Please download the hard-copy version of these requirements and sign/date it at the bottom. That will let us know that you really read everything and agreed to the rules! You should return your signed sheet to Laura.
- Before you can start running subjects in the pod, the following things need to happen:
– You need to have IRB approval to work in the pod. You must have your OWN IRB protocol for your research studies. In addition to meeting the IRB’s requirements for research protocols, your protocols must comply with all of the Pod-specific requirements described on the page on our site about obtaining IRB approval. All key personnel on your project must also be listed on your protocol. After obtaining IRB approval for your research and before you begin running subjects, you must send the approval letter, the research protocol, and all of your consent materials to Cynthia Clopper (.1) who will confirm that you have complied with all Pod-specific IRB requirements.
– All personnel need to attend a COSI “onboarding” training session. This training will provide you with general information about working at the museum. The training sessions are held a few times a month and Laura can provide you with upcoming dates. We expect that all personnel in the pod will complete their onboarding within the first term (at most, second term) of data collection at the pod.
– All personnel need to attend a pod-specific training session. This training will give you and your team a tour of the pod and make sure that you receive all of the information that you need to do your work in the pod. We strongly recommend that your entire team take the tour together. These sessions are scheduled with Laura.
– All personnel need to obtain an access pass for the pod. In general, you should get a pass from the COSI security office (on the ground floor by the loading docks). Please provide Laura with the 5 digit code on your pass so that we can keep track of everyone.
- As part of running a study, we expect you to do the following:
– All pod faculty need to complete their pod tracking sheets for each term (Fall, Spring, and Summer). You will be sent links to some google forms at the beginning of each term and you are expected to provide the information in a timely manner. You will be asked to provide some basic information about the participants you ran in the prvious term (we want to know how many you ran and if possible, some demographic info about them);, and to provide informaiton about your upcoming research plans; You will be asked to document your IRB status (including providing a protocol number and your approval date); You will be asked to provide basic information about all of the RA’s who are workin with you. In addition, you will be asked to affirm that you’ve been living up to the pod’s rules and to reflect on how you will continue to do so.
– You need to have your debriefing materials approved. You should send your materials to Kathryn Campbell-Kibler (.1) for approval for every study before you begin running subjects. For information and sample debriefing brochures, please see the page on our site about debriefing.
– All personnel need to enter their hours on the cosipods Google calendar. During semesters where many people want to work in the pod, you may be asked to send in your hours preferences to the pod committee before starting, and you may be asked to restrict your hours in the pod to accommodate others. Also, be aware that the Google calendar may be used to track faculty hours to ensure faculty have met their pod commitments. Please make sure the calendar accurately reflects when you are in the pod.
– Provide a Study Reference sheet about your study. This sheet is a resource for the students in the 5700 course and helps them recruit participants for your study. Sample Study Reference Sheet.
- What we expect from every faculty member working in the pod:
(BE AWARE: Every study in the pod MUST have a faculty sponsor who has agreed to fulfill these obligations.)
– Faculty sponsors are expected to do everything listed above in items 1 and 2 – including ALL training.
– Faculty sponsors are expected to provide 20 hours of time per semester to the pod. These hours may be spent working in the pod itself and can involve assisting with data collection or can simply involve being a general presence in the pod. It is expected that when you are present in the pod that you will keep a general eye on the students and will trouble-shoot problems as they arise and provide guidance as needed to make sure all students are behaving optimally with visitors.
These hours can also be spent on outreach activities with COSI visitors, for example, by staffing educational fair booths or simply by doing demonstrations with visitors on the floor. Time spent doing outreach activities will count DOUBLE (i.e. you only need to do half as much). If you start your research late in the semester, you may negotiate a reduced hour requirement with the pod committee.
As noted above, these hours may be tracked using the cosipod Google calendar, so please make sure the calendar accurately reflects the time you have spent in the pod.
– Faculty sponsors are expected to be present in the pod when their personnel first begin running subjects. You are responsible for making sure that your personnel are adequately trained and to personally monitor their initial recruitment and running efforts within the pod. We expect faculty to work in the pod approximately 4 – 5 hours on training/monitoring of their team during the first 1 – 2 weeks of running for EACH study that you conduct. You may count up to 5 initial training hours towards your total pod hours requirement.
Please note that we hold faculty responsible for anything that their research assistants damage or put into disarray. You are expected to make sure your personnel conform to all pod guidelines and rules, such as keeping their hours accurate on the calendar, keeping the space clean, etc.
– Faculty sponsors will contribute a sweat equity project to the pod. The specific project will be chosen in consultation with the pod committee, and we expect each faculty member to contribute around 1 such project for each year they make use of the pod.
Some possible projects are these:
- creating new general slides for the pod
- creating a new demonstration
- teaching the 5700 pod course
- expanding current recruitment efforts
- writing a proposal to fund pod activity
- For graduate student/post-docs working in the pod:
– All non-faculty researchers MUST have a faculty sponsor who takes on ALL of the faculty responsibilities, including giving 20 hours to the pod, ensuring that all personnel conform to the rules, and contributing a sweat equity project. Graduate students having trouble finding a sponsor are encouraged to contact the pod committee for assistance.
- Consequences:
– If a researcher doesn’t do everything listed in item 1, he or she cannot start work in the pod.
– If a researcher and his/her personnel don’t adhere to basic pod rules, they will be warned. If problems persist after 1 warning, the pod committee may kick a researcher out of the pod completely.
– If a faculty member doesn’t make a good faith effort to meet the hours requirement during a term, he or she will be warned. If the problem persists after 1 warning, the pod committee may kick a faculty member out of the pod completely.
– If a faculty member doesn’t make a good faith effort to create a sweat equity project during 12 months of pod use, he or she will not be eligible to work in the pod until the project is finished.