Help Your Advisees Understand the IRB

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Every student who wishes to complete a capstone project MUST submit an IRB application along with his or her capstone proposal to the Director of Graduate Studies. The detail to which the IRB application is completed is determined by whether human subjects are involved in the research.

As appropriate within courses and when advising for the capstone project, the course instructor/advisor should make use of opportunities to instruct students in ethical conduct of research and help them prepare applications for IRB approval. It is helpful to instruct students concerning the following:

• Understanding of the elements of informed consent,

• Developing readable (8th grade level) consent forms,

• Planning appropriate recruitment strategies when needed,

• Establishing and maintaining strict guidelines for protecting anonymity and confidentiality, and

• Allowing sufficient time (six weeks) for IRB review and completion of the project.

Submission Guidelines

  1. Student must receive approval of the capstone project or internship proposal from the capstone committee.
  2. Students must complete an application for IRB approval and all informed consent materials.
  3. The advisor must review, approve, and sign the proposal and IRB application as complete.
  4. Two copies of the proposal, the IRB application, and all consent or assent forms are submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies for initial review by the following individuals:i. IRB chairman,
    ii. Director of Graduate Studies
  5. The application will be screened by the IRB chairman with input from the Director of Graduate Studies to determine if the proposed activityi. involves no risk to the subject according to exempt criteria in 45 CFR 46.101, and so is exempt from full IRB review, or
    ii. requires full IRB review because it involves greater than no risk or non-exempt research.
  6. If required, the full IRB will meet to make a determination regarding the proposed activity.
  7. After review, the IRB may:i. approve the proposal as submitted,
    ii. approve with minor suggestions for changes,
    iii. approve with stipulations to be met before final approval is given, or
    iv. not approve.
  8. Complete documentation of IRB action will be sent to the researcher and a copy kept on file. 9. All non-exempt research is subject to continuing review at least annually, but possible more frequently as determined by the level of risk to the subjects.

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) meets as necessary and is made up of the following individuals:

Terry M. Dempsey, Public Representative 309 S. Minnesota St. New Ulm, MN 56073 Attorney Minnesota State Representative District 23A 1978 – 1992 Minnesota Fifth District Court Judge 1992 – 2002

Dr. Lawrence Olson, Graduate Faculty Representative & IRB Chair 1018 Southridge Rd. New Ulm, MN 56073

Dr. Carla Melendy, Graduate Faculty Representative 1015 12th St. S. New Ulm, MN 56073

Prof. David Sellnow, Undergraduate Faculty Representative 827 N. Minnesota St. New Ulm, MN 56073

Advisory Dr. John Meyer, Director of Graduate Studies, Martin Luther College 1101 Summit Ave. S. New Ulm, MN 56073

The complete IRB policy and application can be found on the Graduate Studies website:  IRB.

Improve Collaboration with the Big Blue Button

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bbbWhat is the Big Blue Button? It is a tool that MLC supplies to faculty members to facilitate face-to-face, real-time collaboration and contact in their classes. 

The Big Blue Button allows multiple users to video conference and share presentations and documents. Up to twenty people can log on at a time.

Build it into group-work, course introductions, or student presentations. To add the Big Blue Button into your course, just select it from the list of “activities” when editing your Moodle page. (Just remember to accommodate students in different time zones and those who don’t have a camera or mic.)

Entering Course Grades

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Course grades need to be entered into the MLC Portal prior to a specific date each term. You don’t need to enter all grades for your course at the same time. If you wish to change a grade after it has been entered, you will need to contact the Records Office. To enter grades . . .

  1. Go to the MLC Portal page http://portal.mlc-wels.edu directly or select the Portal link in the upper-right area of the MLC home page.
  2. Log into the portal (left side-bar area) with your regular username and password.
  3. Under Grades select Enter grades.
  4. Click on the appropriate course name and a listing of your students should appear.
  5. Enter and submit your grades by following the instructions on the screen. If you have any questions, contact the MLC Records office (507) 354-8221 or MLC Network Services.

You should inform your students that they will be able to view their course grade by logging into the MLC Portal, selecting the “Grades” link, and then selecting either Grade Report to see their grades for the current term or Unofficial Transcriptto see their grades from past terms too.

When entering course grades, graduate faculty members may enter some student grades and leave others blank in the days preceding the deadline for posting.

Before the deadline, all grades must be posted with student who have not completed their coursework receiving an incomplete (I). Please note that once a grade is posted, the proper form must be filed with the Records Office in order to change it.

Graduate Faculty – We Need Your News!

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Have you been recently published? Have you been asked to speak at a conference? Or to give a presentation? Did you receive and new licenses or certifications? How are you continuing your education? Do you know of any opportunities that your fellow staff members should be aware of? Any recent accomplishments outside the classroom? Any exciting recent career developments or awards? Any of your colleagues receive recognition or awards? Do you have any interesting stories? Our graduate faculty and students want to know!  It inspires and encourages, it helps us celebrate with you, and your success allows us to continue our growth.

Please share your news, photos (if possible), and details with the Director of Graduate Studies Dr. Meyer via email! It will be included in our newsletters and Facebook updates. Click here, and let’s start sharing!

Access to Mental Measurements

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Here are a few different options for students and faculty to use for access to Mental Measurements Yearbook.
(Off-campus users should begin their sessions by logging in to the MLC Portal, which then should provide access to the library’s online resources.  They can use the Library link on the portal or navigate directly to the library’s web page.)

1:  From www.mlc-wels.edu/library, click on the “E-Journals” tab above the search box.  Search for mental measurements.  The Titles A-Z search page will be returned, where you can click on the the title Mental Measurements Yearbook (EbscoHost) and from there conduct searches in that resource alone.

