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University of Wisconsin–Madison

Training Options for External Personnel

As of fall 2018, external personnel (community members, collaborators from other institutions, etc.) are no longer required to obtain a NetID in order to complete training. External personnel can now complete required training via the methods introduced below. The appropriate training method depends on the whether the external personnel are affiliated with an institution or entity with an IRB or not. Please see the corresponding section below for more information. NOTE: existing external personnel who already have a NetID should continue to access training through CITI.

If you have questions about any of these alternate training options or other questions about providing training to external personnel, please contact: citisupport@research.wisc.edu

External personnel affiliated with an institution or entity with an IRB

  • External personnel in this category who have not yet completed a required training may have access to training via their home institution. This method is preferred as it takes advantage of existing mechanisms for training renewal that may be in place at that institution. UW study teams should maintain copies of the external training completion certificates to ensure external personnel have current training for the duration of their involvement in the research.
  • If external personnel in this category do not have access to required training at their home institution, the UW study team can provide those personnel with an option from the "External personnel not-affiliated with an institution or entity with an IRB (Individual Investigators)" section below.

External personnel NOT affiliated with an institution or entity with an IRB (Individual Investigators)

For external personnel in this category who do not already have access to training, the UW study team can use the lists below to provide the required training. See the below for Human Subjects Protections (HSP) training and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training options.

Human Subjects Protections Training

There are three primary HSP training options available, as described in the corresponding sections below. Each training may be best suited for a particular audience. CITI training may be most appropriate for learners who have experience conducting human subjects research. CIRTification was developed specifically for community members engaged in research. Research Ethics for All was designed by and for community research partners with developmental disabilities. Please select the training option that is best suited for the learner.

NOTE: In the rare case that none of the above options are feasible (e.g., there are language or technology barriers), please email citisupport@research.wisc.edu to discuss alternative training options. The appropriateness of alternative training will be determined on a case-by-case basis, and alternative training should not be used without prior consultation with IRB staff or citisupport@research.wisc.edu.

External personnel can create an account in CITI that is affiliated with UW-Madison and complete UW-Madison’s CITI training by following the below steps:

  1. Register via the CITI Program
  2. In the section titled “Select Your Organization Affiliation”, type and select “University of Wisconsin – Madison”. DO NOT select “University of Wisconsin – Madison (SSO)”.
  3. Read and check “I AGREE to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for accessing CITI Program materials” if you agree.
  4. Check “I affirm that I am affiliate of University of Wisconsin – Madison”
  5. Click “Continue To Create Your CITI Program Username/Password”
  6. Continue through the additional steps to set up your profile. An email address issued by UW-Madison is NOT required under “Institutional Email Address”.
  7. Complete question 2 and click submit at the bottom of the page.
  8. Once you have the courses in your account, click on the course title (UW Human Subjects Protections Course) to begin the course and follow the instructions within CITI to complete your training. On average, it takes two hours to complete the course. Courses can be completed in multiple sessions.
  9. Successful completion requires a composite score of 85% on the quizzes. Quizzes can be repeated in order to achieve this score.
  10. Once the course is complete, click “View-Print-Share Record” next to the course in your course list. Then click “View / Print” to print your Completion Certificate. Provide this certificate to the UW-Madison study team to document training completion.

What is CIRTification?

CIRTification is a training developed at University of Illinois - Chicago and is tailored to the unique roles of community research partners. This training is available in English and Spanish.

How do external personnel complete CIRTification?

To complete this training, external personnel should complete the following steps:

  1. Enroll in the course using “Non-UIC Registration” and following the steps as prompted.
  2. Once logged in, click on “Course Catalog” at the top of the screen.
  3. Click “Learn More” under “CIRTification: Community Involvement in Research Training."
  4. Click “Enroll” and complete the enrollment questions.
  5. Once enrolled, click “My Courses” at the top of the page. Then click “Launch” in the applicable language.
  6. Complete each module. Once all modules have been completed, you will receive a date-stamped certificate of completion. Provide this certificate to the UW-Madison study team to document training completion.

What is Research Ethics for All (RE4All)?

RE4All is a trainer-led, interactive human research training developed by people with developmental disabilities, disability services providers, researchers, and IRB administrators and members. It was designed to be accessible to adults with developmental disabilities and allows for the trainer to make accommodations to support optimal learning.

How do external personnel complete RE4All training?

Because RE4All is trainer-led, the appropriateness of using the training will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Prior to using this training, study teams must first consult with UW-Madison IRB staff or citisupport@research.wisc.edu.

If use of RE4All is approved by IRB staff or citisuppport@research.wisc.edu, the training must be administered by an experienced UW-Madison researcher, such as the Principal Investigator. The UW-Madison trainer should review and complete the "Training Preparation Checklist" found here and complete the training with the external personnel. Once training is complete, the trainer must work with each learner to individually check their understanding of essential information required for certification by completing the certification activities.

When the trainer is satisfied that the learner has a basic understanding of the content, the trainer can create and download a certificate to document the learner's training completion. The certificate should be provided to the learner, kept in the study team's records, and uploaded to ARROW.

Good Clinical Practice Training

Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training is required for external personnel listed on a research study that meets the NIH definition of a clinical trial if they are involved in identifying/recruiting subjects, obtaining informed consent, or interacting with subjects and the study is NIH-funded or involves drugs/devices/biologics. See the below for which training(s) are acceptable.

  • “Good Clinical Practice for Drug/Device Researchers” via CITI by registering and affiliating with University of Wisconsin- Madison as described above in the “Human Subjects Protections Training” section. However, you will use question 3 under “Select Curriculum” to select “Good Clinical Practice for Drug/Device Researchers.”
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers Good Clinical Practice training for Drug/Device researchers via the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
    • External personnel should create their own account and provide certificate to the UW study team.
    • Users can redo the training every three years to maintain training.
  • “GCP – Social and Behavioral Research Best Practices for Clinical Research” via CITI by registering and affiliating with University of Wisconsin- Madison as described above in the “Human Subjects Protections Training” section. However, you will use question 3 under “Select Curriculum” to select “GCP – Social and Behavioral Research Best Practices for Clinical Research.
  • NIH GCP training for Social/Behavioral researchers via the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
    • External personnel should create their own account and provide the completion certificate to the UW study team.
    • Users can redo the training every three years to maintain training.