Knowledge Translation

 

 

This Knowledge Translation course provides fundamental concepts and theories of knowledge translation (through online didactics) and skills in knowledge translation approaches and tools (with globally-available peers and mentors).  Knowledge translation(KT) refers to the activities needed to take the knowledge obtained in research to the people that can put it in practical use; it is a complex concept that will be addressed in module one. All parts of this training are free, including registration, learning, testing, and a certificate of completion. This course is intended for physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals in training and in practice.

Special thanks to the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research, developers of the  KT Curriculum¹ upon which this course was built. The fair use and copyright for the KT Curriculum from CCGHR can be found below.

This Knowledge Translation course was developed in partnership with the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research, the Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response Network, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Like all NextGenU.org courses, it is competency-based, using CEPH competencies. This course uses resources from world-class academic and governmental organizations such as the Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the U.S. National Library of Medicine, and the World Health Organization. The course was compiled by Joanne Krupa, Ph.D. and course objectives adapted from the CCGHR KT Curriculum¹.

This Knowledge Translation course provides fundamental concepts and theories of knowledge translation (through online didactics) and skills in knowledge translation approaches and tools (with globally-available peers and mentors).  All parts of this training are free, including registration, learning, testing, and a certificate of completion. This course is intended for physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals in training and in practice.

There are 7 modules to complete which provide:

1. Theoretical concepts and foundations of knowledge translation; 
2. A summary of evidence and provide an understanding of issue polarization and of the barriers and facilitators to evidence-based policy; 
3. A description of traditional research and policy-making processes and how knowledge translation can potentially alter them; 
4. An introduction to knowledge approaches and tools, such as Stakeholder Analysis, Political Context Analysis, and Priority Analysis.

Approximate time for completion of this course is 37 hours at an average reading rate of 144 words/minute.   

The course requires completion of all required peer activities and a discussion forum. At the end of each lesson, there is a practice quiz. At the end of the course, after you’ve completed each lesson, quiz, and activity, you’ll have access to a final exam, and a chance to assess the training. Once you’ve passed that last test, you will be able to download a certificate of completion from NextGenU.org and our course’s co-sponsoring organizations (listed above). We keep all of your personal information confidential, never sell any of your information, and only use anonymized data for research purposes, and we are also happy to report your testing information and share your work with anyone (your school, employer, etc.) at your request. We hope that you will find this a rewarding learning experience, and we count on your feedback to help us improve this training for future students.

Engaging with this Course:

You may browse this course for free to learn for your personal enrichment; there are no requirements.

To obtain a certificate:

• Show in the registration fields that you have the appropriate prerequisites to be certified. This course requires the learner to have already obtained a college-level degree. 
• Take the brief pre-test.
• Complete all the reading requirements.
• Complete all quizzes and pass with a 70% with unlimited attempts.
• Complete 2 peer activity and associated certification quizzes.
• Successfully complete the final exam with a minimum of 70%  and a maximum of 3 attempts.
• Complete the self and course evaluation forms.

To obtain credit: 

• Complete all requirements listed above for the certificate. 
• Your learning institution or workplace should approve the partner-university-sponsored NextGenU.org course for educational credit, as they would for their learner taking a course anywhere.  
• NextGenU.org is happy to provide your institution with:
• a link to and description of the course training, so they can see all its components, including the cosponsoring universities and other professional organization cosponsors;
• your grade on the final exam;
• your work products (e.g. peer and mentored activities), and any other required or optional shared materials that you produce and authorize to share with them;  
• your evaluations -- course, self, and peer assessments;
• a copy of your certificate of completion, with the co-sponsoring universities and other organizations listed.

To obtain a degree, NextGenU.org co-sponsors degree programs with institutional partners. To obtain a degree co-sponsored with NextGenU.org, registrants must be enrolled in a degree program as a student of a NextGenU.org institutional partner. If you think that your institution might be interested in offering a degree with NextGenU.org contact us.

We hope that you will find this a rewarding learning experience, and we count on your assessment and feedback to help us improve this training for future students.

Next Steps

• Complete the registration form.
• Take the short knowledge pre-test below. It allows us to assess various aspects of the course itself.
• Begin the course with Module 1: Knowledge Translation - The Basics. In each lesson, read the description, complete all required readings and any required activity, and take the corresponding quizzes.

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¹Campbell S. Knowledge Translation Curriculum. Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research: Ottawa. 2012.

