Presenting Author:
Principal Investigator:
Bonnie Spring, Ph.D.
Department:
Preventive Medicine
Keywords:
Team Science; Cross-Disciplinary Research; Online Training; Faculty Development; Translational Research
Location:
Third Floor, Feinberg Pavilion, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
E26 - Education
An analysis of impact of e-learning resource Teamscience.net
Purpose: Teamscience.net, a suite of online, open-access training modules to foster cross-disciplinary, collaborative research in the health sciences, has been considered a gold standard resource for team science training. This paper presents usage patterns and effects of the modules on team science knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy from the first generation (2011-2016) of users. Methods: Teamscience.net is an open-access site where users can register to enter four modules: an overview of the science of team science, and three practical modules where users navigate research problems in behavioral, basic biomedical, and clinical medical sciences while serving in the roles of senior scientist, early stage scientist, or research development officer. Users self-guide through multimedia curricula, make decisions and receive feedback on practical problems involving team assembly, launch, and maturation, and can voluntarily complete pre- and post-tests for each module. De-identified data were analyzed to characterize the 2,273 registered users, and volunteer samples of pre- and post-tests were analyzed. Generalized linear models (GLM) were applied to evaluate and compare change in performance between registrants from biomedical and non-biomedical fields who completed pre and post tests for each module. Results: A majority of registered users were female (64.6%); identify as in a biomedical field (44.3%), as working in an academic industry (68.6%), or as interested in the practice of team science (52.5%). Among registered users, roughly one-third (N=728) volunteered to respond to pre- and post-tests across the four modules, with an average of 69.5 respondents per pre-posttest section (knowledge, skills, or attitudes) for each module. A plurality of users in this sample identified as in a biomedical field (53%). GLM analyses for pre-post tests across the modules showed significant gains for both biomedical and non-biomedical users across multiple dimensions, and in only one instance did users from biomedical fields average significantly higher gains—content knowledge in the clinical medicine module (P=.025). Conclusion: Teamscience.net remains the first and only open-access, online training in team science for the health and medical professions; analyses of data from its first generation indicate widespread use and positive outcomes. We offer recommendations for how the next generation of online training for team science can build off this website's successes while accounting for emerging technologies, internet user behaviors, and the enhanced need for accessible team science trainings in the health and medical professions.
