Appendix

A: Email recruitment script sent to St. John Ambulance Volunteers

E-mail Subject line: UOIT study about volunteer engagement and eLearning

Dear Volunteers,

My name is Michael Rumble. I am contacting all volunteers with the St. John Ambulance
(SJA) Cambridge D0216 Medical First Response community services unit to tell you about a
study I am doing on the effect of implementing an eLearning platform on volunteer
engagement. This research is part of my Bachelor of Arts program in Adult Education and
Digital Technology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

The following is a brief description of this study.

If you are interested in getting more information about taking part in this study please read
the brief description below and/or contact me directly by using my UOIT email address:
michael.rumble1@uoit.net. If you contact me for information, I will not save your e-mail or
share it with anyone at SJA. Taking part or not taking part in this study will not affect your
status or any services you receive at SJA. Participants in this study must be volunteers in the
St. John Ambulance Community Services D0216 Medical First Response unit between the
ages of 18 and 65 years of age. They must have access to e-mail and possess basic computer
skills to access and complete the survey.

I am inviting you to take part in a 9 question survey which seeks to measure your level of
engagement at SJA This survey will be conducted twice: once before the eLearning site goes
live in December 2014 and once six weeks after (in February 2015). The survey is
completely anonymous and no personally identifiable information is being collected.

If you understand the information and wish to participate in this study, you do not need to
contact me. Simply browse to the study survey website:

http://mfr.elearningshop.ca/survey

Instructions are provided about the consent process as well as the survey itself.

If you choose to participate or do not click to submit the survey, no data will be collected
from you. As a potential participant in this study you have rights which are described in the
information letter attached to this email. That letter gives you full details about this study. I
will once again be contacting all volunteers with the St. John Ambulance (SJA) Cambridge
D0216 Medical First Response community services unit in February 2015 to remind them
of the second survey associated with this study.

This study has been reviewed and cleared by the UOIT Research Ethics Board. The
reference number for this study is 14-064. If you have questions or concerns about your
rights as a participant or about the way the study is being conducted you may contact:



UOIT Research Ethics Board Compliance Officer


Telephone: (905) 721-8668 ext. 3693


E-mail: compliance@uoit.ca

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary.

Sincerely,
Michael Rumble
University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Adapted from McMaster University, Research and Ethics Board Samples:

McMaster University. (2014). Letter of information/consent form. Retrieved from Tips &
Samples site at: https://reo.mcmaster.ca/download/consent.docx

McMaster University. (2014). Email recruiting script (Sent directly to participants by
researchers). Retrieved from Tips & Samples site at:
https://reo.mcmaster.ca/download/Email%20RecruitmentScriptSample.doc

Appendix B: Letter of information / consent

A Study about analysing the effect of implementing an e-learning platform on
volunteer engagement
Student Investigator:
Michael Rumble





Department of Education
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
(905) 721-8668
E-mail: michael.rumble1@uoit.net

What am I trying to discover?
The purpose of this study is to analyse the effect that implementing an eLearning platform has
on the volunteers of the St. John Ambulance Cambridge Medical First Response Unit.
Specifically, I am attempting to determine if volunteer engagement is affected by the
introduction of this platform. I am doing this research as part of my thesis in my Bachelor of Arts
studies in Adult Education and Digital Technology.

What will happen during the study?
Data for this research is being collected from questionnaires to be completed online both prior
to the implementation of the eLearning platform and six weeks after it has been implemented.

Participants who choose to voluntarily participate in the study will access to a website where
they may consent to the study and complete the questionnaires needed for the study. This
website is found at: http://mfr.elearningshop.ca/survey. The questionnaire needs to be
completed once between December 15, 2014 to January 5, 2015 and again once between
February 17 and March 11, 2015. There are no consequences for not participating in this study
or for leaving the survey website before submitting your responses.

The same survey is used at the beginning and the completion of the study and consists of 9
questions to which the participants rates how much he or she agrees with the statement. The
survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Your responses are anonymous and
cannot be personally identified to any particular respondent.

