Thinking about a project...

‘Are there likely to be any benefits to HE students, of using blogs as a tool to improve learning through personal reflection?’

This is set within the context of a business and management centre, which is part of an FE college and in relation to delivery of professional courses (CMI and ILM) and HE within FE.
While a blog facility has recently been installed within the current VLE (blackboard), this is largely unused; why is this? Is it promoted through teaching staff? Could this facility be integrated into the courses? Would it benefit learners?

· How will participants be able to give their informed consent?
Information about the project would be available to all students in the form of a written summary of the project, on commencement of their course, with an ‘opt-in’ statement, for those interested in taking part.
· How can I guarantee confidentiality and anonymity?
In the broader context of not using specific or ‘real’ names, this could be guaranteed; however, due to the small cohorts, if the students were to be allowed access to the results of the project, it would be likely that individuals could be identified. Additionally, in such a small department of the institution, any comments used from interviews with staff may also be problematic.
· Are there any potential conflicts of interest in my research?
I am aware that there will be conflict in relation to the traditional ‘teaching hours’ culture and the view taken by myself and (some) others that new models of blended and/or distance learning need to be developed, in a strategy to increase take-up on the course. I also need to be aware of possible personal bias towards drawing conclusions for implementing greater use of technology in the course, which may place me in a ‘stronger’ position within the department.
· Could any aspect of my research cause distress or psychological harm?
This would be unlikely.
· Do I have the skills to analyse the results in an appropriate manner?
I think I currently have adequate skills, from previous experience of small scale projects, which have involved interviewing, analysing transcripts, coding qualitative data and critically assessing related papers. A weaker area may be in the presentation of any appropriate numerical data.
· What unintended consequences could result from publication or other publicity?
If the project finds that the existing blog facility is not in the most acceptable format for learners, is it likely that this can be changed, as financial resources have already been invested in this facility? It may be that students unanimously find that the use of blogging is not something they want to do as part of educational or professional development.
Synopsis of the information that relevant ethics committees or gatekeepers might need for a project

Gatekeepers would need to be aware that students would be able to give informed consent and that they may opt out of participating in the project. As a key concern at this stage is the lack of any institutional guidance on research ethics; initial searches have not found any policies relating to this and there seemed to be a general lack of knowledge on this among colleagues.
The gatekeepers may need to be aware of the underpinning ‘minefield’; that the project may show how it is lack of enthusiasm from teaching staff that is holding back the use of this (and likely other) technological tools; or it may be that the selected user interface is not ‘friendly’.
While there are no additional financial resources required to complete the project, the allocation of time resources for the researcher needs to be considered.