Dissertation Eligibility Survey

Informed Consent
Prospective Research Participant: Read this consent form carefully and ask as many questions as you like before you decide whether you want to participate in this research study. You are free to ask questions at any time before, during, or after your participation in this research.

Project Information
Project Title: Adjunct Faculty at Community Colleges Perceptions of Lived Experience During COVID-19: A Phenomenological Study.

Researcher: Dan Taylor

Organization: American College of Education

Email: dan.taylor8824@my.ace.edu Telephone: (360)807-8449

Date of IRB Approval:
Please note that this research study has been approved by the American College of Education Institutional Review Board. The IRB approved this study on September 19th 2024. A copy of the approval letter will be provided upon request.

Researcher’s Dissertation Chair: Susan Reutter

Organization and Position: American College of Education: Adjunct Faculty

Email: Susan.Reutter@ace.edu

Introduction
I am Dan Taylor, and I am a doctoral candidate student at American College of Education. I am doing research under the guidance and supervision of my Chair, Dr. Susan Reutter. I will give you information about the project and invite you to be part of this research. Before you decide, you can talk to anyone you feel comfortable with about the research. If you have questions, ask me to stop as we go through the information, and I will explain. If you have questions later, feel free to ask me then.

Purpose of the Research
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of adjunct faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. You are being asked to participate in a research study that will assist with understanding the effects of the transition to online and remote teaching during the pandemic and communication between adjunct faculty and college leaders during this time. Conducting this qualitative study will help college leaders determine the support needed for adjunct faculty during other emergency events.

Research Design and Procedures
The study will use qualitative methodology and phenomenological research design. The study will comprise 15 participants who will participate in interviews. The study will involve interviews conducted online using the web-platform Zoom, as it is the most convenient for participants.

Participant selection
You are being invited to take part in this research because of your experience as an adjunct faculty member who can contribute much to adjunct lived experiences of the pandemic, which meets the criteria for this study. Participant selection criteria: Began as an adjunct faculty member before Fall 2019, taught at least three classes over two terms per year during the pandemic.

Voluntary Participation
Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. It is your choice whether to participate. If you choose not to participate, there will be no punitive repercussions.

Right to Refuse or Withdraw
Participation is voluntary. At any time, you wish to end your participation in the research study, you may do so by sending me an email explaining you are opting out of the study. There will be no repercussions for leaving the study.

Procedures
We are inviting you to participate in this research study. If you agree and meet the eligibility criteria, you will be asked to schedule an interview with Dan Taylor, principal investigator. This interview will use the web-conferencing software Zoom. The interview will start with a pre-interview meeting to allow you to ask questions about the research. Once you have all your questions answered we will begin the interview.

Duration
The interview portion of the research study will require approximately 30 – 40 minutes to complete. If you are chosen to be interviewed, the time allotted for the interview will be at a location and time convenient for the participant. The interview will be recorded for data-gathering purposes. Electronically signing this informed consent implies your permission to record the interview. The recording will be transcribed, and you will be sent the transcription to verify its accuracy.
The qualitative survey should also take between 30 – 40 minutes to complete.

Risks
The researcher will ask you to share personal and confidential information, and you may feel uncomfortable talking about some of the topics. The questions will ask you to recall your experiences during the pandemic, which may be stressful. You do not have to answer any questions or take part in the discussion if you do not wish to do so. You do not have to give any reason for not responding to any question.

Benefits
While there will be no direct financial benefit to you, your participation is likely to help us find out more about adjunct faculty during the pandemic. The potential benefits of this study will aid college leaders in supporting adjunct faculty.

Confidentiality
I will not share information about you or anything you say to anyone outside of the research. During the defense of the doctoral dissertation, data collected will be presented to the dissertation committee. The data collected will be kept in an encrypted computer file. Any information about you will be coded and will not have a direct correlation, which directly identifies you as the participant. Only I will know what your number is, and I will secure your information on an encrypted external hard drive.

Sharing the Results
At the end of the research study, the results will be available for each participant. It is anticipated to publish the results so other interested people may learn from the research.

Questions About the Study
If you have any questions, you can ask them now or later. If you wish to ask questions later, you may contact me by email or phone. This research plan has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of American College of Education. This is a committee whose role is to make sure research participants are protected from harm. If you wish to ask questions of this group, email IRB@ace.edu.

Certificate of Consent
I have read the information about this study, or it has been read to me. I acknowledge why I have been asked to be a participant in the research study. I have been provided the opportunity to ask questions about the study, and any questions have been answered to my satisfaction. I certify I am at least 18 years of age. I consent voluntarily to be a participant in this study.