You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by researchers at University of Waterloo’s Library and Writing Communication Centre.
The objective of this research study is to establish a baseline understanding of how graduate supervisors at University of Waterloo approach the decision-making process around, and supervision of, graduate students’ use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools for research and writing tasks. Establishing this baseline understanding about current practices when approaching this new aspect of graduate supervision is the first step in establishing an evidence-based basis for 1) the development of resources for graduate supervisors in navigating this issue with students as well as 2) clear guidelines about GenAI use for University of Waterloo graduate students.
Participation in this study is voluntary. To ensure high quality data collection, only those individuals who consent to audio-recorded will be asked to participate in the study. If you decide to volunteer, you will be asked to participate in a 60-minute individual online interview about your experience supervising graduate students that will be facilitated by Drs. Kari D. Weaver and Nadine Fladd. There are no known or anticipated risks to your participation in this session. You may decline answering any questions you feel you do not wish to answer and may decline contributing to the interview in other ways if you so wish. When results are reported your identity will be confidential and your responses will be grouped grouped with responses from other participants. Your name will not be identified with the answers you offer in this interview. Further, you will not be identified by name in the report that the facilitators produce from these interviews. The information collected from these interviews will be kept for a period of at least seven years as encrypted files on the University of Waterloo’s SharePoint cloud. In appreciation of your time, you will receive a $50.00 gift card to either the W Store or Words Worth Books at the end of the interview.
If you have questions about participating in this study, or would like to volunteer to participate in an interview, please contact Kari D. Weaver, Learning, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian or Nadine Fladd, Manager, Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Programs at kdweaver@uwaterloo.ca or nadine.fladd@uwaterloo.ca.If you are interested in receiving an executive summary of the research findings, contactKari D. Weaver or Nadine Fladd at kdweaver@uwaterloo.ca or nadine.fladd@uwaterloo.ca.
This study has been reviewed by and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board. However, the final decision about participation is yours.
Thank you for considering participating in this study.