DEVELOPING RESEARCH LITERACY IN ACADEMIC MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS: INTRODUCING AN ONLINE MODULAR COURSE IN BIOSTATISTICS AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

摘要

We describe our project to develop research literacy amongst medical residents in an academic medical research institution via an online modular course in biostatistics and epidemiology. Traditional introductory courses to statistics and epidemiology in this context have historically generally failed due to their esoteric rather than practical focus, the inflexible in-class format with fixed timeslots and locations, and the cumulative loss of knowledge associated with missing one or more lectures. Our use of real-world clinical data sets and the online modular course format eliminates these barriers. This course format leverages the synergistic relationships between content, pedagogy, and technology by employing video pod casts and accompanying lecture notes, open-source software for interactive graphical exploration of statistical concepts, and live online tutorials. Medical residency program directors can select any subset of modules to create customized courses for their programs. The course is delivered using Moodle and there are no associated registration costs for students.