Recently, Gary Cohen, PhD, LAT, ATC was awarded a $9,000+ new researcher grant from the USF Research Council. The title of the grant is Designing an Athletic Training Preceptor Development Program Grounded in Gamification Principles and will begin immediately.  

The long-term goal of this study is to demonstrate meaningful change in preceptor development through education with the specific goal of preparing preceptors to be effective clinical educators. The objective is to build a platform for the accreditation-required preceptor training and examine the pre-to-post- change in preceptors’ mastery of clinical education concepts. The platform will facilitate a software-based delivery method grounded in the Theory of Gamified Learning to incentivize active participation and application of concepts. The preceptors will complete a pre- and post-participation survey that assesses their mastery of fundamental concepts of clinical education and investigates their level of engagement with different preceptor training delivery methods. The Adult Learning Theory will guide the types of activities within the software to actively engage preceptors and fulfill accreditation standards. Assessing preceptor performance within the software allows administrators to track preceptor development longitudinally. A comprehensive case of preceptor performance will be investigated when tied to student evaluations of the preceptor. Methods of evaluating preceptor effectiveness in the literature are not well defined. Therefore, this study would be the first to promote student clinical competency through a preceptor development and evaluation platform in athletic training. Once this grant is completed the goal is to disseminate the findings with fellow athletic trainers at professional conferences and through various publications. Dr. Cohen is excited to receive this grant to help advance preceptor education and improve clinical experiences for students and preceptors.