Khulisa is currently evaluating the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE) Thabiso Life Skills Programme. As always, we adhere to ethical processes where participants have the option to grant full permission to collect the required information for the evaluation.  

Due to the restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to use contactless methods of collecting data from the participants. We used DocuSign to get and informed consent.  

DocuSign allows you to use an electronic signature, which automatically sends the signed form back to the sender. This is a seamless process, during which you sign the informed consent form without the need to manually print it out. It assisted Khulisa to receive signed consent forms across geographic boundaries.  

Although DocuSign worked well, some typical challenges emerged related to technology access and internet coverage. Two things to consider when using DocuSign:

• Recipients need access to good internet connectivity
• Recipients should expect a document that requires an electronic signature