ESPRMC pool portal to sign-up for studies (students) or to post new studies (researchers). Please use your UA email to signup for the pool.


Pool Announcements

  • The research pool opens for the Fall 2024 semester on Aug 29.
  • Students, faculty, and research personnel, please use the info on this page regarding use of the online participant management system.

Access Research Pool System

Click here to access the research pool system. If you are a researcher and need a login, see the section below titled "For Researchers..." before clicking this link.

Questions?

If you have questions about participating in research or about using the research pool system, please email us at [email protected].



Students, please read the following information pertaining to research participation. If you have questions about using the research pool, please contact [email protected]. If you have questions about research requirements, contact your course instructor. For information regarding a specific research study listed on the pool website, contact the researcher using the email address provided under the study.

HOW DO YOU SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE IN A STUDY?
  • 1. Go to http://ua-esprmc.sona-systems.com
  • 2. Log into the system using your myBAMA username and password.
  • 3. Select the course(s) you are taking this semester (to select more than one, hold down the ctrl key).
  • 4. You will be directed to a short prescreen.
  • 5. Review any studies that are available, and sign up for those you are interested in.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM EACH STUDY IN WHICH YOU PARTICIPATE?
  1. Courteous Treatment
    For in-person studies, the researcher should be present at the appointed time and place and should treat participants considerately. Failure to be treated courteously should be reported to your instructor or the pool coordinator ([email protected]).
  2. Consent
    Participants must consent to the study procedures. To do this, researchers must obtain consent from participants (unless consent requirements have been waived by the IRB) prior to the study. So that subjects are informed concerning what they are consenting to, the researcher must provide a fair and as full an explanation as possible of the procedures before asking subjects to sign. This description should include information concerning any discomfort or risks as well as any benefits to be expected. Researchers also should offer to answer any questions concerning the procedures and mention the right to leave the study (see point 3).
  3. The Right to Withdraw
    Participants may leave a session at any time and still receive credit.
  4. Informative Feedback
    Researchers must explain each study to the participants. This explanation should be clear and useful. Failure to provide an adequate explanation should be reported to your course instructor.

    5. WHAT OBLIGATIONS DO YOU HAVE WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR A STUDY?
    1. For in-person studies, prompt arrival at the session is critical. Students should arrive on time. When students do not show up, the researcher’s time is wasted. Often researchers lose an hour or more every time a subject fails to show up. Of course there are times when it cannot be helped. It is important that you contact the researcher and explain the situation. No-shows are tracked by SONA.
    2. Earning extra credit through Human Subject Studies is a privilege. If you accumulate 3 or more no-shows in a semester, you may lose the privilege to participate in any more studies that semester.
    3. Pay attention to the feedback provided at the end of the study. Making participation genuinely educational is an obligation of students as well as researchers. Feedback is more likely to be interesting if students pay close attention to the researcher’s explanation and ask a few probing questions.

      4. Students who are uncomfortable participating in research have the option of completing an assignment to satisfy the research requirement. Please notify your instructor early in the semester if you prefer the assignment option.

All faculty and students who would like to do research with human subjects must have this research approved by the university IRB and must comply with department procedures concerning Human Subject research. You will need to create a researcher or PI account to post a study on the system. Once you sign up and post a study, you can monitor the participants signing up for your study through the system.

Researchers using the pool to recruit subjects agree to the following terms:

  • ​ Studies that are submitted to the pool should have an active IRB approval. The researcher is solely responsible for acquiring an IRB approval for the protocol used. By submitting a new study to the pool, the researcher confirms having obtained the appropriate IRB approval. The IRB approval date and protocol number are required when submitting a new study to the participant pool.
  • ​ The research participant pool will be open between 08/29/2024 and 12/1/2024 for all studies. No subject recruitment or scheduling will be done after 12/1/2024.
  • ​ The researcher should be present at the appointed time and place and should treat subjects considerately.
  • ​ Subjects must give consent to the study procedures. Researchers must obtain consent from participants (unless consent requirements have been waived by the IRB) prior to the study. So that subjects are informed about what they are consenting to, the researcher must provide a fair and thorough explanation of the procedures before asking subjects to sign. This description should include information concerning any discomfort or risks as well as any benefits to be expected. Researchers should offer to answer any questions concerning the procedures and mention the subject's right to leave the study at any time.
  • ​ Remember, subjects may leave a session at any time and still receive credit.
  • ​ When posting a study on the participant pool, assign 1 credit for online studies (per session), 2 credits for lab studies that take up to one hour, and 3 credits for lab studies that take more than one hour (e.g., neuroimaging studies typically takes 2 hrs).

All faculty and graduate students who would who would like to post a research study on the participant pool system are encouraged to use the following guide for detailed instructions. If you have questions or difficulties with setting up the system for your study, please contact us at [email protected]. To access the pool, use this link.

Guide for Researchers

We've put together a set of instructions for posting a new study on the participant pool system that you can download here. Please email us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Instructors, feel free to copy the following into your syllabi to explain the research requirement policy:


Research Participation Requirement

The Department of Educational Studies requires that all BER/BEP students satisfy a research requirement by participating in educational research studies as research subjects during the semester. Students who are uncomfortable participating in research have the option of completing an assignment to satisfy the research requirement. The purpose of this requirement is to help students learn about different methods used by researchers and to help advance our knowledge of various educational and psychological processes. Faculty members and graduate students who are part of the Educational Studies Department conduct these studies. Participation in these studies may involve taking an online survey or doing a computer-based task in a research lab on campus. Participants will receive 1 to 3 credits for each study. The nature of the study and how many credits are given after completion is indicated for each experiment. You are required to complete 4 credits of research studies over the course of the semester. Note, however, that you will be given 1 bonus credits if you do not have any UNEXCUSED no-shows. In this case, you would only need to complete 3 credits to achieve the 4-credit research requirement.

You will need to visit "https://edneuro.ua.edu/esprmcpool.html" for information about the pool and to view available studies. You will first need to create an account to use the system. The research requirement must be fulfilled completely (partial credit is not an option). If you fail to complete this requirement, your grade will be reduced by one full letter grade as stated in the Department Policies. Therefore, if a student has a B in the course it will become a C. Be sure to look at a copy of the research participation requirement on the website to make sure you are eligible to participate and will be able to fulfill the requirements.

The research pool will open on 8/29/2024 and will close on 12/1/2024. Therefore, you will need to complete your research participation by 12/1/2024. You can track your progress using the online system.

***Completion of this requirement does not factor into your final grade, but LACK OF COMPLETION will reduce your final grade, per departmental policy***

NOTE: As stated above, if you are uncomfortable participating in research, you have the option of completing an assignment to satisfy the research requirement. If you decide to choose the writing assignment option, please let me know as early as possible in the semester.

Please email [email protected] with any questions or concerns.