Background

A large pool of human resource exists in the form of researchers, public health specialists, scientists, clinicians in medical colleges/teaching hospitals and academicians, to carry out quality research. However, it is well known that research in India is limited both in terms of quantity and quality. There is enough evidence to support the urgent need to offer training in research methodology and help support the development of research methodology curricula on regional and national levels to advance the state of research in medical education and allied sciences. To harness the potential of the existing pool, capacity building in research methodology is imperative and should be a recognised priority. The eCourse in Clinical Research Methods is intended to support professional development through an eLearning mode. The course will provide greater flexibility to those with constraints in terms of time, distance, or other reasons. Further, self-paced learning using adult learning technique spread over a duration of four months will be less intensive and more realistic for achieving educational goals.

Aim

The aim of this course is to provide participants with a multi-disciplinary perspective to facilitate their skills in health research. This course will expose them to fundamental concepts and basic analytic methods to cover topics spanning from conceptualization of research idea to dissemination of research findings to fully equip them to carry out original research and report their findings.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

• Frame a well-defined and specific research question
• Perform a literature search on a defined topic and critically appraise published literature
• Have a basic understanding of qualitative and quantitative research designs in clinical context
• Understand basic statistical concepts, data management and design basic analysis plan
• Develop a research proposal with all key elements of methodology
• Apply ethical principles of research and understand ethical and regulatory processes of human research
• Present and report their findings in the form of a thesis report/ manuscript

Course Design and Duration

The course is designed as a four month eCourse. It is an eLearning computer­ based online course, largely self-taught, complemented with online lectures and comprehensive printed study materials.

Eligibility Criteria

The course is open to the following candidates:

Medical postgraduate (MD/MS) students, Diplomate of National Board (DNB) students, junior to mid-career researchers and PhD scholars in health and other closely-related disciplines, Public Health professionals, senior residents, faculty/clinicians from medical and other health sciences (dental, physiotherapy, nursing, AYUSH professionals, pharmacy etc.) colleges/institutes, researchers from pharmaceutical industries, clinical research organisations, health and hospital establishments, and professionals from non-clinical background with an interest in professional capacity development in research design and analysis. Eligible candidates would be screened based on their online application and statement of purpose by the selection committee. Decision taken by the selection committee will be final.

Teaching Methodology

The course will be delivered through a web-based platform and will utilize a blended online teaching/ learning technique. The basic course structure includes a combination of interactive online computer-based sessions, online virtual lectures, assessments and recommended readings from journal articles and text books in a modular format. Online learning sessions would be conducted by designated faculty members and students would be able to log on from their laptops/ personal computers.

Evaluation and Award of Certificate

Participants will be evaluated at the end of the course through a final online MCQ-based examination. Online certificate will be awarded only to the participants who successfully complete the course and clear all the course requirements.

COURSE FEE
For Indian nationals – INR 9000
For South Asian candidates – USD 150
For other International candidates – USD 330

The course fee is per participant and is inclusive of complementary reading material, final assessment/ examination and award of certificate to eligible candidates.

COURSE MODULES

The basic course structure will follow module-based learning. The entire course is divided into four modules covering various aspects of research methodology.

Name of the Modules:

1. Clinical research methods
2. Basic biostatistics
3. Ethical and regulatory considerations in research
4. Medical writing