AAMC Medical Education Research Certificate (MERC) Workshops
The Medical Education Research Certificate (MERC) program is intended to provide the knowledge necessary to understand the purposes and processes of medical education research, to become informed consumers of the medical education research literature, and to be effective collaborators in medical education research.
The program is open to all who are interested in improving their educational research skills and is targeted for those with a background in medical education but relatively less experience in conducting educational research. There is no charge to participate, however you must pre-register.
Measuring Educational Outcomes with Reliability and Validity
Friday, November 15, 2024
9:00am-12:00pm
Zoom
Facilitator: Britta Thompson, PhD, Co-Director, Office for Scholarship in Learning and Education Research, Penn State College of Medicine
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
Formulating Research Questions and Designing Studies
Friday, March 7, 2025
9:00am-12:00pm
Zoom
Facilitator: Jorie Colbert-Getz, PhD, University of Utah
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