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Module Catalogue

MS920-20 Leadership in Clinical Research

Department
Warwick Medical School
Level
Taught Postgraduate Level
Module leader
John Davey
Credit value
20
Module duration
9 weeks
Assessment
100% coursework
Study location
Distance or Online Delivery

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Introductory description

Clinical Research and the successful management of patient-centred research are complex undertakings that can require input from multiple stakeholders and specialities. This module explores organisational and leadership frameworks as they apply to those seeking to have positions of responsibility in clinical research (Principal Investigator, Project Managers etc).
The module content will be based on evidence-based theories of leadership and organisational development in the context of clinical research.

Module web page

Module aims

This module enables students to:

  • Critically evaluate their understanding of the key principles of leadership.
  • Consider different organisational structures and their appropriateness to different clinical research projects.
  • Analyse theories of organisational culture and understand how to best approach change.
  • Consider the value of mentoring in the context of clinical research.
  • Apply leadership and management frameworks in different clinical research contexts.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The outline syllabus gives an indication of the sort of topics that will be covered in the module.

  1. Effective leadership in a clinical research setting.
  2. Organisational structures in clinical research.
  3. Organisation behaviour and organisation culture.
  4. Mentorship in clinical research.
  5. Change management in research projects
  6. Ethical issues in clinical leadership.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

  • 1. Demonstrate a critical and analytical approach to leadership in a clinical research setting.
  • 2. Demonstrate an understanding of key theories of how organisational structure, behaviour and culture develop with reference to clinical research settings.
  • 3. Evaluate theories of mentorship, the influence of mentorship in clinical research settings and how research mentoring differs from career mentoring.
  • 4. Evaluate key theories of motivation with a particular reference to clinical research settings.
  • 5. Appraise theories of change management as they relate to a clinical organisational context.
  • 6. Demonstrate critical self-evaluation of their roles and skills as leaders and team members, through detailed understanding of relevant theoretical models and engagement with relevant leadership competency tools and frameworks.

Interdisciplinary

Clinical practice necessitates collaboration across disciplines, and it is appropriate that this is reflected in the Masters in Clinical Research. The module is designed to appeal to a range of clinical professionals, including medical, nursing, pharmaceutical, bioscience and other disciplines.

International

The course will recruit from (and be delivered in) multiple territories, and the content will be tailored to the students’ own territories, reflecting local and international standards for clinical research integrity.

Subject specific skills

Subject-specific skills that will be obtained from the module include:

  • Understanding of organisation culture and change.
  • Understanding of leadership, development, and motivation of people.

Transferable skills

Improvement of a range of transferable skills, including:

  • Written communication.
  • Oral communication.
  • Organisation and time management.
  • Numeracy.
  • Independence and initiative.

Study time

Type Required
Online learning (scheduled sessions) 30 sessions of 1 hour (15%)
Online learning (independent) 130 sessions of 1 hour (65%)
Assessment 40 hours (20%)
Total 200 hours

Private study description

No private study requirements defined for this module.

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group A
Weighting Study time Eligible for self-certification
Assessment component
Leadership in Clinical Research Presentation 30% 10 hours Yes (extension)

A 10-minute pre-recorded presentation on leadership in clinical research.
Students identify an area for development within their organisational context, related to models of motivation, mentorship or change management and develop an evidence-based plan that could be used to enhance their organisation, demonstrating a theoretical understanding of organisational structure, leadership, and their ability to apply this in context.
Reassessment component is the same
Assessment component
Leadership in Clinical Research Essay 70% 30 hours Yes (extension)

A 3,000-word essay demonstrating critical evaluation of:

  • Appropriate organisational theories relevant to a specific clinical research project
  • Leadership theories and frameworks as applied to a specific research project
Reassessment component is the same
Feedback on assessment

Both assignments will be marked and moderated using a standardised rubric based on the following assessment criteria:

  • analysis
  • application
  • communication
  • evaluation
  • knowledge
  • understanding
    Feedback, including marks, will be given electronically to students.

The pass mark is 50% overall.
It is not necessary to pass each component of the module independently.
We will apply a compensatory grading approach that will enable students to carry a failed component, as long as their aggregated mark is at least 50%.

There is currently no information about the courses for which this module is core or optional.