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Informed Consent for Student Research Participants

Student Informed Consent Form

 

Fielding Graduate University
 Informed Consent Form


Study Title: Assessing the Unassessable: Mapping Stakeholder Tensions in the Assessment of AI-Assisted Doctoral Writing


You have been asked to participate in a research study conducted by Shana Pote, a doctoral candidate in the School of Leadership Studies at Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA. This study is supervised by Dr. Katrina Rogers. This research explores the tensions felt by students, faculty, and administrators when considering the use of generative AI in producing doctoral work, and is part of Shana Pote's Fielding dissertation research. You are being asked to participate in this study because you are a doctoral student at Fielding Graduate University who has used generative AI assistance in your scholarly writing.


Before you agree to participate in this research study, it is important that you read and understand the information provided in this Informed Consent Form. If you have any questions, please ask the researcher for clarification.

 

First, Confirm That You Qualify to Participate (review these, you'll fill them out in the actual form):


1. Are you currently be an active doctoral student enrolled in either of Fielding Graduate University's Schools (School of Leadership Studies, or School of Psychology). You must not be on leave or have already earned your Fielding doctorate.?

Yes - ☐                                 No - ☐

2. Do you have an approved Concept Paper or Proposal, AND are you willing to upload it to the ChatGPT research instrument?

Yes - ☐                                 No - ☐


3. Which would you submit?

Concept paper - ☐               Proposal - ☐


4. Have you used generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, or similar) in developing this written work?

Yes - ☐                                 No - ☐

 

5. Which of the following have you done using AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, or similar) in developing your concept paper or proposal? Check all that apply:


☐ Brainstorming topics, angles, or research questions

☐ Summarizing or explaining sources, theories, or concepts
☐ Outlining or structuring the paper

☐ Drafting sections of text (e.g., problem statement, methodology)

☐ Revising or improving existing text (clarity, tone, flow)

☐ Getting feedback or critique on your argument

☐ Grammar, formatting, or citation checks

☐ Talking through ideas conversationally before or while writing

☐ Other (please describe): ___________

☐ None of the above


6. Which school are you enrolled in?

☐ School of Leadership Studies

☐ School of Psychology

 

Why Is This Study Being Done?

This study strives to understand the tensions regarding the use of generative AI in doctoral programs to produce doctoral writing. As generative AI becomes widespread in academic writing, a key question emerges: what's the difference between a student who wrote the words themselves and a student who can defend the ideas regardless of who typed them? This study explores one possible way to get at that question: pairing a student's original paper with a follow-up dialogue, where an AI asks the student to explain and apply the ideas in their own words, and generates an assessment of the student's epistemic ownership based on that dialogue. The study examines how students, faculty, and administrators interpret this combination of paper and dialogue, and what tensions emerge about what counts as legitimate learning, authorship, and rigor when AI is part of the process.




How Many People Will Take Part In The Study?

Approximately 21 participants will take part in this study: 8 students, 8 faculty members, and 5 administrators.


What Is Involved In The Study?

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to:

  1. Complete an AI-facilitated question-and-answer session (60-120 minutes):
  • Upload a piece of your doctoral writing (approved concept paper or proposal, dissertation chapters, though NOT dissertation chapters with unpublished research) to an AI tool hosted in ChatGPT
  • Engage in an online dialogue where an AI chatbot asks you questions about your work (similar to an oral exam or defense)
  • Questions will ask you to explain key concepts, defend methodological choices, and apply ideas to new situations
  • An anonymous proctor will be available via text for technical support only
  • This session will be recorded and will produce a transcript
  1. Participate in a follow-up interview (60-75 minutes):
  • You'll be interviewed about your perspectives on AI use in doctoral work and tensions about what counts as legitimate learning
  • You'll share your experience with the dialogue process
  • The interviewer will go off video while asking questions, to minimize researcher reactivity and interviewer effects.
  • This interview will be audio/video recorded

Total time commitment: Approximately 2.5 to 4 hours


Sample Questions You May Be Asked:

During the AI dialogue session:

  • "Can you explain the main argument of your work and how it relates to the theoretical framework you used?"
  • "Why did you choose this methodological approach rather than alternatives?"
  • "How might your framework apply to a different context or population?"

