Teaching module applications

Ethical applications can be submitted, by staff, for taught modules where students complete similar low-risk research. This means the School ethics committee (SEC) need not review applications from every student on the module, as they would otherwise.

A favourable opinion for teaching modules is granted for one year in the first instance and can be renewed up to a maximum period of five years - see the section below on 'Validity period, expiry, and renewal'.

When can teaching module applications be used?

Teaching module applications can be made when students taking a taught module are:

  • conducting the same type of research
  • using the same broad methods and procedures

The research must be low-risk. Applications can only be made for a single module. 

The person applying for the review, usually the module co-ordinator, is responsible for ensuring that student projects adhere to what is set out in the ethics application. Students undertaking distinct research projects, or whose plans deviate significantly from the module approval, must each submit their own application to their SEC.

How to apply for ethics review of a teaching module application

Module coordinators should complete an application using the online ethics system. This should include:

  • the module code
  • approximately how many students will be completing activities covered by the approval
  • what research the students will be required to do
  • what methods they will be using
  • what paperwork will be used (for example, versions of the template documents tailored for the specific module)
  • how participant consent will be obtained.

Module coordinators completing an application should consider this exemplar application from the School of International Relations, which uses an approach commended by UTREC as best practice: IR teaching module ethical application exemplar (PDF) .

'Practice' ethical application forms for students  

Completing an ethical application form can help students think through the ethical issues involved in research and prepare them for future applications. Students should therefore still be asked to complete a practice version using the online ethics system.

They can do this by:

  • completing the application form using the online system
  • using the 'print' function to create a PDF version
  • do not submit it for review.

Practice applications:

  • should be reviewed by the module coordinator.
  • should be stored in MMS to allow applications to be recalled for audit or monitoring. 
  • if the module coordinator has any concerns, the application should be escalated to the SEC. 
  • if the project or activity deviates from the module application this will require the student to submit the application to the SEC using the online ethics system. 

Validity period, expiry, and renewal

A favourable opinion for teaching modules is given for one year and can be renewed up to a maximum total of five years (in line with other ethics applications) before a new full application is required. This includes years when the module has been inactive.

Renewing an approval

Module coordinators can renew their approval for another year by completing an annual report detailing:

  • The number of student projects conducted under the approval.
  • Brief details about the student projects.
  • Any deviations or amendments to the ethical issues, methods or project details. 
  • Any ‘lessons learned’ or unexpected events that have occurred.

The online ethics system will send several reminders when the report is due and will expire the approval if this is not completed by the due date.

If these are already well accounted for in the original application and there have been no additional issues encountered, the details entered may be very brief (i.e. a sentence or two).

Once the report is received, reviewed and given a favourable opinion by your School ethics committee a new letter will be issued with a new expiry date. 

Your SEC may request further details, for example to see student practice ethics applications or more information about the projects or techniques used. If the SEC has any concerns they may require you to submit a new ethics review application. 

If you need to make changes to your approval, you must submit an ethical amendment application to your SEC.  

Inactive modules

There may be times where a module is not taking place but it is anticipated that the module will resume in a subsequent year. An annual report should be submitted at the end of any year where the module will be running the subsequent year.

Thereafter, if the module coordinator wishes to continue the validity, they should continue to submit reports but indicate that it was an inactive year. The module coordinator can also choose to not submit a report, at which point the favourable opinion will expire. Once expired a new application will be required.