Enhancing Data Analysis & Reporting Capacity for Program Evaluation Abstract The objective of the Cellular and Molecular Biology Umbrella Training Program (T32 GM007067) in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) at Washington University is to provide rigorous, interdisciplinary training in cell and molecular biology to a diverse cohort of students, enabling them to pursue careers at the vanguard of scientific research, education, and outreach. Its educational mission aims to ground students in the basic concepts and methodologies of cell and molecular biology, train them to think critically as well as write and speak effectively. In this effort, our guiding philosophy is to extend all successful program elements to as many students as possible in order to maximize the training of all our students and thus the future impact of our students on society. To support the training objectives and continuous program improvement of the parent T32 grant (T32 GM007067), DBBS aims to enhance capacity for data-driven program evaluation. DBBS collects comprehensive data at each stage of student training to track the progress of students in 12 DBBS interdisciplinary bioscience Ph.D. programs, including those supported by the parent T32 grant and other NIH-funded T32 grants at Washington University in St. Louis. To support data-driven program improvements, additional evaluation and assessment capacity is needed for data analysis and reporting. An administrative supplement from NIGMS will allow DBBS to 1) Mine our data to perform current-state baseline analysis of our programs, 2) Build technical and operational capacity for sustainable longitudinal program evaluation and continuous improvement, and 3) Disseminate our evaluation model and baseline data to the bioscience Ph.D. training community. These activities will synergize and enhance, but not duplicate, program data collection efforts currently underway. Since 2017, DBBS has been working on curriculum modernization, defined Core Competencies and subcompetencies that constitute the full scope of biomedical Ph.D. training in our programs, and will launch a new required Graduate Research Fundamentals course in fall 2020. This new course will enhance instruction in foundational scientific skills emphasized by NIGMS, including methods to enhance rigor and reproducibility, quantitative reasoning, scientific communication, and interpersonal skills such as professionalism and bias mitigation to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion. With new curriculum launching in the fall, the time is right to perform a current-state baseline analysis of existing program evaluation data and to evaluate the effects of new training curriculum. The activities proposed will build the technical and operational capacity to evaluate the impacts of new Ph.D. training curriculum and enable data-driven decision-making for continuous curriculum improvement.
Enhancing Data Analysis & Reporting Capacity for Program Evaluation Project Narrative The objective of the Cellular and Molecular Biology Umbrella Training Program (T32 GM007067) in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) at Washington University is to provide rigorous, interdisciplinary training in cell and molecular biology to a diverse cohort of students, enabling them to pursue careers at the vanguard of scientific research, education, and outreach. To support data-driven program improvements, additional evaluation and assessment capacity is needed to 1) Mine our data to perform current-state baseline analysis of our programs, 2) Build technical and operational capacity for sustainable longitudinal program evaluation and continuous improvement, and 3) Disseminate our evaluation model and baseline data to the bioscience Ph.D. training community. The activities proposed will build the technical and operational capacity to evaluate the impacts of new Ph.D. training curriculum and enable data-driven decision-making for continuous curriculum improvement.
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