Department of Psychology

The Department of Psychology provides opportunities for students to participate in research and research-related experiences. Faculty and students under the direction of a faculty sponsor, conduct IRB approved studies during each semester. Participation in research is always voluntary, and in some cases, participation can be used to receive course and/or extra credit. Instructions for enrolling in the online registration system, Sona, are provided below.

The psychology department at Kennesaw State University is committed to advancing the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. As part of the general psychology course curriculum, all students are required to complete a total of 4 hours/credits of research-related activities that emphasize the empirical basis of psychology. Successful completion of this departmental requirement will account for approximately 5% of the final course grade. Please review your course syllabus for additional details about the specific weighting of this requirement in your PSYC 1101 section.

All students must register through the online registration system. You must follow the directions exactly or your account will not be approved. Make sure your KSU email account is not full or you will not get your login information. Once you complete your registration, the administration will review your request and approve your account if all information was provided correctly. Then, you will receive an email to your KSU email address of your login information.

You will login in to Sona Systems to view the available research experiences. There will be a variety of research opportunities available throughout the semester (it usually takes a few weeks into the semester before studies are available). Because opportunities to participate in research activities change throughout the semester, students should check the system periodically (e.g., once each week) until they fulfill this requirement. Without exception, the research experience requirement must be completed prior to the last scheduled day of classes. Thus, students are strongly encouraged to complete this requirement early in the semester to ensure that sufficient opportunities are available

NOTE: Students must earn 4 hours/credits during the semester. In general, options 1 and 2 will provide 0.5–1.0 credit per activity. Actual credit awarded for option 3 will vary by instructor, class, and activity.

Common questions and answers about the PSYC 1101 research experience requirement are provided in the FAQs. Other questions about this requirement should be directed to Dr. Marsil at dmarsil@kennesaw.edu

· Written summary and critique of a scholarly research article (worth 1 credit each).

As described above, students can complete this requirement in a variety of ways. Individual research-related activities will generally be worth 0.5 – 1 credits/hours and during the semester, students must earn a total of 4 hours/credits.

No, the requirement only states that PSYC 1101 students must complete 4 hours/credits of research related activities. Participation in research is always voluntary and you can elect to withdraw your participation at any time without penalty. There is an alternative available for completing this requirement that does not involve your active participation in a research study, and you can access information for those activities via the online reservation system. It is called Alternative Research Experience. It is available through the Psychology Lab. Contact Kallie Rodriguez for additional information at krodrig9@kennesaw.edu.

Online Reservation System Registration Instructions:

To register and/or receive credit for participation in a research study, you will need to enroll in an online reservation system. Instructions for registration are listed below.

To create an account:
1) Go to http://kennesaw.sona-systems.com
2) Under "New Participant," select "Request an account here."
3) Read the instructions provided.
4) Type your name.
5) Enter User ID. It must be your KSU Net ID (usually part of your first and last name and perhaps some numbers (KSU Net ID, do not confuse with ID number, see #8).
6) Enter KSU email address (ONLY KSU email addresses are accepted). Your email address is your ksunetid@students.kennesaw.edu
7) Re-enter KSU email address.
8) Enter your nine digit KSU ID Number from your KSU ID card (this is not your KSU Net ID; no letters).
9) Enter contact phone number (Note: Students will primarily be contacted via email).
10) Select your course using the course name PSYC 1101 and your section number. The CRN and instructor name is also provided. (Please be advised that the instructor can change at the last minute, so do not go by only instructor name.

11) Request your account (Click only once).
12) You will receive an email in your KSU account that acknowledges your registration submission. Within 48 hours, except on weekends and holidays, your registration will be reviewed and approved if you have provided the correct information and you will receive another email with your User ID and password. Using anything other than your KSU Net ID as your User ID and your KSU email account will result in a denied registration. You will have to submit again using the correct information.
13) If you have any questions, contact Dr. Marsil at dmarsil@kennesaw.edu

As soon as your registration is approved, login information will be sent to your KSU email account. If you did not provide the correct information, then your account will be denied. If you have a typo in your email address, you will not receive your login information. Please make sure it is correct. If after 48 hours you do not receive your login information or a denial email, then contact Dr. Marsil at dmarsil@kennesaw.edu for a review of your request.

There are a variety of options for meeting this requirement. Some activities can be completed online at any time; others require you to be present on campus at a specific location and time. Since this will differ for each activity, specific instructions are provided in the online reservation system. If you choose to do a study that is online, you can complete the study right after you sign up unless otherwise stated. Usually there is a time near the end of the semester that is posted, but that time is for the end of the study. Do not wait until then to complete the study.

Yes. The online reservation system will send an email to your KSU account approximately 24 hours prior to your scheduled research experience appointment.

Researchers schedule their availability around the appointments scheduled via the online reservation system well in advance of the actual appointment. Signing up for and then missing an appointment prevents another students from participating. If you cannot make your appointment, you must use the online reservation system to cancel your appointment in advance or you will get a “no show”. If you get a “no show” for failing to come for a study that you agreed to participate in, then you will have to complete that credit as well as the required 4 credits. That is, you must earn 4 credits and if you do not show up for a 1 credit study that you sign up for without cancelling before the appointment time, then you will be required to complete 5 credits in order to fulfill the requirement.

No. The online reservation system and individual instructors/researchers record the number of hours/credits you earn during a semester. Instructors will be able to access and view your participation hours/credits at any time; However, you should keep a copy of the informed consent form provided by the researcher for your records. If you are doing the study online, you can print a copy for your records.

No. The online reservation system only records the number of hours/credits you complete during the semester. Thus, your instructor will only have access to that information.

Credit is earned for completion of a research-related activity. Specific grades are not assigned for your performance or participation. The online reservation system will list how many credits you have completed during the semester and that information will be available to both you and your instructor.

The psychology department has mandated that this requirement will account for approximately 5% of your final course grade, but the specific weighting in your PSYC 1101 class will be determined by your instructor and should be listed in the course syllabus.

All credit must be earned by the last scheduled day of classes each semester, so any credit earned during finals week will not count toward your research experience requirement. Additionally, the availability of multiple research-related activities is not guaranteed. Because the options for meeting this requirement will change periodically throughout the semester, you should check the online reservation system throughout the semester. Students are strongly encouraged to complete this requirement as early as possible each semester.

Yes, but you may or may not receive course credit for exceeding the 4 hours/credits requirement. Individual faculty may provide extra credit for completing additional research. Extra credit is offered at the sole discretion of individual faculty.

Generally, the credit(s) you earned for participation in a research activity is posted within one week of completion. If you do not receive credit for a study after one week, then you should email the researcher in charge of the study, not Dr. Marsil the administrator of the online reservation system.