Kansas State University

Upgraded research training program available in July

Submitted by Karen Burg

Dear K-State researchers,

Enhancing the quality and quantity of K-State research requires improvements in our support and infrastructure. A June 15 announcement in K-State Today called your attention to an upgraded research training platform that the University Research Compliance Office, or URCO, will roll out in the next few weeks. Subscription to the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative, or CITI, program will provide our researchers with high-quality, current and peer-reviewed research and ethics training. A few advantages:

• CITI streamlines collaboration because the same platform serves researchers at academic institutions and organizations worldwide.
• CITI training covers a broad range of topics and allows customized content.
• CITI provides all training on one website.
• CITI allows users to track and check their training status anytime by logging in and sends automated email reminders to users when training is due.

Please note that current K-State training will be honored until expiration.

We did not undertake this change lightly. Upon my arrival at K-State, I asked Jerry Jaax, associate vice president for research compliance and university veterinarian, to investigate the CITI program to determine if it was a good fit for K-State needs. The University Research Compliance Office staff used demo modules and took time to contact colleagues at other institutions to ask how the training program worked, then they selected a group of potential users to use the CITI demo and provide feedback. In March, these users were invited to attend a conference call to ask questions of and offer feedback to CITI staff. Staff then drafted a plan outlining which CITI courses K-State would require and a timeline for adoption.

We discussed CITI adoption with associate deans for research and compliance committee members in May. Compliance committee members participated in a pilot program and offered feedback this month. University Research Compliance Office staff will address feedback and make necessary changes, and the training will be available for K-State researchers in early July.

Thanks to University Research Compliance Office staff for their timely attention to the CITI rollout and to all who have offered feedback. Please email comply@k-state.edu or call 785-532-3224 if you have questions.

Regards,

Karen Burg