Virginia Commonwealth University Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program

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Summary The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Center on Health Disparities (CoHD) has been awarded four National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) training programs (IMSD, PREP, IRACDA, HERO-T) to increase the diversity of the biomedical and behavioral sciences research workforce. Research mentoring is at the heart of and a core element for all CoHD training programs. In research training programs, trainees and faculty are significant stakeholders. Their perceptions are essential for an evaluative culture to ensure program and evaluation success, but lack of understanding evaluation might prevent their active participation in it. This application employs a strength-based collaborative participatory approach to engage training program stakeholders (fellows/research mentors) in enhancing evaluative capacity and involvement in the research mentoring experience assessment (RME) process. The two objectives of this project are to develop a series of four stakeholders’ evaluation capacity training workshops and to involve the stakeholders in the process of generating the RME assessment instrument. Four faculty workshops will be offered: 1. Evaluation Basics, 2. Developing Logic Model, 3. Evaluation Assessment Development, and 4. Utilization of Evaluation Findings. The fellows’ workshops are: 1. Evaluation Basics, 2. Program Evaluation and Training Experience, and 3. Engaging in Evaluation, and 4. Reflective Assessment. Following the workshops, the two groups will assist in designing instrumentation for RME assessment. The nominal group technique and Delphi procedure will be utilized to develop separate RME mentor and fellow assessments. After validation, the instruments will be used for all CoHD training programs. Project process and outcome evaluations will be conducted and a mixed-method approach will be used to obtain quantitative and qualitative data from various sources. Triangulation will be done to integrate both types of data for deeper insights and interpretations of the overall effect. The developed workshop materials and instrument and results of this ECB training and stakeholder engagement model will be disseminated through websites, newsletters, presentations and publication.