2023-24 Classroom Study: Blueprint of Life Biology Lessons

What is the study about?
WestEd, a non-profit research, development, and service agency, is partnering with d’Vinci Interactive, the developers of Blueprint of Life. Blueprint of Life is an online genetics and genomics curriculum. The purpose of the study is to explore the impacts on student learning when using the Blueprint of Life Lessons. This form describes the study to you, lets you know how to get more information about the study, and gives you the option to sign up. This project is funded by the National Institute of Health Small Business Innovation Research Grant program.

What will I have to do for the study?

All teachers will participate in the following activities. Please note – teachers will be randomly be assigned to a Fall (October-December 2023) or Spring (January-March 2024) cohort, but all teachers will complete the same research activities.
  • Participate in a 60-minute virtual orientation and training at the beginning of the study.
  • Facilitate the distribution, collection, and return of student and parent study information letters and opt out forms.
    • Please note: The parent form will provide permission for WestEd to collect student information (first and last names and demographic information including gender, race/ethnicity, ELL status, and FRPL status).
  • Agree to teach 5 Blueprint of Life sections as part of your regular classroom instruction over 8-10 weeks (8-10 hours of instructional time).
    • You will also be expected to prepare and familiarize yourself with the Blueprint of Life lessons.
  • Complete a short online log about the week’s instructional activities for each of week of the study. The log will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.
  • Agree to administer surveys and assessments to participating students in your classroom in October 2023, December 2023, and March 2024.
    • Students will participate in pre- and post-surveys measuring their attitudes towards genetics and genomics and interest in pursuing careers in genomics. Surveys take 5-10 minutes to complete.
    • Student will take a pre- and post-assessment aligned to the Blueprint of Life lessons that measure their knowledge of genetics and genomics. Assessments take 30-40 minutes to complete.
  • A subset of teachers will randomly be asked to participate in a 60-minute post-intervention phone interview with a WestEd researcher.
  • A subset of teachers will randomly be asked to assist WestEd researchers in facilitating student small-group interviews.
    • WestEd researchers may conduct a post-interview with a small group of 3-4 students and would like your help identifying and communicating with student participants.

Am I eligible to participate in this study?
To participate in the study, teachers must be teaching genetics and genomics content in a high school biology class during the 2023-24 school year.

Do I have to participate in this study?
No. It is completely voluntary. There are no penalties for you if you do not participate in this study. You also have the right to withdraw from the study if you change your mind later. There are no penalties for withdrawing early from the study.

Will my privacy be protected?
Yes. All identifying information we collect about you and your students will be kept confidential, will only be used for research purposes, and will never be shared outside the study team. After the end of the study, we will destroy records that contain personal information about you and your students.
Are there any risks to being in the study?
We do not believe there will be any additional risks to you beyond those associated with your normal teaching duties.

Are there any benefits?
There may or may not be any educational benefit to your students. The result of the study may help Blueprint of Life to improve interactive biology lessons for students.

Will I be compensated?
You will receive $1200 for completing all study activities.

I have more questions. Who do I contact?
If you have further questions about this research study, you may contact Jacklyn Yani at jyani@wested.org If you have questions or concerns regarding your rights as a research participant, you may contact the WestEd Institutional Review Board (IRB) at 844-472-5437 or subjects@wested.org.

How do I participate in the study?
Please fill out and submit the consent form on the next page.
Please click "Next" to complete the consent form on the next page.

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