Instructor Guidelines for SWTIRB Training and Instruction Course:

The implementation of this instructional design is largely hands-off in terms of SWTIRB personnel and/or trainers.

The constraints of this learning context are such that these materials have been designed with the self-directed, distance learner in mind. There is minimal need for additional input on the part of SWTIRB other than to direct learners to the materials and provide SWTIRB-specific input as necessary.

However, should SWTIRB personnel/trainers wish to implement these materials by hand they will (a) require access to a computer system with Google Chrome and basic internet access or (b) be required to print necessary materials and work within a pen and paper format. All materials can be printed and utilized in a non-digital format (with the exception of specific online video content).

Additionally, these modules are designed to be taken either (a) sequentially or (b) individually as required by specific learning contexts: Due to the self-directed nature of these modules, the time it takes to navigate is highly subjective based upon the knowledge, skills, and attitudes/aptitudes of the learner. Ideally, each module should take between 15-minutes and 30-minutes with the exception of the resource module which is designed to be accessed as necessary. While modules are designed linearly overall, they are not linear in their individual design. They are designed to be openly explored by learners at their own pace. This makes assessing completion times highly difficult and subjective. The notable exception is the culminating review found in Module 4; this module is a simulated protocol review and is, by necessity, linear due to the nature of the task which requires systematic review of key protocols and procedures.


Module-Specific Guidelines

Introductory/Orientation Module is designed to be a multi-purpose tool for SWTIRB. It can be (a) presented by SWTIRB staff to learner(s) and/or (b) manually navigated by individual self-directed learners. This module has navigation instructions built in and a highly intuitive design for both digital natives and migrants.

The Ethical Reasoning, Mock IRB Meeting, Procedural Knowledge & Mock Protocol Review modules were built in Twine, an opensource tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories. This gives learners the ability to skip ahead or move through the content more quickly based on their prior knowledge and existing skills.

The Ethical Reasoning Module is designed to supplement CITI or PRIM&R like trainings and integrates cultural and locally relevant materials in the form of case studies and fictional vignettes. As a disclaimer, there are no wrong answers, but should provide useful practice to strengthen ethics reasoning and the ability to present arguments or ethical justifications for recommendations in the context of the IRB setting. The design is intuitive and promotes pedagogical integrity so that learners will feel compelled to complete the module as intended. Learners are encouraged to work through more than one case study and associated activities. Case-specific as well as general resources are included in the module.

The Mock IRB Meeting employs a Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) approach that allows learners to make choices about content direction at key decision points. Learners explore multiple paths through the mock IRB meeting scenario, experiencing the consequences of each path. In our interactive narrative, the learner can explore the narrative though multiple IRB member characters: a community member, a scientific member, and a nonscientific member. Once the learner selects a character, the menu is removed to encourage learners to focus on the scenario. Learners are encouraged to try the module more than once to experience different outcomes and to explore the content from different perspectives.

The Procedural Knowledge & Mock Protocol Review modules are combined in one Twine link. This allows the user to easily reference the procedural knowledge content while working through the protocol review. Twine is easy to navigate even for a digital novice. The welcome screen introduces the content and lays out a table of contents, so learners can easily reference specific topics or work through the full module.

Once a learner has visited a page an arrow will appear in the upper left corner allowing them to move back. Once a learner uses the back arrow a forward arrow will also appear for easy navigation.

The hyperlinks to sections will be blue if they have not been visited by the learner, once a learner visits a page the link will turn light blue. This should help learners navigate through the content if they choose not to move forward in a linear fashion.



Resources section is an end-of-the-line reference and information center designed to be used in tandem with and/or independently of other training modules. Navigation is based off of the introductory module and utilizes a domain-centric division of informational resources. Module comes with self-contained instructions.