Empowering Researchers through Evaluation: The Development of Online Educational Modules for Evaluating Biomedical Research Training Programs

Training the next generation of biomedical researchers is essential for our society as they play a critical role in advancing new breakthroughs to improve health outcomes and transform health care (AAMC, 2023). A growing number of biomedical research training programs, housed in research institutes, universities, and teaching hospitals, have been established with the goal of equipping aspiring researchers with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to contribute to the continuous progress of biomedical research and its potential to positively impact society. A barrier to the sustained success of such training programs is that they lack the knowledge, skills, and resources to effectively assess and evaluate the training programs. This creates a major loophole in the training cycle that fails to inform stakeholders about how well these training programs position their trainees in integrating interdisciplinary approaches to answer key biomedical research questions. This project addresses NIGMS’ Enhancing Program Evaluation Capacity at institutions with biomedical research training programs by developing online modules to inform program directors and administrators about effective and practical approaches to evaluate biomedical research training programs. Through this project, we aim to increase awareness of the importance of evidence-based decision making and enable biomedical science administrators and other stakeholders with the tools and skill sets to make program evaluation an on-going, integral component of research training programs from the beginning rather than a one-time event. Our proposed solution highlights the strength of decision-making based on systematically collected evidence that improves the quality of biomedical research training programs and therefore contributes to the development of biomedical research and global health. The overall goal in this proposal is to equip participants with the competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) necessary to conduct high-quality evaluations and make evidence-based decisions to improve program effectiveness and learning outcomes in biomedical research training programs. To achieve this, we will pursue three specific training goals: 1) design and develop a comprehensive online training program; 2) pilot test and refine the educational modules; and 3) disseminate knowledge and strategies on evaluation through a website, content management system, publications, and presentations. The training will include seven modules covering main components of program evaluation, from foundational practices to quantitative and qualitative methods, and to communication of evaluation results.