Fill in All the Fields in the Application Form Below (Usetab to Move to the Next Field)

Fill in all the fields in the Application Form below (UseTab to move to the next field). Save the document with a different file name. Email the document (as an attachment) to: Gary Hodge, IRB Chair, ghodge@ccccd .edu .

Collin Institutional Review Board (for Human Subjects Research) Application Form

Principal Investigator: Sonja L. Andrus

Contact Office: CPC A219b

Phone Number and 9725486595 email [email protected]

Co-Investigators: None

Project Title: No Longer Just Visiting the Borderland: A Case Study of First-Year Composition Instruction at a Two-Year College

Faculty Sponsor: N/A

Collin Project Number:

1. State the overall objectives and specific aims of the research.

This project is my dissertation project through the Texas A&M University – Commerce Department of Literature and Languages. I am seeking research in the form of a case study of the department of English, particularly the first-year composition program, here at Collin County Community College District (Collin County CCD) in an effort to explore a standard two-year college English program whose composition practices and theories are in the midst of major change. The study will look at the backgrounds of those teaching English full-time in our program, what perceptions those full-time instructors have of the description and practice of teaching writing in the 1301 & 1302 classes, and what theories the instructors believe influence their practices in order to draw a clearer image of the face of two-year college English instruction. For too long, the four-year college (and particularly in the graduate schools) perception of the two-year college English program, particularly in composition, has represented the faculty as prison wardens who practice futile grammar (skill-and-drill) instruction rather than informed, theoretical practice. The overall objective of this research project is to clarify whether or not that outsider’s view of the two-year college is justified.

2. Who are the subjects and how will they be recruited? Attach letters of approval if access to subjects is sought from clinics or other agencies.

Subjects of the case-study are full-time faculty members teaching first- and second-semester composition courses at the three main campuses (SCC, CPC, and PRC) of Collin County CCD. The subjects will be recruited through an email request, which will include the informed consent form. That form should be printed out, completed, signed, and returned to me via inter-office mail. 3. Attach informed consent form. Informed Consent

Please read the following very carefully, selecting the appropriate answers to the questions that follow. Sign, date, and return the form to the researcher as indicated below.

This form is for voluntary inclusion or exclusion from a research study underway, being conducted by Sonja L. Andrus, professor of English at Collin County Community College (CCCCD) and graduate student in the Ph.D. program in the department of Literature and Languages at Texas A&M University – Commerce. The study involves the collection of survey data of all willing full-time English faculty members, as well as case study interviews, observations, and data collection on four willing full-time English faculty members.

The purpose of the research project will be to investigate the myriad methods of instruction within the English department at CCCCD and the ways a few specific instructors interpret the roles of the 1301 and 1302 courses, their learning objectives, and the intended outcomes. The research conducted will be included in the primary researcher’s dissertation project through Texas A&M University – Commerce.

Data will be collected through observations of classroom materials, interviews of case study participants, surveys of faculty members, and possibly observations of instructor-based comments on student papers (submitted to the primary researcher while maintaining student anonymity). Dates of participation will include the Fall 2005 semester and the Spring 2006 semester (August 2005 through May 2006). Participants will be interviewed and surveyed in their own offices or in a mutually acceptable location, and the interviews and surveys will be kept confidential from other participants. Contact between the primary researcher and the participants will be through telephone calls, email messages, campus mail, and through person- to-person (face-to-face) interaction.

The primary researcher will send the survey tool to those who are willing to participate through campus mail, and will collect survey responses through the same medium. The survey data will be entered into a database and spreadsheet for statistical and qualitative analyses. The information will be available for access by interested participants after the analyses have been run and names and other identifiers have been removed.

Participants can expect to spend, on average, about 30 to 60 minutes completing the requested survey. Case study participants may spend approximately four hours per month with the primary researcher.

Participation in this research is completely voluntary. Participants may opt out of the research study at any time by contacting the primary researcher and requesting, in writing, exclusion from the study. There is no penalty for opting out of the research study. The primary researcher may choose to exclude a participant from the study without the participant’s consent if the participant’s employment with CCCCD is terminated during the course of the study. Should information or findings developed during the course of the study be pertinent to those participating, and should that information be of the nature that some participants might wish to be excluded from the study based upon that new information, the information will be delivered via campus mail or email to study participants.

