1.    Research conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings, involving normal educational practices, such as:

                a.  research on regular or special education instructional strategies, or

                b.  research on the effectiveness of, or the comparison among, instructional techniques curricula, or classroom management methods.

        2.    Research involving the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, or achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures, or observation of public behavior, unless:

                a.  information obtained is recorded in a manner that human participants can be identified, directly or though identifiers linked to the participants; and

                b.  any disclosure of the human participants' responses outside the research could reasonably place the participants at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the participants' financial standing, employability, or reputation.

        3.    Research involving the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, or achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures, or observation of public behavior that is not exempt under category 2 of this section, if:

                a.  the human participants are elected or appointed public officials or candidates for public office, or,

                b.  federal statue(s) require(s) without exception that the confidentiality of the personally identifiable information will be maintained wthroughout the research and thereafter.

       Note: This category cannot be considered exempt when a study includes minors as participants.
 

        4.    Research involving the collection or study of existing data, documents, records, pathological specimens, or diagnostic specimens, if these sources are publicly available or if the information is recorded by the investigator in a manner that participants cannot be identified, directly or through identifiers linked to the participants.

    Note: eligibility for exempt status of research involving minors in this category is judged by the IRB on a case by case basis.
 

        5.    Research and demonstration projects that are conducted by, or participant to the approval of DePaul University administrative officials, and that are designed to study, evaluate, or otherwise examine:

            a.    University benefit or service programs;
            b.    procedures for obtaining benefits or services under those programs;
            c.    possible changes in, or alternatives to, those programs; or
            d.    possible changes in methods or levels of payment for benefits or services under those programs.
 

        6.    Taste and food quality evaluation and consumer acceptance studies:

            a.    if wholesome foods without additives are consumed; or
            b.    if a food is consumed that contains a ffod ingredient at or below the level for a use found to be safe, or agricultural, chemical or environmental contaminant at or below the level found to be safe, by the Food and Drug Administration, or approved by theenvironmental Protection Agency or the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
 

The IRB retains final judgment as to whether a particular activity is exempt.

Note: If your project involves a comparison among different groups, it is likely that it may not meet the requirements of exemption.

This policy does not affect any State or local laws or regulations that may otherwise be applicable and which provide additional protections for human research participants.

This policy does not affect any foreign laws or regulations which may otherwise be applicable and which provide additional protections to human research participants.

When research covered by this policy takes place in foreign countries, procedures normally followed in the foreign countries to protect human participants may differ from those set forth in this policy. [An example is a foreign institution which complies with guidelines consistent with the World Medical Assembly Declaration (Declaration of Helsinki amended 1989) issued either by sovereign states or by an organization whose function for the protection of human research participants is internationally recognized.] In these circumstances, if the IRB determines that the procedures prescribed by the institution afford protections that are at least equivalent to those provided in this policy, the IRB may approve the substitution of the foreign procedures in lieu of the procedural requirements provided in this policy.