pd|hub launches cross-site evaluation for our inaugural pd|hub Collection

Last month, pd|hub launched the cross-Site evaluation study for the first cohort of Implementation Sites for the pd|hub Collection: Foundations of Career Exploration for PhD Scientists. This cross-site evaluation study is a critical component of the NIH-funded pd|hub Collections project. 

Using a standardized evaluation protocol for all Sites and models in the Collection provides a rare opportunity to pool data across Sites (overcoming the challenge of small trainee population sizes common to graduate/postdoctoral-level programs), to learn about outcomes that span educational models and characteristics key to supporting such outcomes. The study will also provide Site-specific data to support Sites in their local reporting and in strengthening their implementations. 

The study includes pre-, post-, and 6-month post-intervention survey questionnaires looking at the experiences, perceptions, and actions of learners at each Site. The questionnaires were developed via a rigorous process: defining the theory of change for each model, selecting outcomes to test across models, and developing survey questionnaires and Implementation Checklists. Where possible, we use scales already tested for validity and reliability in the context of higher education, including scales developed by the NSF-funded I3IDP project via a collaboration with the American Chemical Society.

We look forward to using the data from this study to empower more efficient, data-driven evaluation of education approaches to support PhD career exploration. 

To become an Implementation Site, accessing resources for these educational models and participating in this study, sign up to be notified when applications open again later this year.

This work is supported by an Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (IPERT) award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (Grant No. R25GM139076).