Data Collection Involving People at Elgin Community College

Administrative Procedure 3.103

Elgin Community College (ECC) will maintain an Institutional Review Process for the purpose of reviewing any research project proposals and ensuring that data derived from human participants affiliated with ECC (i.e., current, potential or former students; employees or affiliates of ECC) is collected and used in a manner that complies with standards of acceptable practice and federal mandates.¹

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Planning and Technology, or their designee, will serve as the IRB Chair and will conduct an initial review of all research proposals submitted.  

The Chair will determine the type of review necessary, as described in the “Review” section below. In most cases, the IRB Chair will solicit feedback from departments/offices that either have content-specific expertise relevant to evaluating a given proposal and/or that include individuals who may be directly impacted by the proposal (e.g., soliciting input from the ECC Faculty Association with regards to a research proposal that includes faculty interviews).  

In rare instances where a proposal is determined to require a “full” review, the IRB Chair will solicit volunteers from across the college to create a cross-functional panel sufficiently qualified in terms of experience, expertise, and diversity to collectively review the given proposal.  

Submissions

Submissions vary by the type of request being made. Individuals or agencies intending to conduct research to gather new data must complete and submit a Research Project Intake Form to the IRB Chair or their designee. The intake form shall describe the intended project, the procedures to be used, and informed consent/assent forms for participants. 
 
Individuals or agencies wanting access to ECC data containing individual cases (e.g., student records) must complete a Non-Disclosure Agreement. This agreement specifies how data are to be gathered, used, and secured. Freedom of Information Act requests that seek access to ECC student or employee data records may also need to complete a Non-Disclosure Agreement if any personally identifiable information is sought. 
 
In addition, individuals or organizations who are not affiliated with ECC must submit an Institutional Review Board approval letter from the sponsoring institution. 

Review

Proposals that the IRB Chair or designee deems to provide little benefit for ECC, its students or employees, or research that may cause undue hardship for IRB members in terms of time or commitment will not be reviewed.

Upon receipt of the intake form and related documents, the IRB Chair or designee will categorize the research proposal into one of three (3) types: no review/exempt, expedited review, or full review (see 45 CFR 46.101(b)).²

• No review/Exempt

Research involving commonly accepted educational practices (e.g., testing, classroom observations) are exempt from IRB review. Included in this category are student research assignments, papers, and projects; surveys, focus groups or data reports conducted by ECC departments as part of routine operations; and historical, archival, or ethnographic studies.

Proposals that are determined to be “Exempt” can be approved by the IRB Chair or designee without need for further review by the IRB committee.

All other research will be reviewed by the IRB committee (either collectively in person or individually through correspondence) and include:

• Expedited Review

Research that presents no more than a minimal risk to participants is subject to an expedited review.3 This category includes the collection of voice or video images and research on individual or group characteristics of behavior (e.g., cognition, language, cultural beliefs and practices, simple physical tasks, and so on).

• Full Review

A full review is necessary when the research involves children,4 seriously ill or mentally or cognitively impaired adults, complex physical tasks, or the collection or recording of behaviors which could be damaging or stigmatizing to participants’ reputation, financial standing, employability, insurability, physicality, or the like.

Feedback

The IRB Chair or designee will respond directly to those proposals fitting the definition of no review. Within one (1) month of receipt, the IRB will respond to proposals requiring expedited or full review. Written approval confirmation or disapproval will be sent to the researcher by the IRB Chair or designee and kept on file in the Institutional Research office for three (3) years.

Written confirmation will contain any contingencies noted by the IRB in their review, as well as the following standard conditions:

• A finite length of time for completion of the proposed research (as indicated on the Research Project Intake Form)
• Instructions to the researcher that any changes to the research procedures, materials or purpose must be revised and resubmitted to the IRB for further review
• Statement of expectation that researcher will remove or mask any specific references to Elgin Community College
• Declaration that IRB approval does not waive the right of any participant or individual affiliated with the approved project (e.g., a participant or co-investigator) to opt out of participation at any time and without consequence
• Statement of expectation that researcher will provide the IRB Chair with a copy of the final report, presentation or paper resulting from the research project

^²In addition, researchers must ensure that informed consent is obtained from all participants.

^³Minimal risk means that the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater than those ordinarily encountered in daily life.

^⁴Children are persons who have not attained the legal age for consent to treatments or procedures involved in the research.

This policy was last reviewed on 08/28/2025.