Dear Potential Participants,
My name is Zachary Singletary and I’m a doctoral candidate at East Carolina University in the Rhetoric, Writing, & Professional Communication program. I am looking for potential participants in my dissertation research project “For the Shell of It: Accessible Template Materials in Writing Programs.”
This study will consist of two parts, beginning with an initial survey relating to institutional contexts and types of template materials provided. Depending on responses, there is a potential for a follow-up interview related to the composition, editing, and using, of template materials.
I’m conducting research on the LMS template shell, interrogating how these shared curricula are designed and conceptualized as it pertains to their accessibility and usability. My goal is to have conversations with folks who do the designing and editing of these shells, to consider how they consider or receive input from their writing program community, and how those materials explicitly consider accessibility in how they are designed and revised.
To have these conversations, I’m looking for context about the shared curricula (in the form of template materials) that different writing programs, at a variety of institutions, provide, with eventual hopes of having secondary interviews with folks at programs who offer LMS template shells. This study consists of two (2) parts. Part one begins with the completion of a Qualtrics survey that asks for institutional context surrounding your writing programs, as while as some minor demographic information. Part two would consist of selected interviews based on the results of this survey, to consider how specific types of materials (LMS shells) are designed. Depending on responses to part one, you may not be contacted for the structured follow up interview. Part one, the initial survey, should take no longer than 15-20 minutes to complete. Your participation in this study is completely optional, and you can withdraw from the study at any time. I will, unfortunately, not be able to pay you for the time you volunteer for the research survey.
This research is overseen by the University and Medical Center Institutional Review Board (UMCIRB) at ECU. Therefore, some of the UMCIRB members or the UMCIRB staff may need to review your research data. However, the information you provide will not be linked to you. Therefore, your responses cannot be traced back to you by anyone, including me. If you have questions about your rights when taking part in this research, call the University and Medical Center Institutional Review Board (UMCIRB) at 252-744-2914 (days, 8:00 am-5:00 pm). If you would like to report a complaint or concern about this research study, call the Director of Human Research Protections, at 252-744-2914.
If you are interested and are involved in the development of shared curricula in your writing program, or make use of said shared curricula, please consider using the below link to engage in my research survey, and please indicate if you are willing to be interviewed.
Thank you for your time in considering my study, and I wish you all the best!
Bitly Link to Qualtrics Survey: https://bit.ly/ShellATMSurvey
Principal Investigator: Zachary T. Singletary Doctoral Candidate,
Rhetoric, Writing, & Prof Comm Department of English, East Carolina University
Email: singletaryz18
Zachary T. Singletary (he/him)
Grad Assistant Director of Writing Foundations
Rhetoric, Writing, & Prof Comm Ph.D. Candidate
Office: Bate 2101