Contents
(I) The subject-pool policy.
(II) A WEB FORM that instructors or teaching assistants should use to get their class(es) listed in Sona for the upcoming or current academic term.
(I) Policy
The Department of Psychology at Bowling Green State University maintains a web-based system (Sona) for recruiting undergraduate research participants, and for awarding class credit for such participation. Participation may count as extra credit or as an option for fulfilling a course requirement. Instructors who permit research credit must also provide an alternative means of earning such credit, for those students who do not wish to be research subjects. Each instructor's syllabus should indicate whether and to what degree research participation can impact a student's grade. This page is for BGSU Psychology instructors and teaching assistants who wish to have their course(s) listed in the Sona research scheduling system for the upcoming term. (Note that Psyc 1010, 2900, and 2700 classes will be listed by default.)
Which Classes May Participate?
Each instructor may decide whether research participation is appropriate for any given course. Each instructor (or teaching assistant) should use this form to have their course(s) listed in Sona.
Credit Amount
Researchers should assign credit at a rate of 0.5 credits per half hour of participation, with 0.5 being the minimum credit increment. (Examples: A research session designed to last 29 minutes or less should earn 0.5 credits. A session designed to last 59 minutes should earn 1 credit. A session designed to last 89 minutes should earn 1.5 credits.) The instructor will decide on the degree to which each unit of research credit impacts the student's grade. For more information, see the F.A.Q (frequently asked questions) at http://bgsu.sona-systems.com/ Instructors vary with respect to the number of hours students are asked to contribute. Three hours seems typical.
Note that for face-to-face in contrast to online studies, the researcher is permitted to award an extra half hour of credit to account for the participant's travel time.
If Your Class(es) will be part of the Research Subject Pool . . .
Please put the Sona web address on your syllabus. The address is: http://bgsu.sona-systems.com/
Ask your students to go to http://bgsu.sona-systems.com/ to register in Sona by the end of the first week of classes. Inform your students that if they aren't registered in the system before they participate in research, they won't get credit for their participation.
Each class is associated with one Sona instructor account: See http://bgsu.sona-systems.com/
If the instructor of record or the teaching assistant logs into Sona as an instructor, that person may obtain the class's Sona credit report at any time during the semester. The credit report will cease to be available after grades are due in the registrar's office.
Remind your students of the deadlines.
(II) WEB FORM. Please submit the form to get your class listed in Sona for the upcoming or current term.
(III) Get HELP with various aspects of Sona.