Research Review Board Procedures

    All external persons, entities, agencies, and/or organizations are required to request and receive permission from the Montgomery County Community College Research Review Board prior to conducting any studies involving students, staff, or faculty of the College. The following procedures apply to research projects that are not conducted by or in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment. Projects co-sponsored by a College division or department and approved by the appropriate vice president are exempt from these procedures.

    After receiving the completed request from the researcher, the Research Review Board (RRB) will verify the following items:

    1. The proposed research is compatible with Montgomery County Community College’s mission and is education-related.
    2. The proposal meets the requirements of Protection of Human Subjects (45CFR46).
    3. The results will be disseminated in a fashion which would protect the identity of the participants and, if appropriate, the College. It must be understood that names of individuals will not be used in the study unless the individuals grant permission in writing. The name of Montgomery County Community College will be used only if the RRB grants permission.

    Criteria for Approval

    Individuals requesting authorization to conduct research must follow the attached Proposal Procedures. Each RRB member will review the proposal independently. Approval of the proposal will be based on the following criteria:

    1. Compatibility with the College’s mission and purpose.
    2. Soundness of rationale for conducting the research project.
    3. Soundness of rationale and appropriateness of the sampling, methodology, instrumentation, and treatment of data.
    4. Acceptability of the potential effects the collection of data and the dissemination and use of results may have on Montgomery County Community College students, personnel, operations, and the community.
    5. Evidence of support of other involved individuals or groups internal or external to the College.

    Under certain circumstances, the RRB will submit the request and a recommendation to the appropriate vice president or the president for approval. This submission will occur if the project:

    1. Has political or broad community implications for the college;
    2. Involves established operating procedures and/or board policies;
    3. Involves all or a significant portion of the faculty and/or staff; or
    4. Involves all or a significant portion of the students.

    Timeline and Notification of Approval or Disapproval

    The requestor will be contacted concerning the status of the request within ten working days of receipt of the proposal. If possible, approval or denial of the request will be made at that time. If a delay is necessary, an appropriate timeline will be negotiated with the requestor.

    If a research request is denied, the notification will include the reason(s) for the denial. A revised proposal or sections thereof may be submitted for reconsideration.

    Composition of the Research Review Board

    The RRB will be chaired by the Associate to the President for Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Initiatives and will include: one full-time faculty member familiar with social science research appointed by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; one full-time student affairs professional appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management; and the Director of Institutional Research and Assessment.

    Proposal Instructions

    All persons, entities, agencies, and/or organizations are required to request and receive permission from the Montgomery county Community College Research Review Board prior to conducting any studies involving students, staff, or faculty of the college. The following information shall be provided for research projects that are not conducted by or in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment. Please read the instructions carefully, as incomplete proposals will not be considered.

    Provide a written explanation of your research study in the following format. Proposals not in the required format or that exceed three typed pages (not including appendices) will be returned to the applicant unread.

    1. Researcher Information. Include the name, title, institution, address, phone number, fax number and email address for the principal investigator and any additional researchers involved in the project.
    2. Abstract. Please provide an abstract of the project totaling no more than 200 words. This abstract shall describe the research framework, questions, and purpose. The abstract shall also include a summary of the methodology including strategies that will be used to protect human subjects.
    3. Sample selection. Please state who your subjects will be and how you will enlist their participation.
      1. If you will go into classes, please specify how you will gain access to those classes and how you will gain consent of subjects, including how you will insure anonymity.
      2. If you will use staff or faculty, please specify how you will gain access to staff and how you will gain consent of subjects, including how you will insure anonymity.
      3. Describe any selection characteristics (i.e., race, age, disability status, academic level, major) that you will use to select your subjects. Include an explanation as to why these characteristics are necessary for selection purposes.
    4. Procedures. Please state exactly what you intend to do with subjects.
      1. Include a sample of the survey instrument or other data gathering devise you plan to administer to the subjects.
      2. Explain how your data will be analyzed and what benefit will be gained from your employing this particular methodology.
    5. Confidentiality. Please explain how you will ensure the confidentiality of subjects from data collection through data analysis. How and to whom will this information be disseminated? What will happen to the data once the study is over? The College reserves the right to request a copy of the research results.
    6. Please indicate what resources Montgomery County Community College is expected to provide in order to ensure completion of the study.

    Please include a final copy of any survey and all consent forms in the Appendix.

    Completed proposals and supporting documents should be sent to

    Dr. Kathrine Swanson, Chair
    Research Review Board
    Montgomery County Community College
    340 DeKalb Pike
    Blue Bell, PA 19422
    kswanson@mc3.edu