Informed Consent FormThis data from this research will be used to evaluate the impact of textbook costs on the student experience, identify the features students want in their course materials, and understand the barriers students face due to course material costs.
This research is being conducted by the Maine Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey Working Group. The Principal Investigator is Natalie Hill, Scholarly Communications Librarian at Colby College. She may be reached at
natalie.hill@colby.edu with questions or to report a research-related problem. You may contact the Colby Institutional Review Board at
institutionalreviewboard@colby.edu if you have questions or comments regarding your rights as a participant in the research. Please reference Colby IRB Protocol Number 2026-8 in your request.
This work is made possible with the support of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) in partnership with institutions of higher education across the State of Maine and Bay View Analytics.
If you agree to participate and are 18 years of age or older and not currently incarcerated, you will be asked to complete a brief online survey. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your participation is voluntary, and you may withdraw from the study at any time and for any reason.
RisksThe risks to participants are minimal and may include some discomfort and stress when responding to survey questions that reflect on potential negative experiences, such as poor grades and/or dropped classes, as well as course material cost concerns.
BenefitsThere are no direct benefits to participants. Overall intended research benefits include providing Maine-specific context for the issue of course material affordability and allowing Maine’s institutions of higher education to advocate for expanded support for faculty who wish to reduce or eliminate the cost of student course materials.
Respondents may choose to enter a random drawing for a gift card. There is no link between survey responses and the information form used to enter the drawing. Under U.S. federal tax law, you may have individual responsibilities for disclosing the dollar value of the incentive received in this study. All questions regarding compensation should be directed to research team members Krystie Wilfong at Bates College (
kwilfong@bates.edu) and Shelly Davis at Husson University (
davisshelly@husson.edu).
ConfidentialityAll survey responses are anonymous, and no names or other identifiers will be included in the research data. The anonymous data could be used for future research without additional consent from participants. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) committee that monitors research on human subjects may inspect study records during internal audits and is required to keep all information confidential. While it is understood that no computer transmission can be perfectly secure, reasonable efforts will be made to protect the privacy of your transmission. Participants may review
Bay View Analytics’ privacy statement.
This research has been reviewed according to Colby College procedures governing your participation in this research.
The consent form may be downloaded here.