HIGHER EDUCATION CONSULTING | CASE STUDY

EDUCATION IN THE RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

Opportunity
Colorado State University is a land-grant university with research programs in multiple disciplines that collectively attract nearly $300 million in sponsored awards annually from federal and non-federal sources. Prominent research areas include natural sciences (including environmental science and clean energy), veterinary and biomedical sciences (including infectious disease research and proteomics), engineering, and agricultural science. To support and protect its growing research portfolio, Colorado State has placed a high priority on research compliance. The university was aiming to add a comprehensive training program in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). To initiate this effort, Colorado State asked Huron for assistance in developing a webbased training course that covers core RCR topics, and can be rolled out quickly to principal investigators, students, and research staff.

MY EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE HURON FOLKS WAS OUTSTANDING! I FELT A TRUE SYNERGY BETWEEN TEAM MEMBERS BRAINSTORMING WAS FAST AND EFFECTIVE. THE BEST IDEA WON. IT DIDNT MATTER WHOSE IT WAS. I WOULD READILY RECOMMEND HURON TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR A GREAT EXPERIENCE. KATHY PARTIN
DIRECTOR OF THE RESEARCH INTEGRITY AND COMPLIANCE REVIEW OFFICE, COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

Approach
Colorado State wanted to develop a 60-minute online training course that provides a broad overview of best practices in the responsible conduct of research. The training course required the following: Definitions of key terms Research compliance regulations and best practices Case studies and a mastery quiz (which can be used to measure participation and retention) Huron has developed a comprehensive set of training modules, called ercrTM Education in the Responsible Conduct of Research, that align with the nine compliance topics identified by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Research Integrity. Each module contains a historical overview, key terminology, detailed content covering each research topic, and test questions which reinforce key points of the training.

Data Acquisition & Management

Conflict of Interest

Research Misconduct

Publication Practices & Responsible Authorship

Mentor &Trainee Responsibilities

Collaborative Science

Peer Review

Animal Welfare

Human Subjects

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EDUCATION IN THE RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

CASE STUDY

These modules, collectively, were too comprehensive for CSUs one-hour online training. To address CSUs needs, Hurons project team: Identified the key topics within each module and created a shorter, more condensed version Shaped and developed material for a high-level review of fiscal compliance, an area outside the compliance topics identified by the DHHS Developed a master quiz for the online training that spanned all modules and met CSUs compliance requirements Huron also was required to integrate the training course with the Colorado State-specified Learning Management System (LMS), using Adobe Connect/ Presenter. Hurons ercr is flexible enough to be edited and customized to meet the training needs of any client. It also is compatible with a number of different platforms, such as CSUs specified LMS, Adobe Connect. At CSU, Huron performed system testing of the Adobe Connect base functionality and the usability of the content. A number of end users, both from CSU and Huron, participated in a pilot of the course to verify that all system features and functions worked as intended and that researcher interaction with the system was both straightforward and as intuitive as possible. The goal was to minimize system obstacles to the research community receiving the required training.

Results
Colorado State University unveiled an online training course focused on responsible and ethical conduct in research. The training is required for students at all levels undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students engaged in research. The training also is available to the entire university. The universitys new online training is part of CSUs comprehensive effort to meet and exceed new requirements set by the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. The module is available at: http://rcr.colostate.edu/training.html

Fall 2010

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