I will be contacting all volunteers with the St. John Ambulance (SJA) Cambridge D0216 Medical
First Response community services unit by e-mail again in February 2015 to remind you of the
second survey in this study and once again ask your consent to voluntarily participate in the
study.

Are there any risks to doing this study?
It is not likely that there will be any harms or discomforts from/associated with your responses
to the survey questions. Your answers are anonymous. I describe below the steps I am taking to
protect your privacy.


I do recognize that some people might feel pressured to participate in this study. There is a
potential conflict of interest I face in conducting research in an agency where I hold a position of
authority. While I will not have the ability to find out the identities of who did or did not
participate, I have also taken a leave of absence from my leadership role from December 15,
2014 to March 11, 2015 to further mitigate that risk.

Potential Benefits
The research will not benefit you directly. I hope to learn more about volunteer engagement
and whether organizations can improve this by providing technological innovations, such as the
eLearning platform being implemented by the Cambridge Medical First Response Unit.

The eLearning platform itself was sought to fill a gap in services provided by the St. John
Ambulance MFR unit. The theoretical knowledge required by its volunteers (first aid and
medical first response topics) is essential for the provision of care to the sick and injured at
community events (which is their primary function). Volunteers may not be able to attend in-
person meeting nights where this theory has historically been taught. Being able to provide that
theory outside the traditional context in which it has been delivered can offer the organization a
method of improved training, and provide the volunteers with a method to obtain this training
that they had previously not had.

The benefits of this study to the individuals, agency and volunteer community at large is
analysis of an intervention designed in hopes of increasing volunteer engagement. If the
intervention is found valid, it could be the basis for further programs of a similar type. If
ineffective, an analysis of why could lead to program improvements or new strategies. While
the effectiveness of eLearning in the context of first aid training is established in literature, the
effect of implementing that program on the volunteer environment is not addressed.

Confidentiality
You are being asked to participate in this study confidentially. I will not use your name or any
information that would allow you to be identified. The questionnaire, inclusion/exclusion
criteria and consent are all collected anonymously.

The survey itself does not allow for free text, it is simply rating the degree to which you agree
with the 9 statements provided. There is no risk of personal identifying information being
revealed to the researcher.

The data you provide will be kept on a password-protected and encrypted USB drive stored in a
locked cabinet where only I will have access to it. Once the study has been completed, the data
will be destroyed through a secure 5 layer write/re-write of the entire drive with random data
followed by physical destruction of the USB key.

What if I change my mind about being in the study?

If you decide to volunteer to be part of the study, you can stop (withdraw) from the survey for
whatever reason even after electronically signing the consent form or part-way through the
survey or up until you submit your responses to the survey website, Taking part or not taking
part in this study will not affect your status or any services you receive at St. John Ambulance. In
cases of withdrawal, any data you have provided prior to submission is not received by the
researcher.

If you begin the survey, you can close the web browser at any time and no data will be
submitted to the researcher. Survey responses are anonymously collected and cannot be
removed from the collected data once they are submitted. There is no method of tracking
survey responses to the individuals who responded to the questions.

How do I find out what was learned in this study?
I will be providing St. John Ambulance with a copy of my thesis which they will distribute to all
volunteer members when it is published.

Questions about the Study:
If you have questions or need more information about the study itself, please contact me at:

michael.rumble1@uoit.net
(519) 317-9410 (cell)
44 Small Ct., Cambridge, ON N1R 8M3
You can also contact either of my faculty
supervisors:

Dr. Elizabeth Childs
Elizabeth.Childs@uoit.ca

Dr. Roland Van Oostveen
Roland.VanOostveen@uoit.ca

You do not need to contact me personally to enroll in the study, simply go to the survey website
and complete the questions presented to you. If you close the survey window or leave the

survey before completing it, no data will be collected from you. There is no need to contact me
personally to confirm withdrawal from the study because nothing is collected.

