Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Monitoring Research Involving Human Subjects for Data Collection & Analysis

Feather River College is committed to upholding ethical research practices that protect participants from risk and ensure high standards in data collection, security, informed consent, and confidentiality.

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews research proposals to ensure compliance with ethical guidelines. The Board meets upon request and provides timely feedback to researchers.

IRB Membership

The IRB consists of the following members:

• VP of Student Services (or designee)
• Director of Human Resources (or designee)
• Director of Institutional Research (or designee)
• Up to two additional members as needed based on the research topic

The IRB submits its recommendations to the Superintendent/President for final approval.

External Research Requests

All external researchers must receive IRB approval before conducting any data collection at FRC. To apply, researchers must submit a completed request form that includes:

• Research purpose
• Research question(s)
• Methodology, including data collection methods
• Data security measures, informed consent process, and assurances of anonymity/confidentiality (if applicable)
• Project timeline
• IRB approval from home institution (if applicable)

External Research Request Form

Internal Research Requests

Internal research requests undergo IRB review with a recommendation to the Superintendent/President for final approval.

When is IRB Review Required?

• Established research projects that have already been approved by other FRC shared-governance bodies (e.g., Student Services Council) do not require IRB review—unless there are significant changes to methodology or data collection.
• Internal researchers are encouraged to submit proposals to the Director of Institutional Research for feedback.

The FRC IRB may also convene informally to provide consultation on prospective projects, even if formal review is not required.