Zine workshop Informed Consent Information Sheet

Today’s workshop is linked to a larger research project entitled: Raising Awareness, Raising Aspiration (RARA): A Targeted Personal Tutoring Support Programme for Narrowing Gaps in Student Attainment

This information sheet summarises the intentions of the RARA project and how it is linked to today’s zine making workshop. Please read through this information sheet in your own time and feel free to speak to any of the facilitators should you have any questions.

Principal Investigator: Samuel Dent

Email:

Telephone: 0114 222 1715

  1. Background information
  1. The workshop today is linked to wider study into Personal Tutoring (PT), which will be the topic of discussion today. The study aims to collect data to research the role of personal tutoring in your institution.

One aim of the RARA project is to develop an ‘alternative guide to personal tutoring’, which is created for students, by students. This workshop aims to inform the content the alternative guides by facilitating discussions about personal tutoring and attainment gaps. Data collected during the workshop (e.g. written notes and comment cards) may be used to inform the wider research project, if you provide consent for your data to contribute to the project. If you choose to attend this workshop you will be provided with a consent form and asked to indicate which data, if any, you consent to be included in the research project. If you choose not to contribute to the research, you will still be able to attend the workshop. If you have any questions regarding this workshop, the research project or data collection, please see one of the workshop facilitators.

  1. This project has been funded by HEFCE and is being conducted March 2017-2019.
  1. The project will be conducted across 3 institutions, including The University of Sheffield, King’s College London, and the University of Portsmouth.
  1. Purpose of the study
  1. The overall aim of this project is to develop an approach to improving the quality of personal tutoring for all students in the faculty, with a particular view to narrowing attainment and success gaps for students from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups and from lower socio-economic backgrounds. For example, research by the Equalities Challenge Unit shows a 16% gap nationally in first degree attainment. The project hypothesises that effective personal tutoring will benefit all students, but particularly students from these backgrounds.
  1. The objective of this workshop is to develop an ‘alternative guide’ to personal tutorial that is created by students, for students, and can be used alongside existing student handbooks. These workshops also aim to inform the development of training materials and frameworks to support personal tutors.
  1. How will I be involved?
  1. You are being asked to participate in a workshop which should last no more than 1.5 hours.
  1. You can end your participation in the workshop at any time, by telling the facilitator.
  1. Participation in this workshop is voluntary, un-related to your programme of study and academic progression. Participation or withdrawal from this study will not influence any processes involved in your study or role as a student at the university.
  1. During the workshop you will have the opportunity to write and submit anonymous comments for any of the ‘opinion boxes’ that have been placed around the room. Comments may include feedback on the event or comments concerning the topics of discussion.Should you decide to submit any comments, the data collected from the anonymous opinion boxes may be used to inform the development of future activities, training materials linked to the wider RARA project and may be summarised in the project report (e.g., anonymised quotations).
  1. During the group discussion activities, you will be asked to make notes to help to inform the content of your alternative guides (e.g. on sticky notes or flipchart paper). The facilitators supporting the discussions/workshop may ask your permission to take a photograph of the notes that you have made and you may be asked to hand-in your notes at the end of the workshop. Should you choose to provide your notes and/or a photograph of your notes, you will not be personally identifiable by the notes/photograph of the notes you provide. Data from the workshop notes may be used to inform the development of future activities, training materials linked to the wider RARA project and may be summarised in the project report (e.g., anonymised quotations or images of notes).
  1. Zine fair and competition

Any student registered at the University of Sheffield is eligible to enter the zine competition for a chance to win a prize and for a publishing opportunity to disseminate their ‘alternative guide to personal tutoring’ across the university. Should you decide to enter the competition, it will be reviewed by a judging panel and may be invited to pitch your creation at a zine fair. If you have the opportunity to pitch your zine at a fair, attendees of the fair will be able to vote for their favourite zine. Attendees may include fellow students and staff from the university. Winning zines will be disseminated across the university and zine-creators will each receive a £50 shopping voucher. For more information about the zine fair or competition, please speak to a workshop facilitator.

  1. What happens if I want to withdraw from the research?
  1. If you change your mind about participating you may withdraw at any time, up to four weeks from the date of your participation, by contacting the Principal Investigator (contact details at start of document). You do not need to provide a reason for withdrawing. Should you decide to withdraw your data, all information you have provided, except comments added to the anonymous opinion box, will be destroyed. As the comments added to the opinion box will be anonymous, it will not be possible to identify or remove your comments once they have been submitted. If you decide to enter the zine competition, it may not be possible to anonymise your contribution.
  1. How will the information be used?
  1. This workshop has received ethical approval from The University of Sheffield Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 019004) as well as the wider RARA project (Ref: 013259).
  1. The information from this research will primarily be used to inform the development of future activities, training materials linked to the wider RARA project and may be summarised in the project report (e.g., anonymised quotations).
  1. The data you share during the workshop may also be used to inform the evaluation of the project, which will be disseminated in conference papers, publications, and formal reports.
  1. Data will be retained until 2024 when the evaluation of the project will be complete
  1. Data may also be subjected to secondary analysis for project specific research projects approved by the project steering board
  1. All personal details will be removed from the data or made anonymous before publication outside of the designated researchers supporting the work of the project.
  1. All information will be kept confidential, unless you disclose information which highlights a direct risk of harm to yourself or others, at which point the researcher is ethically bound to disclose this to an appropriate authority such as the Police, or Medical Authorities.
  1. Further information
  1. For further information on the project overall please consult the project website:
  1. If you would like any other information about this research, or if you have any questions about the information I have given, please contact Emma Broglia Email: lephone: 0114 222 1202
  1. If you would like to speak about any concerns about the research or conduct, please contact the following independent person:AmerjitBasi Tel. 0114 222 1216 Email

Information sheet/07.03.2018