Background: The survey capabilities and electronic consent (eConsent) functionality of REDCap became critical when COVID-19 forced a shift to distance-based research. As researchers shifted to remote research, there was a dramatic increase in the training needs and questions about REDCap functionality. Our library sought to meet this need by providing both synchronous distance education and asynchronous resources for eConsent.
Description: To provide synchronous training, a librarian at our academic medical center updated formerly in-person training materials to provide an increased number of training workshops that each spanned a shorter time period. These were offered by Zoom to classes capped at 500 participants, rather than the in-person cap of 24. The live, Zoom-based training series was held every other week at the outset of pandemic. For asynchronous training, the librarian consulted with the institutional IRB and IT to create online MP4 videos detailing the process of eConsent. These were updated iteratively to address issues the IRB was seeing in applications involving eConsent. The recordings are hosted on the library’s YouTube page.
Conclusion: Over 1100 individuals attended nineteen distance based workshops, including an introductory session and classes on surveys, longitudinal studies, efficient use of REDCap and data import/export. This represents a vastly increased attendance compared to those possible in a physical classroom. Additionally, the eConsent videos have been viewed over 1000 times, reflecting a high need for such resources. The process of creating videos also strengthened connections between the library and IRB staff, which led to mutual referrals, an additional benefit to the research community.