Plan for Research Project

Procedure for requesting data
from ECU’s office of Institutional Planning, Assessment, & Research (IPAR)
on East Carolina University students, faculty, or staff
to be used in a research project requiring IRB approval

Do you plan to use individually identifiable data about ECU students, alumni, faculty, or staff provided by the Office of Institutional Research (IR)? Note that individually identifiable data includes not only data containing ID numbers or names but also any data element or combination of data elements that would allow a person to be identified. For example, a data set containing major, race/ethnicity, and gender has the potential of identifying an individual student.

If yes, then:

1)  Before you submit your IRB proposal

  • complete the data plan form below.
  • Meet with the Director of Institutional Research* to review your data requirements and discuss the availability of relevant data. The Director will assist in refining your data plan.
  • Obtain a letter of support from the Director of Institutional Research.

2)  Submit a data request to Institutional Research (https://ipar.ecu.edu/requests/).

  • Attach copies of your data plan and the IR support letter.
  • IR will contact the appropriate data steward (or data owner) to make sure that the data provision falls within the parameters of relevant federal, state, and local regulations (e.g., FERPA**).

3)  Submit your IRB proposal.

  • Attach the letter of support provided by IR as an applicable “approval/permission letter” in item 4.0 of the section of the UMCIRB application screen titled “Use of Existing Datasets.”
  • The final data plan should be uploaded as the “data sheet” in item 4.0 of the UMCIRB application screen titled “Data Privacy & Confidentiality.”

4)  After IRB approval is obtained

  • attach an e-mail or other documentation demonstrating this approval to the existing data request. IR will then put the data request in the queue for completion. Please allow up to two weeks to have the data request fulfilled, longer if the request is for a particularly complex data set.
  • In order to attach the IRB proposal approval documentation, go to the Team Dynamix portal home page (https://ecu.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1409/Portal/Home/) and click on “View My Submitted Tickets,” then on the title of the appropriate data request, and finally on “Add Attachment.”

*If the Director of Institutional Research is unavailable, data requirements may also be reviewed by the Associate Director of Institutional Research or the Associate Provost for Institutional Planning, Assessment, & Research.

ECU Data Plan form

1. I will be requesting data from ECU’s office of Institutional Planning, Assessment, & Research (IPAR) on: (choose all that apply)

    a. Applied students
    b. Accepted students
    c. Enrolled students
    d. Graduated students
    e. Students who did not graduate but are no longer enrolled
    f. Current faculty
    g. Past faculty
    h. Current staff
    i. Past staff

2. If requesting student data, do you want data omitted for any student under 18 years of age?

3. If requesting non-public record faculty and/or staff data, does your IRB proposal include an informed consent form specifically requesting permissions from the faculty/staff members? (Note that non-public record data on faculty and staff include any data elements not specifically listed in North Carolina General Statute 126-23.)

4. What is the estimated number of individuals about whom you will be requesting data?

5. The data elements I will be requesting are: (Please be as specific as possible in creating your list of requested data elements.)

6. The time period for which I am requesting data is: (Possible time periods are fall term, spring term, summer terms, academic year, fiscal year, calendar year, more than one year, etc.)

7. Who, on your research team, will have access to the data? Have all these individuals been included on your IRB proposal as data handlers?

8. Is there any other information about your project that IR staff should considering in filling your data request?

**Notes regarding student data and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act):
• If the requested data set will contain only directory information, no IRB approval letter or de-identification is needed by IR, and the request should be made through the Office of the Registrar. Directory Information is information which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. ECU lists the following as Directory Information:

    o Student’s Name
    o Address (does not include e-mail address)
    o Major Field of Study
    o Participation in Officially Recognized Activities and Sports
    o Dates of Attendance
    o Weight & Height of Athletic Team Members
    o Degrees and Awards Received
    o Most Recent Previous Educational Agency or Institute Attended

• According to FERPA, any information that is not considered Directory Information MAY NOT be disclosed to anyone except the student without prior written consent with some exceptions, e.g., a school official with a legitimate educational interest or a researcher doing a study on how to improve instruction. Even in these cases, however, a student may opt not to have his or her information shared. Data on students who choose this option will not be shared regardless of circumstances or type of research.
• Click here for a printable version.