Institutional Review Board Basics for Pedagogy Research

Abstract

The institutional review board (IRB) process is often protracted and can be a source of frustration, especially when you want your research and publications to move apace. However, because of historical events, the IRB is an important requirement for conducting research with human participants and is regulated by federal oversite. When conducting research as part of a pedagogical study, it is important to identify which level of IRB review (exempt, expedited, or full board) is required. The purpose of this article is to highlight IRB basics within the United States for pedagogy research. Although there are guidelines internationally, this article specifically focuses on U.S. IRBs, including a brief history of the IRB, pedagogical and community-based participatory research, IRB review, tips for IRB submissions, and example case studies.

Message from the Editor-in-Chief: Celebrating 10 Years of Pedagogy in Health Promotion: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

“…This evidence enables readers to interpret findings and conclusions as well as make judgments about the relevance of the work to their own teaching (Cavalcanti de Aguiar, 2017; Merzel, 2022b). Another important aspect of SoTL is awareness of ethical and institutional review board standards pertaining to educational research (Boling et al, 2018).…”