ASSOCIATION POUR LA RECHERCHE AU COLLÉGIAL
ARC, partner on the new project College research ethics boards (REBs): mandate, governance and resources

The Association pour la recherche au collégial (ARC) is proud to announce that it will be working closely on the College research ethics boards (REBs): mandate, governance and resources project and with the principal investigator Emmanuelle Marceau.

Thanks to a Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) grant, this project will lead to new tools and recommendations to address three issues: 1) the governance challenges associated with the evaluation of course-based research activities conducted by students; 2) the decision-making surrounding the review of multijurisdictional research; and 3) the status of resources available for research ethics review in the college setting. The work will be carried out by an inter-level team composed of Emmanuelle Marceau, teacher at Cégep du Vieux Montréal, and Charles Dupras, a Université de Montréal professor and co-investigator for this project. Four other people will be working with this team: Sylvain Auclair, teacher at Cégep de Sainte-Foy, Michel Bergeron, Consultant, Ethical and Responsible Conduct of Research, Isabelle Laplante, professional librarian at the Centre de documentation collégiale (CDC), and Lynn Lapostolle, Director General of ARC.

"ARC has been contributing to this project since the FRQ launched its call for project proposals," said ARC president Renaud Bellemare. "Over the years, it has developed an impressive track record in ethics, notably by publishing guides and a tutorial, creating a research ethics working group within its community of practice of research advisors, organizing information and training sessions, and helping to create the Forum québécois en éthique de la recherche [Quebec forum on research ethics]. This new project will allow ARC to increase its support for one of the fundamental dimensions of research, as outlined in its new strategic plan." Over the next two years, members of the college network will be invited to participate in various stages of the project to ensure that the tools developed are both relevant and of highest quality. Note that these tools will be published in French and in English.

Following its call for proposals, the FRQ is funding two separate projects. "I'm delighted to know that REBs in the college network will have a tool for reviewing the ethical aspects of digital technology and artificial intelligence. I want to sincerely congratulate Frédérick Bruneau and his team at Cégep André-Laurendeau for creating such a tool, which will be added to the outputs of the College research ethics boards (REBs): mandate, governance and resources project," added Mr. Bellemare. These outputs will be disseminated through several channels, starting with ARC and the CDC, to ensure not only their storage, but also their use and maintenance. Work has already begun and ARC undertakes to keep the community informed of its progress.