Frequently Asked Questions
UKCRN Course Information
Registration and booking procedures Learning Management System Authorisation Managers Contacting UKCRN Training and Education Team What courses do UKCRN offer?
The UKCRN offers a portfolio of courses associated with Clinical Research. These are currently divided into 5 key areas; Governance, Patient and Public Involvement, Research Approaches, Research Management and Topic Specific courses. A full list of the courses offered can be found on the UKCRN website at:
http://www.ukcrn.org.uk/index/training/courses.html What courses are available this month? A course availability list is produced fortnightly, detailing the availability for all scheduled courses and indicating any remaining places for courses taking place in the following 6 weeks. This is issued to all the network training links and is also available to view within the Instructions section of the LMS online booking system and on the UKCRN website at:
http://www.ukcrn.org.uk/index/training/remaining.html Who can attend UKCRN courses? UKCRN staff and public and patient representatives working on or associated with a clinical trial which has been accepted onto the UKCRN portfolio of studies will be eligible to attend UKCRN courses.
A list of the accepted trials can be found on the UKCRN website at:
http://www.ukcrn.org.uk/index/clinical/portfolio.html How much do UKCRN courses cost? UKCRN courses are offered free of charge to all staff and public and patient representatives working on or associated with the UKCRN portfolio of studies.
I am not affiliated to the UKCRN. Can I pay to attend your courses? No. Currently there is no option for people outside of the above eligibility criterion to pay for attendance on the courses.
Can I find out about external local courses? Courses offered by providers other than UKCRN are listed on the UKCRN website For each course offered by UKCRN there is a link which will navigate to a list of courses in that subject area. This is a collaborative practice between UKCRN and RDLearning.
How do I find out about new courses added to the UKCRN site? All scheduled courses are listed on the training pages of the UKCRN website and within the Course Directory section of the LMS online booking system.
How do I find out about accommodation arrangements for residential courses? Currently UKCRN only provides residential courses for topic specific courses. Accommodation for residential courses is arranged by the topic network running the course. A member of the UKCRN training team will be able to provide you with information regarding the location of the accommodation and who to contact in order to book this.
Is the cost of accommodation included in UKCRN courses? The UKCRN does not provide accommodation for delegates to attend its courses. However many of the topic specific networks will reimburse their staff for any accommodation costs that are incurred to attend a course. Please contact your line manager for details of your organisation/network’s policy on this issue.
Can I claim travel expenses to/from the course? The UKCRN does not reimburse any travel expenses for delegates attending courses. However many of the topic specific networks and NHS Trusts will reimburse their employees for travel costs. Please contact your line manager or local research network manager for details of your network’s policy on this issue.
Are UKCRN courses accessible for disabled delegates? The UKCRN aims to be as inclusive as possible and will always try to meet any requirements raised by its delegates. Delegates are requested to inform UKCRN of any specific requirements when they complete the booking process. From January 2008 all venues hosting UKCRN courses will be required to have disabled access and facilities. If you have any additional specific needs please contact a member of the UKCRN training team.
Is there a charge for non-attendance? There is a £75.00 charge for non-attendance, or for cancellation of a place on a course within one week of the course date. The same fee will be charged for non-completion of all online courses within the stipulated deadline. Residential courses need to be cancelled within 14 days of course date in order to avoid the charge.
Will I obtain a certificate of attendance? Yes. A certificate of attendance is issued for all UKCRN classroom courses. A copy of the programme is printed on the reverse side detailing the course contents, providing information for MHRA inspection records and the delegates learning files.
For all online courses, a completion certificate is either available for download from the external online site, or is issued to you by the UKCRN training team.
Are courses accredited with continuous professional development (CPD) points? Yes. Certain UKCRN courses are accredited by appropriate professional bodies. Courses that are accredited have the details specified on the course outline.
Registration and Booking Procedures
How do I book on a course?
You will need to register online on the UKCRN learning management system (LMS). Please go to:
http://www.ukcrn.org.uk/index/training/availability.html For instructions on booking a course, choose the ‘Download Delegate Course Booking Instructions’ or ‘Download Patient and Public Representative Course Booking Instructions’. We recommend that these are printed out for future reference. To then book a course, please choose the ‘LMS online course booking’ option.
What is a learning plan? A learning plan is a resource within the Learning Management System (LMS) booking system to manage your training course enrolments, attendance history and progress. It hosts:
A record of all your training booked through the LMS booking system
a. Details of all your courses that have approval
b. All available information on the courses
c. A list of the other delegates who have booked on the same course date
d. The facility to list external courses
e. Access to chat room facilities
How do I book the course date? Click on a specific course title for more information about the content, and available taught course dates and locations.
a. The course outline, and associated dates if it is a taught course, can be viewed through the Information box in the bottom right hand corner of the screen
b. Requests to attend a course, or complete an online course, need approval which is an automatic process when you click to book a course
c. Click the book button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen
d. On the next screen, click the book button against the date/location of the taught course you prefer, or for the online course
e. On the next screen check the information and inform us of any dietary or access requirements where appropriate
f. Click the submit button
How do I check on the courses I have booked to date? You can check all your course details by clicking on the option ‘learning plan’ within the top menu band of the Learning Management System (LMS) online booking system.
