FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
General and Course Registration:
How do you accept attendees for the course?
Course attendance is by registration only on a
first-come first-served basis. To maximize the teaching/learning benefit for
each course attendee, seating is very limited.
When is the course registration deadline?
Course registration deadline is July 6, 2016
at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. However, registration is subject to early termination
if full enrollment capacity is reached.
Since the course is by registration only, why do I have to
submit my CV?
The course pace and some of its content will be tailored
according to the course attendees. The course instructor needs to get an idea
on the background and education of each course attendee.
I have attended a course, or more, on clinical research
before. Why do I need to attend your course?
First of all, your interest in clinical research is
genuinely applauded. Having attended course(s) before is truly a plus. However,
the repetition of core concepts of clinical research, and receiving them
through different ways of presentations further solidify the content.
Additionally, this course will introduce you to basic biostatistics concepts
which will help you not only understand the research articles that you read,
but also to design your own statistical analysis plans.
The course duration is too long. The course(s) I attended
before, or heard about them, range from one full day to 1-2 weeks. What is the
benefit of this long duration?
This course is designed to be taught over 2 months.
Stretching the teaching over this duration will allow the course core concepts
to be digested by you over time. Think of it as baking a bread. After you mix
the ingredients, you need to let it grow several hours, instead of throwing it
in the oven right away!! Similarly, the 2-month course duration should give you
time to perceive the course core concepts "at ease", participate in
discussion and active learning, ask questions, request further explanations.
Will we be given handouts?
Yes. Handouts of key learning points will be distributed. In
addition to handout, extensive linking to published landmark articles and key
manuals and textbooks will be provided.
I am interested, how can I register?
Live Online Webinars
How many hours are live online webinars in the course?
There are 35 hours of online webinars, span throughout the
8-week duration of the course. Each live lecture is followed by additional
10-20 minutes of Q&A session, if needed.
At what time the live webinars will be scheduled?
We understand that you have a day job. Webinars will be
scheduled in the late afternoon or evenings in most countries east to the
United States. The specific dates and times of the webinars will be announced
during the first day of the course.
Do I have to attend all webinars live?
No. All webinars will be recorded and will be available to
the course attendees for later on-demand viewing throughout the duration of the
course. However, you have to satisfy the minimum attendance requirement of at
least 75% of both the recorded lectures and live webinars.
I missed a webinar, what should I do?
All webinars are recorded for later on-demand viewing.
I watched the recorded webinar, but still have questions,
what should I do?
No problem. Just send us an email, and the question(s) will
be answered by email, or on the next live webinar, depending on the nature of
the question.
For how long I will have access to the recorded version of
the live online lectures?
All course attendees will have access to all the recorded
version of the live online lectures throughout the duration of the course,
and for 8 weeks after the end date of the course.
Private Consultation
What does the private consultation entail?
Course attendees have 2 hours of free one-on-one private
consultation with the course instructor for their ongoing or future clinical
research projects. The 2 hours could be in the form of voice/video conference
calls or specific takeaway tasks. Such tasks can include critical review of the
attendee’s research protocol, case report forms, statistical analysis (within
the 2-hour limit), manuscript editing or review. Each course attendee can
utilize these 2 hours during the 2-month duration of the course.
Can you offer more free hours of free consultation?
Yes. The top 10% performers in the final examination will be
offered extra 2 hours of one-on-one private consultation with the course
instructor. Each course attendee can utilize these 2 hours during the one month
following the course end date.
Can I save my free hours to after the course duration?
No. Course attendees can’t rollover free hours.
Final Exam
How will the final examination be structured?
The final examination will be online open-book exam, in the
form of multiple choice questions (MCQs) using clinical research scenarios.
Course attendees need to apply the knowledge and skills they acquired during
the course to reach the answer of each question.
I failed the final examination, what should I do?
It is very unlikely that someone who attended all the
lectures, and digested all the concepts would fail the final examination. The
final examination will cover concepts that are taught during the course. Each
course attendee has an opportunity to ask questions in the Q&A session
after each lecture or utilize the 2 hours consultation for further tutoring. If
a course attendee failed the final examination, he/she will be given one more
opportunity to take a variant of the final examination. In previous cycles of
the course, 100% of the students who entered the final exam passed.
Certification
Will I receive a Certificate of Completion?
Yes. A Certificate of Completion from The
Epidemiologist will be issued to course attendees who fulfilled the
minimum passing requirements. The Epidemiologist is an academic blog
founded and moderated by Dr. Farag since 2013.
What are the minimum passing requirements of the course?
Attendance of at least 75% of both the recorded lectures and
live webinars, and obtaining at least 75% in the final examination
The certificate isn't highly regarded, and doesn't come from
well-renowned institution. Why would I register, pay, and attend for your
course?
This is very simple question, with a very simple
multi-faceted answer.
1. You can, and will, find similar courses, and similar
content from a big-named academic institutions (e.g. Harvard, Johns Hopkins,
Duke etc...) for $15,000-$20,000. So if you really need the
"big-named" certificate, you will need to pay 20-25 times more than
you will pay for our course. Needless to say, most of them are on-site, not
online. So you will have to physically travel to them to take the course. Our
course is delivered at the comfort of your own comfy sofa in the living room.
2. There is almost no fully-integrated live online
interactive course to teach clinical research in this flexible learning style,
at this price.
3. Don't underestimate the value of the 2-hours free
private consultation. If you seek the help of a professionally-trained
epidemiologist or biostatistician (like Dr. Farag), you will need to pay at
least $150-$200 per hour. So these 2 hours [by themselves] should worth $300-$400.
4. Top 10% performers in the final examination will be
offered additional 2 hours of free private consultation, worth additional $300-$400.
5. As for the 30-hours lectures of this course, think
of these as private tutoring, that you certainly sought many times during the course
of your academic life, since high school till beyond your medical school (or
whatever professional school you completed). You seek private tutoring not for
the sake of the certificate, but to gain further in-depth instruction of the
subject matter, coupled with much more flexibility to approach the instructor
and ask him for whatever complex or difficult-to-digest concepts.
This is exactly what this course is all about.
Course Tuition Fees
How should I pay the course tuition fees?
Course tuition fees should be paid through PayPal. Please
use the link provided for registration. If you don't have a PayPal account, no problem.
You can use your credit card securely on PayPal website to pay the tuition
fees.
I can't use PayPal, can I make a bank wire transfer?
How can I make a wire transfer?
You need to get this information from your local bank. When
ready to make the wire transfer, please contact us requesting our bank account
information.
Can I pay the tuition fees in installments?
No. Course tuition fees are one-time payment due at the time
of registration.
No discounts are available during this time.
Do you offer scholarships?
No scholarships are available during this time.
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