The IE Lab is protected by two key systems-electronic and physical. The electronic key (IU Crimson Card) unlocks the entry door into the lab, giving access to the lobby of the IE Lab. The physical key unlocks the inner doors of the lab, giving access to the computer rooms.
Electronic Keys
All researchers, research assistants, and instructors must register their Indiana University issued CrimsonCard with the IE Lab in order for the card to be activated, allowing entry to the IE Lab. This allows the IE Lab to monitor who enters the lab (for security purposes and for monitoring lab usage.
Physical Keys
Physical keys 1) are limited in number, 2) are quite expensive to replace; door locks must be changed if a key is lost, and 3) give direct access to the computer labs.
For this reason, only faculty, graduate students and IE Lab administrators may receive a physical key. Undergraduate research assistants cannot receive a physical key, unless under special circumstances reviewed on a case-by-case basis (see policies for Undergraduate Research Assistants, below).
The IE Lab supports the involvement of undergraduate research assistants (URAs) in data collection, for research and educational purposes, when they are properly trained and supervised on IE Lab security protocol and recognized Human Subjects/IRB ethical standards.
Special policies apply to 1) how URAs may access the lab and 2) URA training and supervision.
Accessing the Lab
As with other lab users, approved undergraduate research assistants (URAs) must register their university CrimsonCard with the IE Lab—doing so allows them after-hours access to the IE Lab lobby. However, the IE Lab does not permit URAs to have physical keys (by default, faculty advisors and graduate-student supervisors are not permitted to lend their physical keys to URAs)*.
It is the responsibility of the URA's faculty advisor to make the necessary arrangements so that either the faculty advisor or one of the advisor's approved graduate student supervisors can use his/or physical key to open the reserved computer room door when the URA needs to access a computer lab for data collection or other relevant activity.
* Undergraduates may be given a physical key only under special circumstances. Doing so requires pre-approval from the IE Lab Directors and demonstrable supervision by an approved faculty advisor and/or graduate-student supervisor.
Initial Training and Long-Term Supervision
The IE Lab has established two important supervisory measures for URAs to ensure that all URAs maintain high standards of security and the ethical treatment of human participants in research throughout their tenure of accessing the lab.
- Initial Training. Each URA must receive at least two weeks of direct supervision when beginning to work in the IE Lab. The supervisor must attend every session in which the undergraduate is involved during those initial weeks of using the lab.
- Monthly Check-ups. Once a month thereafter, the URA's supervisor must check the performance of each URA. This check-up must occur in the IE Lab and span a session in its entirety (from entry to exit). Such supervision should focus on security and ethical protocol; however, we also envision these trainings and check-ups as educational opportunities to help deepen undergraduate appreciation for the professional administration of research in a laboratory setting.
* Completion of the Initial Training and Monthly Check-ups must be documented and put on file with the IE Lab administration.
* Such training and supervision is to be carried out by the URAs faculty advisor and/or approved graduate-student supervisor.