As stated in a previous blog post: Consent Blog, before participation in my ARP, I gained verbal informed consent from each of the industry professionals. However, I was posed with a question, from 4 out of the five professionals about what would happen with the data retrieved from the undertaking of the module.
“Is this a test of knowledge around EDI? If so, do I have to pass?”
My response to this question was that the data collected post-completion of the module would not form part of my research, as the research was not testing the knowledge of participants, but the impact of undertaking the training, in student engagement and potentially industry functions. However, their information may be accessed in the future.
The learning hub at UK Data Services states that information cannot be securely erased by deleting files or reformatting a hard drive. This implies that information that was previously stored on professional platforms and hard drives may still be recoverable. (Service, n.d.). Thus, data files that are no longer needed may have copies destroyed during the project. However, I did consider maintaining “working” files securely, on my drive/s, as it may be helpful if I needed to go back and review previous information if I needed to expand the research.
These factors led me to the conclusion that files shouldn’t be arbitrarily erased. Thus, once the study is finished, all data files that are not required for preservation (as part of my ARP) must be properly disposed of. As a result, I decided to get in touch with the Learning Team and ask that all data and answers from my study be destroyed at UAL after February 2024 following UAL policies (UAL, 2021). Therefore, beyond this time, the training’s data collection will not be usable. I told the participants this, and I will say it again, in the feedback consultation.
References:
Service, U.D. (n.d.). Disposal. [online] UK Data Service. Available at: https://ukdataservice.ac.uk/learning-hub/research-data-management/store-your-data/disposal/#:~:text=Hard%20Drives&text=Software%20is%20available%20to%20help [Accessed 03 Jan. 2024].
UAL (2021). General Data Processing Information. [online] UAL. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/general-data-processing-information [Accessed 15 Jan. 2024].