This study has been reviewed by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Research
Ethics Board and received ethics clearance. The REB file number associated with this study is 14-
064. If you have concerns or questions about your rights as a participant or about the way the
study is conducted, please contact:



UOIT Research Ethics Board Compliance Officer



Telephone: (905) 721-8668 ext. 3693



E-mail: compliance@uoit.ca


CONSENT

This is a copy of the consent to which you will be presented at the survey website.
I have read the information presented in the information letter about a study being
conducted by Michael Rumble of University of Ontario Institute of Technology
I have had the opportunity to ask questions about my involvement in this study and to
receive additional details I requested.
I understand that if I agree to participate in this study, I may withdraw from the study at
any time up until I submit my survey responses. Once submitted, survey responses are
anonymous and cannot be individually identified for any reason including removal.
I have been given a copy of this form.
I agree to voluntarily participate in the study.
By consenting, I do not waive any legal rights or recourse.

Your consent for this study will be obtained on the survey website. The copy of the consent
wording here is provided for your records.

In order to participate in this study, you do not need to contact me directly unless you have
additional questions. Please proceed directly to the study survey website:

http://mfr.elearningshop.ca/survey

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary.

Adapted from McMaster University, Research and Ethics Board Samples:

McMaster University. (2014). Letter of information/consent form. Retrieved from Tips &
Samples site at: https://reo.mcmaster.ca/download/consent.docx

McMaster University. (2014). Email recruiting script (Sent directly to participants by

researchers). Retrieved from Tips & Samples site at:
https://reo.mcmaster.ca/download/Email%20RecruitmentScriptSample.doc

Appendix C: Follow-Up Email Recruitment Script (February 2015)

E-mail Subject line: UOIT study about volunteer engagement and eLearning

Dear Volunteers,

My name is Michael Rumble. I am contacting all volunteers with the St. John Ambulance
(SJA) Cambridge D0216 Medical First Response community services unit to tell you about a
study I am doing on the effect of implementing an eLearning platform on volunteer
engagement. This research is part of my Bachelor of Arts program in Adult Education and
Digital Technology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

This is the second part of my study. This follow-up e-mail is intended to ask you to complete
a follow-up survey.

The following is a brief description of this study.

If you are interested in getting more information about taking part in this study please read
the brief description below and/or contact me directly by using my UOIT email address:
michael.rumble1@uoit.net. If you contact me for information, I will not save your e-mail or
share it with anyone at SJA. Taking part or not taking part in this study will not affect your
status or any services you receive at SJA. Participants in this study must be volunteers in the
St. John Ambulance Community Services D0216 Medical First Response unit between the
ages of 18 and 65 years of age. They must have access to e-mail and possess basic computer
skills to access and complete the survey.

I am inviting you to take part in a 9 question survey which seeks to measure your level of
engagement at SJA This survey will be conducted twice: once before the eLearning site goes
live in December 2014 and once six weeks after (in February 2015). The survey is
completely anonymous and no personally identifiable information is being collected.

If you understand the information and with to participate in this study, you do not need to
contact me. Simply browse to the study survey website:

http://mfr.elearningshop.ca/survey

Instructions are provided about the consent process as well as the survey itself.

If you choose to participate or do not click to submit the survey, no data will be collected
from you. As a potential participant in this study you have rights which are described in the
information letter attached to this email. That letter gives you full details about this study. I
will once again be contacting all volunteers with the St. John Ambulance (SJA) Cambridge
D0216 Medical First Response community services unit in February 2015 to remind them
of the second survey associated with this study.

This study has been reviewed and cleared by the UOIT Research Ethics Board. The
reference number for this study is 14-064. If you have questions or concerns about your
rights as a participant or about the way the study is being conducted you may contact:



UOIT Research Ethics Board Compliance Officer



Telephone: (905) 721-8668 ext. 3693



E-mail: compliance@uoit.ca

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary.

Sincerely,
Michael Rumble
University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Adapted from McMaster University, Research and Ethics Board Samples:

McMaster University. (2014). Letter of information/consent form. Retrieved from Tips &
Samples site at: https://reo.mcmaster.ca/download/consent.docx

McMaster University. (2014). Email recruiting script (Sent directly to participants by
researchers). Retrieved from Tips & Samples site at:
https://reo.mcmaster.ca/download/Email%20RecruitmentScriptSample.doc