ETHICAL ACTION PLAN

I shared the Ethical Action Plan with my tutor Carys Kennedy in October and redrafted it through a few rounds of comments and checks, with her approval on 12 November 2025 on the proviso that I take in all her last round of comments (which I did):

Ethical Action Plan (500-750 words)*

This document is a chance for you to begin shaping your project while thinking through its ethical considerations, implications, and responsibilities. We know this might feel early in your action research journey, but this short plan is here to help pin down your ideas and work-in-progress. 

Use whatever writing format that suits you – lists, bullet points, statements or paragraphs – and follow the suggested links stated alongside some of the questions for guidance. 

A good starting point is the BERA Guidelines for Educational Research, fifth edition (2024) alongside the ‘Ethics Files and Resources’ on Moodle. 

When you’re ready, email your draft to your allocated tutor 48 hours in advance of you first group tutorialin the week commencing 6 October 2025, so it can help guide the focus of discussions and support your project development. 

Name: Sonali Misra

Tutor: Carys Kennedy

Date: 12 November 2025

What is the working title of your project? Also write a few sentences about the focus of your project.    Title: Testing the Efficacy of Student Self-Assessments in Learning Journeys This project will test the effectiveness of a student self-assessment programme I piloted in 2024 in a unit I created and teach. The aim of this project is to test whether these student self-assessments are beneficial for tutors understanding their students’ diverse learning needs, helping the students identify what skill and knowledge areas they should work upon in a unit, and helping students set objectives for themselves for a unit. Thus, this project more actively engages a student in their learning journeys.

What sources will you read or reference? Share 5 to 10. BERA Guidelines for Educational Research, https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online Denzin, N K and Lincoln, Y S (2000) Handbook of Qualitative Research. California: Sage. Research Methods for Business Students, https://www-vlebooks-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/Product/Index/304041?page=0&startBookmarkId=-1 Smith, L T (1999) Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London: Zed Books. Universal Methods of Design, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/UAL/detail.action?docID=3399583

What action(s) are you planning to take, and are they realistic in the time you have (Sept-Dec)? The effectiveness of the student self-assessment programme will be tested through a focus group in class time. As a contingency plan (especially as attendance has not been great for this unit), I can interview 3–4 students who are presently studying this unit and have participated in the self-assessment programme as well as from last year’s cohort who did the same.

Who will be involved, and in what way? (e.g. colleagues, students, local community…). Note, if any of your participants will be under the age years of 18yrs, please seek further advice from your tutor. I will conduct a focus group with BA 2nd year students in classroom time. As a contingency plan, I can interview 3–4 students from the BA 2nd and 3rd year cohorts outside of classroom time, either on LCC campus or on MS Teams. Both student groups are over age 18.

What are the health & safety concerns, and how will you prepare for them? o   https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/42587/health-and-safety-hub o   https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/45761/health-and-safety-policies-and-standards As the focus group data will be collected in the classroom at LCC during class hours, there should be no health and safety concerns over regular factors. As the interviews (if conducted) will be conducted on LCC or on MS Teams during working hours, there should be no health and safety concerns over regular factors.

How will you manage and protect any physical and / or digital data you collect, including the data of people involved? o   https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#consento   https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#privacy-data-storage I will record the focus group and interview conversations on my phone and have MS Teams call recording in the background (to help with transcription). These recordings will immediately be transferred to my work laptop and deleted from my phone. Both my phone and work laptop are password-protected. I will transcribe the conversations via MS Teams. Transcriptions will be stored on my password-protected work laptop. All data with be anonymised when shared in outputs. I will use some examples of the reports I create as a result of the student self-assessment programme in my output, but these will be for illustrative purposes and anonymised.

How will you take ethics into account in your project for participants and / or yourself? o   https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#responsibilities-participantso   https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#responsibilities-sponsorso   https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#responsibilities-wellbeingo   See Emotionally Demanding Research PDF on Moodle Students will share reflections on the use and effectiveness of the student self-assessment programme. This does not include any vulnerable or private/confidential information. This could include some information to do with their insecurities or anxieties regarding their knowledge and skills relevant to the Unit. I create a safe, welcoming environment in the classroom and will emphasise that they can share as much information as they would like to. It will be emphasised that their participation is voluntary, without any offer of reward or compensation, and that they would be free to end their participation before the focus group takes place or during it, without providing a reason. Their responses will also be anonymised. I will also ask the students to respect the other participants’ anonymity and not share their names or contributions in the focus group. All this information will be relayed to them through detailed Participant Information Sheets and they will read and sign the Consent Forms afterwards.

* The form itself is around 300 words, so with your additions the total length will come to a maximum of about 1,050 words.

PARTICIPANT FACING DOCUMENTS

I sent the following documents (participation information sheet and participant consent form) to my tutor Carys Kennedy on 12 November 2025 for her feedback. She had some minor comments on some of them and approved them with the provision that I take them in, which I did:

1. Participant Information Sheet

Research project: Significance of Student Self-Assessments in Learning Journeys

Participant Information Sheet 

About this study

This study is part of my research on the PgCert Academic Practice in Art, Design and Communication at UAL.

