TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

LEAD RESEARCHERS FOR TRIAL:

• Kathy Kipp (school contact)
• Ian O’Keeffe
• Vincent Wade

BACKGROUND OF RESEARCH:

This trial is part of a project called SkillTrack! This project is being run by Learnovate, an industry led technology centre associated with Trinity College Dublin. SkillTrack! is a learning application for a tablet device that brings together several technologies and is designed to make learning more interesting and effective for students by supporting the practice, development and self-review of 21st Century/Key Skills (collaboration, communication, creativity, information management, self-management). Specifically, the project is interested in how the Key Skills are identified, defined, exemplified and evaluated by students.

PROCEDURES OF THIS TRIAL:

The trial will be run in conjunction with your student’s school and will make use of a tablet device. Students will use the SkillTrack! app in class (as directed by principal and teachers) to track when they think they are using a Key Skill. They will be shown how to do this by the research team and classroom teacher. Generally, in the app, students will tag the appropriate Key Skill on the tablet device when they think they used it in class. The device will record the tag and either take them back to the home screen or prompt them to answer a short question (if the student does not have time to answer the question, the app allows that option). At a certain point, when the student has tagged each Key Skill enough times, they will reach an exemplar stage that is to be done outside of class. For this stage, they will upload a picture (no faces or names; appropriate examples will be given; a reminder will be given at time of upload; any uploads that contain faces or names will be deleted) that shows evidence of them doing their best work in each Key Skill. They will be asked a series of questions on this example and asked to rate how well they think they do each Key Skill. They will then return to tagging the skills in class. This app will be used for as long as the school determines is necessary (anywhere from two – ten weeks). The research team will be on hand at points during the trial to assist with technology and for informal observation (no recordings) purposes. At the end of the trial, students will be asked some questions regarding their experience of using SkillTrack! in a post-trial questionnaire and may be asked to participate in a focus group. They are not required to answer all of the questions or participate in the focus group, but it will help the researchers if they do.

At the end of the trial, all information entered in to the system will be stored anonymously for use of the research team (it will not contain a name or any other personal details about your student and cannot be linked to them in any way). The school will also receive a copy of the information.

There are no psychological or physiological risks associated with participating in this study.

PUBLICATION:

The results from this trial will be gathered together and analysed. When we have analysed our information, the results may be presented at international conferences and published in journals relevant to the study. (Once again, these publications will not contain a name or any other personal details about your student and cannot be linked to them in any way).

DECLARATION:

• I have read, or had read to me, a document providing information about this research and this consent form. I have had the opportunity to ask questions to the Lead Researcher (contact details below) and all my questions have been answered to my satisfaction and I understand the description of the research that is being provided to me.
• I freely and voluntarily agree for my student to be part of this research study, though without prejudice to their legal and ethical rights.
• I understand that my student may refuse to answer any question and that they may withdraw at any time without penalty.
• I understand that my student’s participation is fully anonymous and that no personal details about them will be recorded.
• I agree that my student’s data (text and uploaded images which contain no faces or names) may be used for scientific purposes and I have no objection that this data is published in scientific publications in a way that does not reveal the identity of my student.
• I understand that if my student makes illicit activities known, these will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
• I understand that if my student or anyone in my family has a history of photo-sensitive epilepsy then they are proceeding at their own risk.
• I have received a copy of this agreement.

RESEARCHER CONTACT DETAILS:

Dr Kathy Kipp,
Learnovate Centre,
Unit 28 Trinity Technology & Enterprise Centre,
Pearse Street,
Dublin 2.
Ireland
Tel: 01-896-4910
Email: kippk@tcd.ie

Kathy Kipp, 05 March 2015