Human participant pool management system

Abstract

Human Participant Pool Management System (HPPMS) is a web-based application to be used primarily by the Psychology Department at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Psychology students conduct research projects, called experiments, during their course work. There is a good deal of administrative work done by a researcher to conduct an experiment. Every researcher prepares the experiment information, seeks faculty approval and posts the experiments for other students to participate. During the period an experiment is conducted, the researcher who created and is responsible for the experiment updates participation details. Currently, the existing process is paper based and the approval process is manually done. The main objective of the HPPMS system is to eliminate the existing paper based system by automating the administrative activities related to the life cycle of an experiment from creating a new experiment until closing the experiment including the activities such as seeking approvals for the experiment, posting it, signing up for the experiment, and entering experiment related data. The HPPMS system also effectively communicates with its users based on various events occurring within the system. All users are notified in timely manner, and thus the system makes the experiment administration process more efficient. This application enables all users of this system work remotely, and so they need not be present in the University building physically. UWL psychology department faculty is the customer of this application. This manuscript describes development of the HPPMS including the challenges that arose during its development and what counter measures were taken to address these challenges.