How do I cancel my place? If you wish to cancel your place on a course you need to:
a. Go into your learning plan
b. Click on the course title in the drop down option
c. Click edit on the right-hand side of the screen
d. Click cancel
e. You can view our cancellation policy by clicking on the following link
http://www.ukcrn.org.uk/index/training/policies.html Is it essential to complete the personal details section? Yes. The details provided are required to identify the correct Authorisation Manager to request acceptance of your enrolment on a course. If these details are not completed, this may delay the authorisation process.
What should I do if I forget my password? There is a ‘Forgotten your password?’ facility on the LMS booking system log in screen, next to the password entry box. Click on this and then follow the on-screen instructions. The system will then reset your password and email you with your new details. Please ensure you type in your email address correctly. If you are still unable to log in then please contact a member of the UKCRN training team.
Learning Management System (LMS) What is the Learning Management System? The Learning Management System (LMS) is an online program used by the UKCRN as the booking system for its courses. It also has facilities to help your career development. Once registered, you can browse and book yourself on any of the UKCRN training courses. A training record is produced to keep track of your progress on these courses and there are chatrooms and forums for networking and sharing information with other delegates.
How does the course waiting list work? Once all the places on a course have been allocated, delegates then booking on to the course date are placed on a waiting list. If a delegate cancels their place, it is offered to the person at the top of the waiting list. Those on the waiting list are also offered places first if a new course date is added.
What supporting course documentation is provided? For all classroom courses, UKCRN provides a map and directions to the venue, a course programme, speaker biographies and a reflective practice questionnaire. Additionally, for some courses there will be speaker presentations included in the supporting documentation.
How do I view supporting course documents? The supporting documentation can be viewed by clicking twice on the course title in your learning plan. This information is also emailed to all delegates attending a course initially one month and then two weeks prior to the course date.
How can I print out course presentations? Where presentations are included in the supporting documentation, delegates can print these out by opening the files (if you cannot open the files, PowerPoint viewer may need to be installed to your system) and selecting the ‘handouts’ option from the PowerPoint print menu. The presentation can be printed either 3 or 6 slides to a page, (3 per page having space for notes to be added by the delegate whilst on the course).
Patient and Public Involvement Delegates – if you do not have access to printing facilities you should contact your local research network Training & Education lead for assistance. If they are unable to help please contact the UKCRN training team.
How do I obtain a Glossary of Terms? The UKCRN has produced a glossary of terms which explains the terminology used by the course presenters, on the UKCRN website and in related UKCRN documents. It can be downloaded from:
http://www.ukcrn.org.uk/index/library/literature.html Can I view a list of delegates for the course I am attending? Yes. A list of all the delegates booked on each course date can be viewed in your learning plan. Simply double click on the course title, then click on the ‘Attendees’ box to the right hand side of the specific course date.
Can I notify UKCRN of any special requirements to enable me to access a course? Yes. Whilst booking a course date there is an option for each delegate to specify any additional requirements eg mobility or dietary requirements.
What is an Authorisation Manager? Each local research network/organisation has appointed an authorisation manager, to approve the enrolment requests from members of that network/organisation. It is the authorisation manager’s responsibility to make sure any enrolments they receive are legitimate requests from people working on or in association with their network/organisation on clinical trials which are approved or accepted by the UKCRN.
Why is my requested course not showing in my learning plan? All courses which have been authorised by the Authorisation Manager will be detailed within your learning plan. If a requested course is not shown, it is very likely that an approval is outstanding for this course.
Authorisation Managers
How do I create reports about delegates in my network/organisation? Authorisation managers can view and print reports for members of their network/organisation groups. Log into the learning management system (LMS) booking system and click on the ‘Administration’ section of the top menu band. Click on the ‘Report’ option from the green left hand menu. The most relevant reports are located under the ‘User Reports’, ‘Course Reports’ and ‘Course Date Reports’ headings.
How do I propose a new course? Anyone can propose to add courses in addition to the UKCRN portfolio of courses. Contact your network’s Training & Education lead to discuss putting forward a course to the UKCRN T&E working group for consideration.
Contacting the UKCRN Training and Education Team What are the names and contacts for the UKCRN T&E team? The UKCRN training team can be contacted during office hours of 9am-5pm, via email or telephone as below:
Nicki Latham, Training and Education Lead
Email:
n.latham@ukcrn.org.uk Tel: 0113 343 0365
Emma Lowe, Training and Education Manager
Email:
e.lowe@ukcrn.org.uk Tel: 0113 343 0320
Nicholas Madge, Training and Education Administrator
Email:
n.madge@ukcrn.org.uk Tel: 0113 343 0332
Judith Goldsborough, Training and Education Administrator
Email:
j.goldsborough@ukcrn.org.uk Tel: 0113 343 0377
Doreen Dalgleish, Training and Education Administrator
Email:
d.e.dalgleish@ukcrn.org.uk Tel: 0113 343 0377
Who are the T&E leads for the TCRNs/PCRN and CCRN? The T&E leads for the networks are:
DRN: Eleanor Kennedy
DeNDRoN: Christopher Button
MCRN: Sarah McCauley/David Edwards
MHRN: Joanne Ashcroft
NCRN: Ruth McLaren
PCRN: Elaine Ward
SRN: Zena Jones/Chris Price
CCRN: Nicki Latham
Patient and Public Involvement T&E Leads:
DRN: Martin Lodemore
DeNDRoN: Terry McGrath
MCRN: Jennifer Preston
MHRN: Joanne Ashcroft
NCRN: Karen Inns/Sophie Smith-Rudge
PCRN: Elaine Ward
SRN: Zena Jones
CCRN: Nicki Latham
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