Questions about the research project may be addressed to the primary researcher at any time. The primary researcher may be contacted through the following methods: phone—972/548-6595 or 972/548-3978; email – [email protected]; and snail mail at 2920 Coventry Lane, McKinney, TX 75069 or 2200 West university Dr., McKinney, TX 75070.

The primary researcher can foresee no physical risks or discomforts to the participants. Furthermore, the primary researcher hopes to set at ease the minds of those participants who are concerned about psychological risks and/or discomforts, as the researcher cannot reasonably foresee any risks or damages and hopes to forestall any possible risks or damages through careful planning of contact between self and participants, reasonable anonymity of participants (no names will be used).

There is no cost to participate in the research study. Neither will those participating in the research study will not benefit financially or academically from participation in the study. Those participating may benefit, however, from the self-reflexive nature of the survey questionnaire and/or the case study interviews. The project is intended to showcase a community college English department in actuality, the “current” views of community college English programs in the larger academic community, and the prevalent theories, pedagogies, and practices within the community college English program community, based upon leaders in the field of composition studies and Two-Year Colleges (TYC).

During the study, names will be collected with data for the purposes of allowing the removal of data from participants who might, for any reason, wish to be excluded from the research study. However, no names will be published in the dissertation or any subsequent work resulting from the dissertation project. Survey results will be reported in terms of overall percentages, relating information in groups designated by age of degree and/or field of study of faculty member participants. The case studies will be reported using pseudonyms.

Should questions concerning the research project, subject rights, or the IRB arise, please contact the departmental IRB Chairperson, Dr. Jon Jonz, at [email protected] or 903/886- 5252 or the university IRB Chairperson, Dr. Tracy Henley, at tracy_henley@tamu- commerce.edu. No foreseeable injuries should arise from study; however, should an injury occur, please contact the primary researcher for assistance in dealing with the care related to the injury. ------

Please read the following, answering the questions appropriately. Then sign and date the form, and return just this portion of this form to the primary researcher as indicated above.

Do you wish to participate in the survey portion of the research study as described above? YES NO Do you understand the methods by which you may opt out of the study? YES NO Would you be willing to participate in the case study portion of the research project? YES NO

Your Name: ______Date: ______

Signature: ______

4. Describe the procedures to be used, especially any experimental and interventional procedures. If deception is used, explain clearly what this entails. Subjects for the research project will be recruited through the department, as only full-time faculty members are considered possible subjects for this project. Subjects will self-select participation, and may opt out at any time without penalty, through the informed consent form. Those who agree to participate in the project will be asked to complete a survey via email. Those who are willing to participate in the case study will be notified of selection or non-selection for the case study via email.

Data from the surveys will be collected, tallied, and reviewed through qualitative and quantitative (statistical analysis) methods. Data will be run using the rules of analysis and computer aided-analysis programs, such as Microsoft Excel. No “control” group is necessary because the study is focusing on the responses to questions about individual teaching practices and philosophies, and seeks only to prepare an outline representation of a single department in the midst of a changing field of English studies.

The researcher will meet in person with those selected for the case study for an initial interview, scheduled at the convenience of the subject. Interview questions will be based upon the instructor-based responses to the survey. Questions will continue to develop in the natural, organic ways that case studies tend to evolve through interaction and experience. However, the questions will focus on classroom theory, practice, and experience; epistemologies; rhetorical theory and practice; and theories of pedagogy for first-year composition.

Following initial data collection, the researcher will determine if further surveys are necessary. Following the initial interview with case study subjects, the researcher will schedule meetings and follow-up interviews with the subjects, as well as schedules for sharing course materials and professional development plans/materials. Case study subjects will be asked to donate not more than 4 hours per month to the researcher, and non-case study subjects will be asked to donate not more than 1 hour per month to the researcher through the completion of surveys. The researcher will make available all study findings at four-month intervals for the study subjects and participants. Follow-up meetings will be scheduled for those persons interested in discussing the findings and the implications of said findings, as well as the proposed use of the information in the formal and final dissertation.

