Philosopher Bailie Peterson (Northern Colorado) writes:

I have followed your blog since I discovered it happily as an undergraduate, and I appreciate your service to our field.  I am now in my fourth year as an assistant professor at the University of Northern Colorado.  I am working on a research project tracking student's perceptions of philosophy before they have completed their first philosophy course and I would like to ask if you would share a request for participation with your readers.  

I work with many first-generation and financially disadvantaged students, and I am curious about whether or not their views line up with assumptions made about philosophy by students more generally (for example, do students enter with the assumption that there is gender bias in philosophy, or that it is a difficult logic-laden subject?)  I am leading a small team of researchers trying to collect data from the widest number of students possible to answer these questions.

The study itself has been granted IRB Exempt status, so there is very little chance of any risk or harm to students, and all answers will be reported in aggregate. Instructors will be asked to distribute the survey twice, both on the first day of the semester and near the end of the term, to measure any change in their perceptions.  The survey is completed via a Qualtrics link and should not take more than 10 minutes.

We hope to collect enough responses to provide a representative sample of students across the nation. Therefore, it is crucial to reach beyond the courses taught at our institution. We are specifically looking for courses similar to "Introduction to Philosophy," at the 100-level, to reach beginning students. 

If you don't mind sharing this information with your readers, it would be greatly appreciated.  Any interested instructors who are teaching introductory courses this fall are asked to contact me so I can add their institution to our survey, and send the survey link. I can be reached at bailie.peterson@unco.edu, or by phone at 970-351-2574.