2:  From www.mlc-wels.edu/library, click on “Search and Find” on the left side of the page.  Scroll down to Databases/Databases A-Z and scroll down to Mental Measurements Yearbook.  Clicking on the title will take you to the same search screen as in option 1.
3:  Articles from Mental Measurements Yearbook are included in our Discovery tool, which is the default in the search box at www.mlc-wels.edu/library; however, searches in Discovery would need to be quite specific and narrowed down within Discovery in order to find just the resources from Mental Measurements Yearbook.  I would recommend this option in cases where you are looking for more information, in addition to that found specifically in Mental Measurements Yearbook.
If students or faculty should encounter any trouble with this, please refer them to us in the library for assistance.

Opportunities to Publish

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At its May 2014 conference, the graduate faculty discussed the need to provide opportunities for our faculty and students to write for a larger audience. Dr. Abrego mentioned that Cabell’s Directories can be useful for finding publications that may match our or our students’ work. Some new MLC-sponsored outlets for publishing will soon be available. Graduate faculty members are encouraged to lead the way, both as authors and in urging students and advisees, both past and present, to contribute. Here is one way you can write for the broader WELS educational and intellectual community.

 

blog photoIssues in Lutheran Education:  This is a blog that will be published two times each month. The purpose of this blog is to provide a platform for a professional conversation around issues that are important in Lutheran education. This blog is uniquely focused on educational issues as they occur within the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS). However, these issues and discussions also apply more broadly to Lutheran education in other church bodies, and to Christian education in general.

The blog content addresses a variety of concerns, both spiritual and secular, that impact the instruction, learning, and culture within all levels of Lutheran education – from preschool through higher education. Discussion centers on topics such as gospel ministry, instruction, leadership, administration, operation, recruitment, retention, outreach, technology, standards, and financing.

Blog authors are educational leaders within the WELS and ELS. Faculty and adjuncts in WELS / ELS higher education, master’s degree graduates, graduate students, and those who hold offices of leadership in the synod are invited to write for this blog in areas of their expertise. Other educational leaders may submit article proposals. Proposals should be submitted according to the guidelines listed elsewhere on this page.

This blog is operated by the Office of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education for Martin Luther College, New Ulm MN. Martin Luther College is the College of Minstry for the Wisconsin Ev. Lutheran Synod, whose mission is to train a corps of Christian witnesses who are qualified to meet the ministry needs of the WELS and who are competent to proclaim the Word of God faithfully and in accord with the Lutheran Confessions and the Book of Concord.

Unsolicited submissions are considered for publication according to the following guidelines:

  1.  The blog must address a topic of interest and application to Lutheran education.
  2.  The blog must accurately represent commonly accepted research, knowledge, ideas, and/or practice.
  3.  Positions taken must agree with biblical principles and reasonable logic.
  4.  All claims must be substantiated and verifiable.
  5.  References and/or online links to supporting literature and research must be provided.
  6.  The blog is suggested to be more than 500 words, but must be less than 750 words.
  7.  The author must be involved with ministry within the WELS or ELS.

 

All submissions should be emailed to

ISSUES IN LUTHERAN EDUCATION

Continuing Education for Faculty

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A high-quality program requires high-quality instruction. The graduate faculty is encouraged to look for ways to improve instruction and grow in knowledge and understanding. If you find a book, workshop, or other opportunity to expand your ability to serve our graduate students, please check with the  to see how we can partner with you in paying the cost. Let’s continue to give the best we have for our students.

MLC’s Credit Hour Policy

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MLC has a credit hour policy that has implications for every course – including online graduate courses. Newly adopted federal regulations and Higher Learning Commission policies necessitate MLC specifying common practices and documenting them in course syllabi. This policy affects every MLC course instructor. Please read on to see how if affects you.

In compliance with the credit hour policy, course syllabi will need to be modified to specify how the course fulfills the credit requirements. Online courses must meet the same instructional outcomes as an on-campus course. Below are the parts of MLC’s credit hour policy that apply to graduate courses and a suggested template to use within your course syllabi.

Martin Luther College Credit Hour Policy Definitions: A class hour is defined as 50 minutes. The definitions below refer to the number of class hours during a semester that is approximately fifteen weeks long or an equivalent amount of time for terms of shorter duration. These definitions conform to commonly accepted practices in higher education.

Policy:

  • One on-campus class credit is defined as: 1 class hour of direct faculty instruction per week and 2 class hours out-of-class student work each week.
  • One distance learning or hybrid class credit is defined as: an equivalent amount of instruction and student work leading to equivalent learning outcomes, as required for an on-campus class as defined above.
  • A course offered in a term of less than 15 weeks shall contain the same class hours, preparation time, content, and requirements as the same course or an equivalent course offered over a 15-week semester.
  • One graduate level credit hour is equivalent to an undergraduate credit in regard to the amount of work, but the type of work regularly involves more rigorous standards for discussion and application. In addition to educational activities outlined for undergraduate work (see below), graduate work also includes retrieving, reading, discussing, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating empirical research and reports of research; applying research to practice; and conducting and reporting one’s own research.
  • Examples of undergraduate activities: assigned readings; participation in discussions; listening to or viewing required instructional presentations; finding, gathering, and reviewing resources; preparing and sharing papers, projects, presentations; collaboration with classmates around a given task; creating and implementing research projects; preparing for quizzes and examinations; and internships.

Syllabus Requirements
Each course syllabus should include specific information. The section of the syllabus titled “Course Methods” should be changed to read “Course Methods / Credits.” The description in the section should include the following:

According to commonly-accepted collegiate academic practices, success in this course requires work equivalent to an average of 112.5 hours of work. Coursework includes . . . (List the types of activities, readings, assignments, and assessments your students will complete as part of this course.)

All instructors are asked to include the above statement in their course syllabi and submit them to the Office of Graduate Studies by emailing them to J