Who is a "Non-MSU Affiliate"?

A non-MSU Affiliate could be non-academic personnel (e.g. business associates, local government representatives, school system representatives, community advisory board members, and community members) or others who do not have access to an online training system and are engaged in research requiring MSU IRB approval.

If you are a MSU faculty, staff or student, this training does not qualify. You must take CITI training see chart.

UIC Center for Clinical and Translation Science (CCTS)

CIRTification is a training program in human research protections created by the University of Illinois Chicago CCTS that is tailored to the unique roles of community research partners.

CIRTification provides research ethics training for community members in a way that is reliable and applicable to their role.  The training focuses on establishing the confidence and skills in community partners to conduct human subject research effectively and safely in their communities.

MSU has partnered with University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to use the CCTS CIRTification online training.

Will the IRB accept CCTS trainings in place of CITI?  

Yes, for anyone who is not affiliated with MSU. These trainings do not replace CITI human subjects research training required for MSU personnel engaged in research requiring IRB approval. 

Who is responsible to ensure non-MSU affiliate receives this training?   

The Principal Investigator (PI) listed in the IRB application is responsible to ensure that their non-MSU affiliates receive this training. The PI is responsible for uploading the non-MSU affiliates certificate to TOPAZ. The PI or the staff member assisting the PI with their IRB application can forward this webpage to their non-MSU affiliate and direct them to the heading below: Online Training Instructions.

CIRTification Online

CIRTification Online is interactive and relevant to the roles and responsibilities that community partners have in research projects. The program considers community partners’ limited experience with research, discusses key concepts in research ethics and responsible conduct of research in plain language, and focuses on applying knowledge to real-life scenarios. Ideally, CIRTification Online will not only teach community partners about the importance of protecting research participants, it will also empower them to be active contributors to their respective research teams. 

CIRTification online introduces learners to the basics of the research – the terminology, people, and methods. It also reviews the history of research abuses that has informed current ethical principles, rules, and regulations.

The training program also:

  • Covers standards and best practices for:
    • Recruitment and informed consent 
    • Collecting and protecting data 
    • Handling challenges that may arise during participant interactions 
  • Reviews the role of the Institutional Review Board in protecting the rights and safety of research participants

Learners complete a knowledge quiz at the end of the program and receive a date- stamped certificate of completion. The program takes about 4 hours and can be completed in multiple sessions.

CIRTification Online is also available in Spanish. Simply access the training portal, enroll in CIRTification or login, and select the option to launch the course in Spanish (empezar in Español).

Online Training Instructions

To enroll in CIRTification, please follow the instructions below. Please select Montana State University only from the list. If you do not select Montana State University, you will not be able to access the user information/progress reports.

  1. Go to https://training.ccts.uic.edu/
  2. Click "Register" (top right hand corner. Select "I am not from UIC".
  3. Complete the registration form. When asked to select a site, select "Montana State University".
  4. Click "Register" to finish.
  5. Visit the Course Catalog. Scroll until you find information about CIRTification. Click "Learn More" and "Enroll" to enroll in CIRTification.
  6. Once enrolled in course, launch the course to begin.

FAQs

ultyu

No. This training does not replace CITI human subjects research training required for MSU personnel engaged in research requiring IRB approval. Please see training page for more information. 

After completing a knowledge quiz at the end of the training, the option to print and save a date-stamped certificate of completion is available. You will also receive an email with a link to download the certificate. Send your certificate of completion to your MSU PI. 

Email a copy of your certificate to your PI. The PI or person assisting the PI will upload the certificate the protocol. 

The program takes about 4 hours and can be completed in multiple sessions.

The training is valid for five (5) years.

For assistance please contact: 

Nicole Soll, nicole.soll1@montana.edu, (406) 994-6732, Training and Development Coordinator

 

CIRTification is funded through the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Clinical and Translational Science and supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant UL1TR002003. We encourage mention and citation of CIRTification Online in grant proposals, conference presentations, published manuscripts, and other reporting. Suggested citation: CIRTification Online: Community Involvement in Research Training. University of Illinois at Chicago, Center for Clinical and Translational Science.