Chief Investigator: Julian Pakay, Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe University

Co-investigator: Steven Chang, Coordinator, Open Education & Scholarship, La Trobe Library

Research funder:

This research is supported by in kind support by La Trobe University.

1.       What is the study?

You are invited to participate in a study of student perception and engagement with the open educational eBook, Principles of Biomedical Science, published through the La Trobe Library eBureau.  This is a relatively new resource, and we would like to understand how it is being used by students and if it is has broader applicability to other courses.  We would also like to use feedback from this survey to improve a future edition of this eBook. 

2.       Do I have to participate?

No, being part of this study is voluntary. If you want to be part of the study, we ask that you read the information below carefully. You can read the information below and decide at the end if you do not want to participate. If you decide not to participate this won’t affect your relationship with La Trobe University or any other listed organisation.

Also, we value any feedback or opinions you provide to us and the nature of those won’t affect your relationship with La Trobe University or any other listed organisation. Participation (or non-participation) has no impact on your grades, assessments, or university standing. 

 You must be 18 years of age or older to participate in the study.

3.       Who is being asked to participate?

Anyone who has used the open textbook Foundations of Biomedical Science or been enrolled in the subjects, MED1BSF and/or BIO1MGC at La Trobe University during 2023-2025.

4.       What will I be asked to do?

If you want to take part in this study, we will ask you to complete an anonymous survey which will take approximately 10 min to complete.

5.       What are the benefits?

The benefit of you taking part in this study is that we will be able to improve this resource for students and hopefully making it much more relevant for their studies and for it to help at subsequent year levels and across a broader range of disciplines.  We also think that feedback on this eBook will inform the development of other eBooks and open educational resources.

6.       What are the risks?

With any study there are (1) risks we know about, (2) risks we don’t know about, and (3) risks we don’t expect. If you experience something that you aren’t sure about, please contact us immediately so we can discuss the best way to manage your concerns (see contact details below).

We have listed the risks we know about below. This will help you decide if you want to be part of the study.

 - Risk of feeling coerced into participating or providing feedback of a certain nature. 

 -  We would like to reiterate that the survey is completely voluntary, and your responses will be anonymous to the researchers. Also participation (or non-participation) has no impact on grades, assessments, or university standing.

7.       What will happen to information about me?

By clicking on the ‘I agree, start questionnaire’ button, this tells us you want to take part in the study.

We will collect information about you in ways that will not reveal who you are.

We will store information about you in ways that will not reveal who you are. All data will be aggregated before analysis further ensuring you won’t be identifiable by your responses.

We will publish information about you in ways that will not be identified in any type of publication from this study.

We will keep your information for 5 years after the project is completed. After this time, we will destroy all of your data.

We will use your information for data analysis in this project and closely related future projects which are extensions of this project. Future related projects using your information may include comparisons to other student cohorts or use of other AI tools.

The storage, transfer and destruction of your data will be undertaken in accordance with the Research Data Management Policy https://policies.latrobe.edu.au/document/view.php?id=106/.

The personal information you provide will be handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws, any health information collected will be handled in accordance with the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). Subject to any exceptions in relevant laws, you have the right to access and correct your personal information by contacting the research team.

8.       Will I hear about the results of the study?

If you would like to receive a summary of the findings, please contact Julian Pakay at j.pakay@latrobe.edu.au after 31st December 2025.

9.       What if I change my mind?

If you no longer want to complete the questionnaire, simply close the web browser. If you change your mind after clicking on the ‘Submit’ button, we cannot withdraw your responses because we cannot link who you are with your questionnaire responses.

Your decision to withdraw at any point will not affect your relationship with La Trobe University or any other organisation listed.

10.    Who can I contact for questions or want more information?

If you would like to speak to us, please use the contact details below:

Julian Pakay

Senior Lecturer

03 9479 6568

11.    What if I have a complaint?

If you have a complaint about any part of this study, please contact:

Ethics Reference Number

Position

Telephone

Email

Senior Research Ethics Officer

+61 3 9479 1443

Consent Form – Declaration by Participant

I (the participant) have read understood the Participant Information Statement, and any questions have been answered to my satisfaction. I agree to participate in the study, I know I can withdraw at any time until four weeks following the collection of my data. I agree information provided by me or with my permission during the project may be included in a thesis, presentation and published in journals on the condition that I cannot be identified.