[ASA] Email to ASA members : ethical clearance

[John O'Byrne]

Dear ASA member,

You may recall that during last year's ASA, poster sessions were 'interactive', thanks to the Shortcut app. 

After the end of the conference, a link to a feedback survey concerning this technology was circulated on this list, and we thank everyone who took the time to submit an entry. In addition, an online management system allowed us to monitor the app activity during the week, as well as the online counter-part of the posters uploaded to the database.

The original survey and tracking systems were designed to be internal audit tools, and did not require an ethic clearance at the time. This situation has changed. We are currently preparing a publication (which among other points) will be summarising and analysing the implementation of the Shortcut app at the ASA AGM 2012. To that end, we would like to use the results of the feedback survey and the online app activity management system. 


If you filled an entry in the feedback survey:

- The survey is anonymous, and the responses cannot be linked back to individual persons. The individual responses will not be published separately.

- To comply with the ethical clearance requirement, we ask anyone who filled an entry but wishes to have it removed from the survey (and our analysis) to contact us via email at fvogt at mso.anu.edu.au or call us directly at 02 6125 8024. 

- If we do not hear from you by 1st May, we will assume your implicit consent to use your survey entry in our analysis and subsequent publication(s). 


If you used the Shortcut app during the week:

- An online tracking system enabled us to monitor the app activity during the conference week. The system was designed by the Kooaba team, and could record anonymous and successful searches of their database. The system does not allow identification of the app users in any way. We intend to publish the timing of anonymous entries during the week.

- To comply with the ethical clearance requirement, we ask anyone who used the Shortcut app during the ASA AGM 2012 but wishes to have its activity removed from our analysis to contact us via email at fvogt at mso.anu.edu.au or call us directly at 02 6125 8024. 

- If we do not hear from you by 1st May, we will assume your implicit consent to publish the data gathered from the online management system in our analysis and subsequent publication(s). 


If you uploaded a poster on the Kooaba server prior/during the conference :

- The system was designed by the Kooaba team, and did allow the identification of the individual users by accessing the uploaded poster. We will not publish information concerning poster authorship. 

- To comply with the ethical clearance requirement, we ask anyone who uploaded his poster prior/during the ASA AGM 2012 but wishes to have its activity removed from our analysis to contact us via email at fvogt at mso.anu.edu.au or call us directly at 02 6125 8024. 

- If we do not hear from you by 1st May, we will assume your implicit consent to publish the data gathered from the online management system related to your poster in our analysis and subsequent publication(s).


Finally, please note that the publication containing the survey result will be made publicly available on the arXiv preprint server once accepted for publication. This research has been approved by the ANU Human Research Ethics Committee (protocol 2013/201).

With our best regards,

Frédéric Vogt & Luke Shingles





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ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN O’BYRNE
Associate Head (Teaching & Learning)
Chair, School Teaching & Learning Committee 
Secretary, Astronomical Society of Australia Inc. 

Sydney Institute for Astronomy
School of Physics | Faculty of Science

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