TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
SkillTrack! PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM

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 you the students.

PROCEDURES OF THIS TRIAL: The trial will be run in conjunction with your school and will make use of your tablet device. You will use the SkillTrack! app in class (as directed by your principal and teachers) to track when you think you were doing one of the Key Skills (collaboration, communication, creativity, information management, self-management). You will be shown how to do this by the research team and with your teacher. Generally, you will tag the appropriate skill on your tablet device when you think you used it to do something in class. The device will record your tag and either take you back to the home screen or prompt you to answer a short question (if you do not have time to answer the question, the app allows you that option). At a certain point, when you have tagged each Key Skill enough times, you will reach an exemplar stage that is to be done outside of class. For this stage, you will upload a picture (of something you made, used, wrote, etc.; no faces or names may be captured in the image) that shows an example of you doing your best work in each Key Skill. You will be asked a series of questions on this example and asked to rate how well you think you do each Key Skill. You will then return to tagging the skills in class. This app will be used for as long as your school determines it 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, you will be asked some questions regarding your experience of using SkillTrack! in a post-trial questionnaire and you may be asked to participate in a focus group. You do not need to answer all of the questions or participate in the focus group if you do not want to but it will help the researchers if you do.

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

You may withdraw from this trial at any time without penalty. 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 (it will not contain your name or any other personal details about you and cannot be linked to you in any way).

DECLARATION:
• I have read, or someone has read to me, a document giving information about this research project and this consent form.
• I have been able to ask questions of the Lead Researchers (contact details below) and I am happy with the answers.
• I agree to be part of this research study.
• I understand that I don’t have to answer any question and that I can stop being part of the study at any time if I wish to.
• I understand that no personal details about me will be recorded.
• I agree that information and results from this project (text and images which contain no faces or names) may be used for scientific purposes and published in scientific publications.
• I understand that if I see or experience anything unsuitable or offensive to me (for example in a website), I must report it immediately to my teacher or parent/guardian and it will then be reported to the appropriate authorities.
• I understand that if I make illicit activities known, this will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
• I understand that if I or anyone in my family has a history of photo-sensitive epilepsy then I am proceeding at my own risk.

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

Researcher’s SIGNATURE: Date: