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The laboratory is the governance unit for research teams on the Uedu platform. This document explains the laboratory's roles and permissions, how to join or establish a laboratory, and the participant-led authorisation mechanism for research projects.
Lab (Uedu Lab) is the governance unit for research teams on the Uedu platform — each Lab corresponds to a real research team (for example, a professor’s research lab or a departmental research group) and supports three types of research activity:
Uedu Labs is the researcher gateway to the Educational Omics Data Lake: research use of multimodal learning data on the platform (cognitive, language, physiological, social and environmental) is uniformly governed through the laboratory governance mechanism — ensuring that access to every item of research data has clear accountability, ethical basis and audit records.
The laboratory members are divided into six roles: PI (Principal Investigator), Co-PI (Co-Principal Investigator), PhD student, Master’s student, RA (Research Assistant), TA (Teaching Assistant). The permission mapping is as follows:
| Actions | PI | Other members | Non-member |
|---|---|---|---|
| View the laboratory dashboard, sessions and measurement data | ✅ | ✅ | — |
| Create measurement sessions and mark events | ✅ | ✅ | — |
| Export research data | ✅ | ✅ | — |
| Member management (add, change role, remove) | ✅ | — | — |
| Start a research project | ✅ (PI only) | — | — |
| Create a laboratory and assign a PI | Platform administrators only | ||
Because the research project involves authorised viewing of members' physiological data, eligibility to initiate is limited to laboratory PIs — those who are Teachers but not PIs may not initiate either. This ensures that each project has a clearly designated principal investigator responsible for ethics and data use.
Depending on your role, take one of the following three paths:
You do not need to join any lab. Participation in the research project follows an independent authorisation mechanism: after receiving the invitation email, go to the Research Projects Centre to read the project description and sign the authorisation form. You may view your data mirror and access logs at any time, and you may withdraw authorisation at any time (see Chapter 4).
The member list is managed by each laboratory's PI. Please contact your PI directly and ask them to add you on the member management page; or email the platform administrator for assistance.
The lab is set up by the platform administrator. Please email [email protected], and attach:
Once approved, you will manage lab members as the PI, create measurement sessions, and may launch research projects from the Research Project Centre.
The Research Project Centre allows a laboratory PI to view members' daily summary values from wearable devices during the project period, subject to explicit authorisation from each member — applicable to sports training recovery monitoring, health promotion, learning and physiological research, and similar scenarios.
When creating a project, the PI must declare: the project purpose (which will be shown verbatim to members), data categories, project start and end dates, and recruitment method, and sign the "Initiator Commitment" (an electronic signature by personally entering their name, with the full text hashed and retained as evidence). Projects in dependent-relationship contexts (military training, sports teams, teacher-student) must also sign the "Dependent Context Addendum".
The data that may be applied for by the project are the following five types of daily summary figures (not minute-level raw data), authorised item by item by members:
| Data Category | Specific item |
|---|---|
| Sleep | Total duration, deep/light/REM/awake stages, sleep score |
| Heart rate variability (HRV) | Previous night's average, 5-minute maximum |
| Stress and Body Battery | Average stress index, average / maximum / minimum Body Battery |
| Activity | Steps, active calories burned, total calories burned (active + basal metabolism), distance moved, active minutes (moderate / vigorous-minutes) |
| Resting Heart Rate | Daily resting heart rate |
The data source is the wearable device linked by the member themselves (Garmin Connect, or Apple Health/Google Health Connect).No one, including the PI, can view the data before the member authorises it.
When joining, members may choose either 'share from the project start date' (including data generated before joining, usually requiring a complete baseline for research) or 'share only from the date of joining' — the consent form will state your choice verbatim.
The full steps from application to viewing the data are as follows. Bold indicates the steps the initiator must carry out:
| Step | Who | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Instructor | Apply by email to establish a lab (requirements in section 3.3) → The platform administrator sets up the lab and assigns you as PI |
| 1 | PI | In the Research Project Centre Create a project: choose a lab, enter the name and purpose (members will see it verbatim), tick the data categories, set the start and end dates and recruitment method → save draft |
| 2 | PI | Click “Submit for review”. Before submission, the Promoter Commitment must be signed; projects in dependent-relationship settings must also sign the Dependent-Setting Additional Terms (all completed online in the creation form) |
| 3 | Platform administrator | Review and activate (the result will be shown in your project list; if rejected, reasons will be provided and you may resubmit after revision) |
| 4 | PI | Go to the project management page and send invitation emails (paste the email list, send individually one by one, with a daily limit); if public recruitment is open, confirm each member one by one after they join independently |
| 5 | Members | Open the invitation email → sign the platform wearable research consent form (the system will guide those who have not signed) → read and sign the project authorisation form → join |
| 6 | Members | Connect your wearable device (Garmin in Member Centre, Apple/Google in the Uedu mobile app) and keep it synced—if it is not connected, there will be no data |
| 7 | PI | On the roster page, view each member’s latest values, and click a member to see the full daily values for the period. Every view is logged in the access record (visible to members) |
| 8 | System | When the project end date arrives, access rights are automatically closed |
| 9 | PI | Research export (de-identified dataset) — will be enabled after the Research Ethics Committee approves the protocol amendment |
(1) The member has not authorised or has withdrawn consent; (2) the member has not linked a wearable device; (3) the device is linked but has not synced recently. For the first case, please respect the member's wishes; for the latter two, you may remind the member to check the device connection and sync status.
When the initiator has a managerial, grading or command relationship with the members (military training, sports teams, teacher-Student), additional rules apply:
The collaborating Instructor (PI) who initiates a research project will encounter multiple legal and ethical terms in the process. This chapter explains in plain language the meaning of each term, as well as its practical rights and obligations for you.
| Your rights | Your obligations |
|---|---|
| Within the categories and project period authorised by the member, view the member's named daily summary metrics | Honestly disclose the project purpose and affiliations (members will read your stated purpose verbatim) |
| Use the figures for decisions on training adjustments and member care | Must not use the data for assessment, rewards or penalties, exclusion, or any personnel decision |
| After Research Ethics approval, analyse and publish using a de-identified dataset | Publication may use de-identified data only; named data on the dashboard must not be directly written into the thesis |
| Protected by the "Supplementary Terms for Dependent Worksites" you signed: if a superior requests access to data for personnel purposes, you have written grounds to refuse | Owes the member data a confidentiality obligation, and must not provide it to any unauthorised third party |
| Invite members, confirm public joiners, and end the project early | May not ask members why they did not join or why they withdrew; accepting each view is logged and members may review the records |
| Noun | Plain-language explanation | Meaning for the initiator |
|---|---|---|
| Principal Investigator PI (Principal Investigator) |
The person who bears ultimate responsibility for the scientific content and ethical conduct of the research. This platform only allows laboratory PIs to initiate research projects. | The ethical responsibility for the project rests with you personally and is not transferred merely because an assistant operates it. |
| Hierarchical setting (hierarchical setting) |
Situations in which the initiator has managerial, grading or supervisory authority over members: teacher and student, coach and team member, superior and subordinate. Research ethics regards such members as a vulnerable population — because power imbalance may make ‘voluntary’ less than free. | When creating a project, you must honestly tick the declaration box; once ticked, you must also sign the "Dependent Context Addendum", and members are protected by the anonymous alert mechanism. Concealing a declaration is a major breach. |
| Additional terms for subordinate field settings (additional terms of the initiator's undertaking) |
An enhanced commitment signed by the project initiator in addition to the Letter of Undertaking: data will be used only for training adjustment and care, not for personnel decisions; no adverse treatment for those who do not participate or who withdraw; awareness of the member anonymous alert mechanism. Online signing, full-text hash evidence. | This document also protects you — if a superior asks you to provide data for assessment purposes, you have written grounds to refuse. |
| Member anonymous alert (anonymous alert, anonymous alert mechanism) |
A channel for members to report participation pressure or concerns about data use to the platform without leaving the project: data continue to be provided as usual, the initiator cannot know who raised the alert, and the alert cannot be withdrawn. When the threshold is reached (at least 2 people and not less than 5% of the valid membership), the project view rights are automatically suspended and the platform administrator intervenes to review. | For members: if they have concerns about withdrawing, there is still a safe channel to speak up. For initiators: the mechanism itself is the best reminder for self-restraint — the automatic suspension of the project is not the administrator targeting anyone; it is the system rule. |
| Informed consent (informed consent) |
Participants' autonomous consent, given after fully understanding the purpose, scope, risks and rights. This platform uses a two-layer document: the platform's "Wearable Device Research Consent Form" (research eligibility) + a per-project "Project Authorisation Letter" (named access). | Before a member completes the two-layer signature, you will not be able to see any data. The full consent form is archived with a SHA-256 hash, and in the event of a future dispute it serves as evidence for both parties. |
| Research ethics review IRB／REC (Institutional Review Board／Research Ethics Committee, Research Ethics Committee) |
Before research begins, its ethical design is reviewed by an independent committee. Data governance on the platform (how access is obtained, who can view it, and how de-identified data are provided) operates as a whole under the NTU-REC 202507EM058 research ethics project (umbrella framework) — this is the platform's responsibility, and the initiator does not need to submit a separate review for "using platform data". | "Viewing during the period" is service use and does not involve research review. If you use the data for academic publication, the ethics statement required for submission is your responsibility and that of your institution and the journal to which you submit; you must handle it yourself in accordance with their requirements. The platform can provide a data source note (this data was collected and de-identified under the NTU-REC 202507EM058 project) for you to cite. |
| Promoter's undertaking | Platform commitment that must be signed before initiating project review: use data only within members' authorised scope and in accordance with the project purpose; do not use it for adverse actions including, but not limited to, assessment, rewards and penalties, elimination or personnel decisions; do not exert pressure to participate; do not leak data. At the time of signing, the full text is stored as evidence via a SHA-256 hash, and is stated on the member's authorisation form. | This is the platform's protection for members, and also the basis for your own self-restraint; if you violate it, the platform may terminate the project and notify your affiliated institution. |
| Human Research Act | Taiwan's law regulating research involving human subjects: research must undergo ethics review, ensure free consent, and protect vulnerable groups. Penalties for violations apply to both individuals and institutions (fines, suspension of rights, and recovery of subsidy funds). | In recent years, there have already been major misconduct cases in the country involving coaches who were also researchers requiring students to participate in research for course credits, resulting in individuals being dismissed and suspended, and institutions being fined and ordered to repay funds. Honestly declaring affiliations and ensuring members participate freely is your most important self-protection. |
| Personal Data Protection Act (Personal Data Protection Act) | Regulates the collection, processing and use of personal data. Physiological and health data are highly sensitive personal data and require a clear legal basis (for this platform: explicit per-project authorisation from members) and use must be limited to specific purposes. | You may only use the data for authorised purposes; passing it to a third party or using it for any other purpose is unlawful, and responsibility lies with the user. |
| De-identification (de-identification) |
Remove names, student numbers and other personally identifiable fields, replacing them with random research codes so the data cannot be matched back to a specific person. | The form of data used for research publication. The system processes this automatically on export, and you need not (and must not) match it back to a real identity yourself. |
| Electronic signature (Electronic Signature Act) |
Under the Electronic Signature Act, electronic documents and electronic signatures are legally equivalent to written documents and handwritten signatures. The signing process on this platform (login identity + full-text review + active ticking of the box + recording of the full-text hash, IP and timestamp) constitutes a valid electronic signature. | Both the member's consent form and your agreement can be signed electronically and are legally valid; all signature evidence is retained by the system. |
| Right of withdrawal | Members may withdraw consent at any time, with immediate effect and no reason required. After withdrawal, the data are no longer included in new analyses or exports (except for data that had already been de-identified and incorporated into aggregated statistics). | Withdrawal is a member’s statutory and contractual right — you must not ask for reasons or impose any consequences. In the interface, “Unauthorised” and “Device not synchronised” are deliberately shown the same; do not infer an individual member’s participation status. |
| Access records and mirror view (audit log／mirror view) |
Every time you view the roster or member counts, the system records 'who, when, and what range was viewed'; members can always review the records relating to themselves and see exactly the same data view as you. | This also protects you: access logs can prove that your use has always remained within the authorised scope. |
Your core obligations are just three sentences: disclose honestly (purpose and affiliations), limit use (care is allowed; personnel matters are not; publication uses only de-identified data), respect withdrawal (do not ask for reasons, impose no consequences). If you do these three things, the system's other mechanisms (authorisation, logging, mirroring) are there to protect you.
| Purpose | Data form | Governance basis |
|---|---|---|
| View during period (training adjustments, member care) | Named daily summary figures (provided only after member informed consent) | Per-project explicit member consent + initiator undertaking (additional clauses apply in subordinate settings) + anonymous member alert mechanism + Personal Data Protection Act |
| Research use (analysis, publication) | De-identified dataset (research code replaces names) | Platform umbrella research ethics protocol + platform wearable research consent form + five-year export period |
For research publication, only datasets exported through system de-identification may be used; named data on the dashboard must not be used directly in papers.
Uedu's research activities are conducted under the NTU-REC 202507EM058 research ethics protocol (umbrella protocol). Before joining a research project, members must first sign the platform's 'Wearable Device Physiological Data Research Use Consent Form' (at the Research Consent Centre), and then sign the authorisation letter for the individual project — the two layers of documentation are independent, and the rights under each do not affect one another.
The de-identified export function for research projects will be enabled after the Research Ethics Committee approves the corresponding protocol amendment; viewing during this period (for training/management purposes) is not affected. Data governance on the platform is covered by the umbrella project, so the initiator does not need to submit a separate ethics review for use of platform data; the ethics statement required for publication must be handled by the initiator in accordance with the rules of their institution and the submission journal, and the platform can provide a data source description for citation. (If the Research Ethics Committee has additional requirements during review of the protocol amendment, adjustments shall be made in accordance with its review comments.)
No. Participation in the research project is entirely independent of being a lab member — simply open the link in the invitation email, read the project description, and sign the consent form.
You must first have Laboratory PI status. Being a Teacher alone is not sufficient to launch a research project—please apply to set up a laboratory under Section 3.3; once approved, you may launch one.
Data sources support Garmin Connect, Apple Health (iPhone) and Google Health Connect (Android). Once members connect via the Member Centre (Garmin) or the Uedu mobile app (Apple/Google), data synchronisation begins.
Withdrawal immediately cuts off subsequent viewing, and the member's data will no longer be included in any new research analysis or export. Any parts that were de-identified and incorporated into aggregated statistics before withdrawal cannot be removed retrospectively (they can no longer be linked to an individual).
Cannot see it. Once the project end date is reached, access is automatically disabled — this is a system-level automated mechanism and does not depend on any manual action.
No. The platform's research use is always bounded by the consent form signed by participants; details of the data governance framework are atData export and data governance methodology。
Use “anonymous alert”. On your data page (Research Project Centre → My Data and Records), submit an alert: you will not withdraw from the project, your data will continue to be provided, and the initiator will have no way of knowing who raised the alert — from their perspective, nothing unusual will be visible. The platform administrator will be notified immediately and will monitor the project; when alerts reach the threshold (at least 2 people and no less than 5% of the number of members), the project will be automatically suspended, and the initiator will immediately be unable to view any member data. The administrator will step in to review. The purpose of this mechanism is to provide a safe channel for those who do not dare to withdraw to speak up.
No. Women’s health data (cycle stage, pregnancy records, blood glucose, and so on) belongs to the platform’s highest-sensitivity tier: it is collected only by the platform service layer, for future viewing by the individual themselves; it is not among the data categories that may be authorised for research projects, and neither the initiator nor any third party can see it through a research project.
Why research is not open at this stage: Propositions such as "the menstrual cycle affects cognition or learning performance" have, in recent high-sample, pre-registered studies, mostly failed to show stable effects and are scientifically weak; at the same time, such claims have historically been used repeatedly to question women's learning or work ability, so the ethical risk is far greater than the academic value. Based on the platform's "privacy-first" stance and Ethicomics, we choose not to pursue this direction.
If opened in future, it will only follow two clearly separate pathways: the first is governance demonstration — using this data as a governance and methodological case for “how to responsibly integrate highly sensitive physiological signals”, with the contribution lying in the mechanism itself rather than any substantive findings about the cycle; the second is covariate control — the menstrual cycle has a reliable effect on resting heart rate, HRV and sleep, and may be used as a confounding control variable in other physiological analyses. Whichever path is taken, the platform will not, and should not, claim that “the cycle affects learning”. Any such use must be set out in a separate informed consent form and will only begin after approval by an ethics review.