Research Security Training: International Collaboration

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This project will explore the efficacy of using a competency framework as an organizing system for research security training for U.S. researchers. It will create an online module for research security training. This activity will focus on the importance of principled international collaboration to the U.S. research enterprise and the ongoing threats posed to this enterprise by improper foreign government influence. This project directly addresses the need to strengthen the security of U.S. government-supported research and development, per the National Security Presidential Memorandum – 33 (NSPM-33) and the CHIPS plus Science Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-167). Dissemination and use of this training will better protect U.S. research interests from both foreign and domestic risks and threats. The training module will be Internet-based, scalable, flexible, and widely accessible to researchers and stakeholders in a variety of settings, including researchers with disabilities. The project will develop a research security competency framework as the design basis for the training module. Training will be customized for distinct stakeholder groups within the U.S. research ecosystem and use real-world case studies and hypothetical scenarios to progress learners through increasingly advanced levels of knowledge and skills. The development of the research security training module series is collaboratively funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Defense (DOD).This research security training module focused on the importance of principled international collaboration will be designed and developed in consultation with a Content Expert Group, which includes of experts in research security across government. The project will use the ADDIE Model to sequence design and development activities. Methods drawn from the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia Instruction, and the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy will guide instructional and curriculum design activities. Following the initial design work and consultation, focus groups will be convened to acquire rapid and ongoing design and development input from research stakeholder groups. Focus groups will represent key stakeholder groups within the U.S. research ecosystem, such as principal investigators, visiting international faculty, and post-doctoral fellows. The project team will assess the effectiveness of the module by using the Kirkpatrick Model for course evaluation to test module iterations. Kirkpatrick Level 1 assessments will evaluate the reaction of learners to the module; Level 2 assessments will evaluate the extent to which learners acquired the intended research security knowledge and skills. Following end user testing, evaluation, and revisions to the design, the module will be made available for dissemination to research security stakeholders, including university-based researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, academic administrators, research security administrators, and researchers and staff in government agencies and national laboratories.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.