Small additions of research-specific procedures can shift a study out of exempt review¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q1
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q1 i? Adding a single extra research procedure — an additional survey, researcher-created worksheets, or research-specific in-app prompts — can change how an IRB evaluates an otherwise routine educational activity. → path-1

Evidence¶

path-1¶

Younger, J. (2026, September). Navigating research approvals for edtech research and evaluation: A practical guide. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/318

q1 · i? · review · r2

The guide's Small Changes Can Change the Review Path section lists common triggers, including asking students to explain answers during observation, and stresses that IRBs review the complete research design rather than any single method in isolation.

"Many edtech studies begin as routine educational activities but become research because the team adds one extra research procedure."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• School districts act as independent gatekeepers whose requirements can exceed IRB determinations — related
• Maintaining NHSR status requires no researcher access to identifiable records, no added procedures, and no non-standard prompts — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Implementation of the TPI procedure reached only one tutor-trainee pair out of nine potential tutors, though participants assessed it positively — related
• In an out-of-the-box evaluation, 60% of parents accessed video clips and 52% accessed activities without prompting or instruction — related
• Students found the GoCPS application platform logistically easy to use, but applications to schools with additional requirements caused difficulties — related