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Navigating SoTL Ethics and the IRB

Navigating ethical considerations and institutional review board (IRB) processes is a critical part of SoTL. This collection offers practical guidance and examples on what qualifies as research, how to prepare an IRB application, and how to uphold ethical standards in classroom-based research.

Scholarship of Teaching
Jess Taggart headshot
Jess Taggart
Assistant Director & Assistant Professor
Center for Teaching Excellence
Lindsay Wheeler headshot
Lindsay Wheeler
Associate Professor & Senior Associate Director
Center for Teaching Excellence
Updated: June 2025
Article

SoTL and the Institutional Review Board: Considerations Before Navigating the Application Process for Classroom Research in Higher Education

This article offers practical guidance on what constitutes “research,” the types of IRB review, and examples of SoTL projects with their IRB implications.

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Article

Ethics in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This Taylor Institute guide describes ethical considerations for SoTL research, as well as key principles of ethical practice: conflicts of interest and power relationships, consent process, fairness and equity in research participation, and privacy and confidentiality.

University of Calgary Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning
Website

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Researcher Guide

This website from the Institutional Review Board for the Social and Behavioral Sciences (IRB-SBS) at the University of Virginia provides an overview of considerations as you prepare your SoTL project for review.

University of Virginia Institutional Review Board for Social and Behavioral Sciences
File

Preparing for the Institutional Review Board

SoTL is almost always considered human subjects research, and so requires approval from your institutional review board (IRB) or ethics review panel. This worksheet, developed for the University of Virginia’s SoTL Scholars program, walks through key responses you should have prepared for a proposal.

Jessica Taggart
File

Example iProtocol for SoTL Studies at the University of Virginia

This document provides an example of how to complete an iProtocol for SoTL studies at the University of Virginia.

Jessica Taggart

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