Advancing Research Best Practices Course

Designed for Community Health Workers and Promotoras to learn about the basics of research and how to best support research in communities. Take the online course or organize a group training with your organization.

Nuestro curso también está disponible en español. Inscríbete aquí.

Building Your Knowledge

Our learning platform makes it easy for Community Health Workers and Promotoras to access and navigate through the course materials. With clear instructions and organized content, you can quickly learn how to support research in your communities.

Course Structure

This course is structured into modules. Each module contains important information about community research.

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Module 1: Research and Communities

This module is designed to help Community Health Workers and Promotoras learn about community engaged research and how it is conducted.

Module 2: Recruitment

This module is designed to show how Community Health Workers and Promotoras can be involved in recruitment efforts for a research study.

Module 3: Informed Consent

This module is designed to prepare Community Health Workers and Promotoras to conduct the informed consent process with community members who are considering becoming involved in a research study.

Module 4: Privacy and Confidentiality

This module is designed to inform Community Health Workers and Promotoras about how privacy and confidentiality are maintained in research studies to protect research participants.

Module 5: Community Health and Well-Being

This module is designed to help Community Health Workers and Promotoras learn about social determinants of health, community health concerns, and effective communication strategies.

Course Objectives

After training, Community Health Workers or Promotoras will be able to:

Define community engaged research

Understand their role as part of a research team

Share important information with community members as they consider participation in a research study

Explain the meaning of informed consent to community members

Understand the role of the CHW/Promotora in the research study recruitment and informed consent processes

Understand the differences between privacy and confidentiality and why they are important in research

Describe strategies to improve and maintain trustworthiness with communities

Questions

Find answers to common questions about this course.

Still have questions?

Feel free to reach out to us.

What is included in the course?

The course has five modules: Research & Communities, Recruitment, Informed Consent, Privacy & Confidentiality, and Community Health and Well-Being. More details can be found here.

What is the difference between the online course, the virtual group course, and the in-person group course?

All 3 course options cover the same five modules.

  • The online course is a self-paced training that you complete at your own pace.
  • The virtual group course is taught by a facilitator on an online video conferencing platform like Zoom or Teams. The group course is scheduled in advance for specific date(s) and time(s). Participants sign on with their computers, smartphones, or tablets to participate.  It involves active participation and discussion throughout the training. Scheduling will be decided by the facilitator based on availability of the majority of participants.
  • The in-person group course meets at an onsite location provided by the facilitator prior to training. Scheduling will be decided by the facilitator.
How do I enroll?

You can enroll in the online course by clicking on the Enroll Now button anywhere on this website.

If you are interested in taking a group training, talk with your organization about providing that opportunity. See the FAQs for Facilitating a Group Training. Group training resources are available for download on this website.

Do I need to prepare for the course?

No, learners do not need to review any materials prior to taking the course.

How long is the course?

The length of the course is different depending on how it is taken.  

  • The online course is taken at your own pace so timing may vary. Most people complete it in about 2 hours.
  • The group training involves sharing experiences and discussion with a group of learners and takes about 4-5 hours to complete.
Can I get a certificate?

Everyone who completes the online course can download a personalized Certificate of Completion at the end. For the group training, facilitators will be able to send certificates to all participants who have completed the course.

Does it cost anything to take the course?

No, the course is free.

Are there Continuing Education (CE) credits for the course?

We do not offer Continuing Education (CE) credits at this time.

Can I reschedule or cancel if needed?

Rescheduling or canceling only applies to the group training since the online course is taken at your convenience. Ability to reschedule or cancel will be decided by the facilitator.

Can I sign up here to receive training with a facilitator?

Currently we do not offer scheduling for group training. We provide all the facilitator resources for groups and organizations to use themselves.

Has this course been evaluated?

Yes, both the online and group training courses have been evaluated. The online evaluation can be found at this link: Evaluation of an online research best practices training for community health workers and promotoras.

The group training evaluation can be found at this link: Evaluation of a peer-led research best practices training for community health workers and promotoras.