Dear colleagues,
Do you teach online? Do you use open pedagogy in those classes? Do you use open pedagogy in those classes to support social justice?
If so, you may be interested in participating in a study about experiences of online KPU faculty in using open pedagogy to support social justice.
The principal investigator, Melissa Ashman, is a faculty member in the Melville School of Business at KPU, and she is conducting this study in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Athabasca University.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please email melissa.ashman(a)kpu.ca saying “I agree to participate in this study” (or something similar). This will indicate you have read the description of the study below, accept the invitation to participate in the study, and agree to the terms as described.
Project title: Online faculty experiences using open pedagogy to support social justice Project Principal Investigator: Melissa Ashman
Athabasca University REB file number: 25806
Kwantlen Polytechnic University REB file number: 2024-24
Study participants. This study explores the experiences of KPU faculty who teach online classes using open pedagogy to support social justice. Therefore, to participate, you:
* must be currently employed as a faculty member in any discipline at KPU
* may be employed at KPU part-time or full-time
* may be employed at KPU with a short-term contract (non-regular type 1), a long-term contract (non-regular type 2), or may have permanent status (regularized)
* must be currently teaching one or more online classes in which you use open pedagogy to support social justice, and/or may have taught in one or more online classes in the past where you used open pedagogy to support social justice, and/or may be scheduled to teach in one or more online classes in an upcoming semester where you will use open pedagogy to support social justice
For the purposes of this study:
* Online courses can include courses that are synchronous, asynchronous, blended, or that are otherwise mediated through an internet connection.
* Open pedagogy can include (but is not limited to) students creating or co-creating open resources, open content, H5P resources, or open textbooks; creating resources for a community or client; creating teachable content or resources for students; blogging; podcasting; or creating or co-creating a rubric.
Study description. Participating in this study will involve being interviewed twice by the principal investigator. The interviews will be private/one-on-one and will be held virtually through MS Teams. Each interview is anticipated to require a time commitment of 60-90 minutes (2-3 hours total), and each interview will be recorded and then transcribed. The interviews will collect information about your experiences using open pedagogy in online courses to support social justice. The principal investigator will work with each study participant to determine the interview days/times.
Voluntary participation. Your participation in this research project is completely voluntary. Refusal to participate in this study will not impact our relationship as colleagues.
Full withdrawal of consent. If you choose to withdraw from an interview in full, any information you have shared in that interview will be deleted and will not used in the analysis of the data. You can inform the researcher of your full withdrawal either verbally or by sending an email. You can fully withdraw consent for the first interview at any time until you have reviewed the first interview transcript. This will be scheduled to take place at the beginning of the second interview. However, should you wish to not participate in a second interview or are otherwise unavailable to participate in a second interview, you will have one week from the date the researcher provides you with a digital copy of your first interview transcript to withdraw your full consent. No response to a request to review your first interview transcript will be assumed to indicate consent remains intact and in full. Full withdrawal from the second interview is possible only until one week from the date the researcher provides you with a digital copy of your second interview transcript for review. No response to a request to review your second interview transcript will be assumed to indicate consent remains intact and in full.
Partial withdrawal of consent. After each interview, you will have an opportunity to review the transcript to see if there are any portions you withdraw consent from being included. If you choose to withdraw one or more portions of your interviews, any information that is being withdrawn will be deleted and will not used in the analysis of the data. You can inform the researcher which portions you withdraw either verbally or by sending an email. Partial withdrawal from the first interview is possible only you have reviewed the first interview transcript. This will be scheduled to take place at the beginning of the second interview. However, should you wish to not participate in a second interview or are otherwise unavailable to participate in a second interview, you will have one week from the date the researcher provides you with a digital copy of your first interview transcript to partially withdraw your consent. No response to a request to review your first interview transcript will be assumed to indicate consent remains intact and in full. Partial withdrawal from the second interview is possible only until one week from the date the researcher provides you with a digital copy of your second interview transcript to review. No response to a request to review your second interview transcript will be assumed to indicate consent remains intact and in full.
Risks. There are no known physical risks to participating in this research project. However, because the study is collecting data pertaining to your lived experience, it is possible that sensitive topics could be discussed, potentially resulting in emotional distress. Should this happen, you may find it helpful and supportive to access the free KPU Employee and Family Assistance Program at https://kpuemp.sharepoint.com/sites/hr/benefits/SitePages/Homewood%20Health….<https://kpuemp.sharepoint.com/sites/hr/benefits/SitePages/Homewood%20Health…>
Benefits. KPU faculty members who participate in the study will have the opportunity to share their experiences in using open pedagogy to support social justice in their online classes, and this information could then potentially be used by university administrators to improve support for open pedagogy and social justice. Additionally, participants may have a better understanding of their own teaching practices and positionality, which can potentially help facilitate their own further reflection and professional development as a post-secondary educator.
Compensation. No compensation is provided for participating in this study.
Confidentiality, data retention, and data security. Your privacy and confidentiality will be protected throughout this study. You are encouraged to use headphones and a private space when you are being interviewed. Electronic data collected by the principal investigator will be stored on secure servers located in Canada at Athabasca University and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Information you provide will be de-identified, anonymous, and kept confidential. During the analysis of the data, pseudonyms will be assigned to the participants, and names of courses, course codes, or other information that could directly or indirectly be used to identify participants will be anonymized and de-identified. The study results will be used, presented, and published by the principal investigator in partial fulfillment of the degree of Doctor of Education at Athabasca University. As well, the anonymized results of this research may be presented at workshops, conferences, and/or in publications.
Data collected in support of this research project will be retained for a period of five years following the completion of the study (anticipated completion: December 2025).
Persons to contact. If you have questions about the study, you may contact:
· the principal investigator, Melissa Ashman, at melissa.ashman(a)kpu.ca
· KPU Research Ethics Board at 604.599.3163 or reb(a)kpu.ca (quoting file number 2024-24)
· Athabasca University Research Ethics Board at 780.213.2033 or rebsec(a)athabascau.ca (quoting file number 25806)
You are welcome to print or save a copy of this consent form for your own records, if you would like.
As mentioned, if you are interested in participating in this study, please email melissa.ashman(a)kpu.ca with “I agree to participate in this study” (or something similar). This will indicate you have read the description of the study, accept the invitation to participate in the study, and agree to the terms as described.
Thank you for your support in considering this request.
Kind regards,
Melissa
Melissa Ashman, BSc, MA (she / her / hers)
Instructor, Applied Communications (CMNS), Entrepreneurial Leadership (ENTR), and Public Relations (PRLN)
Melville School of Business
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
melissa.ashman(a)kpu.ca<mailto:melissa.ashman@kpu.ca>
At KPU we work, study, and live in a region south of the Fraser River which overlaps with the unceded traditional and ancestral lands of the qw̓ ɑ:nƛ̓ ə̓ n̓ (Kwantlen), xwməθkwəyə̓ m (Musqueam), qi̓ cə̓ y̓ (Katzie), SEMYOME (Semiahmoo), scə̓ waθən (Tsawwassen), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), and kwikwəƛə̓ m (Kwikwetlem) Peoples.