_{Fair Use and Copyright The Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR) holds the copyright to its publications but encourages duplication and dissemination of these materials for non-commercial purposes. Proper citation is requested; modification of these materials is permitted. Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee and without a formal request provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial purposes and that copies bear this notice and full citation on the first page. Copyright for components of publications that are not owned by the CCGHR must be honored and permission pursued with the owner of the information. The CCGHR is interested in tracking the use and effectiveness of its published information, and receiving feedback from readers in order to improve this Curriculum.}

Competencies covered in this module:

• Understand the theoretical concepts and underpinnings of knowledge translation (KT)

Click here for the brief module introduction

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the complexity of knowledge and its relationship with research and policy.
• Define individual and organizational knowledge; explicit and tacit knowledge; and knowledge networking.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 2 hours and 16 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Learning Objectives:

• Distinguish between KT for clinical change and KT for social change.
• Summarize and analyze some of the major definitions and frameworks of KT.
• Understand a simplified definition of KT as outlined by the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research. (CCGHR)

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 6 hours and 52 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Competencies covered in this module:

• Understand how evidence typically interacts with the policy process.

Click here for the brief module introduction

Learning Objectives:

• Understand context-free evidence, context-sensitive evidence, and colloquial evidence.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 22 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze the role each type of evidence might play in policy formulation.
• Understand how to classify research evidence, in terms of its strength and validity.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 13 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Competencies covered in this module:

• Understand how researchers and policy-makers interact, and how and where the research and policy processes overlap.
• Understand the nature of the knowledge of knowledge translation, from individual to institutional, and from explicit to tacit.

Click here for the brief module introduction

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the traditional research process and how KT seeks to change it.
• Describe the ways in which ideal research and policy processes might overlap and ultimately create social change within the traditional policy process.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 1 hour and 52 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the major barriers and facilitators standing between evidence and policy.
• Identify how KT practitioners develop strategies based on the facilitators and barriers within particular contexts.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 1 hour and 52 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the concept of polarization and compare the differences and similarities between the research and political communities.
• Understand that issue polarization is dynamic, often surrounding highly complex or system-level problems.
• Understand that KT consequences can be profound when research evidence differs from prevailing political values.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 2 hours and 46 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Competencies covered in this module:

1. Understand the approaches of Knowledge Translation (KT), along with some of the major differences among these.
2. Understand practical mechanisms, strategies, and frameworks designed to bring together researchers and research-users in the generation, synthesis, and application of knowledge.

Click here for the brief module introduction

Learning Objectives:

• Examine the major sets of activities within KT as represented by end-of-grant KT, integrated KT, and KT research.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 2 hour and 1 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Learning Objectives:

• Examine the major sets of activities within KT as represented by end-of-grant KT, integrated KT, and KT research.
• Understand that brokering and synthesis are two distinct yet complementary approaches within KT.
• Understand that brokering highlights the human force of KT while synthesis focuses on tailoring and targeting messages, from systematic reviews to policy briefs to press releases.
• Understand that the Knowledge Translation Platform is an emerging type of organization that leads brokering and synthesis activities, usually at a national level.
• Understand that knowledge translation platforms (i) are led by knowledge brokers (ii) produce syntheses, (iii) cultivate relationships, and (iv) strengthen the capacity of the research community and other stakeholders.
• Be aware that a Rapid Response Service is an innovative new service that several Knowledge Translation platforms in Africa now offer.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 5 hours 24 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Learning Objectives:

• Understand that the policy brief and dialogue model bring together brokering and synthesis in unique ways, marshaling the best-available research evidence to answer pressing policy questions.
• Detail several different and widely used dissemination tools, especially those methods that are most relevant to policy and achieving influence.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 2 hours and 31 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Competencies covered in this module:

• Understand the core tenets of a stakeholder analysis (e.g. completing stakeholder sheets).

Click here for the brief module introduction

Learning Objectives:

• Define the concept of stakeholder and describe the ways in which a simple stakeholder analysis can be used to provide a comprehensive analysis of stakeholders relevant to the issue at hand.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 1 hour and 1 minute

Click here to start this lesson

Learning Objectives:

• Define the series of steps needed for identifying primary, secondary and key stakeholders.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 1 hour and 45 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Competencies covered in this module:

• Understand the rudiments of a political context analysis (e.g completing a force-field analysis or trend analysis).

Click here for the brief module introduction

Learning Objectives:

• Define political context analysis and understand that it is a complement to stakeholder analysis.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 1 hour and 19 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the use of a Force Field Analysis and a SWOT analysis with particular attention to policy process factors, foundational factors and external factors.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 44 minutes>

Click here to start this lesson

Competencies covered in this module:

1. Understand the overarching theory of priority setting, the two major types of priority setting, and the synergies that may exist between the two.
2. Be able to roughly design a priority setting process of either type, using one or a combination of the presented models.
3. Be completely up-to-date on major topics and themes within the priority setting literature.

Click here for the brief module introduction

Learning Objectives:

• Detail the two major types of priority-setting processes.
• Describe the Accountability for Reasonableness framework.

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 3 hours and 19 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Learning Objectives:

• Understand two approaches used by institutions in determining the services they will offer
• Discuss priority-setting techniques that are used by institutions for prioritizing among interventions

Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 3 hours and 48 minutes

Click here to start this lesson

Click here to start Final Examination

In this section, you can provide feedback about this course to help us make NextGenU.org better. Once evaluations are completed, you will be able to download your certificate of completion. 

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