In-depth information for (1) students, (2) researchers, (3) instructors are presented on their respective BIL pages. Please check those out to understand the processes and requirements before going to the short FAQs below.
For Students
Studies are currently only open to students enrolled in the MAR3023 class, as well as other CoB classes that instructors have agreed to participate in. We recommend checking with your instructor and consulting your syllabus for more information.
You are only eligible to participate and earn points in a given course if the professor or syllabus states so explicitly. If your class is offering such credit, it will be noted in your syllabus. In the syllabus your professor will also indicate what research sessions will translate into in terms of your grade. If you are unsure or have questions, please check your syllabus or contact your professor/TA.
At the beginning of the semester, eligible students receive an email with login credentials for the . Check your spam folder, as emails from the BIL often end up there. The email includes your user ID and password, which you can update anytime. Be sure to keep your login information handy for use throughout the semester.
Yes, if your class participates in the extra research credit through the BIL, but you are not able (under 18 years old) or unwilling to take research studies, you may sign up for alternative research assignments through our . The sign-up process is the same as for students participating in research studies: you create your account through the and then check that you do not want/can take part in research studies during the original sign-up. You will then be re-directed to research alternatives. Once you decide for either being a research participant or choose the alternative assignments route, you will need to stick with the selection through the respective semester 鈥� switching between the modes is not possible. Please visit the For Students page for more information.
Yes, you are more than welcome to, as long as you are enrolled in the classes offering extra credit.
First, be sure to check your junk or spam mail settings. Your account should be set to receive emails from 鈥淍sona-systems.com鈥� and 鈥渃obinsightslab@fau.edu鈥�. Make sure you 鈥渨hite list鈥� these addresses/domain names. If you do not know how to do this on the specific email program you use, please search online, or reach out to 麻豆女郎鈥檚 help desk. If you still cannot find the email, please contact us at cobinsightslab@fau.eduand we will ensure a new user ID and password gets sent to you.
No. At the end of every semester, the BIL will get reset and the student user information will be deleted. At the beginning of a new semester you will receive new log-in information and have to create a new account to start participating in research studies.
The translation of credits into your grade can vary from course to course, and is specified in your syllabus. Generally studies and alternative assignments are designed in 15-minute increments, each 15 minutes equivalates to 1 Sona Participation Credit (30-minute studies equivalates to 2 Sona Participation Credits and so on). With that being said, if you were to want to earn all 4 credits for your class, this would take you 1 hour.
Yes, your credit is based on the level of participation. If you complete less than 4 sessions, your professor will give you partial credit toward your grade (based on the number of sessions you did complete), based on the criteria set forth in his/her syllabus.
No. Each credit applies to only one course. You must select the course when signing up for a study, and this decision cannot be changed later.
The system does not impose a limit, but professors typically allow a maximum of 4 research credits per course. Additional credits beyond this limit will not count toward your grade.
Each study posted on the system indicates how long it will take and how many credits you will receive for completing it. You can see this in the study info when it is posted. You can view how many credits you have by logging into your account.
By the end of the semester.
Only students with a account receive email notifications about upcoming studies. These notifications are typically sent a week before studies are posted. Studies fill up quickly, so sign up as soon as possible. Make sure that you enable it in your settings when you create your account to check that you want study updates. Additionally, check the system regularly for new postings.
Studies are posted throughout the semester as researchers need participants. There is no set schedule, and availability may vary. Research slots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so don鈥檛 wait until the end of the semester to earn credits. Waiting until the end of the semester is likely to result in your inability to earn all the credits you want. There will be more than sufficient opportunities for earning credits (even for multiple courses) throughout the semester. However, if you do not take advantage of these opportunities early and often, there is no guarantee you will be able to earn all credits.
If it鈥檚 early in the semester, wait for more studies to be posted. If it鈥檚 late in the semester, opportunities may be limited, and you may not be able to earn all the credits you need.
If you鈥檙e experiencing technical issues, contact the system administrator at cobinsightslab@fau.edu
Please contact the researcher whose study you are taking directly. You can find their email at the beginning of the study. If you do not receive a response, please email the administrator at cobinsightslab@fau.edu
If you have another question or concern, please email the administrator at cobinsightslab@fau.edu
For Researchers and Instructors
Faculty interested in using the BIL for research studies should visit our For Researchers page for detailed information. If you have further questions, contact us at cobinsightslab@fau.edu
Yes. All studies involving human subjects must receive IRB approval or exemption before research begins in the Behavioral Insights Lab. Please see the For Researchers page for a proposed paragraph to add to your IRB application when using the BIL student subject pool.
After contacting us at cobinsightslab@fau.edu, we will create a researcher account for you. Please review the For Researchers page in depth, follow the step-by-step instructions, and make sure you meet the requirements. Tutorial videos are posted for your convenience. Once you have set up your study, please email us and we will review and if no changes are required approve the study.
We rely on our faculty鈥檚 willingness to encourage and reward student participation in our BIL studies. Faculty that are interested in adding students from their courses to the lab pool can contact the lab directly at cobinsightslab@fau.edu. More details are available on our For Instructors page.
Students sign up to complete studies using the , which also tracks their participation and credits. Participating faculty members will be provided with a report containing a list of their students who have participated in the lab for class credit. This report details the total number of credits that the student received for the semester. Each faculty member can determine how credits are assigned in their courses as outlined in their syllabus or course policies.
Currently, the BIL is focusing its efforts on supporting researchers within the College of Business during its pilot phase. However, we anticipate that, in future semesters, there may be opportunities for faculty from other colleges to access the lab, subject to availability.
As of now, the lab is primarily designed for the administration of online studies. Researchers can conduct a variety of research formats, including surveys, experiments, and interviews.
For researchers within the College of Business, there is no charge for utilizing the BIL for academic research purposes.
The BIL is operational during the Fall and Spring semesters, supporting research activities throughout these periods. It is not currently open for research during the Summer months.