Consent form.

The following document is a consent form approved by Virginia Tech’s IRB office. It describes our study and procedures, and clarifies that you will not be compensated or put at risk by participating in this study.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Informed Consent for Participants in Research Projects Involving Human Subjects
Title of Project: Game-Aided Pedagogy to Improve Students’ Learning Outcomes and Engagement in Transportation Engineering
I. Purpose of this research
The purpose of this research is to apply novel and scientific design of games to supplement traditional teaching methods in Transportation Engineering. These modules will be evaluated for their effectiveness in promoting student learning gains and engagement in transportation engineering. The results of our analysis will be used to enhance the games and increase their effectiveness. The focus of this project is not only the development of the tools, but also increasing our understanding as educators about the students’ learning outcomes and effective game teaching methods.
II. Procedures
If you decide to be in this study, your part will involve allowing researchers access to work that you complete as part of your transportation course, including completing online assignments that include surveys and online transportation games. The assignments are designed to take no more than 30- 45 minutes to complete each time, but you may play the game as many times as you wish.
III. Risks
The risks involved are no greater than those involved in daily activities such as participating in class discussions. Results reported to grant sponsors and in scholarly publications will address only general trends and aggregate outcomes, not individual performance.
IV. Benefits
Although this research provides no direct benefits to you per se, increased understanding of transportation safety and operation issues can reduce a significant percentage of crashes and reduce congestion. The proposed web game will have an educational impact on the traffic system analysis capability of high school, undergraduate and graduate students. By sharing curricular packages that include games, assignments and assessment tools, the products will improve education that supports a wide range of learning styles, therefore having potential impact on recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations in engineering.
V. Extent of Anonymity and Confidentiality
Specific information regarding you, your work, and your organization will remain confidential; published articles will use pseudonyms as appropriate to protect your privacy. In the course of keeping accurate research records, we will identify you by number and maintain a confidential list of which participants corresponds to which record. No one but the research team will have access to that information.
VI. Compensation
You will receive no compensation for participating in this study.
VII. Freedom to Withdraw
Your participation in this project is entirely voluntary. You are free to withdraw from this study at any time without penalty. You are also free to refuse to answer any question at your discretion without penalty.
VIII. Approval of Research
This research project has been approved, as required, by the Institutional Review Board for Research Involving Human Subjects at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Should I have any questions about this research or its conduct, I may contact:
Montasir Abbas, 540-231-9002, abbas@vt.edu (Investigator)

I have read and understand the Informed Consent and conditions of this project. I have had all my questions answered. I hereby acknowledge the above and give my voluntary consent.