CITI PROGRAM TRAINING: PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNERS ENGAGED IN HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH

Abstract

Ethics in research is an important topic in organizations and education in research has grown over the last twenty years. Compliance in human subjects research training is a need for many organizations. The CITI Program Training is the standard in the United States for Training that addresses human subjects protection and can be used to meet compliance requirements. The CITI Program is a widely used platform for research ethics and compliance training and offers a variety of online courses in human subjects research ethics. Although CITI Program is widely used and has attractive features, it can be difficult to understand what impact the training has. To understand training impacts, individuals can be asked about their perspectives. UnitedHealth Group (UHG) is a health care and well-being company that has an Office of Human Research Affairs (OHRA). Even though participants have completed and met the 80% passing requirement on the required CITI modules, the problem is it is unknown what impact or value the CITI modules are having. This study explored UHG participants’ experiences with CITI Program training modules, using Kirkpatrick’s first level as a framework to capture perceptions and experiences. Participants of the study included eight participants who have completed required ITI Training modules. Interviews were used to discover participants’ perceptions of the CITI Program Training. The interviews consisted of twenty, semi-structured questions comprised of primarily qualitative questions to allow more information to be obtained several months after the training event has occurred. Interview questions were based on the New World Kirkpatrick Model framework for Training evaluation at level one: reaction. The questions focused on participant perceptions, or reaction, and about their perceptions of their reaction to training, learning, behavior, and results. This study is expected to yield preliminary understandings of how participants perceive CITI Training and what it means in their research context and job. These findings offer a richer understanding of the participants CITI Training experience for future learners, and leaders who operate within and influence this space.