During the interview:

  • "What was it like to go through the question-and-answer dialogue?"
  • "When you use AI to help develop your ideas, how do you know whether you've actually learned the material?"
  • "How do you think faculty would view work you've produced with AI assistance?"


What Are The Risks Of The Study?

There are minimal risks associated with this study:

  • Mild discomfort or anxiety: You may experience mild stress while reflecting on your AI use or being questioned about your work. You may skip any question you do not wish to answer and may stop the session at any time.
  • Disclosure sensitivity: Sharing that you used AI assistance might cause concern, even though this is a research study. To mitigate this:
  • Your participation is confidential
  • Sharing AI use for this study will NOT trigger academic integrity concerns
  • Your materials will be anonymized before being shared with others
  • No information about your AI use will be shared with your faculty or program
  • Intellectual property concerns: Your written work will be processed through ChatGPT Team. To protect your work:
  • OpenAI does NOT use ChatGPT Team data to train AI models
  • You should NOT submit dissertation chapters containing unpublished research
  • Appropriate submissions include approved concept papers, approved proposals, or dissertation chapters 1, 2, or 3.
  • You retain all intellectual property rights to your work
  • Only anonymized excerpts (with identifying details removed) will be shared with faculty/administrator participants
  • Time commitment: The sessions require 2.5-4 hours total, which may conflict with your academic workload.


What Are The Benefits To Taking Part In This Study?

You may gain personal insight into your own learning process and relationship with AI tools. Your feedback will help inform how doctoral programs might approach tensions regarding the use of generative AI in academia, contributing to the field's understanding of AI's role in higher education. There are no direct academic benefits (this is research only, not official evaluation).


What About Confidentiality and Protection?

Your identity will be known to the researcher but will not be published or disclosed. The following measures will be taken to protect your information:

  • Anonymization: Your name and identifying details will be removed from all materials shared with faculty or administrator participants. Faculty/administrators will review materials from a student in the other school (not their own) to prevent identification.
  • Data security:
  • Your submitted work is processed through ChatGPT Team under data privacy terms that prohibit use for AI model training
  • Audio/video recordings will be stored securely on password-protected, encrypted devices
  • Only the researcher and approved interrater research assistants will have access to recordings
  • All transcripts and coded data will be stored on password-protected and encrypted devices
  • Disclosure of AI use: Participating in this study and disclosing AI use will NOT trigger academic integrity concerns or be reported to your program
  • Data retention: Data will be retained for 3 years after study completion and then permanently deleted
  • Publications: Fielding Graduate University will not be named as the research site in publications or presentations; it will be described as "a distributed doctoral-granting university" instead. Individual participants will never be identified. Direct quotes from participants may be used but will remain anonymous.
  • IRB access: The Institutional Review Board of Fielding Graduate University retains the right to access the signed informed consent forms and other study documents.
  • By participating in this study, you agree to these privacy and confidentiality measures. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the principal researcher or the Fielding Graduate University IRB.


Participation In Research Is Voluntary

You may decline to participate or to withdraw from this study at any time, either during or after your participation, without negative consequences to your academic standing, grades, or progress in your program. Should you withdraw, your data will be eliminated from the study and will be destroyed.

The researcher is also free to terminate the study at any time.


Compensation

No compensation will be provided for participation in this study. Participation is entirely voluntary.


Study Results

You may request a copy of the summary of the aggregate final results by indicating your interest at the end of this form.


Additional Information

If you have any questions about any aspect of this study or your involvement, please contact the researcher or supervising faculty before signing this form. Contact information is provided at the bottom of this form.


You may also ask questions at any time during your participation in this study.


If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant, contact the Fielding Graduate University IRB by email at irb@fielding.edu or by telephone at 805-898-4034.



Student Informed Consent