Below are answers to common questions about PIPER raised by course instructors. Feel free to show the video on the PIPER main page to your students in an effort to give them a quick overview of PIPER.
How do I describe PIPER in my syllabus?
How do students earn PIPER credit?
Are my students required to participate in PIPER?
Is there an alternative assignment if a student does not want to participate in research studies?
What does it mean for a student to “strike out” in PIPER?
How do I see student PIPER credits applied to my course?
What happens if my student in PSY101, 121, or 299 fails to earn the required 10 PIPER points?
Can I offer PIPER for extra credit?
How do I get help with other PIPER-related questions?
How do I describe PIPER in my syllabus?
Please see this document for stock descriptions that you can include verbatim or modify for your syllabus.
How do students earn PIPER credit?
Participants receive 1 point of PIPER credit for each half-hour of participation. PIPER is extra credit meaning there is no requirement
Are my students required to participate in PIPER?
PIPER is extra credit only meaning there is no requirement.
Is there an alternative assignment if a student does not want to participate in research studies?
Because the system is extra credit, there are no alternative assignments. However, instructors are encouraged to develop extra credit opportunities of their own for any student who objects to participating in research.
What does it mean for a student to “strike out” in PIPER?
A strike is administered to students who fail to attend a session without providing notice, deliberately misrepresent their eligibility for a study, or behave in a disruptive or disrespectful fashion toward researchers. Students who earn three strikes are banned from further research participation for the semester.
How do I see student PIPER credits applied to my course?
At the start of the semester, the Sona system sends instructors an email to set up their account. If you forgot your account, contact the piper coordinator (piper@tcnj.edu) for help. To see student PIPER credits applied to your class, log into our SONA and click “Instructor” and then “Course reports” to see your class and PIPER credits.
What happens if my student in PSY101, 121, or 299 fails to earn the required PIPER points?
PIPER is extra credit so there is no requirement.
Can I offer PIPER for extra credit?
Yes, instructors of any course can allow students to earn extra credit through PIPER participation. To comply with APA ethical standards, an alternative assignment must be available to allow students to earn their extra credit through some means other than research participation. This alternative assignment must be developed by the course instructor and is not administered by the PIPER Committee.
How do I get help with other PIPER-related questions?
Contact any full-time faculty member for advice or help. You can also email the PIPER Coordinator for assistance at piper@tcnj.edu.