Conceptualization, development, and early dissemination of eMPACTTM: A competency-based career navigation system for translational research professionals.

Introduction: Purposeful training and ongoing career support are necessary to meet the evolving and expanding roles of clinical research professionals (CRP). To address the training and employment needs of clinical research coordinators (CRCs), one of the largest sectors of the CRP workforce, we designed, developed, and implemented an online career navigation system, eMPACTTM (eMpowering Purposeful Advancement of Careers and Training). Methods: A design-based research method was employed as an overarching approach that frames iterative design, development, and implementation of educational interventions. The five major phases of this project - conceptualization, task analysis for measurement development, algorithms development, algorithms validation, and system evaluation - presented specific goals and relevant methods. Results: The results reported how the eMPACTTM system was conceptualized, developed, and validated. The system allowed CRCs to navigate tailored training and job opportunities by completing their task competencies and career goals. The data sets could, in turn, support employees' and training coordinators' informed decisions about organizational training needs and recruitment. The early dissemination results showed steady growth in registered CRCs and diversity in users' ethnicity and job levels. Conclusions: The eMPACTTM service showed the possibility of supporting CRCs' individual career advancement and organizational workforce enhancement and diversity. Long-term research is needed to evaluate its impact on CRC workforce development, explore key factors influencing workforce sustainability, and expand eMPACTTM service to other CRP sectors.

Using virtual reality to identify and modify risky pedestrian behaviors amongst Chinese children.

Objective: China has a high fatality rate for child pedestrians, which highlights the necessity of implementing more effective pedestrian safety training programs in elementary schools. We thus investigated the efficacy of using virtual reality (VR) as an instructional technology to identify and modify risky pedestrian behaviors among Chinese children.Methods: Seventy-nine children (grades 1 through 3) from three elementary schools in Hubei province participated and were categorized into urban (n = 20), migrant (n = 29), or rural (n = 30) students based on the schools' locations. They completed a VR program comprising three street-crossing challenges to measure five pedestrian behaviors. The participants first attempted to complete the challenges by themselves in the first-time trial (T1) and then engaged in a personalized debriefing session before undertaking the challenges a second time (T2). Pedestrian performance for the two trials was compared by school location and grade level as between-subjects factors, and the rationale behind risky pedestrian behaviors was inductively analyzed.Results: Three risky pedestrian behaviors were observed in the program: dashing into the street, crossing on a blinking green light, and failing to check for traffic. Potential reasons for these behaviors included a lack of knowledge of road signs and traffic rules and the absence of daily adult supervision. The overall pedestrian performance increased from T1 to T2 with a moderate effect size (È p2 = 0.59, p < .001). A significant main effect of the trials was found for the three pedestrian behaviors (for all values, p < .001); however, interactions of trial by location and trial by grade were nonsignificant in all univariate tests (for all values, p ≥ .05).Conclusions: VR is an effective technology to diagnose and correct risky pedestrian behaviors among Chinese children when accompanied with individual debriefing and repetitive practices. School location and grade level had no significant influence on children's pedestrian performance and learning outcomes, indicating the ubiquity of the pedestrian safety problem and the need for more effective instructional interventions.

Career orientation and perceived professional competence among clinical research coordinators.

INTRODUCTION: This study identified underlying career orientation types of clinical research coordinators (CRCs) using cluster analysis. Select career (satisfaction, engagement, and planning) and competency-related (perceived competence) information was used to identify four distinct career orientation types. METHOD: A web-based survey was administered to CRCs employed in one of four research institutions affiliated with a National Institutes of Health-funded Clinical and Translational Research Award (CTSA) in the southeastern USA. Each respondent completed a survey containing questions about personal background, individual attributes, perceived professional competence, and career orientation. RESULTS: The first CRC type (35.2%) possessed a positive, knowledge-seeking orientation, characterized by high career-related scores but a conservative assessment of perceived competence. The second CRC type (18.6%) represented an optimistic and confident career orientation reflected in moderate to high scores on each of the four identifying factors. The third CRC type (27.6%) reflected an inconsistent career orientation highlighted by lowered perceived competence. The final CRC type (18.6%) reflected a disengaged orientation characterized by negative responses to all career and competence factors. CONCLUSION: Understanding the career orientation of CRCs can be helpful to institutional administrators and clinical investigators as they seek to support the professional development of CRCs through tailored training efforts or work-related supports. Knowledge of career orientation may also inform individual CRCs as they manage their personal career paths by assessing current levels of functioning, career-related strengths or weaknesses, and training needs.