PgCert Academic Practice in Art, Design and Communication
Self-initiated Project Ethical Enquiry Form
Participant name: Miriam Elgon
Cohort: A
Tutor name: Catherine Smith/John O’Reilly
| Please describe your research question (or focus of your research): Can I meet with my colleagues in a more intentional way? When I use ‘intention’ I mean it as ‘deliberate’ (Collins, 2022) and also to have a greater consciousness to and knowledge of the experience and activity of meeting. In terms of purpose (Denscombe, 2002, p.26) I am specifically interested in: Criticising or evaluatingDeveloping good practice Empowerment (White, 2009, p.49) These combined considerations have led me to sub-questions of: Can I understand what goes on when we meet?Can I develop a position or values related to meeting?Can I change my meeting practice for the better? I want this action research project to help me make sense of my life (McNiff, 2022) and in terms of experiential criteria, surface learning that other people can also relate to and learn from (McNiff, 2022). |
| Who will be providing you with information to help you answer your question, and how will you approach and/or select them? A cross-section of staff within the BA Illustration team – my team – and perhaps some other UAL staff that Illustration department interacts with. The sample is everyone that I have meetings with in a typical week. I am aiming for a representative sample of meetings and people. |
| What will you be asking participants to do? Please can I: Analyse my visuo-textual reflection on a meeting you were in? Can I share the analysis with all material fully anonymised? Please can we Discuss my findings? Can I record our discussion and then use it in an anonymised way in future developments sessions? What recording methods would you prefer? How do you think we can make our meeting our practice more intentional based on these findings? |
| How will you get informed consent from these participants? Emailing them with details of project and use. (See email document) Discuss their concerns and my use of material with anyone involved, over email and in person. Show them all my public work. |
| What potential risks to the interests of participants do you foresee and what steps will you take to minimise those risks? A participant’s interests include their physical and psychological wellbeing; their commercial interests; and their rights of privacy and reputation. Issues: Privacy, reputation, psychological Some might not want what they said to be recorded or mentioned. This could be because it’s controversial, embarrassing, confidential, increases anxiety etc People might feel uncomfortable about recording but feel pressured into giving consent My bias affecting findings I can: Make uses of information clear. Have anonymisation as a default. Make clear they can opt out now or in the future. Offer to share final presentation with them. Say that people can refuse consent without a reason and with absolutely no judgement from me. Creating a reflexivity statement |
| What potential risks to yourself as the practitioner do you foresee and what steps will you take to minimise those risks? People being angry about what has been recorded after the fact. Make clear they can refuse consent, at any time, without giving a reason. |
| Does your project involve children or vulnerable adults e.g. a person with a learning disability? Delete as appropriate: NO If yes, please describe what extra measures you will put in place regarding safeguarding: |
| How will you store the information you gather from participants? I will include codes not names in all official documents. I will keep the information in my home for 3 years. |
| I confirm my responsibility to deliver the project in accordance with the Code of Practice on Research Ethics of the University of the Arts London (the University). In signing this form I am also confirming that: The form is accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.I understand and accept that the ethical propriety of this project may be monitored by the relevant College Research body and/or the University’s Research Ethics Sub-Committee. |
| Signed: Date: ____________ |
| I support this project and have reviewed it with the participant: Signed: Date: |