UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - MILWAUKEE
CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH
IRB number 08.347

Study title: Women’s Persistence in Engineering Careers: Contextual Barriers/Supports
                                                                                                  
Person in Charge of Study:  Nadya A. Fouad, Ph.D.  Dr. Fouad is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  This research is sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Study description:
You are being asked to participate in a research study designed to improve understanding of women’s choices in engineering careers.  We are surveying a national group of women with engineering degrees who have either remained in or have chosen to leave engineering careers. The study is longitudinal, which means participants will be invited to have further participation in the future. This research will help us gain an understanding of the most important things that have led to women engineer’s career choices and will allow us to investigate changes in attitudes or career status over time.   The results may help us make recommendations for improving the working environment for women in engineering careers.  Surveys will be completed using the internet, and are expected to take between 5 to 30 minutes depending on whether you are a current or former engineer and the length of time since your last engineering position.

What will I be asked to do if I participate in the study?
If you agree to participate you will be asked to indicate agreement or disagreement with a series of statements about yourself, your interests, beliefs and experiences related to your career.  Your responses will be confidential, and will be maintained on a secure, password-protected UW-M computer server. 

What risks will I face by participating in this study?
While unlikely, it’s possible that by participating in this study, you might experience some discomfort as survey items ask you to reflect on yourself and your career experiences.  If you do experience unwanted discomfort, you may decline to respond to particular items or decline to continue the survey. You also may contact the principal investigator at the phone number or email address below, who is a trained counselor.

Will I receive any benefit from my participation in this study?
There are no direct benefits to participants for their participation in this study. However, you may appreciate the opportunity to contribute your experiences about women in the engineering workforce.  Furthermore, your participation will assist with further research in this area of study.  We hope to uncover factors related to women’s persistence or non-persistence in engineering careers and to publish our findings.  If you are interested, we would be happy to send you a copy of completed research publications.

Are subjects paid or given anything for being in the study?
 You will not be paid for taking part in this research study.

Will I be charged anything for participating in this study?
You will not be responsible for any of the costs from taking part in this research study.

What happens to the information collected?
All information collected about you during the course of this study will be kept private and confidential to the extent permitted by law.  Identifying information will only be collected and utilized if you agree to be re-contacted for this study in the future, or if you wish to receive research results.  Your survey answers will be kept separate from any identifying information and will be confidential even to researchers.  Survey results and any identifying information will be maintained on UW-M password-protected computer servers. Only the PI and trained graduate assistants will have access to this data. However, the IRB at UW-Milwaukee or appropriate federal agencies like the Office for Human Research Protections may review unidentified records. We may decide to present aggregate research results to others, or to publish in scientific journals or at scientific conferences, however no identifying data will be revealed.

Are there alternatives to participating in the study?
There are no known alternatives available to you other than not taking part in this study.

What happens if I decide not to be in this study?
Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You may choose not to take part in this study, or if you decide to take part, you can change your mind later and withdraw from the study. You are free to not answer any questions or to withdraw at any time. Your decision will not change any present or future relationships with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. If you withdraw from the study before completing the surveys, information collected up to the point of your withdrawal will be destroyed.

Who do I contact for questions about this study?
For more information about the study or the study procedures or treatments, or to withdraw from the study, contact:
Dr. Nadya A. Fouad
Department of Educational Psychology
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
P.O. B. 413,  Enderis Hall
Milwaukee, WI   53201
(414) 229-6830 nsf-power@uwm.edu

Who do I contact for questions about my rights or complaints towards my treatment as a research subject?
The Institutional Review Board may ask your name, but all complaints are kept in confidence.
Institutional Review Board
Human Research Protection Program
Department of University Safety and Assurances
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
P.O. Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201
(414) 229-3173

Research Subject’s Consent to Participate in Research:
To voluntarily agree to take part in this study, you must indicate your agreement by selecting the “I Accept” button.  If you choose to take part in this study, you may withdraw at any time.  You are not giving up any of your legal rights by selecting “I Accept”.  Your acceptance indicates that you have read or had read to you this entire consent form, including the risks and benefits, and have had all of your questions answered, and that you are 18 years of age or older. The information obtained below is confidential, will be maintained separately from survey responses and will not be used for any purpose other than conducting this study. If you would like a copy of this consent, print this page, or contact Professor Nadya Fouad at nsf-power@uwm.edu, or 414-229-6830.
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I am 18 years of age or older. I am aware that I may withdraw from this study at any time. I have received an explanation of this study and agree to participate. I understand that my participation in this study is strictly voluntary. I understand that by clicking the “I Accept” button, I have consented to participate in the study. (If you are NOT 18 years or older, or you do not agree to participate, close the browser by selecting the X in the upper right hand corner of the browser window. Any information you have entered will not be saved.)