MCD6040 Tutorial 6
THE EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
A copy of the research questions and the Explanatory Statement will need to be attached to the final research report. You will be assessed on how well you have designed the research project's questions and how well you have written the Explanatory Statement. Hence, your attendance/viewing of Week 6's materials is important.
 
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT TEMPLATE
 Project: (Title)

Chief   Investigator’s name:                           Company: Phone: email:

  You are invited to take part in this study.  Please read this Explanatory Statement in full before deciding whether or not to participate in this research. If you would like further information regarding any aspect of this project, you are encouraged to contact the researchers via the phone numbers or email addresses listed above.
 What does the research involve?
Explain the aim of the study.
Explain what the participants will be asked to do, and how much time it will take.
Why were you chosen for this research?
Describe why you chose this particular person/group of participants and how (from whom?) you obtained their contact details.
Source of funding (optional)
Declare the source of funding and any conflict of interest of sponsors or researchers
Consenting to participate in the project and withdrawing from the research
Explain the participant’s right to withdraw from further participation at any stage, along with any implications of withdrawal, and whether it will be possible to withdraw data.  For example, if the project involves the submission of an anonymous questionnaire, it should be explained clearly that it will not be possible to withdraw data once they have submitted the responses.
Possible benefits and risks to participants (optional)
Describe the presence or absence of possible benefits for participants and/or society.
Describe any potential level of inconvenience and/or discomfort to the participant.
List all possible or reasonably foreseeable risks of harm or side-effects to the potential participants (outlining likely incidence and severity). Include any risk that may come from others identifying the person’s participation in the research.  This information must be included so that potential participants can give genuinely informed consent to take part.
Services on offer if adversely affected (optional)
Include a list of services and contact details who are not related to the researchers/research team. For example, if you were conducting a survey into depression, you might list counselling services available, such as Lifeline or Beyond Blue, or Monash College counsellors.

Confidentiality
Describe how you will manage the confidentiality or anonymity of the data you have collected and how you will manage the information when published.  If applicable, mention use of pseudonyms/codes etc.
Results
Include a statement to explain where and when the results will be made available, and how the participants can access the findings.
 
Complaints
Should you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of the project, you are welcome to contact______________________________.
 
 
Insert chief investigator’s signature
  
Chief Investigator’s name
 

SAMPLE EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Perceptions on the impact of design and implementation of  Global Engagement (GE) in Higher Education 

Dear Participants,
You are cordially invited to take part in this study.  Please read this Explanatory Statement in full before deciding whether or not to participate in this research. If you would like further information regarding any aspect of this project, you are encouraged to contact the Chief Investigator via the phone number or email address listed above.
Overview and aims of the survey
A recent series of collaborative inter-institutional symposia (February/September 2013) within an Australasian context highlighted the attraction of embedding global engagement as a mainstream curriculum [http://profiles.arts.monash.edu.au/matthew-piscioneri/creating-spaces-symposium/][http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-nbPJt_G0c&feature=youtu.be]. However, the symposia also brought to the fore concerns about the impact of a global engagement curriculum on teachers, learners and the global community at large. This research project focuses particularly on the perceptions of higher education professionals (teachers, student services professionals and senior managers, for example) about the impact of design and implementation of the global engagement curriculum on teachers and teaching practice. We believe this is one of the first Australian studies on the perceptions of teachers and higher education professionals, in a wide range of roles, on how their roles and practices are impacted by global engagement agendas in higher education and for this reason, especially, your contribution is greatly valued. The study will be conducted via an online survey using google.forms to which participants will respond anonymously.
Please note, in this survey:
•Global engagement refers to the  expansion  of the professional and personal engagement of teachers and learners beyond local, regional and national boundaries to a global forum.
•A curriculum for global engagement  refers to the development of teaching and learning content that extends the learners’ intellectual, social and moral dimensions to incorporate global perspectives. Aims:
•Survey a national and international cohort of higher education professionals who work in the area of internationalization and global engagement on their perceptions about the impact of global engagement design and implementation on teachers and teaching practice.
•Identify the perceived challenges of design and implementation
•Review the opportunities and possibilities within and across disciplines
The information gathered will be used to support regional, national and international collaborative research projects and papers, grant and award applications and the dissemination in future symposia initiatives.
Survey time-frame, your participation and the benefits of participation
The survey will be open until 31 December 2013. We anticipate it should take no longer than 15 minutes for you to complete the survey. You were chosen on the basis of your expression of interest in the Symposia conducted by the researchers in 2013. We are very grateful for your participation and we believe the data we collect and its dissemination will provide useful to a wide range of stakeholders in higher education in terms of developing and refining a global engagement curriculum and refining institutional policy in relation to global engagement teaching and learning strategies and support.
Ethics approval
Ethics approval was sought by the Chief investigator,Dr. Matthew Piscioneri. Approval for the research was granted by the Monash University Human Research Ethics office (MUHREC) [CF13/217 - 2013000082].
You can withdraw from the research
Being in this study is voluntary and you are under no obligation to consent to participation.  However, if you do consent to participate, you may withdraw from further participation at any stage but you will only be able to withdraw data prior to you submitting the anonymous questionnaire. Once you submit the online survey, because all data is 100% anonymous, it will not be possible to identify and retract or revise your responses.
Confidentiality
All survey questionnaires will remain anonymous with no identifiable information being collected. The Chief Investigator will store all data on his password protected computer in secure premises at Monash University, Clayton, Australia.  
Storage of data
Data collected will be stored in accordance with Monash University regulations, kept on University premises, for 5 years. 
Use of data for other purposes
It is intended that papers based on the results of the survey will be submitted for publication and presentation at relevant conferences, but individual participants will not be identifiable in such a report. 
Results
If you would like to be informed of the aggregate research finding, please contact Dr. Matthew Piscioneri on [details provided]. The findings are accessible for 5 years, and following this 5-year period, all collected data will be destroyed according to Monash University protocol.
Research Study Co-Investigators
Dr. Matthew Piscioneri (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia) - Lead Investigator Dr. Fay Patel (Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia) Dr.Mingsheng Li (Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand).
Complaints
Should you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of the project, you are welcome to contact the Executive Officer, Monash University Human Research Ethics (MUHREC):
Executive Officer Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC) Room 111, Building 3e Research Office Monash University VIC 3800
Tel: +61 3 9905 2052    Email: muhrec@monash.edu        Fax: +61 3 9905 3831
We thank you for participating in the survey.
Sincerely
Dr. Matthew Piscioneri