I am conducting an enquiry into the significance of student self-assessments in learning journeys. I am interested in students’ analyses of and reflections on the potential role that the Skills and Knowledge Mapping (SKM) surveys and reports played in helping you assess some of your skills and knowledge and their growth through the Creative Magazine Writing unit.

My research will analyse your reflections on the usefulness of the SKMs. The methodology will be qualitative: taking a responsive evaluation approach. This will consist of an in-depth focus group with students who have studied the Creative Magazine Writing unit and taken the SKM surveys. Responses will be analysed thematically.

What does it mean to take part?

If you take part, you are consenting to taking part in a focus group. The focus group may take between 30–40 minutes. I will audio record the focus group and transcribe it. The data will be used as the basis for academic analysis. 

If you choose to take part, you will be free to withdraw your participation before the focus group takes place or during it. You will not be obliged to give any reason for deciding not to take part.

Will my participation be kept confidential?

Your anonymity is very important. The information about you will be confidential to me, as the researcher. You will not be identified individually anywhere in the research. If I quote anything you have said in an interview, it will be anonymous. An example might be: ‘Student A said “The project is…”.’ I also ask that you respect your fellow participants’ anonymity and not share their names or contributions in the focus group.

What will happen to the results of the research project?

Analysis from the SKM reports and focus group – including quotations from you – will contribute to an academic dissertation. Your words may also be used in academic reports, papers, journal articles, or conference presentations. These may appear online. You will be anonymised through all of them.

Thank you for your contribution and participation in this study.

Contact for further information:

Dr Sonali Misra, Investigator

s.misra@lcc.arts.ac.uk

2. Participant Consent Form

Participant Consent Form

Project Title: Significance of Student Self-Assessments in Learning Journeys

You are being invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the attached information sheet carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask if anything is unclear or if you would like more information.

• I understand that I have given my consent to be interviewed about my thoughts on Significance of Student Self-Assessments in Learning Journeys.

• I fully give my consent to take part.

• I understand that I have given approval for my opinions to be included in the research outputs. Anything I say may be used in academic papers relating to the project, although these quotations will be anonymous. I will also respect my fellow participants’ anonymity and not share their names or contributions.

• I have read the information sheet about the research project, which I have been asked to take part in and have been given a copy of this information to keep.  

• What is going to happen and why it is being done has been explained to me, and I have had the opportunity to discuss the details and ask questions. 

• Having given this consent, I understand that I have the right to withdraw from the research programme before/during the focus group, without disadvantage to myself and without having to give any reason.

• I hereby fully and freely consent to participation in the study, which has been fully explained to me.

Participant’s name (BLOCK CAPITALS):
Participant’s signature:		Date:
Investigator’s name  (BLOCK CAPITALS):
Investigator’s signature:		Date:

Contact

Investigator: Dr Sonali Misra, London College of Communication

Email: s.misra@lcc.arts.ac.uk

FOCUS GROUP/INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

For my primary research method to test the efficacy of my Skills and Knowledge Mapping (SKM) project, I decided to conduct a focus group with my 2nd year BA (Hons) Magazine Journalism and Publishing students pursuing the Creative Magazine Writing unit. As a contingency plan – as the attendance has not been great in this Unit this year – I considered doing semi-structured interviews with students who have pursued the Unit this year or in the previous year and also participated in the SKM project. In either case, the questions would remain the same.

I chose a semi-structured approach for both so that I have a guidance document to cover all the important bases but which gives us the space to follow a rich train of thought that may come up in the discussion. I ensured that my language in the questions was not leading so as not to bias student responses. I also begin the questions by establishing that the students participating in the focus group/interview had also participated in the full SKM project and read the reports I created on the basis of the SKM. These questions aim to test the efficacy of the SKM project.

I sent the following compiled questions to my tutor Carys Kennedy on 12 November 2025 and she OK’d them without any changes:

• Did you respond to both surveys, Skills and Knowledge Mapping 1 and Skills and Knowledge Mapping 2? And did you answer the midway touchpoint worksheet (1 thing I…)?
• How did it feel to evaluate your own skills and knowledge that are relevant to the Creative Magazine Writing unit?
• How did it feel to share this information with your tutor?
• Did these surveys help you set any goals for yourself when it comes to creative magazine writing skills?
• Did you read and understand the report that was created based on your responses?
• Did you find the report useful? What did you like about it? What can be improved?
• How did you find the visual depiction of your skills and knowledge through the radar chart?
• Did you find the different criteria you assessed useful and relevant to this Unit? Could you relate them to the Learning Outcomes of this Unit? Did they give you some specific terms/language to analyse your skills and knowledge sets?
• How did you find this approach vs a unit evaluation?
• Did you have any thoughts about your control or participation over your learning journey through this Unit? Did the surveys and reports play any role in that?
• Any last comments or thoughts?