Research Manager

Adding an arm group

An arm group is a container for all the research arms you'll create (e.g., the treatment and control arms). 

• Parent arm: Only use the parent arm if you want to re-randomize a subgroup within another arm. In the example below, the Parent arm is "ArmB." 

  • ArmA=Control (50% of the sample)

  • ArmB=Intervention (50% of the sample)

    • ArmB1=One dose (25% of the sample or 50% of Arm B)

    • ArmB2=Two doses (25% of the sample or 50% of Arm B)

Note: The example above could have also been set up as three groups (ArmA=Control, ArmB=OneDose, ArmC=TwoDoses).  However, the proportion of sample in each group would be a third, rather than as specified above. You can use either method, depending on how you want to set up your sample and randomization.

• Arm group name: This might be something like "ABTestGoalSetting-W19." You'll likely want it to indicate roughly which study it relates to and when you ran the study. If you know you want to use the arm group term after term, you could leave off the date.

• Randomization type: Currently ECoach only uses Urn Randomization, but let us know if you want another type.

• Source: If you run the study across your institution, you'd choose your institution's MTS source. If you run the study in a coach, you'd choose your coach/course MTS source.

• Characteristic: 

  • Choose the corresponding MTS characteristic. It's easiest to match the Arm group name ("ABTestGoalSetting-W19").

  • Also make sure this characteristic in MTS has the same source as what you identified in Source.

Adding a study arm

• ARM group: Choose the arm group you set up in the previous step.

• Study ARM name: This is the name of this particular arm, for example "A-Normative" or "B-NoNormative."

• Population percentage: Leave it blank to let ECoach split the arms evenly. Or, you can enter weights, for example 25% for a control group and 75% for an intervention group.

• Value: Choose the response value from your MTS characteristic ("ABTestGoalSetting-W19") that corresponds to this study arm (such as "A-Normative" or just "A").  

Adding a study

• Arm group: Choose the arm group you set up previously.

• Study name: This name is only visible to ECoach admin and staff. Name your study something you'll remember in the future. 

• External Name and Pitch: Students will see these, so use a cryptic name and description/pitch if you want to maintain blinded study arms. The form provides some examples.

• Study type: Select your type of study; tailoring is the most likely. 

  • • The journal feature (e.g., for writing prompts like a Values Affirmation exercise)

    • Name That Scenario (e.g., testing a leaderboard feature in NTS)

    • Tailoring on your arms in a to-do list item, bulletin, or survey (e.g., delivering different surveys to an A group vs a B group)

• Coach: Choose which coach gets this particular study. Leave this blank if you're running the same study across all active coaches at your institution.

• Randomization trigger:

  • • On Access means people are randomized to one of your study arms when they try to access your study. Advantages of this setting are that you'll only get people who intend to engage with your study (as opposed to everyone in the course), so your sample may be a bit more balanced. 

    • On Demand means ECoach will randomize your currently-enrolled students at the release date of the study. Students will continue to get randomized even if they are added after your release date. It is possible to put this release date in the past to do an immediate randomization. Advantages of this setting are that you can send a tailored email to people only in the intervention arm, for example. Contact ECoach Support for assistance with configuring this setting.

• Release date: This is when your study components are active. This date also triggers "On Demand" randomization.

• Expiration date: Study components are no longer available to students, and students will no longer be randomized to study arms.

Adding a study component

Study components allow you to use existing study delivery features in ECoach, such as our journal interface (for writing-based interventions), our leaderboard in Name That Scenario, or our Values Affirmation exercise. 

• Study: Choose the name of the study you set up in the previous steps.

• Arm: Decide which study arm (e.g., "W2019ValuesAffirmationControl") receives this study component. 

• Type: Choose from the journal features or NTS leaderboard (e.g., "Journal: Control Affirmation Exercise"). 

• Release date and Expiration date: If you leave these dates blank, ECoach will use the dates listed in the Study (above). Otherwise, the dates will determine when the study component is available for people randomized to the associated study arm.

Adding a value or value collection

If you're using a Values Affirmation intervention, you can add your own values that students can choose from for the exercise. Contact ECoach Support for assistance with configuring this setting.

Adding a journal prompt

• Institution: Choose your institution.

• Coach: Choose which coach will display the prompt. Leave this field blank if you want to use the journal in all active coaches at your institution. 

• Study arm: Choose which study arm gets this particular prompt. 

• Reflection: Contact ECoach Support for assistance if you want to configure this setting.

• Prompt: Enter the text for the writing prompt people will receive in their journal.

• Release date: Set the date and time when the prompt will appear to people in the journal. 

• Expiration date: This date will close the journal prompt. Students can read what they wrote, but not respond to that prompt after the expiration date.

• NOTE: If multiple study arms are receiving journal prompts, repeat for all study arms.