5. What risks are faced by subjects participating in this research, e.g., injury, pain, emotional distress, or invasion of privacy? What measures will be taken to minimize these risks? The researcher foresees no physical or social risk associated with participation in the study. Psychological risks may include pressure of time constraints for those subjects agreeing to participate but who have little to no spare time for the study. The researcher will attempt to give ample time for survey responses and will schedule case study meetings and appointments at the convenience of the subjects. Emotional and legal risks are not foreseen. In “Evaluating Writing Programs in Real Time: The Politics of Remediation,” Barbara Gleason performed a similar study, in which she surveyed and met with faculty members. Gleason chose to meet with students to discuss their responses to the programs of study she investigated, which is one difference in the research project proposed by this researcher and the example being offered here. Gleason found that subjects incurred no harm of any kind during the case study. (Gleason, Barbara. “Evaluating Writing Programs in Real Time: The Politics of Remediation.” College Composition and Communication 51.4 (June 2000): 560- 88.)

6. What are the worst-case scenarios, and how do you plan to deal with them? How will any adverse effects on subjects be handled or remedied?

Worst-case scenarios may include: A) Case-study participant reveals information about other faculty members (personal or about their teaching practices) that would be considered private or that might endanger that other professional’s position in the department should the information be released through the project. The researcher does not plan to report any information about instructors’ practices that has not been gathered first-hand from said instructor. Any information received from third parties will be disregarded as hear-say and considered irrelevant to the project. B) Case-study participant reveals personal information about him/herself that would be considered private/privileged or that might endanger the professional’s position in the department if revealed in the study. The researcher will not include any personal information about any participants in the study. Additionally, the case-study participants will not be named in the study, thus protecting each participant’s anonymity and confidentiality.

C) Case-study participant reveals a practice in his/her classroom that stands in opposition to college or departmental policy or is illegal. The researcher will advise the participant of the college and/or departmental policies during the interview. The researcher will report to the her supervisor that a workshop on said policy may be in order, without revealing the manner in which or person from whom this information was obtained. Should said revelation from participant be an illegal action, the researcher will stop the interview, indicate to the participant that such action is illegal, advise the participant to seek additional counselling from college/departmental supervisors, and end the participant’s case-study.

7. Will there be any costs to be borne by subjects by virtue of their participation in this research? Will there be any compensation or reimbursement to subjects in this research (i.e. monetary payments, course credit, services etc.)?

No cost. Since there is no cost to the participant, no reimbursement is needed. No compensation will be provided.

8. What are the likely benefits of this research to the subjects as well as to society? Participants in this study will find self-reflective practice benefits their own teaching and learning since they will be asked to closely evaluate the reasons and methods used in their composition courses. Society will benefit locally from improved teaching and heightened awareness in our composition courses.

9. Describe any other aspects of the research that may have a bearing on its ethical status.

Since all data will be collected anonymously in the initial survey, and since case-study participants will self-select from that initial survey and then be reported anonymously in the final document, the researcher can see no ethical dilemma in asking full-time English faculty to participate in said study.

Attach proof that investigators have completed computer-based training on the Protection of Human Subjects - http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp

Completion Certificate This is to certify that sonja andrus has completed the Human Participants Protection Education for Research Teams online course, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), on 10/10/2006. This course included the following:

 key historical events and current issues that impact guidelines and legislation on human participant protection in research.  ethical principles and guidelines that should assist in resolving the ethical issues inherent in the conduct of research with human participants.  the use of key ethical principles and federal regulations to protect human participants at various stages in the research process.  a description of guidelines for the protection of special populations in research.  a definition of informed consent and components necessary for a valid consent.  a description of the role of the IRB in the research process.  the roles, responsibilities, and interactions of federal agencies, institutions, and researchers in conducting research with human participants.

National Institutes of Health http://www.nih.gov

Principal Investigator: Sonja Andrus

Contact Address: 9725486595 [email protected]

Phone Number

Co-Investigators: none

Project Title: No Longer Just Visiting the Borderland: A Case Study of First-Year Composition Instruction at a Two-Year College

Sponsor: N/A

Grant Number: N/A

Grant Start Date: Grant End Date:

Collin Project Number: 2006-2

Is this a “New” or “Continuing” Project

Date of Submission: 10-12-2006

Date of Resubmission (if applicable): ------For Official Use Only Reference Number: IRB process:  Exempt X Expedited Review  Full Review IRB decision: X Approved  Not Approved  Conditionally Approved Comments: (attach additional sheets as necessary)

Gary Hodge 10-17-2006 IRB chair or Representative Date

* IRB approval is granted only for human subjects research conducted by Collin faculty, staff, or students on or off campus. Significant changes in design or procedures must be discussed with the IRB chair or representative. Periodic reviews of ongoing research are also expected. Any unexpected adverse effects of the research on human subjects should be reported to the IRB chair immediately.