Medical Education Research Certificate Program
MERC Workshops Descriptions
Data Management and Preparing for the Statistical Consultation
This workshop helps participants prepare their data for analysis and be able to answer questions about their data that a statistician will likely ask when providing consultation. At the end of the workshop the participants will be able to:
- collect data;
- set up data files;
- enter data into data files;
- check and clean data prior to analysis;
- compare my sample to my population;
- address statistical issues discussed during consultation with a statistician (e.g., Type I & II errors, power, effect sizes).
Formulating Research Questions and Designing Studies
In this workshop, participants will brainstorm research ideas, write, and refine a measurable research question. They will discuss when IRB approval is required for their study. The basics of research design will be discussed and applied to their selected research question. Participants will be able to:
- write a FINER (feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, relevant) educational research question;
- specify an educational research area of interest;
- evaluate whether they need IRB approval for their study;
- select the correct design for their research question.
Hypothesis-driven Research
Following completion of this workshop, attendees will be able to discuss:
- how to translate a research question into a hypothesis, and how to develop the null hypothesis;
- The steps in hypothesis testing;
- Type 1 and Type 2 errors;
- power, sample size, confidence interval, and statistical significance.
Institutional Review Boards and Research Ethics
This workshop provides an overview of how research questions and information sources common to medical education research are related to the need for Internal Review Board (IRB) review. In addition, the workshop provides a brief history of the development of IRBs and an overview of the basic concepts and definitions guiding IRB review. Workshop participants will be able to:
- decide when an educational innovation requires IRB review;
- identify characteristics of educational research that are of concern to IRBs;
- decide when asking for "exemption" is a viable strategy;
- address informed consent requirements for educational research;
- negotiate the process for obtaining IRB approval of educational research.
Measuring Educational Outcomes with Reliability and Validity
This workshop introduces participants to the principles of score reliability
and validity, using a combination of didactics and review of medical education
research projects. The workshop is divided into two parts with group exercises
designed to reinforce understanding of the main principles.
After participating in this workshop, learners will be able to:
- identify three types of reliability (inter-rater, test-retest, and internal consistency);
- match types of reliability with appropriate statistical measures;
- describe the relationship between reliability and validity;
- describe multiple forms of evidence for validity;
- select an approach to reliability and validity assessment for a particular study.
Overview of Qualitative Data Collection Methods
This workshop is intended for physicians and generalists in medical education,
as well as faculty and staff involved in student affairs, who wish to develop
perspectives and skills for collecting qualitative data, such as data from focus
group discussions, interviews, observation field notes, and responses to open-ended
questions—used in admissions processes, program development, curriculum evaluation,
needs assessments, performance evaluation, and various scholarship and research
applications.
After participating in this workshop, learners will be able to:
- demonstrate applied knowledge of the appropriate selection, use, and standards for rigor of some common methods for collection of qualitative data;
- generate research questions appropriate for qualitative studies and choose appropriate data collection methods;
- demonstrate applied knowledge of approaches to achieve rigor in the design of qualitative studies and collection of qualitative data;
- demonstrate essential skills required for conducting focus groups
Program Evaluation and Evaluation Research
This workshop introduces participants to fundamental principles of educational program evaluation, and provides participants with a strategy for developing an evaluation plan. After participating in this workshop, learners will be able to:
- describe program evaluation and its purposes;
- identify barriers to program evaluation;
- identify models used in evaluation;
- describe the steps of an evaluation;
- develop an evaluation plan.
Qualitative Analysis Methods in Medical Education
This workshop provides participants with an overview of the purposes, uses, and standards for rigor of qualitative research methods; and provides an opportunity for skill development in design of a small qualitative study and analysis of qualitative data. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- describe the purposes and uses of qualitative methods in medical education;
- characterize the paradigms, research designs, data collection methods and types of data associated with qualitative research methods;
- analyze qualitative data, by identifying themes in data sets;
- apply standards for rigor to evaluate qualitative evaluation or research studies; design a small qualitative study.
Questionnaire Design and Survey Research
This workshop will provide some basic principles in questionnaire/survey design and give workshop participants an opportunity for hands-on experience designing a questionnaire. Following participating in this workshop, learners will be able to:
- design a blueprint for a survey/questionnaire appropriate to their own application;
- construct and edit questions to avoid common problems in wording and framing;
- select an appropriate response format from a menu of alternatives;
- design the overall format of the survey/questionnaire to facilitate data management and analysis.
Searching and Evaluating the Medical Education Literature
This workshop is intended for individuals, medical educators, and clinician educators who want to learn how to effectively search the published medical education literature and to evaluate the value of those searches. After participating in this workshop, learners will be able to:
- formulate an effective approach to searching the medical education literature;
- conduct a search using relevant MeSH headings;
- communicate effectively with a research librarian;
- evaluate the search results using specific review criteria.