Table of Contents:

1. Internal College-Sponsored Research
2. External Agency-Requested Research
3. Files/Forms

Section 1: Internal College-Sponsored Research

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1. This policy is designed to cover college-sponsored research.
   1. College-sponsored research is defined as research by faculty, departments, divisions or other entities that is used to describe students, services or programs to external audiences or is presented as official college findings.
2. The following are exempt from this policy but are required to notify Institutional Research for implementation purposes if Institutional Research is involved:
   1. Regular classroom examinations, research assignments, or test studies
   2. Faculty research protected by academic freedom
   3. Survey by academic faculty of their students
   4. Survey by administrative and executive faculty of academic faculty, students or classified employees
3. A college-sponsored research subcommittee of SPFIE shall review all instruments before they are used. This committee shall consist of the Director of Institutional Research, or his/her designee, and two academic faculty recommended by the Academic Senate Chair and appointed by the SPFIE Chair. All individuals shall serve a two-year term.
4. The Office of Institutional Research will provide technical assistance to faculty, departments, divisions, or other entities after their instruments have been approved by the college-sponsored research subcommittee. Non-approved instruments are not college-sanctioned and are not publishable as official college findings.
5. All instruments approved by the college-sponsored research subcommittee will follow the Code of Federal Regulations governing the protection of human subjects (45CFR46).
6. Research projects, to the extent possible, follow best practices as recommended here:Research Data Best Practices at WNC

Section 2: External Agency-Requested Research

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1. The Director of Institutional Research is responsible for coordinating the colleges response to external questionnaires and other external data requests that will represent the colleges position.
2. The Dean of Student Services is responsible for coordinating the colleges response to requests for current student information.
3. The Director of Human Resources is responsible for coordinating the colleges response to requests for employee information.
4. The Controller is responsible for coordinating the colleges response to requests for information concerning purchasing and financial information. The Controller coordinates all responses to internal audit recommendations and follow-up.
5. The Budget Officer is responsible for coordinating the colleges response to requests for information concerning the college budget.
6. The Director of Financial Aid is responsible for coordinating the colleges response to requests for information concerning student scholarships, grants, loans and employment opportunities.
7. The Director of Library and Media Services is responsible for coordinating the colleges response to requests for current library information.
8. External research not meeting the above criteria is the responsibility of the college-sponsored research subcommittee until such time as a suitable responder can be designated. It is understood that such data will be secondary once it is reported. It is further understood that WNC-IR will assist as needed in data gathering.

Section 3: Files/Forms

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1. Memorandum of Understanding on Data for Research
2. Research Data Best Practices at WNC

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